Natural Vitamins

Ich disease is difficult to treat because the Ich parasite cannot be targeted when it has already burrowed its way inside fish or when it is inside its reproduction facilitating protective cocoon. The best Ich treatment is always disease prevention. One way to do this would be to check the entry of wild fish into an area inhabited by farmed fish. Such wild fish may be infected by the Ich parasite.

To prevent the disease in a new protected area, the water in it should be maintained at a temperature of at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit for a week. Further, new warmwater or alternatively coldwater fish that will be introduced in the area must be quarantined at a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 7 days and 60 degree Fahrenheit for a fortnight respectively..

This total procedure needs to be followed so that Ich disease can present itself before the new protected area can be safely cleared for farming the respective species of fish. Other equipment and accessories must be disinfected through treatment with calcium hypochlorite containing 70% chlorine so that the contamination of other ponds in the area can be prevented.

Inspite of these precautions and prevention techniques, Ich disease outbreaks may still occur.

In case of an outbreak of Ich disease, two alternative treatment methods may be used. These methods are mechanical treatment and chemical treatment.

Chemical treatment involves first testing the action of the selected medication (chemical) on a group that forms a small sample of the infected area, before the entire population in the protected area is treated with it. Copper sulfate is used as the chemical for treatment. Care must be taken to keep the concentration of copper sulfate based on the hardness of water.

This is because copper ions act as poison to fish and the level of toxicity depends on the hardness of the water. Specifically, use copper sulfate concentrations of less than 0.25 mg/liter, equal to 0.5 mg/liter, and equal to 1 mg/liter when ranges of hardness of water are respectively 40 - 50 mg/liter, 50 -90 mg/liter, and 100 - 200 mg/liter. Treatment is to be done every alternate day with a total of two to for applications being necessary.

Further, irrespective of the hardness of water, the third and fourth treatment must be reduced by half.

Formalin is an alternative drug that can be used in large ponds in place of copper sulfate. If formalin is used, its concentration needs to be maintained at the rate of 15 - 15 mg/liter to enable effective treatment by using two to four applications, one every alternate day.

It is important to mention that formalin is very costly and that it can prove to be prohibitive. Since formalin depletes oxygen from the water, monitoring the oxygen level will become necessary as part of Ich treatment. Supplemental aeration of water will be needed if oxygen level drops below 5 mg/liter.