Will freshwater remove ich from a tank?

[natan]

I had an outbreak and removed all fish. It's a fish only tank. The question is, will replacing all water in the tank with freshwater kill the sists and how long do I need to keep it fresh before adding salt to guarantee the tank is ich-free. And yes I do realize the tank will than have to be cycled. Any help is appreciated.

 

[3FordFamily]

That's not really how I would go about it. Short answer I think is no, i don't think it would kill all ich in every part of the life cycle.

I would leave the tank alone without fish for 72 days. No live additions whatsoever (rock or sand either)

 

[Spar]

no, any cysts (tomite stage) will not be impacted by the lower/zero salinity. they can stay in that stage for up to 72 days.

your best bet is to either leave fallow for 72 days, or allow all the contents to stay dry for a decent period of time... normally the 'stay dry' period is just 24 hours, but with all the nooks and crannies in rock, I'm not sure how long it will take for all water to completely evaporate.

you can also do acid baths on the rocks to help.

 

[natan]

Thanks. I'll let it be as it is for 72 days than, and try to use the time to add some macros (as it is intended to be a planted tank), which than will also undergo a quarantine period and adopt without being bothered by any fish. An added bonus is i will be able to keep a few snails that i have and allow a decent pod population to develop.

 

[Spar]

for best result, start the 72 days from when your last non-fish is added. non-fish can carry in tomites (cysts) so I even QT those for 72 days in a separate tank.