Name of disease:Trichodina.
Type of disease:Parasite.
Occurrence:Very common, affects all types of freshwater fish.
Symptoms include:irritated skin, flashing and scratching, which can lead to ulcers
Treatment:Salt is very effective against Trichodina, at a rate of 0.3%, added 0.1% (1 tbs per 5 gl water) every 12 hours for 3 times. Some strains have been found to be resistant against salt, so another choice of treatment would be QuickCure or any other medication containing Formalin.
Precautions:Trichodina is a rather "special" pathogen in 2 ways - it is able to survive low temperatures( as low as the mid 30s) and can be a thread to fish outdoors in the spring. Secondly, it is a parasite that thrives in tanks and ponds with lots or organic loads and debris. Keeping the tank bottom clean from debris will help tremendously in keeping Trichodina out of the tank if any newly aquired fish are properly quarantined and treated. The same of course is neccessary for ponds as well, considering that huge amounts of leaves and other debris is something that can accumulate the ponds bottom over time.
Medications: QuickCure, and Parasite Clear (Jungle Labs).