As the number of fish keepers who include shrimp in their tanks increases, we have noticed a correlating spike in the number of people reaching out with various questions about caring for the shrimp in their tanks.
More recently, we have noticed an increase specifically in the number of people reaching out to ask for a shrimp safe ich treatment for when their fish get ich but they want to also protect their shrimp.
This is great to see as many people will prioritize their fish over their shrimp and just treat the ich breakout in their fish as efficiently as possible.
Now, quarantining your fish into a quarantine tank and using something like Super Ich Cure can still arguably be the best route to take but this is not always the best path to take due to quarantining some fish species being problematic as we covered in our article on treating ich in blue tangs.
Due to quarantining not always being possible and treatments like Super Ich Cure not being suitable for use in tanks with shrimp, we wanted to publish our own, dedicated article going over what you are able to do to treat an ich breakout in a tank that has shrimp in it.
We have decided to cover a number of different treatment options in our article to try and make sure that we have something for everyone as depending on your situation, some of the treatments covered below may not be suitable for you.
The Best Shrimp Safe Ich Treatments!
The best ich treatment for fish in aquariums that also have shrimp in them is Parashield.
Although Parashield is not labelled as specifically being shrimp safe, a huge number of aquarium keepers have successfully used it in their tanks that have shrimp in them to treat the fish for ich without their shrimp having any problems.
This has made Parashield the default ich treatment for many fish keepers who have any type of shrimp or invertebrate in their tank as it allows you to quickly, easily, and cheaply treat the ich breakout without harming the shrimp in your tank.
In addition to that, unlike some of the other treatments featured in our article, using Parashield to treat an ich breakout in a tank with shrimp has a high success rate of treating the ich parasite.
The treatment is very beginner friendly with very easy to follow dosing instructions on the label of the product that allows fish keepers of all levels of experience to easily dose their tank correctly.
We have seen some people report that they only used a half dose on their tank with shrimp but there are plenty of people reporting that they stuck with the recommended dose for their tank size with shrimp in it and did not have problems.
Garlic Infused Fish Food Flakes!
Garlic infused fish food can be a way to help deal with parasites in fish without harming your shrimp but the results can be hit and miss.
Some weaker ich parasites can be deal with using a decent garlic infused fish flake product where as others will not be affected at all.
Due to the uncertainty of using garlic infused fish food flakes to treat ich in your fish, we would always recommend that you try something like garlic infused seaweed and algae sheets but some fish will pay it no attention at all.
Some people can also have some success with a Dr Tims garlic grinder by using it to add garlic to the food that their fish will usually eat without issue to get the garlic into their fish that way.
Increase Your Water Temperature!
Another method that you are able to do to treat ich in your fish without putting most shrimp species at risk is to pump your water temperature up to the high 70s and low 80s.
This can be enough to deal with some ich species but others can survive at higher temperatures but you should always check the water temperature ranges for everything in your tank prior to trying this.
Depending on the tank mates your shrimp have, this may not be suitable and some types of shrimp don’t like their water temperature that hot either.
If you have worked out the water temperature ranges for everything in your tank and it is suitable to try then pumping your tank temperature up can work though.
If the ich species infecting the fish in your tank are able to make it through hotter water temperatures then there is a good chance that garlic will not be an effective treatment against them either.
This brings us back to our recommended treatment for ich in tanks with shrimp, Parashield as it can easily deal with these tougher types of ich.
Malachite Green Can Work At A Half Dose!
Although malachite green can cause problems with some species of shrimp, it can be used at a half dose with others if you absolutely have to use it to treat the ich in your fish.
Products such as Nox-Ich have been successfully used at a lower dose in tanks with shrimp without causing the shrimp any problems but we usually would recommend any of the treatments that we covered above.
The main problem with malachite green based treatments is that you are unable to use them at full strength due to having shrimp in your tank and this reduces their efficiency for treating ich and could be wasting your valuable time.
In our opinion, you should just be going with Parashield and getting a shrimp safe ich treatment running in your tank as fast as possible.
Although malachite green may work, it may also pose a threat to your shrimp while also not doing anything to treat the ich breakout your fish are suffering from. This is why we feel that it is just too much of a risk to even try in a tank that has shrimp in it too.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over the various shrimp safe ich treatments that you are able to try to treat your fish suffering from ich in a tank that has shrimp to an end. We hope that we have been able to help you better understand your options as well as the potential success rates of each of the featured treatments that you can try to deal with the ich breakout.
