Causes and Countermeasures for White Spot Disease

Of all goldfish diseases, white spot disease is the one that has the highest probability of occurring. If you know how to treat this disease correctly, the probability of being able to fix it increases dramatically. In this article, we would like to explain in detail the causes and countermeasures for this disease.

What is white spot disease?

White spot disease is,As the name suggests, this disease causes white dots to appear all over the body.White spot disease is one of the most advanced and highly contagious goldfish diseases. So most people who have ever kept goldfish have been taken care of by white spot disease. And it is the most troublesome disease for beginners. Why?This is because goldfish with white spot disease will almost always die if they become severely ill.Therefore, it is necessary to take firm measures.

Other diseases

Causes of White Spot Disease

The cause of white spot disease is caused by a parasite of the ciliate, the "sea buckthorn".Echinacea is sometimes referred to as "Ichthyophthirius disease" to distinguish it from white spot disease of saltwater fish. The temperature of water at which the ichthyophthirius can multiply is 6-25°C, and the optimum temperature for growth is around 15-18°C. The temperature of water at which the ichthyophthirius can multiply is around 15-18°C. Therefore,The borers tend to prefer relatively low temperatures.

Symptoms of White Spot Disease

initial symptom

The initial symptoms of white spot disease are firstAffected goldfish will shake their bodies and rub their bodies against the edges of the aquarium or against the aquatic plants. A white spot 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter will appear from the caudal fin.It will have more and more white dots towards the front of its body. If the goldfish's body rubs against the edge of the tank or aquarium and the goldfish's scales peel off to reveal skin, it is possible that the goldfish may have a skin disease, which should be carefully monitored.

terminal symptoms

In the late stages of white spot disease,White spots will appear all over the body and the goldfish will move more and more slowly. If the scales become parasitic, the goldfish will have difficulty breathing and die.It is important to note that the time between the onset of the disease and death is only a few weeks at the earliest. Moreover, it is not uncommon for the progression of the disease to accelerate rather than stop if the correct treatment is not given when the disease is in its early stages, so be sure to treat the disease properly. And unfortunately, there is no chance for cure even if you start treatment in the terminal stage. Therefore, it is important to take the correct measures when the disease is in its early stages.

How to Cure White Spot Disease

Separate the sick goldfish.

White spot disease is,The first thing that must be done is to separate the affected goldfish from other goldfish, as the disease is highly contagious.So, first place half of the water from the tank that currently contains the goldfish in another container (bucket, basin, etc.) into the container to which you are transferring the goldfish. Then, add water that has been de-calcified and transfer the diseased goldfish. If most of the goldfish are sick, there is no need to transfer them.

warm up the water

The progression of white spot disease is significantly slowed if the water temperature is kept around 28°C.The reason for this is that the water temperature at which the bacteria that cause white spot disease, the sea buckthorn, can multiply is up to 25°C. If the water temperature is raised above this temperature, the white spot disease will quickly disappear. However, in order to raise the water temperature, you will need a heater, which is a device used when keeping tropical fish. So, if you do not have a heater, there are other ways to cure the disease, so there is no need to force yourself to do so.

Treatment with Salt Baths

Salt baths are the easiest way to treat white spot disease.To perform a salt bath, add 0.51 TP3T of salt to the water in the container containing the affected goldfish.To be honest, this is all I have to say. If possible, I would recommend giving salt baths to the tanks that contain goldfish that do not have the disease. If you can, I recommend that you treat the goldfish in the tanks that do not have the disease, as there may be goldfish that have not yet developed the disease but could develop it at any time.

Treatment with medicated baths

If you want to cure the disease more quickly or more reliably than salt baths, you should try medicated baths. This is a method of treatment using a special medicine that is effective against white spot disease. It is also possible to use salt baths and medicated baths at the same time.Medicines effective for white spot disease include "Elvage Ace" and "Aguten". In particular, "Aguten," which contains "malachite green," is recommended as a good drug specifically for white spot disease.Malachite green is a very effective ingredient for white spot disease. Other effective drugs can be used if the store, etc., does not have agten.

Countermeasures against white spot disease

Where to put your goldfish

To avoid white spot disease as much as possible, we must first reduce the burden on the goldfish as much as possible. To that end,Place them "where the water temperature does not change much".For example, when placed in a living room, the water temperature may suddenly change due to air conditioning in the summer or heating in the winter. Sudden changes in water temperature can cause stress to the goldfish. Stress can lead to a weakened immune system, which can lead to diseases such as white spot disease, so try to keep your goldfish out of the air conditioning or heating as much as possible.

When adding a new goldfish

When you purchase a new goldfish,Newly arrived goldfish are under a lot of stress because of the completely different environment in which they live. This is also a situation where they are susceptible to white spot disease. Therefore, we recommend that you keep your goldfish in a bucket or other container for one week to 10 days to see how they do before keeping them with other goldfish.However, if you have purchased a new goldfish and plan to keep another goldfish soon, you can reduce the risk of white spot disease and other diseases by reducing the amount of pathogens by bathing them in salt.

Time of year when white spot disease is more likely to occur

White spot disease is a disease that can occur year-round, but there are certain times of the year when you should be especially careful. These are "spring" and "fall. Why these two seasons?Special attention should be paid in spring and fall, as white spot disease is most likely to occur when the water temperature is between 15 and 20°C (59 and 86°F).And spring and fall are also times when water temperatures change dramatically, which is also a time when the goldfish's immune system is weakened, so it is also a time to watch out for other diseases.

Difference between white spot disease and pursuit star

I mentioned above that white spot disease is most likely to occur in spring and fall, especially in early spring (late March to early May), but it is possible to mistake "pursuit star" for "white spot disease". Osei is a body characteristic that appears only in males during the breeding season. The main reason for the mistake is that both are marked by a white spot. However, there is a point to avoid mistakes. That point is where the white spot appears.The white spots that appear during white spot disease appear on the tail fins and other parts of the goldfish. In contrast, the pursuit star appears only on the gills and pectoral fins of the goldfish.Therefore, if a white spot appears on the caudal fin, it should be judged as white spot disease, and if a white spot appears only on the gills or pectoral fins, it should be judged as a pursuit star.

About Pursuit Star