Ich is one of the most common aquarium fish ailments. It is so common that many pet stores put a squirt of anti-ich treatment into the water when they bag fish.
Goldfish are notorious for getting ich, but betta fish get it just as often. Fortunately ich is no big deal: It is easy to treat and rarely life-threatening. The problem is that it is extremely contagious.
What is Ich?
Ich is a parasite. Ich is actually all over the place — you can never completely get rid of it, and so long as its populations do not explode it is not a problem. When it grows to the point that we can see it on our fish, then its a problem.
The Life Cycle of Ich
This is not “must-know information”, but it will help you understand how and why you are treating your betta. Ich has three stages:
Trophozite, where the parasite has dug into the skin of your fish and you can see it as raised white spots for salt
Trophont, when the ich falls off your fish and breeds in the bottom of the tank.
Tomite, a three day period when then ich is free swimming, looking for a new host.
The only time you can effectively kill ich is in the tomite stage, when the ich are free swimming. Trophozite and trophont ich are not much affected by ich medication.
The three stages are happening simultaneously in your ich population. Even with the heat turned up, some of the ich will stay stuck in your fishes’ skin, and some are down in the gravel breeding. This is why ich treatment lasts two weeks – you have to wait until all the ich (or most… you won’t get it all) pass through the tomite stage and die.
What Ich Looks Like
Basically, fuzz or “dust” on your fish. Some bettas show it as slightly raised white spots. Some people think it looks like chicken pox on the fish. More specifically, ich may make your betta fish look like its been sprinkled with very fine salt. The “salt” may cover your fish’s entire body, or it may just be on the fins or on the head, or just in one spot. Early detection is key. This is not to say that you can not save a betta that has even advanced ich, but it is much better to catch the problem when the first little patch of ich has appeared.
The Difference Between Ich and a Fungal or Bacterial Infection
Fungal or bacterial infections can be black or white or grey. Unlike ich, they will look more like goo or cotton or even have a gel-like quality to them. Ich generally looks more like salt or dust.
It is not impossible for a betta fish to have both ich and a fungal infection, but that’s fairly rare. I wanted to emphasize this difference between fungus and ich because the treatment for the two conditions is a little different, and I’ve met a lot of betta owners who aren’t completely clear on the differences. It is not the end of the world if you do mess up the diagnosis and treat a fish with ich like it had a fungal infection, but you’ll lose precious time by misdiagnosing.
How Bettas With Ich Behave
Your betta’s behavior will probably change if it has ich. Some bettas may dart around erratically. You might see them trying to rub against things in their tank, or they may rush into things in an attempt to scratch. Other bettas may get sluggish and clamp their fins to their sides. They may stop eating and may just be lying on the bottom of the tank.
If One Fish Has Ich, They All Have Ich
First you have to realize that all of your fish gear is probably infected with ich. If you have a community tank and one fish comes down with ich, you need to assume the entire tank has ich and treat the entire tank.
*Optional first step to treatment: Do a 50% water change
So often ich outbreaks are the result of poor water quality. The water quality stresses the fish, their immune systems are weakened, and then the ever-present ich make the most of the weakened fish. Bang: You have an ich outbreak. So if you have any remote concerns that the water in your fish tank is not clean (as in, would you drink it?), then do a water change to at least give your fish a break on the bad water while they undergo their ich treatment.
Raise the Water Temperature to 85 Degrees
Do this slowly — three degrees an hour or every other hour is best. Cranking the heater from 75 degrees to 85 in one step is going to stress your betta even more, and that’s the last thing they need right now.
At 85 degrees the ich parasites will begin to let go of your fish and will become free swimming. The ich are easier to kill when they are free swimming.
Medicate
Aquarisol is best for ich, but any product that has copper or Malachite Green will work. Most pet stores will have Coppersafe, Maracide, Jungle Ick Guard or something similar. The treatment will cost you $7-12. Follow the directions on the bottle and continue to treat the ich for 14 days, even if you do not see signs of it anymore and your fish look fine. Continue to do 30% water changes every other day during the two week treatment period.
Ich Prevention
Adding a 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon to your tank’s water is a good preventative against ich and a broad spectrum of other diseases. Only use aquarium salt — table salt will kill your fish.
If you have not been adding salt before, start with just an 1/8 of a teaspoon, then wait a week for the next water change and add a 1/4. Add the salt only to new water you put in during water changes. Do not dump 5 teaspoons of aquarium salt directly into a 10 gallon aquarium.
How To Disinfect Ich-Contaminated Fish Gear
Wash your hands with hot water and soap after every contact with your fish or fish nets or the aquarium water. If you have to disinfect a tank that had a full-scale ich plague, get a solution of 1 part Clorox bleach and 20 parts water. Soak the tank and all the other fish gear for an hour. Then scrub and rinse everything at least twice.
Bleach will kill fish. Even a whiff of it is extremely toxic to them, so if you have any doubt about there being some leftover bleach after you’ve scrubbed and rinsed twice, then scrub and rinse a third or a fourth time. Putting the fish gear out in the sun is a good way to be extra sure the last bits of bleach have been cleared.
