Science fair experiment?

Question

The other day me and some other people were discusing fish ich. We were having an arguement about if it is always inthe water and only attaches to sick fish, or if it is brought in. Is there a way to test this without like hurting any fish, like would you be able to see the parasites in the water under a microscope?

Answer 1

Excellent question! I've seen opinions both ways, but if one of the "cures" is to take all the fish out of the tank for a few weeks (on the belief that if the water stage has no fish to infect it dies), then put the fish back in their "regular" tank (and thereby stressing them by moving them), wouldn't that cause the reinfection? I'm pretty sure the present belief is that it won't live without a host, but I don't know how someone arrived at this conclusion. Here's a web artcile I use for refernce to ich: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php

What you're proposing sounds like a very good plan for an experiment/observation. You could check healthy tanks for ich, but you'd also need info about water sources and when the last organism (plant or animal) was introduced, when/if there was ever a outbreak. I'm not sure what volume of water you'd need to check to be able to say if the parasite was present/absent with any confidence. Maybe you could test an infected tank and come up with some number present in X number of ml of water first?

Maybe you can answer the question once and for all - glad to see you're going about this in a scientific method!

Answer 2

Yes, you can see the parasites under the microscope. In fact, many biological supply places sell slides of them I truely wish I could send you a few pages out of this book I have. PLEASE disregard what many of the people here tell you. Ick is not always in the water and doesn't just attack otherwise sick fish. When ick is in the water it either attached to a fish or it dies from not having a fish host. If it attaches, it multiplies and makes more ick. This goes on and on until you kill it off. (at least in a tank). You will get a lot of bad information here and lots of people will write a huge long answer that's totally wrong. They rely on bad websites or bad info from pet shops. PLEASE contact a local college or do some serious research on the net for your answers. Also, any good fish health book can explain this to you. You might find one in the local library. I teach fish health at my local college as part of the Fisheries Sciences degree. Please call schools until you find someone like me, they will help you alot!

MM

Answer 3

Yes you can test your water under a microscope

Background on ich:
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

The risk of contracting ich from a reputable pet store is slim since most Fish Only stores run their water thru UV Sterilizers. Fish contract ich when Stressed, injured or have imune problems.

Ich has a small micronucleus and a prominent crescent-shaped macronucleus.

I have photo's I'll look them up and send the link.