Ichthyophthirius - semolina: how and how to treat in aquarium fish?

For aquarium fish owners, ichthyophthirius, also referred to as "manka" or white spot disease, is a frequent and problematic problem. Fish stressed and covered in white spots, this tiny parasite can quickly turn a healthy aquarium into a disaster zone.

It is essential for any aquarist to know how "manka" affects their fish and what symptoms to look out for. If you catch an illness in your fish early on and treat it promptly, you can prevent severe illness or even death.

This post will explain what Ichthyophthirius is, how it spreads, and—most importantly—how to treat it effectively to keep your aquatic pets safe from this bothersome parasite.

Contents

Photo examples of ichthyophthirius/manka fish
Treatment of ichthyophthirius fish, the position of an ichthyopathologist
Video on the topic
Treatment of Swordtails Ichthyophthirius (semolina) 4 days later.
Ichthyophthirius – "semolina", how to treat? Golden catfish. Betta. Danio Glo. #aquarium #lifehacks #guppy
Tropical ichthyophthirius (semolina).How we fought.Results.
Ichthyophthirius (semolina). The harsh truth.
Five days of ichthyophthirius treatment. Result.
We treat fish according to science! Ichthyophthirius!
Ichthyophthirius. Treatment
Ichthyophthirius – Treatment

Photo examples of ichthyophthirius/manka fish

Images of Manka fish’s ichthyophthirius

You must be aware of the following two factors in order to treat andichthyophthirius successfully and win crushingly:

1. The parasitic ciliate life cycle.

We won’t regale you with a long account of ciliate life; instead, we’ll just mention that once the parasite enters the fish’s body, it exits it 1-2 weeks later (forming a mound – manka). Upon hitting the bottom, it attaches itself and develops into thousands of larvae, who then start searching for a new host.

2. Considering what is known about the life of the parasite. Its life cycle must be made intolerable by us.

Raise the aquarium water’s temperature by two to four degrees (this method is controversial, but it sometimes works) and always increase the aeration intensity. What benefits does raising the aquarium water’s temperature provide? First, the parasite’s life cycle is sped up, causing it to "come out" and pass away more quickly. Furthermore, when the temperature rises, the fish’s immune system becomes active, enhancing its ability to combat the illness independently.

During the early stages of ichthyophthirius, raising the temperature could be sufficient to defeat the enemy in a few days. However, to increase your confidence, you must dose the aquarium water with trypaflavin or, if you prefer, bicillin-5 (per the instructions on the package). For the treatment of semolina, you can employ more contemporary methods like:

Sera Costapur, or Costapur (the Tetra Kontralka analogue).

TetraMedica GoldOomed—derived specifically for Goldfish from Ichthyophthirius.

These preparations do their job flawlessly.

But it’s important to always keep in mind "secondary infections," or illnesses that develop after the primary infection. It is also advised to take other medications that get rid of secondary illnesses (bacterial or fungal infections).

For the prevention and management of fungus and ectoparasites, for instance, the Sera Trademark suggests combining Sera ectopur (ectopur) with Sera Costapur. Methylene blue can also be used as a medication to treat secondary infections.

Treatment of ichthyophthirius fish, the position of an ichthyopathologist

White spot disease, ichthyophthirius, semolina, ich… Who is he? Let’s acquaint ourselves more:

The protagonist of today’s tale is right here.

It is not going to be my lucky day to get enough sleep. A phone call came in early in the morning, asking, "Vera, what should I do when the pecilia in your first aquarium are covered in white spots?" – I rub my eyes and try not to look like I’ve fallen asleep already. And a lot of dots? Approximately thirty to forty, mostly on the red tails. – When there were one or two dots there, where were you? Well, don’t leave for the weekend at least. Add some Mycopur and Costapur, and I’ll come the day after tomorrow to take a look.

After I hang up, I discover that the platies’ water is salted—one tablespoon of salt for every ten liters of water—and that they have recently received treatment for a bacterial infection. However, twenty years ago, one of the primary treatments for ichthyophthirius was salt.

The day after tomorrow it only got worse, the disc platies were covered with dots, like a carpet. The scheme that has already become classic in my practice – Sera Costapur (in full dose every other day) + Sera mycopur (in half dose, daily) – failed again. I made a substitution, poured Sera Costapur + furazolidone at the rate of 1 tablet of 50 mg per 15 liters of water. Furazolidone is a nitrofuran drug, most bacteria and protozoa are sensitive to it. A good remedy, but I use it only in extreme cases, it destroys the microflora of the aquarium and for two weeks the water becomes the color, excuse me, urine, it looks extremely bad on the sales counter unpresentable.

Two days have passed. The result is zero. It"s getting worse again. Disc pecilia began to lie on the bottom, there is no living place on the body. I understand that continuing to treat with furazolidone is also useless. Again I make a massive substitution. The last resort is copper. I take a penny drug "Formamed", pour it in. After a day there were clearly fewer spots, the fish began to recover. Copper is a strong remedy, but not the best option for a home aquarium. Destructive for invertebrates (snails, shrimp, etc.), algae, beneficial microflora of the aquarium, and with minimal overdoses also for fish and plants.

