Ich or White Spot Disease is a parasitic infection of freshwater fish and is one of the few diseases of fish that can be seen with the naked eye. The infection is caused by an external parasite that causes multiple white spots on your freshwater fishes’ skin and gills, however, there are other non-parasitic causes of white spots on fish that need to be ruled out before treatment is initiated.Â
Ich is one of the most common fish diseases around, but it is preventable and treatable. Several factors influence the health of aquarium fish, and parasitic diseases are a major one.Â
The White Spot Disease is caused by the ciliate protozoan Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, commonly called Ich or Ick. Fish infected with ich typically develop small, blister-like, raised lesions (white spots) on the skin and/or fins. If the infection is restricted to the gills, however, no white spots will be seen.
Ich infects almost all freshwater fish and has a high mortality rate. All the fish in a tank could be easily killed in a short period. Some aquarium fish may be more sensitive to ich infection than other species, but no fish species has a complete natural resistance to ich.
White Spot Disease could also be mistaken for other non-serious issues such as fin ray fractures, or fractures to the cartilage of a fin, which can look very similar to Ich but are not life-threatening.
Breeding tubercles on male goldfish also produces multiple white bumps on the operculum and pectoral fin and these bumps look identical to white spot disease but are normal anatomical variations.Â
Lymphocystis is also a known viral disease in fish and can produce similar white bumps, but these bumps can be differentiated by your veterinarian.
The most common cause of Ich is failure to quarantine a new fish addition. It only takes one infectious parasite to take down an entire tank or pond, and in this instance, most fish will “look okay” and not act sick at all until a few life cycles of the parasite are complete, which can take a few days to a few weeks, depending on your water temperature.Â
Fish are major carriers of parasites, but they may not show signs of disease when purchased from pet shops. The newly purchased fish should be quarantined in a separate tank for at least a week to 10 days before adding them to the main aquarium.Â
If the fish show any signs of parasitic infection, they should be treated in the isolation tank without affecting the main aquarium. Before adding new aquatic plants to an established aquarium, they also need to be kept in a separate tank for several days first.
Safely quarantining all new fish will prevent the spread of Ich to your main system.
Other causes may include:
- Using infected equipment between tanks without proper sanitation
- Transferring infected filter media or décor between tanks
- Moving infected water between systems
Signs to Look Out for In Freshwater Fish:
- Small white spots on the fish’s body
- Fish flashing or using objects in their environment to scratch themselves
- Bruising or scale loss secondary to flashing
- Lethargic and increased respiratory effort
- Sudden deathÂ
How to Treat White Spot Disease in a Planted Aquarium Containing Invertebrates:
Whenever any white spots are seen on the skin and fins, fish are most likely infected by the parasite Ich. Immediate treatment is required to save the infected fish. Parasites can reproduce rapidly, and one mature ich trophont can produce several hundred to thousands of infective theronts in less than 24 hours at a water temperature of 22° to 25ºC.
For treatment to be successful, you will require a veterinarian to examine your fish to make a correct diagnosis. Remember, there are other things on fish that can look remarkably similar to white spot disease that will require different treatment.Â
Once a diagnosis is confirmed, there are treatment options available for a prescription through your aquatic veterinarian.Â
Monitoring and maintaining your water temperature is critical to ensure the parasite is completely eliminated from your system. Many over-the-counter treatments do not take this into account and can severely hurt your fish in addition to not completely treating the Ich.
Because of the complex formula in most medicines that contain copper, you may end up harming your plants and invertebrates unknowingly.
Two medicines that can be used to treat white spot while keeping your plants and invertebrates safe from harmful chemicals include Hikari Ich and NT Labs Ich.
These medicines are great to use in almost all aquariums that contain many different plant and fish species. (Bonus tip: we stock these medicines on our site!)
How to Prevent Ich:
As is usually the case with disease, the best method for controlling infection is prevention. Precautions are needed when establishing an aquarium to prevent Ich from being carried by fish, aquatic plants, decorative items, gravel, and water.Â
An aquarium should be set up with everything for one week before the fish are added. Infective theronts usually lose their infectivity after being separated from fish for two to three days.
To prevent Ich or many other parasites and diseases from entering your tank, all new additions, including fish, invertebrates, and plants, should be quarantined in a separate tank using separate equipment for four to six weeks.Â
The quarantine will be slightly shorter at higher temperatures. Do not manipulate your fish’s ideal temperature range to shorten your quarantine period. This can stress out your fish and make them susceptible to many other diseases and parasites.
All new plants previously kept with fish should be quarantined. By keeping plants isolated from all fish and inverts for at least two weeks, the parasite’s life cycle will break, and the parasite will die off.Â
Ich requires a fish host to complete its life cycle. Use these two weeks to beef up your plants with some extra fertiliser since transport and handling can easily damage aquatic plants.
To improve your fish’s overall health and wellbeing, be sure to always maintain good water quality and feed an appropriate diet. Keep up with a regular maintenance schedule.Â
Check-in on all your fish regularly and understand their normal appetites and behaviours so you can quickly judge when something is wrong. If you suspect something is wrong with your fish, contact your aquatic veterinarian as soon as possible.
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To keep fish from getting badly infected with Ich, early detection of the parasitic infection is critical. The fish in an aquarium need attention at least a few minutes each day to detect any unusual behaviour, especially for the first two to three weeks after they have been added to the tank.
When fish are treated during an early infection or a light infection, the chance of survival from parasitic infection is always higher than for severely infected fish.Â
Fish that survive an Ich infection can develop an immune response and become resistant to parasite re-infection. A few studies have shown that vaccines against Ich induced protective immunity and could provide a solution to prevent this parasitic disease through vaccination instead of chemical treatments.Â
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