# treat ick



## quickdeath (Jan 15, 2006)

http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_ich2.php

What is Ich? 
Ichthyophthirius multifilis is a very common protozoan parasite that finds the aquarium environment a most hospitable location for carrying out its life cycle. Because of the low densities of fish in large volumes of water in the wild, even though every cyst can release hundreds to a thousand or so swarmers, few if any will manage to find a suitable host. Those fish that do get infected will likely have only a single or very few parasites attached to its body, which will soon fall off. The fish will heal and be none the worse for it. In the wild, Ich is really no big deal.

A home aquarium, by contrast, is a confined space packed with many fish (relatively speaking). A single Ich parasite brought in on a new fish can quickly multiply and decimate an entire tank full of fish. Unlike in the wild, every larva has an excellent chance of finding a host, and each fish can end up with hundreds of parasites attached to its gills, fins and body. Such an onslaught is too much, and the fish dies from respiratory distress caused by gill damage, osmoregulatory imbalance caused by the many punctures in the fish's skin, or secondary infections of bacteria or fungi that attack the open wounds.

Ich is also known as White Spot Disease. It is characterized by the presence of small white spots, like a sprinkling of salt, that may appear anywhere on the fish. The fish may dart about in the water, and flick or rub its body against the substrate or other objects in the tank. As the condition advances, the fish may become very slimy, clamp its fins, stop eating, and become very listless.

The standard chemical treatments are often effective, but they can be just as toxic to fish and plants as they are to Ich. Sometimes the medications are not effective. Many aquarists are interested in trying a more natural approach that doesn't subject their fish (or themselves) to potentially dangerous chemicals.

Ich Life Cycle

To better understand how it can be treated, a basic understanding of Ich is helpful:

1. Parasitic Stage - The first stage (trophozoite) is embedded in the skin of the fish, and feeds on fluids and tissue cells. The fish tries to protect itself by producing more cells around the trophozoite, which leads to the formation of the tiny white spots.

2. Intermediate Stage - Eventually the trophozoite morphs into a trophont, detaches from the host leaving an open wound, and swims freely until it locates a suitable place to settle.

3. Reproductive Stage - Once the trophont settles, it forms a sticky wall around itself and becomes a cyst (tomont). Inside, the tomont divides into many hundreds or even thousands of tomites.

4. Infectious Stage - The tomites are released into the water column and swim freely until they attach to a host, starting the cycle over again. If a tomite doesn't find a host within a short period of time, it will die.

The Ich life cycle is temperature dependent. Higher temperatures within its livable range speed up every stage of the life cycle, while the lower temperatures will slow it down. At 18°C/64°F the cycle takes 10-12 days to complete.

It has been found that Ich does not infect new fish at 29.4°C/85°F (Johnson, 1976), stops reproducing at 30°C/86°F (Dr. Nick St. Erne, DVM, pers. comm.), and dies at 32°C/89.5°F (Meyer, 1984), [1]

Treatment

Now that we know a little more about Ich, we can develop a safe and effective natural treatment plan to eradicate it. A multi-pronged treatment plan offers the most assurance of complete eradication of Ich and TLC for the fishes in your aquarium. As with any treatment, carefully observe the reaction of your fish to any changes you make in their environment. If an adverse reaction occurs, discontinue and try another approach.

1. Increase temperature to 30°C/86°F. With tropical fish, an increase in temperature to 30°C/86°F is usually very well-tolerated. Since this temperature prevents reproduction of Ich, it can theoretically cure the problem by itself. So the first step would be to increase the temperature slowly, 1°C/2°F per hour until the correct temperature is reached. This temperature should be maintained for 10 days, and then slowly returned to normal. Some fish can tolerate higher temperatures. If your fish are more heat tolerant, try increasing the temperature to 32°C/89.5°F for the first 3-4 days to kill the Ich. Then reduce temperature slowly to 30°C/86°F, and hold it there for an additional 6-7 days, or until a total of 10 days have passed. Gauge the heat tolerance of your fish by observing their reaction.

2. Increase aeration. Increased temperature leads to increased metabolism, which enhances the fish's immune response but also increases oxygen demand. Oxygen is lower in warmer water, so it is very important to increase surface agitation during the treatment to increase oxygenation. In planted tanks with CO2 injection, the CO2 should be turned off and extra aeration should be provided. Carefully observe your fish, watching for signs that they are not getting enough oxygen. If fish are gasping at the surface, you need to provide more aeration. Aeration can be increased by reducing the water level so the filter return makes more of a waterfall and splash, and/or use an airstone placed close to the surface of the water.

3. Do daily partial water changes. 25% daily partial water changes will provide several benefits: It will keep the water very clean, which will help fish cope with the stress of the disease. It will remove some of the trophonts and tomites. It will add oxygen. This author also recommends the use of NovAqua+ to condition the change water. This product is a dechlorinator and has several additional benefits that help fish under stress, including sealing of the wounds caused by the Ich. If the water changes seem to stress the fish, reduce the size and/or frequency of the water changes.