Even though there were twice as many dots yesterday, the fish is already making a recovery, but survival is still uncertain.

This is the way that diseases change as pharmacology advances. My coworkers frequently ask me, "Semolina"? I then turn up the heat and add some blueing. – Furthermore, how is it beneficial? Yes, indeed… Nonetheless, there have been instances where nothing could save the entire aquarium.

Once upon a time, one of our suppliers told us that fish would never develop ichthyophthirius if they were kept consistently at 30 °C. But as experience has shown, the fish continue to become ill despite losing weight as a result of their metabolism speeding up at such temperatures. Recently, discus fish, which typically have a temperature between 30 and 31 °C, became ill.

The myths that ichthyophthirius can only be imported with fresh fish and live food are untrue. Cysts can go dormant and survive for a very long period in unfavorable conditions. They stay underground, on fish bodies. There’s proof that even tap water contains live ichthyophthirius cysts! It is a given; it is always present in your aquarium. How should one proceed?

First of all, prevention is the best medicine. In our situation, maintaining the most crucial water parameters, providing adequate nutrition, and adhering to the detention conditions (schooling fish are housed in schools, everyone has enough space, and shelters) all work to prevent stressful phenomena, which lower immunity and pave the way for illness.

Second: daily inspection. In most cases, 1-2 points, found in time, are treated very easily. Whereas an advanced disease is almost incurable. Third: buying new fish. Look carefully at what you are buying. Ideally, find out when the store is delivering, look at what new has arrived at the store and then come back in 4-5 days, the fish will have acclimatized by this time and if, due to the stress of transportation, it has become ill with ichthyophthirius, you will see it. Examine each fish, also pay attention to the condition of the aquarium (poor conditions are stress, see. p. 1), and the presence of medications in the water.

Selecting a treatment plan comes in fourth. But if the illness ever makes an appearance in your aquarium—and experience tells us that this is a problem that every aquarist eventually faces—you’ll need to know what to do and how to treat it.

1. If you saw 2-3 dots, they are obvious, large (about 0.5-1 mm). You can raise the temperature by 2-3 degrees. Add salt to the water at the rate of 1 tbsp.l. per 10 liters of water. Salt dissolves in a jar, do not pour all the salt into the water at once, in 3-4 doses with an interval of 15 minutes. Remember that not all fish can be salted. Most catfish do not tolerate salt, Sumatran and mossy barbs also do not like it. Do not salt aquariums with plants. Increase aeration. Malachite green ("Malachite green", "Ichthyophor", from the company "Zoomir", Sera Costapur according to the instructions). Before adding the preparation – change 30-50% of the water (with the addition of salt to the original concentration). Cleaning the aquarium before adding dyes (be it malachite green, methylene blue, acriflavine or anything else) is mandatory! With an excess of organic matter, the dyes are quickly inactivated. Malachite green is added once every two days in a full dose.

2. Because tropical forms of ichthyophthirius are activated at a temperature of 30-32 °C, raising the temperature will kill the fish if you notice a lot of tiny, hardly noticeable dots (and generally if the disease is already advanced).

3. Taking brief baths to treat the parasite is ineffective because the medication cannot penetrate the epithelium where the parasite is located. The strays, who are free to swim around the aquarium, are the primary beneficiaries of this.

As I mentioned earlier, Sera Costapur, a medication derived from malachite green, is one of the best treatments for ichthyophthirius. When used in conjunction with Sera mycopur (at half the dosage), it functions much better. Tested: Sera Costapur, used by shrimp farmers and herbalists, does not destroy plants or invertebrates. However, malachite green has become less effective lately.

5. The general public can purchase an even more potent combination: Sera Costapur (taken every other day as directed by the manufacturer) + furazolidone (1 tablet for every 15 liters of water). In addition to killing ichthyophthirius, furazolidone also destroys plants and helpful flora.

6. I’ve found that copper preparations work even in the absence of other remedies. Because copper is so toxic to invertebrates, fish can die from even a small excess of it. I use Zoomirovsky "Formamed" solely based on empirical research; while it doesn’t work any worse, it doesn’t poison fish as much as pure copper sulfate (fish can withstand even erratic and overtreated fish).

Vera Dudina, g. Moscow, veterinarian and ichthyopathologist

ANOTHER NOTE ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF FISH.

This note lays out some basic assumptions and ideas about fish care for aquarists who are just starting out. Take your time reading them; both you and your pets will benefit.

1. Assess the treatment’s viability. Occasionally, the price of the medication (500r) is many times more than the price of the fish (50r). Even though it sounds harsh, what was said makes sense. If you treat the fish like a family member and take responsibility for the ones you have tamed, then we are all in favor of it. However, the ideas of expediency and reason have not been abandoned.

