Fish Ich Research Paper

Dealing With Fish Ich In A Fish Tank

That Oh So Troublesome Fish Ich

This is a follow up to an earlier post entitled Spotting Aquarium Fish Diseases Before It’s Too Late.

Fish Ich are aquarium fish diseases that are so common that almost every fish breeder will have to face it at some time. While in most cases Fish Ich really isn’t that deadly, it will cause the fish to itch, making them rub themselves against fish tank decoration to relieve themselves and this constant rubbing will cause their skin to tear. Open wounds that are untreated will eventually cause the fish to die.

The right way to solve a problem is to understand it first. Treating the cause is always better than solving the effect.

What Causes Fish Ich

fish ich - aquarium

Treatment For Fish Ich

Fish Ich that is encapsulated in the cyst lie in a protective shell and is almost impossible to treat. That is why we will need the cyst to burst open so that the Fish Ich is released. To do this we will firstly have to raise the temperature of the fish tank water a little in order to speed up the life cycle of the protozoa. Raise the temperature slowly over the next two days until a maximum temperature of 80 degrees Celsius but only do so if this level is not harmful to the fish.

Once you have reached this temperature, begin the treatment over a the next few days to a week. Do not remove the infected fish to quarantine tank, what you want to do is have all the cyst burst within your original tank to kill off all the protozoa.

The most effective treatment for Fish Ich contains formalin but you could also use Malachite Green. However, when using Malachite Green, be extremely careful as it is toxic to invertebrates and other aquatic life. You will need to remove any life that is not scaled into a separate tank during treatment. You can see a list of the best Fish Ich medication in the Recommended List below this