4. Use a Micron Filter. The Aqua Clear Quick Filter used with a power head is an easy and inexpensive way to capture both free-swimming stages and the cysts of Ich in water that passes through the filter. A diatom filter can also be used. Both of these filters trap particles as small as one micron in size. The smallest stage of Ich, the free-swimming, swarming tomite, is approximately 30 microns, large enough to be trapped in this type of filter. Change the filter daily with the water changes. The Quick Filter cartridge can be cleaned and reused. Rinse thoroughly in very hot water, or boil for a few minutes to kill any stage of Ich that may be trapped inside. Or use a fresh cartridge. Make sure your fish are comfortable with the current caused by the additional filter.

The following optional procedures where appropriate are also beneficial:

5. Remove Gravel. In a non-planted aquarium and where practical, the temporary removal of the gravel reduces attachment sites for the tomont and makes it easier to siphon the floor of the aquarium where many tomonts will be located.

6. Use salt. In a non-planted aquarium with tolerant fish, the addition of Aquarium salt at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 4 liters/1 gallon of water disrupts the fluid regulation of Ich. Do not add salt crystals directly to tank. Always dissolve salt in a small amount of tank water before adding to tank. This dosage may be repeated every 12 hours for a total of three treatments. When Ich is gone, salt is removed with daily 25% water changes. [2]

A separate salt bath is very effective for individual fishes. The higher concentration of salt will destroy embedded trophozoites on the body of the fish by preventing them from maintaining fluid balance. To prepare a salt bath for small-medium size fish, dissolve 2 Tablespoons Aquarium Salt in 4L/1 Gal. of conditioned tap water that is the same temperature as the tank water. Stir well to make sure all salt is dissolved before using.

Place affected fish in a container with enough tank water to cover the fish with a little room to spare. A wider container is better than a tall, narrow one, as it allows for better oxygenation of the water, and room for the fish to move about. Add salt solution very gradually until fish just starts to show mild stress. You may not need to add all of the solution. Leave in bath for 30 minutes, carefully observing the fish's reaction to the treatment. Return the fish to fresh water immediately if it rolls over or tries to jump out. Observe the fish carefully during the entire bath period. After the 30 minutes, dilute the salt bath in stages with tank water. Gently net out fish and return it to the main tank. This procedure can be repeated after 48 hours, up to 3 treatments. Do not use salt in planted tanks or with sensitive, soft water fishes. Do not pour bath water into main tank.

By the end of the 10 days of treatment, all Ich should be gone and the fish will have healed completely from the effects. Keep the temperature up for the full 10 days to ensure that the Ich is gone.

Most strains of Ich should be eradicated by this heat treatment, but bear in mind that there is at least one strain in Florida that is known to be heat-tolerant [3]. If you do not notice a marked improvement after 3-4 days of this treatment, you should stop and consider another approach.

Prevention

It is commonly thought that Ich lies dormant in all fish tanks, just waiting for an opportunity to attack. This is not accurate. However, it is possible that a resistant fish or group of fish can harbor a low level of Ich infection without obvious symptoms until stress of some kind reduces the fish's ability to fight it off. Then the infection becomes full-blown, seemingly out of nowhere. While this is a possibility, the most common and most likely cause of ich in any tank is through the introduction of new fish.

Ich is present in many fish bred in fish farms and distributed to pet stores. Carefully inspect each new specimen you are considering for purchase. Even fish that appear perfectly healthy can still harbor ich in the gills, or have a new infection that doesn't yet show the typical symptoms. If possible, quarantine all new fish in a separate tank to prevent an infestation of Ich, as well as other potential parasites and diseases. The quarantine period should be two weeks or longer, during which time you should carefully observe the new fish. Anti-parasitic medications or foods can be used during this time to prevent the spread of certain other types of parasites, such as worms and flukes.

Haname


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## verypointyteeth (Feb 15, 2005)

thanks for the info! im currently battling ich on my clown loaches and im winning


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## corrado747 (Dec 19, 2005)

I batteling realy bad ick problem on gills and sides also thank you for the Info.


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## Juggalo (Mar 1, 2006)

I have lost 3 out of 4 SA puffers to ICH--it's been a 21 day battle. I lost. Puffers are tough to treat because they are scaleless, so you have to use copper free, and half dose meds, such as Rid Ich. Damn Ich.....


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Ich can be treated without meds effectively. By performing as large a water change you are comfortable with without altering the pH level too much you can raise the temp to 86 degrees slowly (1 degree per hour) and adding 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon predissolved in a big gulp type cup once a day for 3 straight days and then leaving the tank alone for 10 days. I prefer this method over every 12 hours because you may shock the biological filter. As mentioned adding a micron filter such as a diatom would be helpful but not necessary. Slowly start performing water changes after the 10 days and slowly bring the temp down to around 80 degrees. The ich lifecycle will be eradicated.


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