What's the difference between ich, velvet, gill flukes/mites and fish lice?

Question

I have medication for my fish, and some are for gill flukes/mites and fish lice, and some are for ich and velvet. But it says symptoms, and they are all the same!
"Fish may rub against gravel or decorations"
So how do I know which one to treat for? My fish rub against the gravel and decorations, so I've been treating them with the ich and velvet treatment, but how do I know I'm treating them with the right one? It's taking a long time to work, so how do I know if it's just killing the bacteria slowly, or if I'm treating for the wrong thing, or if the medication sucks? (It's called Nox-Ich)

Anyhow, I did notice some white spots on my corys, but there are no other signs of ich - I mean, it could be ANYTHING!

So what's the difference between those 4 things?

I will choose best answer and any other answers will be appreciated!
Thanks!

Answer 1

As was mentioned they are all parasites which any ich medicine or parasidic med will treat. Even if you suspect any of these start treatment. Ich will not go away over night. It will take a minimum of 7 days but can also take up to 14. (and in sever cases 21) There is no quick cure for ich or any of the parasites in that family.



To answer your question ich comes in many forms including velvet and is known by many names from white spot, black spot, slime coat disease in short they are all the same. Ich is a naturally occuring parasite in all water sources. Ich will only attach fish who have been stressed or have a deficient immune system.



gill flukes/mites Gyrodactylus and dactylogyrus gill flukes lives in the gills and lays eggs in the tank These usually come with the fish and are introduced from new fish.





Fish lice: These you can actually see and look like small oval clear ladybugs (best way I can describe them) they feed off mucas lining but will eventually feed on the fish itself. These like leeches can be plucked off your fish after a 3% salt dip.



Treat with Anti parasidic treatments.



Remember you will need to treat longer than just a few days.

Answer 2

Although these will have similar symptoms, each has it's own indications. The following site provides info not only on the parasites, but on other diseases as well.

You need to know which you are treating for, because the wrong med can be more harmful to the fish than the disease/parasite.

Cories are not as susceptible to ich and velvet as many fish are, but can be sensitive to some of the treatments, like salt. Some species of cories naturally have white spots as part of their coloration, so you want to be sure it's ich before treating.

Other problems that could cause this particularly symptom is poor water quality, which generally starts the disease process.

Email me with more details if you need additional help.

Answer 3

If you are seeing white spots, like the fish is "salted", then ich is your problem.



Ich can be a difficult parasite to treat if you don't understand it's life cycle, because it can reproduce and recur if you don't kill all the life stages.



Here's a comprehensive article on ich-

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+1791&aid=2421



For information on how to identify an illness, see-

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/Diseases.htm#Velvet%20or%20Rust



I don't know that I'd go with their recommended treatments (I'd do a bunch more research on twhatever my fish had going on first. That's why the above article is my recommendation for ich. I've done tons of research on ich, and that's the best info I've ever seen), but that page at least gives you better info about how to recognise the differences between the parasites you've mentioned than what you currently know.



After figuring out how to treat, what you need to do is figure out how the ich got in your tank and why your fish weren't naturally able to repel it. Ich is as common as the common cold. A fish's immune system should be able to properly fight it.

Make sure your tank maintenance, stocking and feeding are what they should be, and that you have no stresses like pH swings going on.

Also, make sure you ALWAYS quarantine (or at the very least, salt dip) new fish additions to your tank. Yes, it's a pain, and yes I understand the impatience factor, but it's worth it to prevent losing fish to illness.



Best of luck.

Answer 4

Gill Flukes

Answer 5

Well, they are all parasites to start! And it is spreadable! So the cory probably has the parasites.



Use quick cure. I used that when I got ich in my tank.



Make sure you take out the activated carbon in your filter, or you won't get the full treatment. That is one of the best ways.



My theory is... If the bottle says "harmful to humans," it works!



:)