If your fish has been infected with Ich, then you can use either the Hikari Ich-X or Seachem ParaGuard to treat them. So, what are the main differences between these two products?
You can find out in this comparison article.
Quick Summary
Although using Hikari Ich-X takes more work (as you need to do a water change of at least 33% before every dosage), it should be faster at getting rid of Ich when compared to Seachem ParaGuard.
With ParaGuard, you will need to dose daily for 14 days for a freshwater tank or 28 days for a saltwater tank.
On the other hand, Seachem ParaGuard can be used to treat other diseases like Velvet, Fin Rot and Flukes. In comparison, Ich-X is mainly used for Freshwater Ich and Saltwater Ich.
Hikari Ich-X vs. Seachem ParaGuard Comparison Chart
You can take a look at Aquarium Blueprints’ comparison table for the Ich-X and ParaGuard below.
| Hikari Ich-X | Seachem ParaGuard | |
|---|---|---|
| Infection Treatments | Freshwater Ich (Ichthyophthirius) Saltwater Ich (Cryptocaryon) | Freshwater Ich (Ichthyophthirius) Saltwater Ich (Cryptocaryon) Freshwater Velvet (Piscinoodinium) Saltwater Velvet (Amyloodinium) Fin Rot Gills Flukes (Monogenenean trematodes) Skin Flukes (Dactylogyrus trematodes) |
| Treatment Length | 3 days after infection clears | Freshwater Ich (Ichthyophthirius): 14 days Saltwater Ich (Cryptocaryon): 28 days Freshwater Velvet (Piscinoodinium): 14 to 21 days Saltwater Velvet (Amyloodinium): 14 to 21 days Fin Rot: 7 days or until infection is cured Gills Flukes (Monogenenean trematodes): 14 days or until infection no longer appears Skin Flukes (Dactylogyrus trematodes): 14 days or until infection no longer appears |
| Dosage Instructions | Do at least 33% water change and then dose 5 mL for every 10 gallons (or 38 liters) | 5 mL for every 10 gallons (or 40 liters) |
| Dosage Frequency | Daily during treatment | Daily during treatment |
| After Treatment Removal | Activated carbon and water changes | Activated carbon and water changes |
| Pricing | Check price on Amazon. (#CommissionsEarned) | Check price on Amazon. (#CommissionsEarned) |
Infection Treatments
While Ich-X is mainly limited to only treating Ich, ParaGuard can be used to also treat Velvet, Fin Rot and Flukes. Therefore, you should be able to get more bang for your buck with the Seachem product.
You can find the full lists of infections that these two products can treat below:
Hikari Ich-X:
- Freshwater Ich (Ichthyophthirius)
- Saltwater Ich (Cryptocaryon)
Seachem ParaGuard:
- Freshwater Ich (Ichthyophthirius)
- Saltwater Ich (Cryptocaryon)
- Freshwater Velvet (Piscinoodinium)
- Saltwater Velvet (Amyloodinium)
- Fin Rot
- Gills Flukes (Monogenenean trematodes)
- Skin Flukes (Dactylogyrus trematodes)
Dosage Amount
The dosage amounts are pretty much the same between the two treatments.
You can find the recommended dosage for both products below:
Hikari Ich-X:
- Freshwater: 5 mL for every 10 gallons or 38 liters of tank water
- Saltwater: 5 mL for every 10 gallons or 38 liters of tank water
Seachem ParaGuard:
- Freshwater: 5 mL for every 10 gallons or 40 liters of tank water
- Saltwater: 5 mL for every 10 gallons or 40 liters of tank water
Dosing Directions
When it comes to the dosage directions, you need to do a lot more work with Hikari Ich-X as you need to perform a water change of at least 33% and then dose at least once every 24 hours until you no longer see any more visible signs of Ich. Once you no longer see any signs of Ich, Hikari recommends that you keep dosing for three more days to make sure that Ich won’t return.
For Ich, you can simply dose Seachem ParaGuard for 14 days if you are treating a freshwater tank or 28 days if you are treating a saltwater tank.
You can find the full ParaGuard dosage schedule below:
- Freshwater Ich (Ichthyophthirius): Dose daily for 14 days
- Saltwater Ich (Cryptocaryon): Dose daily for 28 days
- Freshwater Velvet (Piscinoodinium): Dose daily for 14 to 21 days
- Saltwater Velvet (Amyloodinium): Dose daily for 14 to 21 days
- Fin Rot: Dose daily for 7 days or until infection goes away
- Gills Flukes (Monogenenean trematodes): Dose daily for 14 days or until infection goes away
- Skin Flukes (Dactylogyrus trematodes): Dose daily for 14 days or until infection goes away
When it comes to Ich, the Hikari Ich-X should be faster at eliminating the disease when compared to ParaGuard, especially when using in a saltwater aquarium.
After Treatment Removal
After treating your fish with either Ich-X or ParaGuard, you can remove the medication from the water column by adding activated carbon to your filter. To further speed up this process, you can also do daily water changes to dilute Ich-X and ParaGuard.