If you’ve immersed yourself into the delightful fish keeping hobby for any length of time, you’ve likely stumbled across
white spot disease. White spot disease is a nasty infection caused by ich (or the longer version:
Ichtyopthirius multifiliis). In fact, most aquarists have had to use an ich treatment at some point.
You come home one morning, brand new goldfish wiggling
excitedly in their plastic bag. You’ve already set up the perfect
aquarium environment for the little ones.
A
cascading waterfall ornament
spits out bubbles as your goldfish weave to and fro through the plants.
Dazzling light bounces off green and blue rocks to pool streams of
color across the glass. You’ve already cycled the tank. Everything is
functioning the way it should.
You’re excited. Your goldfish are thrilled. And they enjoy their new home.
But three days later, you notice something odd.
Help! There Are White Spots on My Goldfish!
Your
goldfish are smashing their bodies against every available surface,
only to circle back down to the substrate with rapid, straining breaths.
What’s more, your goldfish have become salted pretzels!
That can’t be right. You take a closer look through the glass and confirm that, indeed, your goldfish are sprinkled with tiny
white spots. What do you do?
First of all, don’t panic!
White
spot disease is actually pretty common in aquariums. This is especially
true after buying new fish and forgetting to quarantine them before
introducing them to the family.
The good news is that white spot disease can be cured with a
natural ich treatment, without having to use strong medications that take weeks to rinse out. We’ll talk about this in a bit.
But before we begin ich treatment, let’s make sure your goldfish are suffering from white spot disease.
White Spot Disease Symptoms
If water tests come out clean but your goldfish are acting funky, you probably have a parasite problem.
Good
thing that you can use an ich treatment to cure white spot disease
quickly. But it’s important to treat ich early, before the parasite
takes over the aquarium. Otherwise, numbers will become too overwhelming
for your poor goldfish to handle.
Sick goldfish symptoms include…
- Heavy breathing: Your goldfish aren’t getting enough oxygen, so their gills speed into overdrive.
- Persistent scratching and brushing against objects: Your goldfish itch! They’d just as likely scrape their skin and damage their scales to make the itching stop.
- Small white spots on goldfish:
Ich parasites won’t be visible at first. But after these pesky
organisms feed on the bodily fluids of skin and fins, they encyst
themselves and appear like small flecks of salt or sugar. The result?
Your goldfish turn into swimming, breathing salted pretzels!
- Larger white patches on scales and fins:
If you don’t use an ich treatment before white spot disease worsens,
more ich parasites will attach to your goldfish to feed. So many that
they might resemble salty white patches on gills, scales, and fins!
White
spot disease can get downright scary as parasites quickly multiply. But
don’t confuse this nasty infection with breeding tubercles on male
goldfish. If white spots are only concentrated on the gill covers and
head, your goldfish are ready for loving action.
Ich attacks all over.
These
parasites don’t just attach themselves to the gills and head. If you
want to be sure that your goldfish have white spot disease, look for
spots on the body and along the fins. Besides, young eager-to-mate males
act far differently from how a sick, infected fish would – they’re
restless and not afraid to chase down a few females if given the chance.
Read more on
goldfish disease symptoms if you don’t think an ich treatment will help.
So we know what ich looks like, but…
What Exactly Is White Spot Disease?
White spot disease, scientifically named
Ichtyopthirius multifiliis, is commonly referred to as freshwater ich or ick.
The
disease is caused by single-cell organisms (protozoa) that attack fish
with lowered immune systems. If your goldfish have recently survived an
infection, sudden temperature change, or long period in dirty water,
they could be vulnerable to white spot disease.
And if they’re infected, treat goldfish promptly with an ich treatment!
Most
ich is brought into the aquarium from the outside. When selecting
goldfish, always look for signs of trouble and don’t buy anything from a
tank with even one fish with ich. – Quick & Easy Goldfish Care by TFH Publications, Inc.
While
ich is common in freshwater aquariums, the infection should by no means
be brushed aside as something trivial. Begin ich treatment immediately.
If ich parasites are allowed to run rampant, they can quickly overwhelm
goldfish until their weakened bodies can’t handle the attack and your
goldfish die.
Don’t risk the health of your fish because of one lousy judgment.
Always quarantine new fish several weeks before you let them explore the main aquarium. Even if your goldfish don’t
appear
sick, you should still practice safety first. You don’t know what kinds
of goldfish diseases or parasites are swimming around in the water your
bagged fish are in.
When ich parasites first attack, they won’t
be visible unless you take a microscope to your aquarium. By the time
you notice any signs of white spot disease, all of your fish will be
infected.
