Ich (Ichtyopthirius)

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Ich is a common fish tank disease which is actually a parasite. this disease is often called white spots because the parasite looks like tiny white spots. They attach to your fish and feed on the tissue. When they grow into adults they then detach themselves and can lay in wait at the bottom of your tank, for quite some time in an egg like to state. When they are ready they then burst open releasing hundreds of spores into the water which seek out your fish so that they can attach and start feeding beginning the cycle all over again.

Ich can be difficult to treat because only the spores are susceptible to treatment. When Ich is in its egg like state or when It is feeding on your fish it’s very hard to kill. Therefore, you need to time the cycle of treatment perfectly.

Most of the time you will notice white spot or Ich in your aquarium if the temperature is cooling a bit. Perhaps during the fall after a hot summer when your tank was hotter than the heater was set for. you can try treating it by turning up the heat are slowly but be careful not to increasee the temperature too much to a point that it will harm the fish. Another method of treatment involves adding salt to the tank, but again, you need to be careful that you do not add to much and hurt your fish.

There are also chemical treatments available at your local pet store, but you might want to ask the clerk to cut some of them can interfere with your filtration depending on how you filter or aquarium. Also, some of these treatments may harm other things in your tank. For example, copper can be toxic to some fish as well as cleaner shrimp. Formalin can interfere with the bacteria in your filter and Methylene can be harmful to your aquarium plants.

As always, the best way to treat fish disease like Ich is to make sure it never happens in the first place. Be sure that your water quality is always optimum and that you perform the regular aquarium maintenance necessary. Also when buying fish be sure to check them carefully to make sure that they do not have any white spots and look over the other fish that are in the aquarium with them to make sure they don’t have any either.

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Ich (Ichtyopthirius)

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