![]() If your new fish is sick, you’ll only have to treat the quarantine tank and not your entire main tank. This quarantine will give you plenty of time to monitor for the onset of signs of many diseases and infestations, including ich. This step is vital, as ich is a parasite that needs a host to survive it cannot enter your tank unless it takes a ride on a newcoming fish. When you bring a new fish home, quarantine it for 6–8 weeks or longer in a separate tank from the main tank. There are steps that you can take to decrease the likelihood of an infestation. It has entire chapters dedicated to in-depth diagnoses, treatment options, a treatment index, and a list of everything in our fishkeeping medicine cabinet, natural and commercial (and more!). If your fish isn't behaving or looking as it normally does and you suspect it may be sick, ensure you provide the right treatment, by checking out the best-selling and comprehensive book The Truth About Goldfishon Amazon today. This remedy is on the expensive side and a better option for large tanks and ponds than it is for small tanks. MinnFinn is a great ich treatment option if you’re hoping to find something natural. It’s available in a large jug for treating ponds. This medication is marketed as safe for invertebrates, like snails, scaleless fish, like loaches, and plants. Ich-X medication is a non-prescription ich treatment that is used to treat the entire tank. ![]() Image Credit: Zay Nyi Nyi, Shutterstock How Can I Treat Ich? Ich-X ![]() Ich parasites leave egg packets that drop to the bottom of the tank and release more parasites, which are then free-swimming in the tank, allowing them to infect other fish. These parasites can take a serious toll on the health and wellbeing of your goldfish, and they will eventually cause death, so treating and preventing ich should be top priority. Over time, ich will spread to other fish in the tank and will continue to reproduce on the “patient zero” fish as well. When ich first starts off, it may seem innocuous, but ich parasites will reproduce readily and have short life cycles that allow for quick reproduction. You may also notice lethargy, less social interaction, and a somewhat decreased interest in food. Sometimes, fish will clamp the dorsal fin down during certain activities or swimming patterns, and this is perfectly normal, but if you notice your fish is clamping its dorsal fin all the time, then this is indicative of stress and illness. Fin clamping is another common sign with ich and involves the dorsal fin being clamped down against the body. This behavior is called “flashing” and is a common sign, with many infections involving the scales, skin, or fins. Ich causes skin irritation and itching, which is likely to lead to your goldfish darting around the tank quickly and rubbing against tank items. If you are unsure if what you’re seeing is ich or breeding stars, there are other signs that you can watch for that indicate the presence of ich. These white specks that appear on male goldfish are called “breeding stars”, and they assist the male in stimulating the female to release eggs for spawning. This is even more likely if you have more than one goldfish of breeding age. If you notice these crystals are concentrated in the area of the gills and the front of the pectoral, or front, fins, then it’s likely that your goldfish is a male that is ready to breed. However, small, white crystals on goldfish aren’t always caused by ich. These parasites are what you’re seeing when you see those little salt crystals on your fish’s body. These tiny parasites attach to the scales and fins of fish, feeding off of them for nutrients that allow reproduction of more ich parasites. You may also see it referred to as ick, which is just a common misunderstanding of the name of the infection. The parasite that causes ich is known as Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, so it’s pretty obvious why the name is usually shortened. It might come as a surprise to you to hear that ich isn’t a bacterial or fungal infection but is actually a parasitic infection. If you’ve never dealt with ich before or you’re struggling to treat a particularly gnarly case of it, here’s what you need to know about ich and how to treat and prevent it. The most common disease seen in goldfish is ich, which is easily recognizable from its noticeable, salt crystal-like appearance on scales and fins. There are a few diseases that are common in goldfish that can be caused by poor water quality or exposure to disease via other fish, new plants, or water introduced to the tank from places like the pet store. Goldfish tend to be extremely hardy fish, but this doesn’t mean they’re immune to getting sick. ![]() The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.
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