White Spot – Also known as ich/itch or Icythyophthirius Multifilius

What is White Spot?

White spot is a highly contagious parasite which infects fish and reproduces at an alarming rate.

The cycle starts by the parasite embedding itself under the skin of the fish to feed.

It will then leave the body of the fish to find a new environment to live on within the pond setting, where it will multiply itself and hatch new parasites in abundance for the cycle to begin again.

If left untreated “the white spot disease” can cause considerable damage to the fish and lead to additional illnesses, including but not limited to bacterial and fungal infections.

If this is left untreated the white spot has a 100% mortality rate, which if not addressed appropriately will cause fast and sudden deaths to your pondlife.

Identifying white spot!

As with most fish illnesses which can affect fish, the fish will start to exhibit abnormal behaviour.

The fish will most likely begin flashing due to the irritation. They will scrape their bodies on the surfaces available to them, stones, pond edges and plants!

They will become erratically behaved and will start to clamp their fins to their body, they will be restless and swimming in an agitated manner.

In the later stages the parasite will live up to its name. “White Spot.” These white spots also sometimes called cysts will appear all over the anatomy of the fish.

The first step to any diagnosis is to assess the water quality. This will determine if in addition to treating the disease the water also needs adjustments to improve the living conditions for the fish and if the water has been a contributing factor in the illness.

The appearance of white spots is the best diagnostic tool and will help to ensure that the treatment is started as early as possible.

The fish are still treatable at every stage of this illness however treatment is needed to be administered quickly and most efficiently.

If the fish have developed the white spots from head to tail as this shows how sick they are.

If you are in doubt, then please give us a call and arrange a call out as soon as possible. During the call out a scrape will be performed and analysed under the microscope for the most accurate diagnosis.

Tel: 07737 674417

Causes

• The fish can trigger this parasite with stress. This can be due to moving the fish from the aquatic store to the pond, or from sudden changes in the environment. For example, if the water in the pond has been replaced and it is not the same temperature as the current water this can cause the fish to become distressed.
• Temperature swings – ie seasonal changes such as spring can cause rapid fluctuation to the temperature of your pond water.
  Heaters can help to stabilise this.
• New fish being introduced to the established pond which are already infected.
• New decorations or plants being brought into the pond which are carrying the parasite.
• Bad water quality

  • • High ammonia levels.
    • Wrong PH level.
    • Nitrates being present in the water.

How contagious is White Spot?

EXTREMELY

Given the life cycle of the parasite and the communicability the whole pond requires treatment. Not just the fish who have been identified with the disease.

Treatment

The water quality of the pond will require balancing. This will reduce stress and improve the living conditions for the fish, in turn this will help to boost the natural immune system of the fish.

If possible, raising the temperature of the pond is advised. This will increase the vulnerability of the parasite and make it more receptive to the treatment.

The treatment will take multiple doses to be 100% effective.

Being vigilant with the dose and timings of the doses is paramount to ensure the treatment is successful. This is due to the lifecycle and reproduction rate of the parasite.

Keeping to the treatment plan is vital to restore health to your pond.

Prevention

There are a few steps that can be taken to help to prevent any possible outbreaks.

• Attain and maintain optimum water quality and pond conditions for the fish.
• Monitor the pond temperature.
• Ensure the fish are fed an excellent quality food to make sure they are getting the correct level of nutrition.
• Try not to introduce too many fish at once.
• Do not overpopulate the pond.
• Monitor the water quality on a regular basis and filter the pond with the correct filter for the size of your pond, if possible one that contains activated carbon.

If you are unsure about your water quality and filter system, please the pond medic for advice. 07737 674417