Friday, March 28, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Fish Diseases - three stages of Ich
The Trophont stage :
Ick or ich is one of the most common diseases known in the fish and dealt by man! A protozoan parasite triggers this off and this little thing has a three stage life cycle. When they first come around spying and choosing a good host in your tank ,they are not visible to the naked eye. They are visible only after feeding on the body fluids of the fish for a few days and then showing up as tiny white spots on the fish. Remember....each white spot is an individual parasite...ugh! The spots appear on the tail, fins and body of the fish.
The Tomont stage:
After a few days the parasites mature and break free from the fish's skin layer, falling to the bottom of the aquarium (obviously!) and forming cysts. Now is the scary part...they can now attach themselves to anything in your aquarium - the powerheads, internal filters, decor etc. At this stage they also start to reproduce.
The Theront stage :
Each cyst, when it breaks, may produce upto 500 new parasites. Now get a hold on this one....Hundreds of free swimming parasites are let into the water. The time it takes at this stage, depends on the temperatures in your tank. High temperatures increase maturation while colder temperatures will cause a longer latency. The parasites then look for fish to attach themselves onto and it is at this time that treatment should be applied.
Reasons for Ich infection :
1. Cold : The most common reasons for ich breaking out is probably because your fish is cold. It could have set in as early as when you transported the fish from the store to your home.
2. Stress :Fish that are stressed are normally seen to keep darting around and are usually the weakest fish that have a tendency to get infected easily.
3. Changes : Moving the fish from one tank to another.
4. Water Parameters : High levels of ammonia or Nitrates.
Symptoms :
Your Fish have got Ich if :
1.They are breathing at the water surface
2.They lose their appetite
3. In some cases , their eyes may appear cloudy and they might try to "scratch" themselves by swimming against an object in the aquarium.This is called "flashing".
Recovery Action:
1. Partial water change.
2.Raising the temp. in the tank ( consider 82 -84 F) for about two weeks.
3.Increase the frequency of partial water changes during the time as warmer water has less oxygen.
4.Gravel cleaning should be done more often at this time. It will help in cleaning out the fallen or dying cysts.
5. Lowering salinity to 1.015 inhibits the breeding.
6. Give fish a frshwater bath!
7. Quarantine the patient.
Ick or ich is one of the most common diseases known in the fish and dealt by man! A protozoan parasite triggers this off and this little thing has a three stage life cycle. When they first come around spying and choosing a good host in your tank ,they are not visible to the naked eye. They are visible only after feeding on the body fluids of the fish for a few days and then showing up as tiny white spots on the fish. Remember....each white spot is an individual parasite...ugh! The spots appear on the tail, fins and body of the fish.
The Tomont stage:
After a few days the parasites mature and break free from the fish's skin layer, falling to the bottom of the aquarium (obviously!) and forming cysts. Now is the scary part...they can now attach themselves to anything in your aquarium - the powerheads, internal filters, decor etc. At this stage they also start to reproduce.
The Theront stage :
Each cyst, when it breaks, may produce upto 500 new parasites. Now get a hold on this one....Hundreds of free swimming parasites are let into the water. The time it takes at this stage, depends on the temperatures in your tank. High temperatures increase maturation while colder temperatures will cause a longer latency. The parasites then look for fish to attach themselves onto and it is at this time that treatment should be applied.
Reasons for Ich infection :
1. Cold : The most common reasons for ich breaking out is probably because your fish is cold. It could have set in as early as when you transported the fish from the store to your home.
2. Stress :Fish that are stressed are normally seen to keep darting around and are usually the weakest fish that have a tendency to get infected easily.
3. Changes : Moving the fish from one tank to another.
4. Water Parameters : High levels of ammonia or Nitrates.
Symptoms :
Your Fish have got Ich if :
1.They are breathing at the water surface
2.They lose their appetite
3. In some cases , their eyes may appear cloudy and they might try to "scratch" themselves by swimming against an object in the aquarium.This is called "flashing".
Recovery Action:
1. Partial water change.
2.Raising the temp. in the tank ( consider 82 -84 F) for about two weeks.
3.Increase the frequency of partial water changes during the time as warmer water has less oxygen.
4.Gravel cleaning should be done more often at this time. It will help in cleaning out the fallen or dying cysts.
5. Lowering salinity to 1.015 inhibits the breeding.
6. Give fish a frshwater bath!
7. Quarantine the patient.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Our first saltwater aquarium
My husband and I have recently set up our first saltwater aquarium. It's just four weeks old and I think it is the most fascinating thing I have ever seen.
We also have a freshwater one going.
This picture was taken before we converted the 90g tank to saltwater. The discus now live in a 60g tank and have taken well to the change!
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