The Dreaded Ich By Jonathan Lowrie Ich, or 'white spot disease,' or 'sand grain disease,' is something universally known among fish hobbyists. At some point in a career of fishkeeping, some fish will come down with the dreaded ich. For most of us its early in our experience when we are least prepared to deal with this disease. But sometimes it sneaks up on even the most seasoned aquarist.
The organisms that causes ich is ever present in most aquarists water. It can arrive with new fish, in plant bag water, or even come in some fishfoods. The bottom line is that its out there, and we must learn what to do about it.
When infected with this cilliate, the fish may appear to have white sand like particles attached to its skin-hence the multitude of common names for the disease. The fish will rapidly rub against the gravel and other decorations as they attempt to rid themselves of this parasite. However, they will soon become lethargic and listless. What this parasite is actually doing is burrowing into the dermal layer and digesting the tissues. This causes fluid loss, nutrient loss, and trauma for the fish, which ends in death for the fish. The parasites even stimulate the fish to produce a protective layer of tissue above them to prevent the fish from scraping them off.
If you are lucky enough to have cured a fish of ich, you should rest easy knowing it does develop some immunity to future outbreaks. Keep in mind that sick fish and recovering fish are subject to secondary infection and stress. Which brings up an excellent point: Stress in fish can lead to a reduced immune system and thus to ich. Most often its new fish that get the disease and spread it to the entire tank. Commonly these fish are kept in less than ideal, and overcrowded conditions at the petstore, and are then transferred to a tank. Here they encounter further stress with new tank mates and possibly different water conditions. So, they are susceptible to infection. What can you do if your fish have ich? Number one, DO NOT BUY FISH THAT HAVE THE DISEASE! Its better to leave them than attempt a cure yourself unless you have a separate tank just for that. There are a few treatments.
It's best to maintain good water quality, do not over crowd, and keep up with regular water changes in you tank. Prevention is the best cure. Copyright 2003 by Jonathan Lowrie. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Other Resources AquariumHobbyist.com has a full line of species forums where you can discuss fish species with other owners, and hobbyists.
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What is Ich? Well, us scientist types call it Ichthyophthirius multifillis. What that means to the fish and us is that ich is an organism. Specifically its a cilliated protozoan. Akin to Amoebas and Paramecium - amoebas are protists, and Paramecium are ciliated protists.
The ich parasite has a multistage life-cycle. The adult stage will parasitize the fish and let go when death comes. It then actively swims around the aquarium to reproduce. It will attach to an object, say a piece of decor, and then secretes a capsule around itself. This allows the ich to reproduce and in a mere 24 hours there may be 1000 new cells. Next they hatch and swarm and look for a new host. If they do not find a new fish to parasitize, they die.
You can raise the temperature to 84 degrees-SLOWLY and leave it there for three weeks. This is the easiest but least effective way to kill ich off. In addition to the increase in temperature, reducing light may accelerate ciliate death. Another more practical solution is to treat with chemicals. Many ich remedies exist and many contain Acriflavin as the active ingredient. This does do the job, and with good water quality and proper nutrition, will usually cure the fish. Another method also found in commercial products is Quinine Sulfate.