How Do Fish Get Ich?
Ich, also known as White Spot is an incredibly common disease amongst aquarium fish. Ich is the shortened name of a protozoan, Ichthyophthirius, that uses fish as part of its reproductive cycle and is easily recognized both by the tell-tale ‘white spots’ on a fish, and the distressed behavior of affected fish, which often involved excessive ‘flashing’ (scraping themselves along the sides of the tank, against ornaments or against the gravel.) If left untreated, Ich can become a serious problem in your tank, but with a little maintenance and TLC, Ich is fairly easy to cure. The first thing you must know about Ich is that it is likely present in every tank you buy fish from and every fish tank you admire. Healthy fish don’t suffer from white spot all the time however, because healthy fish have a good strong slime coat that does not allow the protozoan to penetrate the skin of the fish. You see, the white spots you see on a fish affected by Ich are places where the Ich protozoan has manage
