How do our goldfish catch Ich?
Ich is a very common parasite that many experts feel is present in the environment of most aquariums, especially in larger holding tanks, rearing ponds of breeders, collectors, and wholesalers. In fact, just about every aquarium fish will come into contact with ich at several times in its life. Because it is so widespread, most fish have developed a good immune system against the disease to allow them to fight off the infection before it ever causes any problems. Goldfish that develop ich usually get the disease when their immune systems are not functioning as well as they should be because of stress. Stress lowers the immune response and when fish are stressed that is when ich is most prevalent. There are many causes of stress in a goldfish’s life, many of which can be improved by the owner. Water temperature, water quality, improper diet, and a variety of other factors all contribute to stress, but one of the most severe causes of stress occurs during shipping and handling of a new f
