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It is often found in low culture of aquarium farming.

THE REBATTER
Single-celled equimetry infusoria Ichthyophthirius multifilliis. The value reaches 0.5 - 0.8 mm. The body of the infusorium is ovate, covered with numerous cilia, with which it moves. A mouth with a short pharynx is located at the anterior pole of a slightly elliptical milky white body of the parasite. Parasitises between superficial epithelial and underlying connective tissue layers of the skin, fins and gills, causing inflammation of these organs.

BIOLOGY
Adult individuals do not divide directly into two daughter individuals, as is usually the case in infusoria, and, having descended to the bottom of the aquarium, form the so-called reproduction cysts. Inside the reproduction cyst there is a palintomy, or multiple repetition of the maternal individual, which leads to the formation of a huge number of small forms of reproduction, or Ichthyophthirius totites, the total number of which can reach 2,000.
The tomites come out, reach the invasive stage, find their host and are actively introduced into the subepithelial layer of the skin, gills and fins. In the resulting capsule, the parasites that are harvested quickly grow under the protection of the epithelial layer covering them. After 6 - 7 days of development at a temperature of 16 - 22 degrees they reach the size of an adult. Then the epithelial capsule surrounding the parasite bursts and the infusoria comes out.
The source of infection is diseased fish. Significant activity of ciliates at a temperature of 16 to 20 degrees makes it likely that drift of parasites into the aquarium with live food, especially since under these conditions the vitality and ability to infest fish for 50-55 hours. Without fish, they die after 2 to 3 days.

EPISEOLOGICAL DATA
Mostly young and producers are affected, especially in aquariums with a tight fit.

SYMPTOMS AND PATHOGENESIS
The defeat of aquarium fish, as well as their fry, can reach a very large extent; The outcome is rarely favorable. Characterized by damage to the skin of fins and gills. Infuzoria causes inflammatory processes in places of accumulation, which leads to the disintegration of skin and fins. Inflamed areas of the body open access to various infections. The first 1 - 3 days after infection, fish behave restlessly, rush through the aquarium, rub against the underwater objects and plants, swim at the surface of the water, swallowing the air, refuse to feed and quickly lose weight (infusoria at this time is introduced under the skin epithelium, in the gill petals ). Skin, fins and gills (sometimes the eyes and fins) are covered with small whitish tubercles in the form of semolina 0.5-1.0 mm in size. In the acute course of the disease, the fish almost does not react to external stimuli, and its skin begins to exfoliate with separate ribbons. After a while the fish dies.

DIAGNOSIS
The disease is diagnosed by the main external signs and by microscopic examination of scrapings from the surface of the skin, fins and gills, on which the causative agents of the disease are found.

PATHOLOGYANATOMIC CHANGES
At autopsy in the body of fish, no special changes are detected.

TREATMENT
The diseased fish should immediately be transferred to a separate aquarium-insulator. The aquarium in which they were, it is necessary to thoroughly disinfect, after transplanting healthy fish.
Preparations for the addition of aquarium water:

• 0.5 g of water-alcohol per 6 liters of water;
• 15 mg of biomycin per 10 liters of water;
• 1 - 2 mg of methylene blue per 10 liters of water;
• 50 ml of penicillin per 10 liters of water;
• 0,02 - 0,03 g rivanol per 10 liters of water with the simultaneous introduction of table salt in an amount of 20 g for the same amount of water (it should be noted that this concentration of salt is dangerous for many plant species);
• 0,3 - 0,4 g of erythrocycline per 10 liters of water.

In the water with the drug, the fish should stay up to 10 minutes. Duration of treatment is 8-10 days. The aging time and the multiplicity of the treatment are determined depending on the age, type of fish and the degree of contamination. You can apply a temperature increase in the aquarium to 33 - 34 degrees (if there are fish in the aquarium, a powerful aeration of water is needed). This temperature should be maintained continuously for 5 days. After the expiration of this period, the disease disappears, because Infusoria do not withstand high water temperatures and die.

PREVENTION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Newly acquired fish should be kept in quarantine for at least three weeks: during this time the disease must manifest itself. New plants must be quarantined for 3 to 4 days, as during this period without fishes infusoria perish. To avoid overheating of water in the aquarium during treatment by thermal treatment, it is necessary to use a thermoregulator and a proven thermometer. Cold-water fish should not be subjected to such treatment, it is better to treat them with the help of the drugs recommended above.