So you are looking for a cure for your fishes White Spot!  Well let’s look a little bit into what white spot is.

 

White spot is a very common fish disease where the fish begins to develop an ICH… White spots develops when Cryptocaryon (a parasite) parasites itself to the fish. White spots cover the fish’s body hence the obvious name white spot.  Other signs of infection to check for include.

 

·          Rubbing or scratching against substrate or decorations

·          Problems with breathing

·          Increased mucous layer

·          Appetite loss in you fish

·          Abnormal swimming

·          Cloudy eyes

·          Frayed fins

 

 

 

Unfortunately saltwater fish have a very low chance of defeating white spot on their own!  So how do you cure this problem?  Let’s look at your options.

 

1.      Copper, is a very commonly used and very effective medication against white spot.  This needs to be administered and maintained with the correct concentration.  It’s a smart idea to follow the manufacturer’s directions and administering copper medication for your saltwater fish.  High doses of copper may kill your fish (you are warned) 

 

 

2.      Formalin

 

Formalin is administered in either short dips in saltwater tank or continuous use in a quarantine aquarium.  Dosage for continuos use in a quarantine tank is 1ml of the 37 percent of the stock solution for each 25 gallons.  Once again it’s recommended you follow the instructions depending on what brand!

 

 

3.      Lowering your salinity

 

Lowering salinity has been an effective treatment against white spot for quite some time.  Salt levels of 16 ppt or approx 1.009-1.010 and a specific gravity at 78-80*F for a couple of weeks can kill the parasite Cryptocaryon that causes white spot.  Be aware that after treating your saltwater fish for white spot in this way you need to increase the salinity slowly!  Limit your gravity increase to around 0.001-0.0002 points per day, this will eliminate any signs of distress the fish may exhibit during this process.  There are a couple of drawbacks with this treatment such as corals may tend to close up, but don’t be too worried about this as when you increase the salinity again the corals should get back their healthy selves without issue.

 

 

4.      Daily Water Changes.

 

This treatment takes more effort than the others but is probably the safest treatment for your fish and corals.  Effective water changes will help maintain fantastic saltwater quality and should kick start the fish’s immune system allowing it to fight any bacterial infections where the cryptocaroyn parasites have burrowed beneath the skin of the fish.

 

 

Garlic

Foods that contain garlic help to reduce the effects of parasites like white spot also.  Fish with increased garlic in their blood have the ability to discourage parasites.  Try to find fish food that contains garlic.  This will also act as a great prevention measure in the future!

 

 

So there you have the various cures, now you have finished reading this article, please feel free to look around the website and enjoy all our free videos on saltwater aquariums. 

 

Also check out our full professional guide on saltwater aquariums available at http://www.exclusivefishfilms.com

 

Regards
Paul Talbot