Subj : What Are These White Spots On My Fish?
To : All
From : Jeff Snyder
Date : Thu Jul 22 2010 07:31 am
What Are These White Spots On My Fish?
Another "How-To" By Jeff Snyder...and he ought to know! :)
Sooner or later, most tropical fish hobbyists discover that one or more of
their fish are covered with white spots, and rubbing themselves against the
rocks and other aquarium decor. This rubbing action may also be accompanied
by rapid breathing, lethargy, deterioration of their fins, and a noticeable
drop in their appetite.
If you encounter this situation in your aquarium, you may be dealing with an
outbreak of "Ichthyophthirius", or what is commonly refered to as "ick" or
"ich". Ichthyophthirius is a parasitic protozoan which normally reproduces
in the substrate -- or gravel/sand bed of an aquarium. There are both
freshwater and marine varieties of ick. In the marine environment, ick is
caused by two parasites: Cryptocaryon and Oodinium.
Under normal conditions, most fish are able to withstand coming into contact
with these parasites; however, if their natural resistance is down due to
stress -- such as that caused by overcrowding and poor water quality -- they
may become a host for ick.
Ick is normally introduced into an aquarium by an infected fish, infected
aquarium water -- such as in a fish bag from a LFS -- or tags along in
plants or gravel introduced from an infected aquarium.
While there are many cures on the market for both freshwater and saltwater
ich -- such as malachite green, formalin, quinine, methanidizolein, et al --
in my personal experience over the years, I have found that a copper sulfate
based solution has been the most effective.
Regardless of which remedy you choose to apply, it is important to remember
that different fish possess different sensitivity levels to chemical agents
which you introduce to your aquarium. As a result, some hardy species may be
able to withstand a full dose of copper sulfate, while others -- such as
tetras -- will require a partial dose. Equally important is the fact that
plants and invertebrates are even more sensitive to chemical agents, and can
die from the same. For this reason, it is extremely important to carefully
read the instructions regarding the proper use of a particular medication
before applying it to your aquarium. Failure to do this could easily result
in an unexpected disaster in your aquarium.
Furthermore, if your aquarium is not a fish-only tank, but is a planted
tank, or is the home to invertebrates such as anemones, corals, feather
dusters, etc., then it is imperative that you remove the sick fish from the
aquarium, and treat them in a separate quarantine, or hospital, tank.
While in their enthusiasm many tropical fish hobbyists fail to do this, one
of the best ways to avoid spreading ick to an aquarium, is simply by
adopting the safe policy of quarantining and observing all new fish, before
introducing them to the main aquarium. Additionally, it is wise to never use
the aquarium water that comes in a fish bag, and to carefully wash all
plants and gravel which may originate from another aquarium.
I hope that the above is useful to you.
Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23
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