How to Treat Tropical Fish with White Spot Disease (Ich)? White spot disease, also known as Ich, is a parasite that most tropical fish enthusiasts will, at one time or another, have to deal with. White spot disease is responsible for more fish deaths than any other disease. This disease is mostly found in aquarium fish due to close contact with other fish and stress involved in living in an aquarium as opposed to the open water. Ich can be found in both freshwater and saltwater tropical fish with different ways to treat each ecosystem and its inhabitants. Raise the temperature of the water to 86ºF (30ºC). Slowly increase the temperature by 2ºF (1ºC) per hour until it reaches the correct temperature. And maintain this temperature for at least 10 days. High temperatures speed up the life cycle of ich and can also prevent tomont from replicating. Be sure your tank has enough oxygen or aeration as water holds less oxygen at higher temperatures. Increase oxygen or aeration in the tank to improve your fish's immune system and quality of life. Since ich inhibits a fish's ability to breathe and absorb oxygen, increasing aeration can help boost your fish's immune system and also save it from suffocating to death. There are several ways to increase oxygen in your tank: Decrease the water level so that when your filtered water hits the surface, it creates more oxygen. Place more airstones in the tank or move them closer to the surface of the water. Use bubble disks to create bigger bubble streams. Use powerheads to not only increase oxygen but also improve water movement in the tank. Use aquarium salt to treat ich in freshwater aquariums. Dissolve 1 teaspoon per 1 gallon (4 L) of water in a small amount of tank water separately and then add the mixture to the tank. Leave the salt in the freshwater aquarium for 10 days. Salt disrupts the fluid regulation of ich and also helps develop your fish's natural mucous or slime coats to protect it from ich parasites. Combine salt with heat to further effectively kill off ich. Do 25% daily partial water changes. Partially changing the water everyday can help remove some trophonts and tomites from the tank and also add oxygen to the water. Be sure to use treated water so the extra chlorine won't stress your fish or agitate your fish's wounds. If water changes stress your fish, decrease the amount of water or frequency that you change. Use medicine products to treat your tank. There are many products available at your local pet store that can help treat ich. Always follow the instructions labelled on the medication for the correct dosage amounts and if it's safe to use on your type of fish, especially if you have invertebrate fish such as snails, shrimp, and clams. Use copper to treat saltwater fish with ich. Since saltwater ich lasts much longer in their tomite phase, copper is often added to the tank for 14 to 25 days and works similarly as salt to destroy ich. However, using copper requires you to put in the exact and correct dosage and diligently check copper levels in your tank daily with a copper ion test kit. Do not use copper to treat freshwater fish because it could kill them. Always follow the instructions on the product. Music: 1) Happiness - Bensound.com 2) ELPORT - VOID (Original Mix)