What is Ich and how does your fish get it?

Answer 1

Ich is an external parasite. When on the fish they cause cysts resembling grains of salt to appear on the body and fins of the fish. But it's actually within the gills where they do the most damage (by interferring with the oxygen exchange which eventually can prove fatal).

The life cycle of this parasite exists in various forms. The parasite feeds on the blood of the fish and the 'white specks' will eventually fall off and unto the substrate. Within each cyst the parasite multiplies in great numbers.

These eventually burst and these parasites, now in a free swimming form, seek out fish to attach to (thus repeating the cycle). Medications can only kill the free swimming form (the other forms are practically impervious). The speed of the life cycle depends on the temperature of the tank (it is accelerated in warmer water and slows in cooler temps).

Meds against this parasite must be used for 10-20 days due to the intricate life cycle of ich to ensure they're eradicated. If a single ich organism survives, the ich will re-occur. For example if you treat for 3-5 days and stop, you'll kill all the free swimming ich, but not the ones on the fish or in the substrate, which will eventually develop into the free swimming form.

Fish contract ich from water containing the parasite, fish which are inflicted with it, or decorations/objects which originate from a tank containing ich. Many fish are naturally resistant to it, but a sick or stressed fish will succumb to it. It is believed that a fish which survives a bout with ich has a greater resistance to it, possibly even a immunity of a sort.

Answer 2

If the ich has already grabbed hold and begun to spread on the fish, it would be best to separate the scaleless fish from the rest, treating 1/2 the dosage as prescribed would be optimal. Otherwise you could dose the 1 tank half dose and see if it clears up or even try 3/4 dose.

Answer 3

It is a parasite. Fish get it from stress, bad water, over feeding and water temperature kept too cold (below 75). Life cycle is two weeks hard to get rid of. Salt bath at 4 teaspoons per gallon and heat to 82 for 2 weeks. Drop temp and do water changes until salt is out after 2 weeks. Keep temp steady at 78 and you should not encounter ick anymore.

Answer 4

The real term is ICHTHYOPHTHIRIASIS. OR commonly known as white spot. (but honestly how do you pronounce that??..lol)
It is an extremely comon parasite that affects aquarium fish. It is highly infectious and potentially lethal and manifests as tiny white spots all over the fish. The spots are no larger than grains of salt. The wide host range of this parasite is it's life cycle, and speed of mutiplication especially in a tropical aquarium. When you can see the white spot on your fish it's already too late for those ich particles to be killed, they can only be killed in the parasitic stage.
Ich is suposedly always present in your tank,in your fish. stress is the most common cause! hope this helps.

Answer 5

Ich are these little white dot-looking things that your fish can get. They are fairly easy to get rid of on most fish... check out my sources!

Answer 6

ich is short for a very long word and it shows up on your fish as little white dots. its something they catch from other fish usually after introducing new fish to your existing ones. Much like kennel cough for dogs. its very simple to get rid of just go to the pet store and ask them for the ich treatment you just squirt a few drops in the tank and your done. then whenever you add new fish it's always a good idea to add a couple drops as well to prevent it from happening again.

Answer 7

Ich is a fungus which shows up as little small white spots on your fish. It can be caused by several things, old water, ph level.

The most effective way (but definetly not the cheapest) is buy some penicilin (that's right) pills, smash it up, and toss it in your tank. One pill for every 10 gallons. Pencilin pretty much cures all types of fish diseases but it does run about $1 per pill.

Answer 8

There are a few differnt kinds of ich.

Cryptocaryoniasis, White Spot Disease or cotton mouth are 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 9

its white spots of bacteria on your fish, they are parasites, they will kill your fish, they get it if the water is not pure or another fish comes in with it

Answer 10

It's a fungus and its for other fish and dirty tanks!