sera guide - Healthy aquarium fish

6.5 Treating ciliate infections Diagnosis: page 13 The treatment should by all means begin as soon as possible. The disease can literally spread at an explosive rate via swarmer stages of this para- site in the rather densely inhabited limited en- vironment an aquarium provides. Treat effec- tively and safely with sera costapur (in freshwater and saltwater tanks). Please note that some invertebrates are sensitive towards a treatment – possibly treat in a quarantine tank. Cartilaginous fish (sharks and rays/skates) do not tolerate the active agent malachite green and similar compounds. A re- covery supporting aftertreatment can be car- ried out with the care product sera ectopur. As far as possible, it is advisable to raise the temperature slightly for a couple of days as to support the treatment (by all means consider the tolerance level of the fish!). The parasites generally do not tolerate the higher tempera- tures too well, furthermore the immune system of the fish works more effectively this way. A temperature of about 31°C (88°F) would be ideal. The elevated temperature should be Ichthyophthirius multifiliis Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (white spot disease), Cryptocaryon irritans (saltwater ich) maintained for a couple of days after the treat- ment before it is slowly lowered again. Further- more, the water should be aerated well during the treatment, and the lighting should remain switched off at least on the according treat- ment days. The white spots on the fish skin re- main visible for a few days also after a suc- cessful double treatment (on the first and third days) but become increasingly transparent (spots with live parasites appear straight white) and finally disappear entirely. Only in case you observe the formation of new spots for certain you should surmise pathogens have survived or were introduced again, making a further treatment (on the fifth and seventh days) nec- essary. White spot disease can be diagnosed rather unmistakably. However, in some cases infec- tions by Lymphocystis (viruses, page 7) or with some sporozoan species (other single celled parasites) lead to a surprisingly similar appear- ance. Some reports about suspected resist- ance, sometimes after having treated properly against “Ich” for several times, might be due to such understandable false diagnoses. Life cycle of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis 1 The adult parasites leave the fish and, swimming freely, look for well-protected places with little water flow. 2 The parasite forms a firm capsule (cyst) and divides several times. Several hundred swarmers develop within the cyst. 3 The swarmers penetrate the capsule, swim around and divide again. 4 The swarmers infest the same fish again, or other fish, penetrating into their skin. 32