Ichthyophthirius, semolina, white spotting – let”s put an end to it!

If your fish or the surfaces in your aquarium have ever had white spots on them, you may have Ichthyophthirius, also referred to as Ich. For aquarium enthusiasts, this bothersome parasite is one of the most prevalent and frustrating issues. It affects a variety of freshwater fish, causing distress and frequently resulting in serious health problems or even death if left untreated.

Ichthyophthirius can become a serious headache very quickly. Because of the characteristic white cysts it forms on fish, it is sometimes referred to as "white spot disease." For the purpose of controlling and eliminating it, it is essential to comprehend what it is and how it functions. This parasite clings to fish, irritating and damaging their gills and skin, which can impair their ability to breathe and general well-being.

In this post, we’ll examine common misconceptions, discuss useful tactics for dealing with Ichthyophthirius, and provide helpful guidance for getting your aquarium back to its vibrant, healthy state. You can stop these white spots and maintain the health of your aquatic friends with the appropriate strategy.

Topic	Ichthyophthirius, Semolina, White Spotting – Let"s Put an End to It!
Description	Ichthyophthirius, commonly known as "Ich," is a parasite that causes white spots on fish. This condition is often referred to as "white spot disease" or "semolina disease" because of the appearance of the cysts. Addressing this problem promptly is crucial for the health of your aquarium.
Symptoms	Fish will develop white, grainy spots on their skin and gills. They may also show signs of distress, like rubbing against surfaces, rapid gill movement, and reduced appetite.
Treatment Options	There are several methods to treat Ich, including adding medication to the tank, raising the water temperature, and increasing the oxygen levels. It"s essential to follow the instructions carefully and treat all fish in the aquarium to prevent the disease from spreading.
Prevention	Maintain good water quality, avoid introducing new fish without proper quarantine, and ensure your tank"s temperature and conditions are stable. Regular monitoring and maintenance will help keep your aquarium healthy and reduce the risk of Ich outbreaks.

Symptoms

Following a period of three days for incubation, the parasites become active and start feeding heavily. A few papules form on the fins, gills, and body as a result of their vital activity; these are less noticeable when infected with tropical forms of ichthyophthirius.

Enzymes that thin the surrounding cells are injected into infusias in the epithelium and sucking the nutrient fluid, multiplying by 50 during parasitization. If you miss the window of opportunity and do not begin treating ichthyoftiriosis right away in the general aquarium, the fish will develop ulcers from gray-white nodules that cover their entire body and break down their fins. Pets become devoid of energy, go blind, and eventually pass away.

Behavioral factors are linked to secondary symptoms of ichthyophthyosis. When in pain, patients press their fins against their bodies and become reticent. The fish writhe with their entire body, scratch their sides on the ground, and exhibit non-passive itching. They are more likely to gather at the bubbles close to the aerator or float up while ingesting air if their respiratory system fails.

Aquarium fish that have ichthyophthirius initially consume less food, and as symptoms worsen, they stop eating altogether.

For aquarium enthusiasts, ichthyophthirius, also referred to as "white spot disease," is a prevalent and annoying issue. By describing how to recognize the parasite, comprehend how it affects fish and plants, and apply practical treatment methods, this article seeks to demystify the problem. You can stop white spot disease and guarantee a healthier, more colorful aquarium by following simple instructions and using the appropriate equipment.

Treatment methods

You will need to treat every fish in the shared aquarium if you find one or two that have ichthyophthirius because the remaining fish are also infected. When a pet exhibits a single papule on their body, managing the infection is simpler. Individuals are far more difficult to cure with a small amount of semolina. As a result of the epithelium’s integrity being compromised, bacteria and fungal spores can enter the body through the skin and worsen the illness.

The course of the illness and the type of fish being treated determine the medications and treatment approaches used for ichthyophthirius. However, oxygen deprivation occurs in all pets without exception because of gill damage and gas retention from certain medications. Throughout the treatment period, it is advised to monitor the biological balance in the system and increase aeration in the aquarium. Fish find it challenging to withstand the simultaneous invasion of ichthyophthirius and a high ammonia and nitrite concentration.

Drugs containing copper harm invertebrates. Before receiving treatment, animals housed in a shared aquarium with fish must spend at least four weeks in a separator.

Increasing the temperature and adding salt

The oldest ineffective treatment techniques for tropical semolina. The causal agents of temperate-latitude ichthyophthirius actually perish at temperatures higher than thirty degrees Celsius and in a saline solution prepared at a concentration of one tablespoon per ten liters. The parasites depart the victim’s body more quickly and perish when the temperature rises. The fish’s ability to fight infection is boosted when their immunity is triggered.

