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Readers Questions - Tips for Treating Ich / White Spot

As part of our Question Time feature I was recently asked:

What is the best way to treat Ich at this time of year in an unheated pond? Without having to deal with individual fish in a quarantine tank.

The harsh reality is that Ich (Ichthyophthirius Multifilis, better known as White Spot) is a nasty parasite that moves fast and does a lot of damage – and will cause mortalities in big numbers if left untreated.

The condition is best treated in warmer water when fish are less dormant, ideally introducing heating to your pond to allow you to medicate in warmer temperature water.

However, heating a pond can be a big expense and is not practical for everyone. If you’re unfortunate to get this condition in your pond during the colder months of the year then you are left in a catch 22 situation.

Most manufacturers medications will say not to use below a certain temperature, but the harsh reality is that if you carry out a scrape and find a tiny bit of White Spot, within a matter of just a few days the condition is going to get dramatically worse. In this situation if you don’t use a White Spot medication in no time at your valuable fish will be destroyed.

If I was in this predicament I would personally choose to treat the condition and get rid of the parasite as that is a bigger risk than using the medication in colder water. I would recommend using a product that is primarily Malachite and Formalin based – these can be purchased pre-mixed from a number of manufacturers or you can mix yourself if you know what you are doing.

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