Tropical Fish - White Spot

เผยแพร่บทความ

Tropical fish

- WHITE SPOT --

White spot is probably the most common disease that tropical fish are subject, and is believed to be causing more deaths than any other disease. Most - if not all - aquarists will encounter white spot (also known as PCI) at least once or twice during their career / hobby.

What is it?

White Spot is a unicellular, ciliate protozoa. In English, this means that a single-celled parasite organism, which propels itself in water through use of cilia, or filament-like hair. Mature adult cells are 0.5 - 1.0 mm, and are usually clearly visible to the naked eye.

White spot is a parasite. He lives under the top layer of skin and scales on your fish, eating skin cells and cause cellular minute breaks. The white spots which result from these ruptures are the basis of the name of the parasite, and ultimately what will kill the host (fish).

How should I enter in my tank?

White spot is usually presented to a tank and new, infected fish or plants. It may also emerge apparently without warning in a reservoir intact.

When this happens, it means that the body has been present for some time but has been dormant (hibernating), and some new momentum - stress, or a change in water temperature -- has caused to wake up and stay active.

The original cells of the body itself to join a host (the weakest, the oldest, or diseased fish in the tank), usually in the gills or plates in the balance.

After about a week of parasitism, the now mature organism (mature Ich cells are called trophozoites) stands out fish and settles on a new surface: usually, a plant or ornament.

It will then form a capsule on itself (called a cyst) and will remain dormant - at least in appearance - for about a week. During this period of time, the cell inside the capsule is furiously dividing: by the time these seven days are up, only one cell has become approximately 1,000 new organisms.

These "daughter cells" will then break loose and swim freely in the reservoir, attaching to new fish - and the cycle begins again.

White spot is highly contagious and is evolving very rapidly. 100% mortality is expected if nothing is done about it.

What can I do?

Prevention is obviously the best remedy:

* Make sure never to buy healthy fish from a reputable breeder own

* Make sure the reservoir from which your fish: does it look to be in a state of cleanliness? The plants are healthy and flourishing? Does the gravel clean sediment and dust? Is the water warm and well-conditioned?

* Check the fish, too - and not just those that you purchase, but all fish in the tank. Beware of those who are "hiding" (under rocks and behind ornaments), because it is a classic symptom of an infected fish. Make sure that no witness display are those of white spots

* Wash all the ornaments you buy or gravel before placing in the reservoir to ensure that all cysts are dislodged

* Quarantine new plants and fish for a week before adding them to your tank

* Never clutter your tank, because it will focus on fish (which is a major contributor to the outbreak of white spot, and in part dictates the severity of the epidemic)

* Regularly check your fish for white spots. The sooner you detect it, the less impact the disease will have on your tank.

What if it is too late for prevention?

If you already have a home in your tank, relax - May it be a serious illness, but at least it is easy to cure!

The most common and easy to use, the method of healing is the state through the use of salt aquarium.

Parasites are less tolerant of salt than fish, so adding extra salt kills all Ich bodies with no adverse effects on fish themselves. Make sure you follow the instructions on the package (salts aquarium must always come with clear instructions) and make sure before you use it you do not salt intolerant fish in the tank as Neons, Cardinals, Lights glow-or-less scale Catfish, which are easily burned by the salt.

A second alternative is to use a chemical called malachite green. It is an effective way to treat Ich, but unfortunately the chemical is toxic to humans (and most plants and snails, be sure to remove these before starting treatment). Always use gloves when administering the chemical - and because it is teratogenic (ie that night fetus), pregnant women should stay far away.

All you have to do with malachite green is remove carbon from the filter, and add the appropriate amount (as instructed) to the water tank. It usually takes about 4-5 days to kill all cells Ich - a good rule of thumb is to continue to use until a couple of days after the last white spot has disappeared from fishing. 10 days is typical to the use of malachite green: do not forget to put the carbon filter to remove all traces of the persistence of treatment, and give him one or two more days before putting the snails and plants back in.

UV light is also an effective treatment: You can buy the tank filters animal with small UV lights inside. The light kills parasites in the capsule before they attach to the host.

The transfer method is effective but time: you have to move all fish every day in a new reservoir with clean, hot water conditioning. It takes about 7 transfers every day (hence, a week) for all parasites behind. The only drawback is that the fish (and often the aquarium!) Getting stressed by the process, leaving them more susceptible to other diseases. Fish already affected by the white patch is sometimes die during the transfer process because their bodies can not handle the stress.

Recommended Reading

For a compendium of information on all the problems that tropical fish are subject to take a look at Katy tropical fish - a complete guide. You learn how to keep your fish happy, healthy and beautiful, how to keep your aquarium with professional standards, how to solve health problems when they occur, and learn valuable insider tips and tricks to keep your search spectacular aquarium.