Ich (White Spot Disease)

Fish infected with Ich may have white specks on their skin as though they were sprinkled with salt (Fig. 1). Because of this appearance, Ich is sometimes called white spot disease. The skin of the fish may also look bumpy. Mature forms of the parasite are large (up to 1 mm or 1/32 inch across) and can be seen without magnification. Ich often causes the fish to have large amounts of mucus sloughing off of their skin, an appearance which may resemble fungus when viewed from a distance in the water. Many times, however, the only indication of IchÕs presence may be dead and dying fish. In some Ich cases the parasite may be present only on the gills and not on the skin.