You see, many other diseases such as fungus and columnaris can start out as a white-colored spot. On its own, a single spot does not confirm that your fish is suffering from Ich. The white specks almost look like someone sprinkled salt over your fish. Most fish keepers first identify Ich when their fish breaks out in white spots, randomly scattered across the body, fins and gills. You just worry about the important things like protecting your fish from Ich. So, leave the two sides to fight it out over who is right. You see, the methods of identifying, treating and preventing Ich from infecting your fish are still the same. It doesn’t really matter which theory is right! Not one to take sides? Then, I have good news for you… There still has not been 100% agreement among the fishkeeping community as to which argument is correct. It’s always in your tank – Ich is so common that many believe that Ich exists in every tank and only infects your fish when conditions are right. It can hitchhike on a newly bought fish, plant or invertebrate when you add it to your aquarium.Ģ. It’s transferred from tank to tank – Ich is highly contagious and easily transferred from tank to tank. There are two theories as to how Ich first appears…ġ. How Ich first gets inside your fish tank is one of these debates. There are a few topics in fishkeeping that divide the community. Use a quarantine tank to avoid this! How does Ich get inside your aquarium? However, that doesn’t mean they can’t “carry” an Ich infestation into your freshwater tank. Raising the temperature is one of the tools you can use to rid your tank of Ich – I’ll cover this in later in the guide.įishLab Note: Good news! The following aquarium creatures are generally considered immune to Ich: Generally in a tropical tank, the lifecycle generally takes 10 to 12 days. The higher the temperature, the faster the life cycle.Īs you see, the temperature of your tank greatly affects the life cycle of Ich. Well, it all depends on the temperature of your tank. It is during this stage that Ich is vulnerable to medication. If they don’t find an infected fish, they die. The babies can only survive for a few days. They swim around freely, hunting for fish to burrow into. When the egg hatches, the theronts are released into the aquarium water. Inside the egg, the Ich divides itself into hundreds or even thousands of babies called theronts.īecause the egg is sealed, the babies inside are protected from medication. Once on the bottom of your tank, the Ich seals itself in a tomont, which is essentially an egg. Yep, it’s possible for fish to have more than one disease at once. At this stage, your fish are prone to infection or fungus. The white crust that covers the wound of your fish falls off, leaving an open wound. Once the Ich matures, it bursts through the white crust and floats around looking for a hard surface to attach to – generally the bottom of your aquarium. This is the stage when most fish keepers first become aware that their aquarium is infested with Ich – the tell-tale white spots that cover your fish make it easy to identify. While burrowed beneath the skin, the Ich are protected from any medications you add to your aquarium. Many people think the white spot itself is Ich, but it’s actually more like a scab. Your fish tries to protect itself and a white, crusty wall seals the Ich in. The Ich burrows into fish, feeding on the skin and tissue, causing irritation.Īs it burrows into the flesh of your fish, it causes a wound. What makes Ich unique among fish diseases is that it has a life cycle. If caught early, Ich is very treatable, and many fish make a full recovery. There are some obvious symptoms that I will cover further down this guide. Lucky for you, you don’t need a microscope to tell if your freshwater aquarium fish is infested with ich. So small, in fact, that you need a microscope to see them… Ich is easily transferred from one tank to another by fish, invertebrates, plants, decorations or even maintenance equipment like your gravel vacuum or nets. If left untreated, Ich will eventually kill your sick fish. To put it simply, Ich is a parasite that appears on the body, fins and gills of fish. In fact, Ich is so commonly experienced that many tropical fish hosts believe it to be found in every single aquarium. Ich is one of the most common aquarium diseases. The dangers of Ich and secondary infections.
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