I have some ich in my tank. I just did about a 60% wc, going to out some treatment in now... When they say remove the charcoal, does this mean just slice open the pouch and remove the charcoal and run the filter with just the white cloth part in there??

Sorry I'm posting on my phone and had trouble searching for existing threads

I'm assuming you have one of those filters where the sponge and carbon are combined into one media? In that case... I'm really not sure.... you should try to dump some Biomax into the filter as well (just put it in loose) so that if you ever do have to take that combined media out, there is still some bacteria rich media in there.

What kind of fish do you have? Often, turning the heat up to 86 (slowly, about 1-2 degrees an hour) and treating with aquarium salt is enough to kill the Ick with out having to use a medication. (Just depends on your fish... some can't tolerate salt, like corys and plecos... it's not fantastic for live plants either.) Someone can also advise you for the amount of salt (should say on the box, or you can google that) and length of time for the heat/salt treatment. I think it may be two weeks or so... you should treat for a little while after the last sign is gone. Turning the heat up speeds up the life cycle of the parasite and makes it so it can't reproduce.

Water changes (and re-adding salt for just the amount that's removed in the WC) are important in curing Ick because the fish really need clean water.

So, as for the media, someone else will have to help you out there - but for sure dump some biomax in there. (I've got an Aqueon filter that has a combined sponge/carbon, but I also dropped in a bunch of loose biomax pieces into the bottom of the filter so that there is still bacteria media in there if I ever have to remover or change the sponge combo.)

Think about it... you're going to re-cycle your tank every time you change that combo' media if it's the only thing in the filter that's holding bacteria.

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Agreed with everything holly said, I know we spoke on chat tonight, just wanted to say i hope everything works out for your fish!

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I wouldn't put loose bio-max in any filter. It would be better to use an old stocking or get a filter bag. The tank will not re-cycle when those filters are replaced or I think the filter company wouldn't be making that model for very long with all the issues that would cause. I would however, recommend staggered replacement if there is more than 1. Replace 1 this week, and the next a week from now....2wks apart would be better.

I have treated for ich a few times and have used the temp/salt method. The temp needs to get to 89-90F, preferrably. Reproduction will stop at about 85 and then you will start to kill the protozoa at the higher temp. My plants and fish have always tolerated it with no problem. After I used Quick Cure for the first time I gave up on the natural method. The ich cycle is approx. 4 days and ich has always had my fish clear by that 4th day. I like natual methods over ones involving meds, but will never treat for ich any other way. As with any med, some fish can be more sensitive than others (ie. scaless fish). If you have these, it has been a well known and accepted procedure to just use half doses and treat for twice as long.

There are a lot of good articles out there about ich, the cycle of it, and treatment of it, etc. It is good to have a basic understanding of all of it. I like to read about how to treat diseases straight from some of the sources. I like this one: Using Heat to Treat Ich in Freshwater Tropical Fish - Article at The Age of Aquariums - Tropical Fish. But, don't limit yourself to just that one.