Before Ich Treatment: A Deep Look at the Ich Life Cycle
You
might not think it’s important, but learning how the ich parasite
attacks and feeds off of your goldfish will help you understand why and
how an ich treatment works. Better yet, it will help you understand how
to wipe out ich once and for all so you never again have to use an ich
treatment.
Feeding Stage
Each white spot on your goldfish
is actually a nodule, or small lump, that an ich parasite has formed on
your fish’s skin. What you’re observing is known as the
feeding stage (
source).
The parasite (now a trophozoite) attaches itself to the skin and
devours your goldfish’s body fluids until it’s ready to reproduce.
In
fact, parasites have likely been feeding off of your goldfish a few
days before the small lumps, or white spots, are even visible.
Ich trophozoites are resistant to most ich medications during the feeding stage.
So if you try to use an ich treatment strong enough to kill them while
they’re hidden away in their nodules, your goldfish will also receive
the brunt of the attack.
Encapsulated Dividing Stage
When
the ich parasite has finished feeding, it detaches itself from the skin
and finds a piece of substrate, plant, or ornament where it will develop
a cyst. The parasite becomes a tomont and the
encapsulated dividing stage begins.
Hundreds of new parasites (theronts) will be produced within the next 24 hours.
Free-swimming Stage
According to Marshall E. Ostrow, author of
Goldfish: A Complete Pet Owner’s Manual, over 500 new parasites break through each unattached cyst. This starts the
free-swimming stage, where hundreds of new ich protozoa swim around looking for a host to attach to.
It’s
now that you’ll want to begin treatment for white spot disease. Ich are
most vulnerable during the free-swimming stage, when they’re not
surrounded by a cyst. So before they attach to your goldfish, you’ll
want to kill off as many of these free-swimming parasites with an ich
treatment.
Once the parasite finds a host to attach to, the cycle
repeats itself. They’ll feed for a few days, detach themselves, and form
new cysts on the substrate and plants. Each new cyst contains hundreds
of more parasites.
But hold in your tears! Curing your goldfish
from white spot disease shouldn’t be daunting. You can speed up the
process by raising the water temperature, forcing more parasites into
the free-swimming stage.
Water temperature affects how long or
short the ich life cycle is. Since goldfish enjoy cooler temperatures,
naturally it might take weeks to a month for one parasite to finish a
life cycle. At room temperature, an ich life cycle may complete in about
five to seven days.
Luckily, you can speed up the life cycle even
faster than that without harming your goldfish in the process. Here,
I’ll teach you how with first a natural ich treatment before we dive
into commercial ich treatment options.
How to Cure White Spot Disease: 2 Highly-Effective Ich Treatments
Remember: Don’t stop treatment when white spot disease is no longer visible.
You
have to realize that not all of the parasites in your aquarium will be
at the same stage in their life cycle. During the encapsulating dividing
and free-swimming stages, you won’t even see the parasite until it
attaches to your goldfish and enters the feeding stage.
For this
reason, it’s important that you continue ich treatment even after you
stop noticing signs of white spot disease. Otherwise, you might just
miss a few parasites in the encapsulating dividing stage. The next thing
you know, your goldfish are once more infected by white spot disease
and you have to start ich treatment all over again.
With that in mind, let’s start exterminating nasty parasites! There are two methods for total ich destruction.
The first method is what I call the
natural ich treatment.
I recommend trying your hand at this one first, since it’s less
expensive and undoubtedly less stressful on your goldfish than several
commercial remedies.
The second method calls for the purchase of a
commercial ich treatment.
Depending on the medication, you’ll need to be cautious to make sure it
doesn’t have a negative impact on any other pets in the aquarium.
All
of the below ich treatments are very effective. However, if you plan to
move very sick goldfish to a hospital tank, you should also treat the
main aquarium to kill off any lingering parasites.
Ich Treatment #1: Natural Ich Remedy
I recommend this natural ich treatment, as
it combines heat and salt to cure white spot disease.
First,
the heat stops ich from dividing into hundreds of more parasites after
it has detached from your goldfish. Next, the salt will help your
goldfish develop their much-needed slime coats, which will safe-guard
them against ich reattachments. Lastly, both the salt and heat will
attack free-swimming ich with dagger-precision until the last of the
parasites are killed off.
It’s important that you don’t medicate
your goldfish during this process or else the heat and medication may
work together to deny your goldfish oxygen (
source).
Some medications lower the oxygen levels in the water and, because heat
also reduces oxygen, it’s safest for your fish if these two ich
treatments aren’t combined.
