Ich?!

[JBtheExplorer]

Well, Spring was going good in the pond, the fish appeared to be healthy, the frogs all survived. That happiness ended today. I think my fish have Ich. I was feeding them today and was looking close and most have tiny white spots on their gills. I've never dealt with ich before and I'm not sure what to do. Can they be treated in the pond, and how? I don't have enough room to put them all in anything else.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Formilin is probably the safest remedy.
See: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa006
Scroll down to 'Treatment of Ich'.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Formilin is probably the safest remedy.
See: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa006
Scroll down to 'Treatment of Ich'.

Is that something that can be used in the pond? On that page, it says Formalin is not the ideal treatment for ponds.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Perhaps others will join the discussion, but, although Formilin may not be as effective (strong) as Copper Sulfate or Potassium Permanganate, it is overall safer to use. Copper is extremely toxic to all aquatic life. The least mis-dosing of this chemical can either lead to no affect on the Ich or mortality of the fish and/or other aquatic organisms. PP is similar, although there are many that use it with no adverse effects. Barryian is one Forum member that uses PP as a prophylactic treatment regularly. Hopefully he will join in and offer guidance in the use of this chemical.
The problem with Ich is that this parasite multiplies rapidly so treatment should begin as soon as possible.

 

[Tula]

Also of note, male's will develop white spots / bumps, on their gills, during spawning season.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Also of note, male's will develop white spots / bumps, on their gills, during spawning season.

During spawning these tubercules appear on the operculum (gill plate). Ich appears as white dots on the actual gill tissue.

 

[Faebinder]

I got the same problem last week and yes you can use what Meyers said. Members of other forums suggested this and it worked well for me.

Let's summarize what I learned:

1- Ich in the water without fish dies in 2 days. (so if you are able to drain the pond for 2 days with no fish in it you can kill it in the pond. The fish is another story).
2- Ich dies in temperature above 85, and replicates fast between 80-85. The replication can be 4 days at 82 degrees so if your fish is still in 82 degree water, the ich should come off their bodies in 3-4 days. That's when you will be killing it with the medicines that you are going to treat the water of the hospital tank. Obviously you cant heat the pond to 80-85. If you dont heat the water, the ich will hang on the body of the fish for weeks and they are invincible in those cysts.
3- Ich doesn't survive high salt concentration. 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons to the hospital tank will kill many of the ich in the water phase of their life.
4- Formaldehyde or KMnO4 in the hospital tank will kill the ich in the water (not on the fish, that's why you are heating the water, to make it replicate and get released into the water). You can buy both online, Formaldehyde (microbe-lift ich-out) is a decent size easy to use medication with instructions on it. KMnO4 is very cheap and easy to use as well and you can get it online. You'll need to use a calculator to figure out how many grams to toss in the tank.
5- Ponds got all sorta of stuff that can make ich survive, like parts of a dead fish. So even if you drain the water and take the fish out for 2 days and put the plants in buckets for two days, you may still have pockets of ich. It is wise to treat the pond with formaldehyde or KMnO4. You shouldnt use salt cause it will kill plants. This means that it may come back. You wont truly know if the ich is gone out of the pond until the summer has arrived with water temperature going to the 80s and no ich shows up. If ich comes out again, you're gonna need to do all what you did above.

That's what i concluded.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Also of note, male's will develop white spots / bumps, on their gills, during spawning season.

During spawning these tubercules appear on the operculum (gill plate). Ich appears as white dots on the actual gill tissue.

Perhaps I need to get a photo. My fish have been spawning lately. I've never noticed white dots in previous years, but maybe I never looked close enough. I'll try to get a photo as soon as possible.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

@Meyer Jordan @Tula

Best I could get right now with dark clouds moving in. You should be able to make out the white spots. Had a hard time getting any kind of focus, so there are spots pretty much everywhere on this photo.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

@Meyer Jordan @Tula

Best I could get right now with dark clouds moving in. You should be able to make out the white spots. Had a hard time getting any kind of focus, so there are spots pretty much everywhere on this photo.
View attachment 90982

My eyesight isn't the best. I can't see any spots in that photo.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

My eyesight isn't the best. I can't see any spots in that photo.

I added a little more sharpness for you.

After a little bit of research it appears my fish do indeed have "breeding stars". I've never noticed that in previous years, and the only thing I knew about white spots is that it could be Ich. I looked at the one fish that I know is a female and she doesn't have them. I really appreciate everyone's help!

 

[Tula]

I'll defer to @Meyer Jordan , but I'm thinking it could be a male, ready for spawning. Does every single fish have them?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

That is good news and surely a relief for you. I would monitor the fish though, just to be safe.

 

[Faebinder]

This doesn't seem like ich... its ready to breed. You gotta see it on the fins to be certain.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I'll defer to @Meyer Jordan , but I'm thinking it could be a male, ready for spawning. Does every single fish have them?

Almost all of them do, but when they were chasing, I noticed a vast majority of my fish seem to be male. Maybe two females at most.