Going on my question from before about my oscar fish and the icky stuff, it is white stuff on his head?

Question

The last oscar fish i had that died had the same stuff on his he ad before he died. I think it miight have something to do with the type of water we have but I'm not sure.

Answer 1

It is possiable your fish is suffering from a form of ich, white spot cotton etc.

Here read below. They usually will start getting s cottony or filmy white coating on head, gills, fins etc.

Is it white spot disease or is it Ich? You need to know the difference between the two since they are treated differently.

Cryptocaryoniasis, White Spot Disease or Marine Ich is caused by an infestation of the ciliated protozoan Cryptocaryon irritans. Although Cryptocaryon becomes a parasitic organism at one stage in its life cycle like Oodinium and Brooklynella do, and it progesses less rapidly than these other ich diseases, in a closed aquarium system it can reach overwhelming and disasterous numbers just the same if it is not diagnosed and treated upon recognition.

Unlike Oodinium and Brooklynella that typically attack the gills first, which allows these ich diseases to advance into life-threatening levels quickly as they go unnoticed, Cryptocaryon usually appears at the onset as salt-sized white spots visible on the body and fins of a host fish, and when the organisms become parasitic, it is then that they move inwards to the gills. Because crypto is more easily recognized in its beginning stage, this makes it much easier to treat and cure before it gets out of control.

Aside from the appearance of the white spots, fish will scratch against objects in an attempt to dislodge the parasites, and rapid respiration develops as tomonts, mucus, and tissue debris clogs the gills. Fish become listless, refuse to eat, loss of color occurs in patches or blotches as the trophonts destroy the pigment cells, and secondary bacterial infections invade the lesions caused by the trophonts.

Although copper is very effective on Oodinium, and it works well to eliminate crypto organisms in their free-swimming tomite stage, it is not as effective on the Cryptocaryon trophonts that burrow deeply into the tissues of fish. A combination of freshwater and formalin treatments adminstered by means of dips, baths, and prolonged treatment over a period of time in a QT is recommended

Reinfection will occur no matter how effectively the fish have been treated if Cryptocaryon is not eradicated from the main aquarium, which can be accomplished by keeping the tank devoid of any fish for at least 4 weeks. For fish-only aquariums hyposalinity can be applied, and to speed up the life cycle of the organisms, elevate the tank temperature to 85 degrees for 10 days to 12 days. For treating reef tanks, FishVet No-Ich Marine, Ruby Reef Kick-Ich, and Chem-Marin Stop Parasites are Cryptocaryon specific remedies that are said to be "reef safe". Several days prior to returning fish to the main aquarium, clean all filtering equipment, change any filtering materials, and do a water change.

Remember to remove all filters media and turn off protein skimmers when treating for any types of Ich.

Although many over-the-counter remedies contain the general name Ich or Ick, carefully read the product information to be sure it is designed to specifically target and treat "Cryptocaryon"

Brooklynella hostilis - these protozoa reproduce asexually by means of simple binary fission through conjugation, which is why they are able to multiply so much more rapidly than Cryptocaryon (White Spot), and Oodinium (Velvet Ich), and why it can kill fish within a few days and even hours upon recognition

Most similar symptomatically to Oodinium, this too is a parasite that primarily attacks the gills first. At the onset fish may scrap up against objects, rapid respiration develops, and fish often gasp for air at the surface as the gills become clogged with mucus. Fish become lethargic, refuse to eat, and colors fade, but the most noticeable difference that sets Brooklynella apart from Oodinium is the heavy amount of slime that is produced. As the disease progresses a thick whitish mucus covers the body, usually starting at the head and spreading outward, skin lesions appear, and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections to arise.

Suggestions range from copper, malachite green and other remedies, with some recommended being used in conjunction with formaldehyde. However the general consensus is these types of medications are either largely ineffective or do not work at all, and that the best and most effective treatment for Brooklynella is formaldehyde alone. Typically a standard 37% formalin solution (shop & compare prices) is mixed with either fresh or saltwater in a separate treatment container, initially all fish are given a quick dip or a prolonged bath, followed by continued treatment and care in a QT. Of course the longer fish are exposed to the formalin treatment, the more effective it will be at eliminating this "disease". Whether to administer a dip or a bath to start with is something you will have to determine yourself, but there's a very simple way to do this.

Since these are Free swimming parasites which are in watersources, come attached to our fish etc. The only way to ensure NO ICH is to get a UV Sterilizer and addit to the tank. The UV Sterilizer kills the free swimming forms of various ich and other parasites.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

I hate to argue with Venice because she is so very often right but....

Almost no fish diseases are caused by bad water. Parasites are parasites and not bad water, fungus is fungus and not made of bad water. Bacteria are just that, they don't suddenly appear in bad water ( well, almost never and these are the few exceptions to the rule) But in no case except toxicity problems is bad water the cause of a disease.

That said, bad water can and does certainly weaken a fish and make it much harder for the fish to fight off an infection or infestation.

It sounds as if your fish has a bacteria infection and yes, bad water will not help him at all. Do a major (50% or so) water change and I would suggest yu treat the tank with either Furnace or Marycn and Marycn 2 together. Remove the carbon from your filter while you treat the tank. If this does not improve the fish within 7-10 days ( not cure, just improve) add a medication containing Malichite green to the treatments. Those are often sold as Ick medicine, but it works well for this as well. You should also add 2 tablespoons of salt to the tank per 5 gallons of the tank. Be sure the salt is NOT the iodine added kind, just plain table salt or kosher salt will do fine. Raise the temperature to about 86 F to help the healing.

MM

Answer 3

Now I'm by no means an expert on fish diseases but I do know that if it was ich that it would not just be on the head of the fish. It would be all over the fish. I would look farther into the fungus and columnaris route.

Answer 4

Yes it is called Ick. It could be that your feeding them to much,the water might have to be cleaned more often,or that other fish at the pet store were sick and apearantly know they are sick. Cause Ick can spread out throughout your tank. If you have other fish in that tank then I think you should take them out or else they might have Ick soon! Good Luck
PS.There is a medicine for the Ick.

Answer 5

It isn't your water per se, but how the water is cycled, how the tank is cleaned and maintained and the water's ph level, but for oscars, they can tolerate the full range of ph levels, so that shouldn't need to be a consideration. The overwhelming cause of aquarium fish sicknesses is poor water quality, and while the water may come out of your tap in one form, you can "transform" it by adding dechlorinators, detoxifiers, doing proper cycling, water changes, tank cleanings, having proper filtration and testing your water. Are you just asking about your water or are you asking how to treat your fish for this "icky white stuff?"

Answer 6

Oh! My tropical fish had that same problem! The disease is Ick, and it is a scale-dcaying disease resulting id white residue on the scales...sounds scary, but pretty easily treatable with pet store medicines.

Answer 7

well... ur not being very discriptive, but to me it sounds like hole-in-the-head (hexamita) and since oscars r especially prone to HITH... im guesssing thats what it is... my oscar had HITH once and it looked like a hole in its head filled with "white icky stuff"... i put him in medicine that contained metronidazole and copper sulfate and he was fine after a week and a half...

Answer 8

If it's the stuff I am thinking of it's accually called ick. Did you get it from Wal-mart they are real bad for ick. They have water treatment for it.

Answer 9

Sounds like fungus or colunmaris bacteria