http://forum.aqua-fish.net/ A forum devoted to aquarium fish, plants, techniques and fish keeping as a whole. en http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=whitespot-explained#1 Whitespot or Ichthyopthyrius malafillis is a parasitical infection ,often brought on by stress in the fish.This can be brought on by incorrect water temps,bullying from other fish,poor water quality.Ich is a parasite that burrows under the fish's skin where it will create cysts.These are the white spots.It is a common misconception that whitespot is a fungal infection,totally untrue ,so do not treat with fungicidal meds. The cysts cannot be wiped out while they are on the fish without doing serious damage to the host.All whitespots meds work on the parasites when they have left the fish to reproduce on the substrate.Turn the temp of the water up a couple of degrees ,this will speed up the life cycle of the Ich ,therefore it will leave the fish quicker to reproduce.Even if the fish all look healthy ,still do the full course of med to wipe out the problem, then run carbon in the filters to remove it from the water.Large water changes will help but will not cure the problem. I have always used protazoin for this disease with good results. The best way to avoid this is prevention Maintain high water quality Don't overstock the tank Quarantine any new arrivals to prevent spreading Ensure good filtration Constant water temps are a must,dont let them fluctuate. mickey 2008-05-12 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=whitespot-explained#2 I keep a very small amount of natural sea salt in my aquarium since my last outbreak of ich. I haven't had a problem since. meliss_cole 2008-05-13 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=whitespot-explained#3 Ensure good filtration Very true! My fish have never had white spot . Fortunately. On the other hand, if my fish are dying, their symptoms are totally weird... Actually no disease which can be found in books or on the internet can be assigned to my fish. The last fish which died was experiencing problems with breathing, so I bought something from Sera which does cure of gill worms. It didn't help... the fish has died . I guess they're dying because of natural reasons as there is only about 1 death per 4 months. Am not buying new fish since last year summer. But diseases in my aquariums are another story. jan 2008-05-13 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=whitespot-explained#4 Actually, now that you mention it, one of my clown loaches died and I couldn't tell what the reason was. It almost looked like he was dying of old age but he wasn't that old. I had only had him for about a year and I know that clowns live longer than that. Besides he wasn't all that big. But he was having trouble breathing and he started to look hunched over. Everyone else in the tank was fine including the other clown loaches. That was months ago and I haven't had another fatality since. meliss_cole 2008-05-14 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=whitespot-explained#5 clown loaches are notorious for being very prone to catching any disease going.They need perfect water conditions with peaceful tankmates.Never keep them in less than a group of 3 ,include hiding places in the tank. mickey 2008-05-14 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=whitespot-explained#6 I have two plecos quaritined. i thought they had ich but now not so sure. i have been treating them how the bottle says and see no improvement. help. excalibur08 2008-09-19 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=whitespot-explained#7 have posted a reply on your other thread mickey 2008-09-20