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The most common disease of aquarium fish.

THE REBATTER
The flagellate Costia necatrix, the most dangerous ectoparasite, parasitic on the skin and gills. The body shape is pear-shaped, the length is 0.01-0.012 mm, width 0.006 - 0.008 mm. It is attached to the skin of the fish with the help of two flagella, which serve also for swimming. The body consists of protoplasm, a small rounded nucleus and two contractile vacuoles. In the absence of fish, especially when the temperature rises to 32 - 34 degrees, dies in less than a day.

BIOLOGY
Propagates by simple asexual, longitudinal division of the maternal organism. Mass development of the flagellate occurs at a temperature of 20-30 degrees. At the onset of unfavorable conditions forms forms of rest and cysts, resistant to the effects and are the source of possible infection. Outside the host organism, the flagellar form of the parasite does not occur. Infection occurs when contact with sick fish or through contaminated food caught from the reservoirs inhabited by sick fish. The high temperature of the water contributes to the outbreak of the disease.

EPISEOLOGICAL DATA
The disease is most dangerous for fry. Weakly-tolerated fish carry the disease heavily, especially in acidic (PH slightly more than 6.0), poorly aerated and non-replaceable water. Well-fed young fry and adult fish tolerate bonyosis relatively easily.

SYMPTOMS AND PATHOGENESIS
Basically, with koiozosis, the skin and gills of the fish are affected. The introduction of the parasite causes a sharp irritation of the covers and the separation of mucus, which feeds the parasites, as well as the marcelled cells of the severed epithelium. On the body of diseased fish appear dull bluish-gray spots, which later merge into a solid gray (sometimes with a bluish tinge) plaque due to abundant mucus. The most infected areas of the skin on which parasitic fungi and bacteria settle are decomposed. Inter-ray fin tissue can decay. The epithelium of the skin and gills is gradually destroyed; The gills turn pale and become covered with mucus, as a result of which breathing and gas exchange are disturbed, and the fish with normal aeration of the aquarium and clean water rise to the surface of the water and swallow air, react weakly to external stimuli. The fish becomes restless, it rubs against underwater objects and plants, its fins are compressed, the appetite drops sharply. In the absence of timely treatment, mass mortality may occur.

DIAGNOSIS
The disease is diagnosed on the basis of external manifestations of the disease and the results of microscopic examination of mucus scraping taken from the skin surface and the gills of diseased fish.

TREATMENT
Preparations for the addition of aquarium water:

• 0.03 g rivanol for 10 liters of water.

• 0.1 g potassium permanganate for 10 liters of water, aging 40 - 50 minutes;
• 1 g copper sulphate per 10 liters of water, aging 10 - 20 minutes;
• 150 - 200 g of table salt per 10 liters of water, at a temperature of 24 - 26 degrees, aging is 15 - 20 minutes;
• 4 ml of a 1% solution of methylene blue per 10 liters of water, at a temperature of 24-25 degrees, holding 10-15 minutes.

You can apply an increase in the temperature of the water in the aquarium to 28 - 30 degrees, keeping it at this level for several days, then smoothly reduce to optimal. The aquarium in which the diseased fish were found is disinfected with a 10% solution of bleach, after which it is washed with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.

PREVENTION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
In the treatment of table salt should be borne in mind that not all aquarium fish tolerate such a high concentration of it. Therefore, first you should test the effect of the bath on one or two fish and only then perform mass treatment.