Well not sure food is the trick. The methods you can't do are the proven one's. In talking to Seachem a few times they use a product called focus along with metronitazole (sp?)....They claim that when they feed foad soaked in those items it rids the fish of ich. I say they claim because I have never tried it. It might be worth a shot for you, but you should start the minute you notice anything, while the fish is still eating.