Marine Ich in the Tropical Saltwater Aquarium
Cryptocaryon irritans is Easy to Treat if Caught Early
Aug 31, 2008
A marine fish infected with Cryptocaryon irritans is sometimes said to have “marine ich,” “white spot disease” or “crypto.” This is one of the most common maladies the marine hobbyist will experience, and it is also perhaps the easiest to avoid. By simply quarantining all new fishes for one month, the tropical marine aquarist will prevent a crypto outbreak. Unfortunately, poor husbandry too frequently leads to crypto, which, if left untreated, can wipe out an entire tank. Here is the down and dirty on how to identify and treat crypto.
How Do You Know Your Fish Has Crypto?
- White Spots (closely resembles gains of salt)
- Anorexia (loss of appetite)
- Flashing (rubbing against live rock, other substrate or decorations)
- Difficulty Breathing
- Irritated Gills
- Ragged or Frayed Fins
- Clouded Eyes
- Lethargy
- Secondary Fungal Infections
Environmental Conditions That Often Precede (Promote) a Crypto Outbreak
- Elevated Water Temperature
- Decreased Water Temperature
- Decreased pH
- Decreased Dissolved Oxygen
- Excessive Nutrients (Ammonia, Nitrite or Nitrate)
- Any External Stressor (high bioload, recent acclimation, etc.)
Crypto Life-Cycle (a.k.a. Why Treatment Takes One Month)
- Trophont Phase (parasite visible on fish as white spots) – Up to One Week
- Protomont Phase (parasite free-living in aquarium) – Less Than One Day
- Tomont Phase (parasite attached to substrate and encysts) – Less Than One Day
- Tomite Phase (division of parasite into hundreds of child parasites) – Up to 28 Days
- Theront Phase (tomites hatch and seek a host) – One Day
- Trophont Phase (parasite attached to host and visible as white spots)
- Repeat
Treating Crypto
Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (a.k.a. quarantine all new fishes)!
- Remove All Fishes to a Quarantine Tank(s)
- Keep Display Tank Fallow (no fishes) For One Month (this will insure that the complete life cycle of the parasite has run its course)
- Start Dosing a Vitamin-C or a Garlic Supplement either Directly to the Quarantine Tank or to the Fishes’ Food (this will help the fishes’ immune system)
Treat the Fishes in the Quarantine Tank With ONE of the Following Treatments:
- Hyposalinity (lower the salinity of the quarantine tank to a specific gravity of 1.009-1.010 for two weeks)*
- Copper (follow manufacturer’s directions closely)**
- Formalin (formalin dips of dosed directly to the quarantine tank - follow manufacturer’s directions closely)
- Copper AND Formalin (follow manufacturer’s directions closely)
In terms of treatment, avoiding copper or formalin is best, as these are poisons that will kill the parasite, but may also injure or even kill the fishes too. Hyposalinity, in conjunction with dosing either a vitamin C or a garlic supplement, can be highly effective. Unfortunately, a full-blown outbreak may require the use of copper and/or formalin treatments. Read up carefully on both treatments first, and follow the manufacturer’s directions. Be sure to use a quality copper ion test kit. Finally, it is critical to leave the display tank fallow (no fishes) for a full month to insure that the parasite has completed its full life-cycle. The parasite needs fish host; it cannot survive on corals or other invertebrates, so you can leave everything in the fallow tank except the fishes.
In closing, if a crypto outbreak is caught early, it is easy to eradicate. Inspect your fishes daily and always adhere to good husbandry practices, including quarantining ALL new fishes.
*If there are no invertebrates in the display tank, you can treat the fishes in the display tank with hyposalinity. A hyposaline environment will kill most, if not all, invertebrates.
**Some people with fish-only systems elect to treat their fishes with copper in the display tank, but this will kill all invertebrates and make the aquarium unsuitable for invertebrates in the future.
 |
