If you think humans are the only ones who get that “icky”, think again. The fish in your tank also experience this kind of “ickiness”, it's just that they can't speak their mind and tell you, “this is disgusting”.
Do you know that your fish is sick when it has ick? Compared to the “icky” thing that humans have whenever they don't take a bath everyday, in the life of a fish, it's more serious. Ick is the most common aquarium disease bearing the scientific name Ichtyophirius multifilis. It is caused by a parasitic protozoan that, in severe cases, causes intense itchiness to your fish. How do fish relieve its itchiness? It tends to rub its body against the tank decorations, even the rocks and gravel inside your aquarium. What's the worst case scenario? The ick can attack the fish's gills causing them to breathe heavily and with much difficulty. It also makes your fish look very unattractive, it's as if salt was sprinkled on your fish's body.
Ick is also contagious. It can spread like wildfire to the other fishes inside the tank. Your tank will be like a “tankful” of zombies instead of something you can show off as a conversational piece in your home. Yeah, it can be a conversational piece but instead of getting rave reviews, you will get “grossed-out” reviews. “Eeew, does your fish have leprosy?”
The most challenging thing to do when it comes to fish ick is identifying it. Many hobbyists fail to check if the fish already has ick in the first place when they bought it. It's also an awful truth that fish sellers won't tell you if the fish has ick, because their primary motive is to sell. “Our fishes are all healthy and happy”. It's really important that you develop a meticulous eye for identifying ick on a fish or else you won't just introduce fish in your tank, but a contagious protozoan.
How do you do this? The most common sign that fishes are suffering from ick are white spots. These spots tend to first develop at the fish's tail fin, you might want to pay special attention to that. Early signs include white spots on the pectoral fins. If you spot these things after some weeks already, since you bought the fish, there is really no need to panic. Ick can be treated very easily if early attention is given. It's very different from itchiness that humans have. It never heals by itself, you have to take measures to kill the parasitic culprit. If left unattended, the fish will try to relieve itself by scratching the problem areas and scratching is what the protozoans are waiting for. These parasites want your fish to get more infections so that they can invade and party all the more.
Here are some helpful tips if you're dealing with both a “fishy” and “icky” situation:
Tank Water Quality
Tank water that's not changed daily can result to concentrated waste that can further amplify your fish's ickiness. It's always a good idea to change the water in your tank frequently. If you are too busy to change the water regularly, keep in mind that the water must be changed 25-30% each month. This percentage is enough if your tank has a water filter. If you're dealing with large predatory fishes, a bimonthly water change is enough to maintain good quality of tank water. The more you keep the water clean, the more alleviation of infection takes place.
Never Overfeed
Fishes in the aquarium are very similar with bulimic models. They spit what they can't eat anymore. If you overfeed, the fish will spit the excess amounts out of its body, causing the water to be more foul. This results in a very stressful environment for your fish, making them more vulnerable to infection.
Provide Some Vegetation and a Place To Hide
What happens if you hire a maid without giving her a place to stay in? Don't expect this maid to stay very long. Humans need space to be alone and take refuge, it's impossible to be seen and socialize every hour of every day. The same rules apply to your fish, this is why it's important to provide some decorations that fish can hide in such as a cave or a plant. This is very true when it comes to new inhabitants because they are more commonly nervous in a new tank. Remember that a happy fish is a healthy fish.
Rule of Compatibility
This requires some research because compatibility in fishes means which are peaceful and which are aggressive. Just imagine what would happen if you add an aggressive fish to a tank full of serene and peace loving fishes. It would destroy the equilibrium of the tank and cause stress on the fishes. Studies have shown that fishes that are under stress have lower immunity levels against diseases.
Adjust Water temperature
If your fish has ick, be sure to increase the temperature of your tank water. Warm water (80-82F) speeds up the ick parasite's life cycle and also speeds up the parasite's extermination. Buy some aquarium salts and sprinkle it in the tank water. These kind of salts aids in the fish's gill function and kills the ick parasite that exists on the fish's skin.
Quarantine
This is a word you might have encountered when you run a virus scan on your computer. If a virus is found, there's a pop-up message showing, “quarantine infected files?”.To quarantine means to isolate and obviously it protects the other fish from getting the disease, especially “ick” which is very contagious. You must do this when treating sick fish or acquiring a new one.
What hobbyists usually recommend is to use a small aquarium (one of those classic aquarium bowls would be fine) and use it as your quarantine tank. Put some plants in there and allow your new fish to stay there for two weeks before you add the fish in your show tank. This guarantees that upon transfer, your fish is already healthy, won't introduce a disease to your other fishes and will not be under stress anymore.
This is also the cheapest and easiest way to treat fishes. This means it's less likely that you'll medicate fish that doesn't need any drug. In cases when you're medicating, providing a smaller aquarium means that you're using less medication which makes it economical.
When all else fails
It's always best to try first to treat your fish with the tips mentioned because if they respond well, then you don't have to use medication. However, there are certain cases when these things don't work and that actually is a certain hint that your fish is in dire need of ick medication. There are many ick treatments available on the market. There are even varieties for both gold and tropical fish.
You can drop these medicines straight in the aquarium tank to kill the Ichtyophthirius multifilis. Since there are many varieties, it's best if you can purchase a product containing Malachite Green or Chelated Copper Sulfate. Such medicines can also treat your water for about a month.
There are cases when your fish doesn't have ick but after some time, the disease develops. According to a study, there's a 99% chance that fishes develop this disease at some time which is why it's called “the most common fish disease”. This means that it's best for every pet fish owner to keep ick medicine at all times.
In some blog accounts of hobbyists, they say that ick symptoms are usually noticeable during the weekends or at evening time (just after work). Be sure to read and follow the ick medicine examples very carefully.
If you are a hobbyist, knowing how to eradicate ick parasites is very important. Keep in mind that “knowing” won't work without doing it properly. Make certain to try the non-medical procedures first before you proceed to the treatment that requires the use of medicine. Follow instructions and have ick medicines handy.