Ich in the Aquarium

What Is Ich? 

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, also known as Ich or White Spot Disease, is a ciliate protozoan. A protozoan is a single cell organism, and ciliate means it is covered in hair-like organelles. It is an external parasite that feeds off your fish to grow strong enough to reproduce. 
How this works is as follows: 
1. Free-swimming Ich Tomites, essentially immature Ich, look for a host to cling to. 
2. Once it attaches to a fish, the Trophonts burrow into the skin and feed on the fish’s 
bodily fluids and cells, forming a tiny white scab to protect itself during this process. 
These are the white spots we see on a fish when it has Ich. 
3. Once it reaches as certain size, the Trophont bursts out of the skin of the fish and turns 
into a Tomont. It then finds any surface on the tank to cling to and forms a protective 
gelatinous cyst. 
4. Within the cyst, many cell divisions take place, producing thousands of Tomites, which 
then break out of the cyst and look for new hosts. If they are not able to find a new 
host within 48 hours, the Tomite will die. 
 The most notable identifier of Ich is tiny white spots on your fish’s body, like someone 
sprinkled your fish with salt. Since Ich will attach wherever a fish’s slime layer is more 
vulnerable, it can sometimes be in harder to see places, such as a fish’s gills. Other symptoms to keep an eye for are: 
• Flashing, where a fish tries to intentionally scratch itself against rocks and gravel in a 
tank 
• Abnormal hiding  
• Rapid breathing 
• Not schooling (if a schooling fish) 
• Lack of appetite 
• Anxious or easily agitated 
• Swimming upside down near the water surface 
• Redness, bloody streaks, and lethargy in later stages 

What caused the Ich? 

Two main things to remember about Ich are that it is very contagious and it is not something that “just forms” in your tank. If your fish have Ich, it was brought in from an outside source. It could be an improperly quarantined new fish or plants, tools from another tank, or even that you had another sick tank you treated and forgot to wash your hands before messing with this tank. While Ich can’t properly go through its life cycle without a fish to act as its host, it can “hitchhike” on quite a few things, including plants, shrimp, snails or other invertebrates that can’t catch Ich, aquarium tools, or even your skin. If dealing with a sick tank, remember to wash and sanitize tools that were used with that tank with very hot water and to let them dry completely before using them anywhere else. The same applies to any part of your skin that has touched water in an infected tank. Ich does not handle being out of water or heat well. 

Does my fish actually have Ich? 

The easiest identifier for Ich is the tiny distinct white spots on its body. However, certain other diseases can look similar and even show similar symptoms. Some other diseases Ich can be confused with include: 
Stress Ich:
Despite the name, Stress Ich, also known as stress spots, is not the same thing as true parasitic Ich, but they look very similar, even down to having the same distinct white spots. Like the name implies, it is caused by the fish being in stressed conditions, such as: 
• Bad water parameters (high Ammonia, Nitrite, or Nitrate levels, off pH or temperature, 
etc..) 
• Too strong of a current 
• Being bullied by stronger fish 
• Old/bad food 
• Lack of hides/plants/other decor 

What allows you to tell the difference between the two is how the spots spread. True Ich’s 
spots will spread out and grow in amount, whereas Stress Ich spots will be a consistent 
amount that that doesn’t grow in count. Stress Ich, unlike True Ich, is not contagious and is a bit easier to treat. Once the source of stress to the affected fish is found and treated, the 
Stress Ich should disappear on its own after several weeks. 

Epistylis:

Epistylis can show up in a variety of appearances and it is more likely pop up around the eyes than Ich is.(Note: This does not mean Ich will never be on the eyes, just that it is a very rare case for that to happen.) Despite this, there are cases where Epistylis can look very, very similar to Ich. If you’re unsure as to whether your fish has Epistylis or Ich, it is advised to treat your fish as if it has both Ich and Epistylis. In this case, do not turn up your tank’s heat. Heat encourages bacterial growth rates with Epistylis, leading to faster deaths. 

Velvet: 

Velvet is a little more translucent and has a gold-silvery sheen to it compared to Ich’s very 
distinctly white dots. 

Treatments:

When treating your fish with medication, it is advised to take out activated carbon filters, since they will filter the medication itself and reduce its effectiveness. Whether or not fish should be moved to a quarantine tank depends on what is being used for treatment. If any fish in the tank has Ich, the whole tank needs to be treated. 

Malachite Green 

An effective anti-protozoal agent, present as an active ingredient in many on-the-market 
medications. Malachite Green is often mixed with Formalin (an aqueous solution of 
Formaldehyde, a powerful anti-parasitic and anti-fungal ingredient) in aquatic medications due to the mix of the two together being more effective. Ich-X, Rid-Ich Plus, Blue Planet White Spot Remedy, and Mardel QuickCure are some examples of a Malachite Green/Formalin mix, with Ich-X even having the benefit of being invertebrate safe. One thing to keep note of is not to use salt with any mix having Formalin, since the two reacting together can be toxic. Not every product with Malachite Green includes Formalin. Paraguard, for example, chooses to use Glutaraldehyde instead, advertising it as a safer alternative than Formalin.  While Malachite Green is an effective medication for Ich, one thing to keep in mind is that is can stain things a blueish color, such as your skin, aquarium silicone, and some aquarium decorations. Thankfully, it can be washed off. 

Copper Sulfate 

An effective killer of the free-swimming stage of Ich, Copper Sulfate also works against other parasite, fungi, and bacteria, giving it the advantage of being a broad-spectrum treatment. However, it’s advised to use Copper Sulfate in a quarantined tank, due to it being harmful to plants and invertebrates. Scaleless fish and some catfish are also sensitive to Copper Sulfate use. Seachem Cupramine, Mardel Coppersafe, and Copper Power are examples of Copper Sulfate products. Make sure to have a good Copper test kit if deciding to use Copper Sulfate, since maintaining correct levels is key. Too much can overdose and be harmful to your fish, whereas too little will have no effect. Extra aeration is a must, such as with airstones and extra air pumps, since Copper Sulfate reduces dissolved oxygen levels.  

Heat 

Heat is great help in killing off Ich, since it accelerates Ich’s life cycle. While it can make 
treating Ich go faster, heat by itself is not able to kill Ich. If intending to use heat to accelerate 
treatments, check on the heat sensitivity of your fish, as well as how heat will react if used in conjunction with other treatments. Like Copper Sulfate, heat reduces dissolved oxygen levels in water, so extra aeration is needed. 

Salt 

At a concentration of about 1Tbsp salt to 2 gallons of water, Aquarium Salt can be used as a treatment for Ich if medicine is unavailable for you to use. Salt works by killing Ich via 
dehydration, sucking the water out of it. Most freshwater fish are able to stand this level of salinity in the water, but keep in mind some fish may be more sensitive than others, some 
plants may tolerate salt less than others, and salt is a big no for tanks with snails in them, at least, if you want the snails to live. 

Cleaning 

In all methods listed above, cleaning the tank accelerates the process. By opting to do a gravel vac whenever your medication of choice requires a water change, you are also getting rid of some of the Tomonts that have settled on the tank’s substrate. It may not seem like much, but every little bit helps. Just remember to clean and sanitize your gravel vac after every use in the infected tank.

Ich is one of the more common diseases to encounter, but if caught quickly and treated, it usually doesn’t end up being lethal. Prevention is still easier than treatment, so keep watch on your tanks and quarantine potential new additions before adding them to your tanks.