Can someone please explain what Ick is to me?

Answer 1

It's not a disease or infection, as so many people have been led to believe presumably by uneducated or undereducated salespeople.

Ich is a parasite that bores into your fish's skin, creating what looks like a white cyst -- the tell-tale "white spot". When it matures it erupts from the skin, and swims unseen in your tank. The cyst eventually sinks to the bottom of your tank where it divides into hundreds more parasites who will seek out host fish for themselves, starting the cycle over again.

The parasite is only affected by medications during the free-swimming phase of its life, which is why it's so important to carry out medication for the full 3-5 days, even after the spots are no longer visible on affected fish.

Answer 2

JAXX has got it pretty much right,but the things you need to know are that it is always in the tank(usually in the "cyst" form,stress of some sort can cause it to start the life-cycle again in your tank,raising the temperature slowly (that's important) will help to stop the attack, the medicines that pet stores sell will only work if there's no charcoal in the filter system,it takes two full weeks of treatment (at the minimum) to completely break the life-cycle,and looking up some more information (either in books or on the net) would be a very good idea.
I've read that cutting off all light to the tank for two weeks will also help,but I've never tried it for myself. I think you still have some homework to do.
Good luck.

Answer 3

Ich, is a parasite that is always present in your water, and hosts off your fish that is suceptable. Poor water quality is the #1 reason fish get ich. It isn't all that much of a worry, and can be treated with many different things.If not treated it can take over your tank and kill your fish very quickly. I recommend Maracide, which kills almost all parasitic infection, and aquarium salt. Works the best and the fastest. It is safe for almost all freshwater fish, and is easy to use, one drop per gallon every day for 5 days, 1 tsp salt per gallon, no water changes necessary, but I would still do at least 1 25%.

Answer 4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyophthirius

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis is a species of ciliate protozoan which parasitizes freshwater fish. It is probably the most common aquarium fish disease and there are few Aquarists that have not met it on one or more occasions[1]. "Ich" (the colloquially abbreviated form of the name) is the largest known parasitic protozoan found on fishes. Adult organisms are oval or round and measure 0.5 to 1.0 mm in size. The adult is uniformly ciliated and contains a horseshoe-shaped nucleus which can be seen in older individuals. The disease it causes is usually called ich or white spot, and becomes especially serious in enclosed areas, where it spreads quickly from one fish to another. Ich is the disease responsible for the most fatalities in freshwater aquarium fish and can cause notable damage to aquaculture. Marine ich is caused by a different ciliate, Cryptocaryon.

After approximately one week of parasitism, mature trophozoites leave their host, settle to a substrate and secrete a cyst. The encysted cell, called a tomont, undergoes rapid division over approximately twenty-four hours to produce 600-1000 daughter cells called tomites. Once these reach maturity, they exit the cyst and develop into a theront stage, which is highly mobile. Theronts then infect new fish, digging their way into exposed parts, under the scales, or more commonly into its gill plate. The entire life-cycle takes about seven to ten days to complete.

Answer 5

It's the fish disease that is often given the common name White Spot. It's caused by tiny parasites and the first symptoms on a fish are tiny white spots that look like the fish has been dusted with salt. The parasites attack weak or stressed fish and can spread quickly throughout the tank. It is easily treated by medication available at Aquarist retailers and most pet shops.

Answer 6

It is a disease that looks like the fish has had salt sprinkled on it. It is very common and usually caused by stress in the tank. There are several products on the market that will treat it, but I've found that raising the temperature of the tank a few degrees usually does the trick.

Answer 7

Good info from JAXX. It can also be found on below site. Give credit where due when quoting, or copying and pasting.

Answer 8

its a scale ailment in fish that is very contagious and you need to get medicine for it right away and it will kill the fish if not treated

Answer 9

What the hell? What ick is on me? Where is the pic?

CC

Answer 10

I know I have already answered this question.