How to Get Rid of Ick

Do you know that your fish is sick when it has ick? Compared to the "icky" thing that humans have whenever they don't take a bath everyday, in the life of a fish, it's more serious. Ick is the most common aquarium disease bearing the scientific name Ichtyophirius multifilis. It is caused by a parasitic protozoan that, in severe cases, causes intense itchiness to your fish. How do fish relieve its itchiness? It tends to rub its body against the tank decorations, even the rocks and gravel inside your aquarium. What's the worst case scenario? The ick can attack the fish's gills causing them to breathe heavily and with much difficulty. It also makes your fish look very unattractive, it's as if salt was sprinkled on your fish's body.

Ick is also contagious. It can spread like wildfire to the other fishes inside the tank. Your tank will be like a "tankful" of zombies instead of something you can show off as a conversational piece in your home. Yeah, it can be a conversational piece but instead of getting rave reviews, you will get "grossed-out" reviews. "Eeew, does your fish have leprosy?"

The most challenging thing to do when it comes to fish ick is identifying it. Many hobbyists fail to check if the fish already has ick in the first place when they bought it. It's also an awful truth that fish sellers won't tell you if the fish has ick, because their primary motive is to sell. "Our fishes are all healthy and happy". It's really important that you develop a meticulous eye for identifying ick on a fish or else you won't just introduce fish in your tank, but a contagious protozoan.

How do you do this? The most common sign that fishes are suffering from ick are white spots. These spots tend to first develop at the fish's tail fin, you might want to pay special attention to that. Early signs include white spots on the pectoral fins. If you spot these things after some weeks already, since you bought the fish, there is really no need to panic. Ick can be treated very easily if early attention is given. It's very different from itchiness that humans have. It never heals by itself, you have to take measures to kill the parasitic culprit. If left unattended, the fish will try to relieve itself by scratching the problem areas and scratching is what the protozoans are waiting for. These parasites want your fish to get more infections so that they can invade and party all the more.

Want to know more? You can read more tips on How to get rid of Ick, plus information to get rid of practically anything else that ails you - from bad breath to telemarketers to cellulite - at http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com