In a typical aquarium, salt is used to combat ichthyophthirius, which is very difficult to remove and corrodes metal parts of the apparatus.

However, at their typical elevated temperature, tropical ichthyophthiruses start reproducing more quickly. Furthermore, when the amount of oxygen in the water drops, fish experience oxygen starvation in addition to pain and itching. Those who have damaged gills cannot survive at all. There is a need to maximize aeration when employing this treatment technique.

Fish and plants in a freshwater aquarium do not tolerate saline solutions well, which causes the beneficial bacteria in the filter to die.

Another treatment option is available, but it will need a separate tank and a large amount of water to be changed every 12 hours.

Ichtyophthirius-affected fish are kept in settling tanks with undissolved salt at the bottom. As they swim nearer the surface, pets release cysts, which eventually sink to the bottom and die. When replacing, the surviving survivors are taken out. Until all parasites are removed from the sick pets’ bodies, the process is repeated.

Medication

Fish are not harmed by preparations made with organic dyes, and ichthyophthirius pathogens are effectively eliminated. Prior to adding drugs, the following steps are taken in preparation:

1. Cleaning the aquarium. Siphon the soil, replace the filter cloth, remove rotten leaves from the plants.
2. Renew the water by 25%. If there is no settled liquid at hand, use an air conditioner.
3. Gradually raise the temperature with a heater by 1 degree to 28 ° C.
4. Remove the activated carbon from the filter to prevent absorption of drugs.

Pets treated for ichthyophthirius should not be overfed; instead, they should be fed easily digested, vitaminized food.

Light breaks down the ingredients in drugs. The drugs are added in the evening, just before the lights are turned off, to ensure a consistent concentration throughout the entire aquarium.

The fish’s defense against the parasites that survive is completed a week after they start taking the medication when they become immune.

Malachite green

Aquarists have come to trust this medication because it is safe for plants and pets, works well as a treatment, and doesn’t harm the biological balance of the aquarium.

A standard aquarium with water between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius is supplemented with malachite green at a therapeutic dosage of 0.09 mg/l. This drug concentration poses a risk to young scaleless characins, lobio, and botia. Half the recommended dosage of the medication is used to kill Ichthyophthirius.

Every day, malachite green is added, changing the water volume by 25%. Ichthyophthirius therapy is administered for two more days after the external and behavioral signs have vanished in order to prevent relapses.

A pH of more than eight and a high concentration of organic compounds in the water compromise the effectiveness of treatment. Malachite green content increases by a factor of 1.5 in an alkaline environment. Half of the aquarium’s water volume is altered six days after the medication is first added.

Methylene blue, which is less harmful to fish but less effective at filtering water, can be used in place of malachite green. However, it damages the biofilter. The aquarium needs to receive two doses of the medication.

The additional administration of iodine (20 drops per 100 l) or the Sera Ectopur preparation, which helps to cope with oxygen deficiency in case of grunts, is enhanced by the treatment of ichthyophthyosis with an organic dye. Combining Sera Mycopur with malachite greens produces positive results in challenging cases.

Antipar

Using antipara, which consists of formalin and malachite green, has an even greater effect on treating ichthyoftiriosis. The medication is administered as a blue solution with a distinct odor.

In addition to eliminating ichthyoftiruses, an antiparasitic, antifungal, and antibacterial medication also treats the associated secondary infections. Its action stems from a disruption of metabolism in fish-parasitic bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Additionally, the healing of the infusoria-damaged epithelium is accelerated by a small toxic medication.

Every other day, the anti-steam solution is added to the aquarium at a rate of 2 milliliters per 100 liters, with a mandatory replacement of 30%. Ichthyophthirius treatment is continued until the white nodules on the epithelium go away. The course is repeated a week later. Short-term baths (3 hours) are used to prevent disease; 1 ml of the medication is dissolved in 10 liters of water.

Furacilin

In order to eradicate parasitic unicellular organisms from pets, a disinfectant solution (0.1 g / 50 l) is prepared and progressively added to the general aquarium. Furacilin treatment for ichthyophthirius takes at least two weeks. The liquid medication is added gradually while the water undergoes a partial transformation.

Furazolidone with quinine

In severe cases, you will need to use furazolidone, delagil, and a medication called Punktol Plus that is based on malachite green to destroy the ichthyophthirius causative agents.

The aquarium is supplemented with Punktol (10 ml / 100 l), delagil (1 tablet / 25 l), and furazolidone (1 tablet / 15 l).

Using a pestle or spoon, the tablets are ground into a powder, which is then transferred into a container with room-temperature boiling water and combined.

Melafix can be used in place of water to hasten the healing of damaged skin following the release of trophonts.