2. 1/4 to 1/2 of the water is replaced with fresh water prior to any treatment. This is done to reduce the amount of nitrogen compounds, which include the poisons NH3/NH4, NO2, and NO3. It’s critical to realize that fish illnesses are frequently caused by these toxins. They poison fish, lowering their immunity while pathogenic flora subtly assaults the compromised body.

3. In addition, drop tests for the aforementioned toxins as well as for phosphates PO4 should always be kept on hand. For what purpose? First and foremost, be aware of the concentrations and make sure they are not exceeded. Second, even though nitrate (NO3) and phosphate (PO4) are the primary nutrients for plants, it is not always necessary to zero them out completely. For instance, in a plant aquarium, doing so will cause further issues with the plants. Thirdly, the tests themselves enable situational monitoring, identification of the underlying cause, and management of the state of affairs prior to, during, and following treatment.

Recall that when nitrogen and phosphate levels are elevated, adding medications is not possible! Thus, you will only make matters worse because there will be medications that can both treat and kill in addition to poisons. In other words, they possess both positive and negative qualities. Recall that no medication is a magic cure or a miracle cure.

What tests to use? At your discretion, but preferably drip tests, not strips, because.. drip tests are more accurate. In principle, take the tests you can find, for example, Tetra tests, certainly available in every offline store. If these tests are expensive for you, it is quite possible to find our domestic inexpensive tests from VladOx, if you have time or want to take tests for the future, then our recommendation tests UHE (sold only online), also domestic, also inexpensive. Each of the above tests has its own specifics, t.h. look and think for yourself. The note is not about tests, but about treating fish.

4. How, what and from what to treat? Any forum discussions about fish diseases are fortune telling on coffee grounds. Since an accurate diagnosis can be made by an ichthyoptologist after scraping the fish and analyzing it under a microscope, or even after dissecting the fish. So, something like that, friends. Our position on the mechanism of home treatment is painted in this article, look. The essence in brief: if the symptoms of the disease are obvious, as, for example, with ichthyophthiriusor hexamitosis, then we treat with drugs and according to the treatment plan for this disease. If the symptoms are not obvious, we treat in a complex manner.

Tetra Contralck, a complex medication that contains formalin and malachite green, is effective against invasions of parasites like ichthyophothirius, oodinosis, and costiasis, but it also negatively affects other pathogenic flora. Tetra Contralk, no, there aren’t any other complicated drugs.

Furthermore, it is wise to comprehend and evaluate what we are pouring into and from when we discuss "complex treatment." As an illustration, Tetra General Tonic is:

836.0 mg of ethacridine lactate, 160.2 mg of acrylamide, 56.44 mg of methylene blue, and 28.20 mg of 9-aminoacridine * HCI * H2O.

If it’s missing, search for the parts. Additionally, it is generally advised to gather a "Aquarium first aid kit" and keep it close at hand at all times. One type of domestic monodrugs is Medosovskie-Vladoksovskie.

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In reality, we were given the ingredients for Tetra General Tonic when we took them. ple s Silva, gentlemen.

Furthermore, with experience, one can usually become proficient and transition to using pharmaceutical drugs for treatment.

5. The instructions include a description of the treatment plan itself. Here, there are no unique techniques. Please be aware that increasing the aquarium’s aeration and turning off the lights occasionally are recommended during treatment. A lot of drugs break down rapidly in the presence of light.

It goes without saying that the filter should not contain any sorbents (zeolite or coal). Water conditioners like Tetra AquaSafe or Sera Akutan are not recommended because they bind medications.

6. Remember that many medications disturb the biological balance in the aquarium by killing both beneficial and pathogenic flora after treatment. Here, drip tests, high-quality water changes, starter doses, and other actions targeted at reestablishing the aquarium’s nitrogen cycle will help.

SUMMARY. Fish do not become ill randomly. The primary cause is poor maintenance conditions. Either your aquarium has become unfavorable or you purchased fish that were already stunted. The first step in any treatment plan is to identify and treat the underlying cause. After that, a choice is made regarding the mode of treatment. Particular attention is given to the symptoms (regression, progress) during the course of treatment. Please be aware that the illness might not get better in two to three days. Following treatment, we make every effort to ensure that the aquarium functions as a solitary, essential, and robust mechanism.

Aspect	Description
What is "manka"?	"Manka" is a common term for Ichthyophthirius, a parasite that causes white spots on fish.
Symptoms	Fish develop small white spots on their skin, gills, and fins.
Causes	Often caused by poor water quality or stress in the fish.
Treatment	Increase the water temperature and add specific anti-parasitic treatments.
Prevention	Maintain clean water and reduce stress in your aquarium.

Although treating Ichthyophthirius, also referred to as "manka," can be difficult, your fish can recover fully if the disease is identified early and treated appropriately. The secret to catching this parasite early is to regularly monitor the conditions of your aquarium and the behavior of your fish.

To stop similar incidents in the future, always remember to keep your tank clean and to keep the water conditions steady. Another wise precaution to keep your current fish healthy is to quarantine new fish before adding them to your main tank.

You can protect your fish from the risks of "manka" and maintain their health and well-being with a little bit of care and attention.