Note: If you have other
species of fish or invertebrates in the same aquarium, make sure they
aren’t sensitive to salt before using the natural ich treatment. Fish
like the scale-less variety can’t withstand large doses of salt. If your
fish are sensitive to salt, do your research to determine how much salt
to use in the aquarium.
Salt is optional. In fact,
some fish hobbyists have successfully treated white spot disease without
the use of salt at all. If you’re worried about giving your fish a salt
bath, feel free to use just the heat method.
- Slowly raise the temperature of your aquarium water to 86 °F (30 °C).
Do this over a 48-hour time period, raising the temperature in small
increments (2 °F/1 °C every hour) to give your goldfish time to adjust
to the heat (and prevent shock). High temperatures will stop ich
parasites from reproducing (source).
- Maintain high oxygen levels. As the temperature rises, water won’t be able to hold dissolved oxygen as well (source).
Oxygenate the water by reducing the water level (this will boost
surface area agitation from your filter), aiming power heads towards the
surface of the water, or placing a few extra air stones (or ornaments with embedded air stones) into the water.
- Add salt (optional). Use salt specifically for freshwater fish (aquarium salt), not table salt. Follow the directions on the back of the container for best results. I like to use API Aquarium Salt
– it really works great on white spot disease. Simply add 1 tablespoon
(3 teaspoons) for every 5 gallons (19 liters) of aquarium water. Many
specialists also recommend 1 teaspoon per gallon instead.
- Keep your water temperature at a steady 86 °F (30 °C) for 10 days, changing the water every couple of days.
While ich symptoms are visible, change 25% of the water every two days
to keep oxygen levels up and remove excess parasites (adding the
appropriate dose of aquarium salt after each water change). Wait 3 to 5
days after the last signs of white spot disease and reduce water
temperatures once you’re sure all ich parasites are gone.
- Gradually reduce the water temperature back to 65 °F (18 °C).
By this time, your goldfish should be swimming around happily in an
ich-free environment. Do one last 25% water change and continue your
water changes on a weekly basis as usual.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully conquered ich. Your goldfish should be very happy indeed.
If
you notice more white spots on your goldfish after using the natural
ich treatment (and you’re sure you continued treatment for at least
three days after the last visible signs of white spot disease), it could
mean that the parasite has grown resistant to the heat and salt
treatment.
Don’t worry! If the ich parasite continues to attack
your goldfish, the next step is to begin medicating. Let’s walk through
the steps.
Ich Treatment #2: Using Commercial Ich Medications
If ich could win rewards, it would be for being persistent.
It’s
okay though. While unpleasant, ich can’t stay alive forever. If you
still notice parasites after 10 days of the heat and salt ich treatment,
follow these steps.
- Change 25% of the water and remove excess waste.
Vacuum the gravel with a water siphon and remove the active carbon from
your filter. Increase surface agitation by lowering the water level or
increasing water flow at the surface of the aquarium. Make sure your
filter is still pushing a healthy flow of water into the aquarium.
- Slowly raise the water temperature to 80 °F (26 °C) over a 48-hour time period.
The goal here is not to kill the ich with heat alone, like the natural
ich treatment described above, but to speed up the ich life cycle.
Basically, you want to force each parasite into the free-swimming stage
as quickly as possible (where the ich medication will begin its work)
without harming your goldfish in the process. Make sure you only raise
the water temperature in small increments (2 °F/1 °C every hour).
- Treat your goldfish with ich medication. There are a host of commercial ich treatments on the market and many are effective. I personally like Mardel’s CopperSafe Fish Treatment.
This ich treatment is copper-based and doesn’t stain like some
medications. It can also be used to treat velvet, anchor worms, and
other parasites. But be careful if you have invertebrates or plants in
the same aquarium. Copper-based ich medications can be harmful. If you
have a few lucky snails that have survived being goldfish food, try
shopping around to find the best solution for your particular fish
community. When you do find an ich treatment that works with your tank,
read the label thoroughly and only use the recommended dosage.
- Add salt (optional).
As mentioned earlier, salt can protect your goldfish by boosting its
slime coat. It’s also effective when combined with medication. Words to
the wise: If you have other fish and invertebrates in the aquarium, make
sure they aren’t sensitive to salt treatments. If they are, you’re
better off without.
If you’ve followed these directions
exactly and you still notice signs of white spot disease, give it a
couple weeks. Each ich parasite needs to begin the free-swimming stage
before it can be exterminated. Eventually, white spots on your goldfish
should disappear.
So now your goldfish are swimming away, carefree
in an ich-free environment. Good work! I’m sure your goldfish are
grateful to have conquered that itch.
But can the aquarium stay that way?
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