Your fish is suffering because a parasite, medically termed Ichthyophtirius, has infected it or several of your goldfish.
This disorder is commonly referred to as Ich fish disease, Ick or White spot.
Symptoms of Ich fish disease
Treating Ich in fish
Malachite Green fish treatment
API Super Ick Cure
Malachite green treatment is one of the most effective treatments for this disease.
- Note: It’s very important that you treat this disease at the early stages of infection.
Here’s the information to diagnose the disease quickly and take the steps necessary to treat the disease.
Symptoms of Ich fish disease
1. White Spots
The most obvious sign is the white spots, which can easily be confirmed by microscopic examination of skin and gills.
The spots are very tiny and equal in size to that of a pinhead. Your fish might look as though it’s been sprinkled with salt or sugar.
2. Fish rubbing against objects
When white spots are present you’ll normally see the goldfish rubbing its body against objects. They do this because the white spots cause skin irritation.
3. Red Spots
You might also see spots of a reddish color. In this instance the parasites are attacking the fish gills. This is one of the most dangerous and life threatening situations for goldfish. When the parasites are attacking the gills they’re interfering with the ability of the fish to absorb oxygen from water. Breathing becomes difficult. The fish will experience shortness of breath and come to surface quite often.
You can also identify Ich fish disease (or Ick) by doing this investigation. Remove several “white spots” from the infected fish, then place them on a microscope slide with a few drops of water and cover with glass. The mature parasite is large, dark in color, and has a horseshoe-shaped nucleus which is sometimes visible under 100x magnification. The adult parasite moves slowly in a tumbling manner and is easily recognized.
Treating Ich in Fish
1. Malachite Green Fish Treatment
Malachite green is one of the most effective white spot disease fish treatments on the market today. Using this treatment your fish get rid of their white spots quickly.
Warning: Please read the package carefully. Dosage provided must be accurate as the chemicals used are extremely strong. Over dosage can be dangerous or life threatening.
Most green malachite manufacturing companies recommend 1 drop of malachite treatment in 1 gallon of water.
One drop might not seem like it would be enough and you may be tempted to add just a little more. DON’T DO IT! The recommended dosage is more than enough to cure your goldfish.
Some manufactures sell a concentrate that is even stronger. For these products 1 drop in 1 gallon of water is not recommended. As per the manufacturer instructions, 0.05 milligram dosage of malachite green treatment per liter of water is the safe quantity.
Mortality rates are much lower when White Spot (Ich fish disease) is
- diagnosed early,
- effective treatment implemented, and
- stress is kept to a minimum
However, if the parasite infection is advanced and the Malachite treatment is not followed properly, higher death rates will occur.
2. White Spot Treatment using API Super Ick Cure
Another option is to treat your fish with API Super Ick Cure. This is available in both liquid and powder form to suit your treatment preference.
Check out the video below from a user who tells you more about how to treat white spots using the API Super Ick Cure.
Take the time to regularly observe your goldfish. You’ll notice any changes in the behavior of your fish and identify the symptoms of white spot disease early.
This means you can get treatment started giving your fish the best chance of survival.
There’s nothing worse than seeing your poor little goldfish swimming around with white spots.
