Ich Parasites

[FishGuest5123]

Had a discussion at lfs and now have a question that I hope I answered correctly. How long can the cyst or white spot remain n the fish before bursting in a tank at 75F? I said about 3 days.

 

[JuiceBox52]

75? Or 85? The lifespan I believe is 2 weeks so at 86f we keep it there for 2 weeks.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Not for treatment. Just ich life cycle. Owner was asking me if a fish she had in QT looked like it had ich. Only 2 white spots on tail. One kind of looked more like a line. She was frustrated because she had been treating for several days and spots still there. I told her that I believed f it were ch, the spots would have erupted after several days. I. believe another fish nipped the tail. Isn’t 3 days about average before they burst? That’s my experience using meds. Quicker when using heat.

 

[JuiceBox52]

I think 3-5 days yeah.

 

[Colin_T]

The white spots are attached to the fish for a couple (2-4) of days (longer in cool water) and then they drop off and sit on the bottom of the tank. While the spots are on the fish, the parasite is feeding off the fish and growing bigger and stronger.

When the spots fall off the fish and are on the bottom of the tank, the parasite inside the spot starts to divide. It spends several days on the bottom of the tank dividing inside the white spot cyst before it ruptures open and releases hundreds of new parasites into the water column.

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Fish can develop calcium deposits in their fins and these normally appear on the fin rays in the fins.

Tell the shop worker to raise the water temperature to 30C (86F) and keep it there for 2 weeks so they don't need to medicate the fish.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I forgot what kind of fish it was but she said “no heat”. Vietnamese and sometimes a little confusing. Daughter wasn’t there. I know the daughter, Lisa, uses heat. Mom acted like it was a very special fish. I had never heard of it.

 

[Essjay]

Could have been this fish, a relative of white clouds, and like them it needs cooler water

Tanichthys sp. ‘Vietnam’ (Tanichthys thacbaensis) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[Lajos_Detari]

I agree with Essjay.

It could be the Vietnamese White Cloud which is becoming more common nowadays and require cooler water.
But it's nicer than the normal White Cloud...

 

[FishGuest5123]

Well, darn it! I jinxed myself saying the word “Ich”. Now I see a spot on a few tetras. Just went through this a few weeks ago. I guess it was the new anacharis I added without QT. I’ve never treated with cories before. Will they be OK for a couple of weeks at 86F/30C? No salt though, right? @essjay?

 

[FishGuest5123]

@essjay, @Colin_T?

 

[Colin_T]

Corydoras will be fine for 2 weeks at 30C.

You can add some salt if you like but you don't need it for white spot.

 

[Essjay]

I'd listen to Colin. I've not had ich for a while, and didn't know that heat alone was enough so I also used a medication. If I get it again, I now know better.

 

[Colin_T]

The following link has information on white spot and different ways to treat it. The first post on page 1 and second post on page 2 are worth a read.

What is ICH?

This is a common question that is often asked, what is ich and how is it recognisable and what causes it? The real term is ICHTHYOPHTHIRIASIS. OR commonly known as white spot. It is an extremely comon parasite that affects aquarium fish. It is highly infectious and potentially lethal and...

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