my clown pleco has these little spots that look like grains of sugar all over him...is it ich?

Question

I change the water every month...I would change it more often, but it's really not up to me... I think it's ich, but I don't know how to treat it. he doesn't SEEM sick, ( hes doing his thing;sucking on the glass etc.) but i'm concerned about the spots...anyway please help. thanx

Answer 1

Yep, that certianly sounds like ick.

Ich is a parasite in your aquarium. To dispel some common myths it is not caused by poor water quality or low temperatures, or ammonia, or dirty filters or anything else like that. It does not lurk around in a tank waiting to attack fish, it does not only attack weakened fish, it is not airborne. None of that is true. It is caused by a specific parasite and must be introduced into the tank. This usually happens when you bring in new fish from an infected tank. The best treatments for ick in a tropical aquariums is:

Change a large portion of the water, about 50-60% while cleaning the gravel very well.
Clean the filter and change all the media but leave out the carbon.
Add 2 tablespoons of salt per 5 gallons of the tank.
Raise the temperature to 88-90 F. Raise it slowly, about 1 degree per hour. You may need to add an air stone or two depending on the type of fish and how heavily the tank is stocked. Threat for at least 7 days after you see the last white spots on any of the fish. After the treatment return the tank temperature to normal.

OR

Use a good ick medication as directed on the bottle. Try to find a medication that used Malachite Green as the active ingredient. (CAUTION: Malachite Green is a known carcinogen. Be careful not to get it on your skin!)
Change 25% or more of the water daily being sure to clean the gravel as you do so.
Continue the treatment for at least 7 days after you see the last white spots on any of the fish. After the treatment, return the carbon to your filter.

This will work and will remove the ich from your tank.

Salt is a valid ich treatment you can find literally 1000's of hobby related links that support this and some that don't, but here's support from veterinarian conferences, research labs, government publications and and various University Fisheries and Biology departments. It's science and it's proven.
veterinarian support of salt treatment
http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/detail.aspx?aid=15788&cid=3806&search=
http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00343.htm

General resource
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyophthirius_multifiliis

Scientific research links
Supports salt treatment with heat
http://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?DocumentID=276.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_FA006
http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio354l/Projects/2000/ginger_hsieh/index.html
Supports heat treatment:
http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/AS/AS-459.pdf.
Download the Ich pdf here:
http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/aquaculture/Health.php

If you have access:
http://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?sid=U2TAADUBS1GM8G3RFACUJ1R2G00C3U91&ID=36388
http://afs.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1577%2F1548-8454(2001)063%3C0293%3ATFIIIC%3E2.0.CO%3B2

Answer 2

Okay first of all yes it is ich. Its very treatable. Just go to petco and buy Rid-Ich or other brands. You will treat the water for about a week and you should start seeing results in days. Just make sure that you removed any charcoal bag that should be inside the filter while you're treating. The charcoal destroys these remedies. Also if you have a heater you might want to raise the temp to about 85 degrees. Because Plecos have very thick bodies, it doesn't attack them as fast so this is why it may not be listless or sick looking. Also about the water change, well you are doing good by changing it monthly but you should only be replacing about 20 % of the water, not the entire tank. There are many beneficial bacterias that you water creates to protect your fish and plants and when you change all the water is like starting a new fish tank all over and neglecting them of this bacteria. This may be your reason for the ich. Don't worry ich is as common as a puppy with worms. As long as you treat it early you're okay. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

It sounds like it's ich. It's difficult to tell with algae eaters as they don't really appear that active anyway. Check your local fish supply store, they can reccommend a good medication for the water. Usually you put a few drops in every other day for a few days and it should clear up. Quarrantine the sick fish if it has tankmates as ich is very contagious. Also, change the water once a week rather than once a month. That way you'll changes less water, but your fish can breathe easy for longer.

Answer 4

Apparently the first answerer misread your question. If you research that answer, you'll find that the parasites referred to (with the exception of Oodinium) are diseases that only affect saltwater fish. Perhaps she though you meant clownfish, rather than clown pleco, which is freshwater.

Magicman and Vort3xyz give some good advice that you can follow for freshwater species. I would only add that in "my" pet store, we've used "Quick Cure" to treat ich - this is a mix of malachite green and formalin (both carcinogenic, so be careful when using). The price for a bottle is about $2, which is cheaper than aquarium salt. As already mentioned, treat for around two weeks, despite any "disappearance" of the spots - it's only the life stages that are in the water that are affected by the medication. And you will need to treat the entire tank to rid it of free-swimming stages of the parasite.

There is a chance that your pleco could be infected with Oodinium, but the white spots will have a gold-rusty iridescence to them under bright light - the treatment for this is the same as for ich, so which it is isn't really a factor.

If you can stand more sources, here are two more for ich, one for velvet, and two for diagnosing freshwater diseases:

Answer 5

Clown Plecostomus

Answer 6

Ich is a parasite that latches onto fish when they're stressed out.

It takes 10-14 days to kill. Don't beleive any quick cure products... they're just snake oil.

MagicMan's answer is the best remedy.

I used 3 tablespoons of salt per gallon & it worked good for me in the past on my gouramis and pleco.

Ick isn't a hard ailment to kill as long as you start treatment asap. Don't wait another day to do something about it.

I did salt first & if that didn't work, then I would move on to more harsh chemicals.

Answer 7

Sound like ich to me. There are several different kinds of treatments availabel at most pet shop's. Get the one of your choice and follow the instructions on the lable.

Good luck.
E.

Answer 8

Changing the water too often can cause ich. I think once a month is too much. Bi- annually perhaps if you have a good filter system. However, if those spots change to lesions, its ich. As far as treatment goes, go to your local pet shop and get a bottle of ich treatment for your tank. simple as that.

Answer 9

the fish has ick. probably got it frm u chgin the water. they get it frm a sudden temp. drop. They need water on the acidy side. aged water and lite
grow alge. no fish needs there water
changed evry month. just adding whatevr evaporates out is just fine.

Answer 10

It sounds like ich. White spot. You need specific meds for this one that states if will treat Cryptocaryon parasites.

Here is more on ich and what it is and how to treat it.
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 help

good luck if you need additional help feel free to email email me