What Is Ich, And How To Keep Your Aquarium Ich Free
Probably the most common aquarium fish parasite, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, causes the disease known as Ich or white spot in freshwater aquarium fish. Marine ich is caused by a different ciliate, Cryptocaryon.
Literally translating into “fish louse with many children,” each parasite can beget over a thousand offspring. Though the disease it causes can be likened to a skin infection, the stress it causes could be fatal for the fish, especially if combined with poor diet and/or habitat.
It is relevant to mention here that the Ich parasite is present in almost every tank – what is important is the prevention of an infection. Preventive measure include buying only healthy fish, proper acclimatization techniques such as not transferring water from other aquariums, quarantining sick fish, maintaining high water quality by regular filtration and cleaning and refraining from overstocking. High nitrate or ammonia levels, or even a sudden change in temperature can lead to an outbreak.
How to know if your fish have Ich?
Also called white spot disease, fish which have Ich have white spots over parts of their body looking much like they have been sprinkled with salt. The spots are caused by the adult Ich parasite burrowing into the skin of its victim, to feed on blood and dead epithelial cells. The irritation caused by the burrowing parasite causes the skin of the fish to swell and produce white cysts seen as a small spots.
Because of this irritation, you will be able to observe the infected fish scratching against rocks and gravel in an attempt to get some relief.
The fish will usually have their fins clutched close to their bodies, and in advanced stages of the disease, will become lethargic. Other symptoms include cloudy eyes, redness or bloody streaks, anorexia or loss of appetite or even hiding abnormally.
The Ich Lifecycle
After several days of feasting on the host fish, the parasite develops into a trophozoite, burrows out of the fish and sinks to bottom of the tank. There, it secretes a soft jellylike substance, and forms a protective membrane inside which it multiplies into hundreds of baby parasites, known as tomites. This stage is very temperature-dependent within its capsule, with the fastest replications occurring at warmer temperatures near 78-80°F. At optimum temperatures, the replication will be completed in about 8 hours, which could stretch longer if the temperature is lower.
These hungry tomites soon leave their home in search of a fresh host fish to dine upon.
It is during the free-swimming stage, which lasts just about three days, that the parasite is vulnerable to medication. Once it has burrowed into a new host fish it is safely protected from chemicals in the water.
Treating Ich
Since the life cycle of Ich is temperature-dependent and the ich can only be killed in the tomite stage, one option is to raise the tank temperature to 78-80°F over 48 hours to speed the cycle of tomite formation and release (if your fish can take it, you could increase the temperature upto 86°F). This serves to both hasten the life cycle, so that the tomites form faster and also serves to kill the parasite. However, this should be accompanies with medication.
Another way to get rid of ich from your tank is to remove all of the fish. Since the tomites can only survive for 48 hours without attaching to a fish, if you remove all of the fish and then raise the temperature to 80°, the existing ich in the tank should be dead after 2 days. To be safe, wait 4 days before returning the fish to the tank. However, you will need to treat the tank that the fish are moved to, otherwise, fish entering that tank could become infected.
Chemical treatments include formalin or malachite green, or a combination of the two. Copper, methylene blue, and baths of potassium permanganate, quinine hydrochloride, and sodium chloride have also been used but do not appear to offer an advantage over the more readily available formalin and malachite green products. Whatever chemical you use, ensure that it is fresh. While using medications, remember to turn of any water filtration device you may have operating.
Aquarium salt is another form of treatment, though you need to check how much salt your fish can bear. Ideally use it in conjunction with other forms of treatment.
Vacuuming the surface of the gravel with a siphon device can remove the parasite at cyst stage. Try not to stir up the water too much as it just blows the cysts all over.
Prevention, without doubt, would be better than cure. Steps you could take include:
- When buying fish ensure that they are healthy and free from all diseases. Never buy fish from a tank that contains dead or diseased fish.
- Try and place any new fish in a quarantine tank for at least two weeks before introducing them into your main tank.
- Do not buy plants if they are kept in a fish tank with fish. If you do, make sure to quarantine your plants for at least 4 days.
- Avoid any fluctuations in temperature, pH, or ammonia levels as these are all very stressful to fish and can result in an outbreak of ich.
- Do not overstock your tank.
- Ensure good water quality through regular cleaning of the tank and water changes. A UV Sanitizer may help somewhat.
- Make sure you feed your fish right. Healthy fish are Ich free fish.
Here’s to your Ich free aquarium.
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