The suspension that has been prepared is added to the shared aquarium. The dosage of furazolidone is decreased to one tablet per 25 liters and that of delagil to one tablet per 40 liters following four additions spaced every other day.

Combination of Protocide, Helamed

It is necessary to remove invertebrates and delicate plants from the aquarium prior to treating ichthyophthirius in fish. The common aquarium receives three daily additions of NILPA PROTOCID and NILPA HELAMED conditioners from a pet store, following a 35% water renewal.

The helamed dosage is 3 ml per 10 l; the concentration doubles if the hardness is greater than 10 GH.

One milliliter per ten liters is the dosage for protocide.

If the ichthyophthirius symptoms do not go away after the third medication administration, only use Protocide for treatment.

Sterilizer

Not only does ultraviolet prevent disease, it also aids in its combat. When parasitic microorganisms pass through ultraviolet treatment, they are either killed or rendered weaker. While a sterilizer cannot totally eradicate ichthyophthirius pathogens, it can lessen the severity of an outbreak and stop new infections from spreading.

Drugs and ultraviolet radiation don’t mix. The instructions contain information on this. A sterilizer with a rated power of 20 W per 200 liters of water is used for a week to treat ichthyophthirius.

Aquarium treatment

Following the course of treatment, which typically lasts ten days, the following must be done:

• restore normal lighting, original quality, water temperature;
• balance the habitat of aquarium fish, plants;
• start the compressor in the previous mode;
• clean the soil with a siphon.

To determine the chemical composition and concentration of phosphates and nitrogen compounds, drip tests are utilized. The concentration of poisons is controlled using specific preparations and biofilters.

Since phosphates and nitrates are the primary source of nutrition for aquarium plants, it is impossible to totally eradicate them.

When furazalidone is used to treat ichthyophthirius, the water’s color is permanently altered. After at least six water changes—the number of which is progressively decreased—the yellowness vanishes. Experienced aquarists’ reviews indicate that carbon filters aid in the rapid restoration of color.

Prevention

Preventive measures are used to keep pets from becoming sick and necessitating life-saving surgery.

1. Newly acquired fish are quarantined. In a latent state, the ich pathogens can persist for a month or more until favorable conditions occur. To make sure that the newcomers are healthy, after a couple of weeks an old-timer is added to them, and his condition is observed. Symptoms appear faster than others in clown loaches, five-striped barbs.
2. Use high-quality food, replace live with frozen.
3. Examine pets daily for skin rashes.
4. Create comfortable conditions for the fish, eliminate stress that provokes the disease. Sudden temperature changes and irregular feeding are unacceptable.
5. Comply with hygiene standards, monitor the quality of water, the cleanliness of the aquarium, equipment, inventory.
6. New plants are planted in a separate container, a couple of fish are launched. If the behavior and appearance of pets do not change, aquatic plants are transplanted into a common aquarium.

Hydrogen peroxide (20 ml/100 l) is added to the water and the temperature is lowered by 3 degrees to hasten the disease’s development in the breeding tank.

It is easier to prevent ichthyophthirius than to treat symptoms that worsen quickly. However, if a pet is ill, the likelihood of recovery increases with prompt medical attention.

For aquarium enthusiasts, Ichthyophthirius, also referred to as "white spot disease," can present a formidable challenge. If not treated right away, this bothersome parasite—which gives fish their characteristic white spots—can spread quickly. However, you can successfully address this problem and bring your aquatic environment back to health with the appropriate strategy.

The most important thing is to keep the tank stable and clean. Frequent water changes and adequate filtration help your fish feel less stressed and foster an environment that is less conducive to parasite growth. Monitoring the temperature and quality of the water is also crucial because changes in these parameters can increase your fish’s susceptibility to illness.

There are a number of treatment options available, including prescription drugs created especially to address white spot disease. To guarantee the best outcomes, always carefully follow the instructions. Furthermore, a small temperature increase in the tank can quicken the parasite’s life cycle and increase the efficacy of treatments.

The key to stopping epidemics in the future is prevention. Parasite spread can be stopped by keeping new fish in quarantine before introducing them to your main tank. Additionally, you can keep your aquarium a healthy and vibrant environment by keeping up with good tank hygiene and watching out for any signs of illness in your fish.

You can eradicate Ichthyophthirius and guarantee that your aquarium continues to be a lively and secure refuge for your fish by being watchful and proactive. Recall that maintaining the happiness and health of your aquatic friends only requires a small amount of care and attention.

Video on the topic

White spots appeared on the fish what is it? Semolina (Ichthyophthirius)

Ichthyophthirius, white spots on fish, semolina

Fish diseases. Ichthyophthirius. "Semolina" on fish.