How to Cure Freshwater Ick

Ichthyophthirius (Ick) is a protozoan parasite that attacks freshwater fish. Ick has three distinct life cycles: the trophont, tomont and the theront stages. During the trophont stage small white spots appear on the tail, fins and body of the affected fish. During the tomont stage, the parasites drop off the fish onto the aquarium floor and form cysts. When the cysts break open, free-swimming parasites are released; this is the theront stage. These newly hatched parasites attach themselves to fish in the aquarium and the process begins again. Although these parasites are dangerous to your fish, treatment is highly successful.

Things You'll Need

  • Gravel vacuum
  • Bucket
  • Water conditioner
  • Medication
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Instructions

    • 1

      Clean the gravel in your aquarium with a gravel vacuum to remove the cysts that are present on the aquarium floor. A gravel vacuum is usually a 2-inch diameter hose and should be long enough to reach from the aquarium gravel to a bucket placed on the floor beside your aquarium. Some gravel vacuums come with a priming ball to get the siphon started. If yours does not, submerge the entire tube in the aquarium and allow the tube to fill with water. Take one end of the tube and place your thumb or finger in the hole to prevent air from getting into the tube. Remove this end of the tube from the water and place this end in the bucket; the water from the aquarium should then be coming through the tube into the bucket.

    • 2

      Place the end of the tube that is still in the aquarium into the gravel and allow the debris to be sucked out. Move the end of the tube from the newly cleaned section to a new location in the gravel.

    • 3

      Continue this process until about one-quarter of the water in the aquarium has been removed. Remove the siphon tube from the water and, using a hose or bucket, replace the water in the aquarium. Ensure that the water you add is the same temperature as the water in the aquarium and that you condition the water with a chlorine remover before adding it to your tank.

    • 4

      Increase the temperature of the water in the aquarium to 84 degrees Fahrenheit by gradually adjusting the controls on the heater. Do not increase the temperature by more than 1 degree per hour as sudden temperature changes can cause your fish to become stressed.

    • 5

      Increase the amount of oxygen in the aquarium by adding an additional air stone near the top of the water. Warmer water contains less oxygen and may cause increased stress to your fish.

    • 6

      Clean your filter and remove activated charcoal and filter cartridges. Activated charcoal will filter any medication from the water and prolong the amount of treatment time necessary. Cleaning the filter will help remove some of the cysts as well as the free-swimming parasites caught in the filter.

    • 7

      Place the appropriate amount of medication directly into the aquarium, following the manufacturer's instructions. Malachite green, methylene blue, quinine hydrochloride and mepracrine hydrochloride are all effective medications for the treatment of Ick and are available under several brand names.

    • 8

      Continue treatment for two weeks.