Name of disease: Chilodonella. Species that are known to be parasitic/predatory include; C. Uncinata, C. Hexasticha, C. Cyprini/C. Piscicola (Cyprini and Piscicola are the same organism)
Type of disease: Ciliated Facultative Parasite
Occurrence: not exclusive to, but often in, cooler months/temps. Stress from poor water quality can and does incite them to invade and multiply. They start their invasion in the gills and spread outwards from there.
Symptoms include: Respritory distress, mouth chattering/gill pumping, pacing along glass or sides of pond. Flashing and scratching on ornamwents or gravel. Clamped fins and bottom sitting. Later stages are lethargic behaviour, hiding, gasping at surface, thick slime coat, fin and tail rot and possible columnaris or bacterial gill disease. Death can happen fast if left unchecked. Sometimes within days. Other times, longer.
Background: This parasite is a cold water parasite, meaning that it will survive in cooler waters, which is especially dangerous in the spring time (Outdoors, in ponds), when the fishes immune system isn't fully working yet, but Chilodonella is already at full force.
Treatments: 1.5% on up to 3% salt dips and placing into a sterile environment, then continue with QuickCure continuously for 3 days. This can be a harsh treatment so follow instructions carefully, aerate very well and have a fresh tub of water on standby. This treatment can be a sure fire kill if done correctly.
Potassium permanganate bath and placing into sterile environment. Scope and treat one more time if the fish's health allows or need be.
Other treatments such as Parasite clear and a 0.3% salt solution, along with salt dips, can be quite successful.
It took 2 weeks at 0.8% (not a typo) salinity and 3 PP dips @ 2ppm for 4 hours, once every 3 days, to kill off an especially hardy strain of Chilodonella (?Uncinata?) once and for good. All of the rest of the treatments listed above failed, multiple times.
Precautions: Chilodonella is a dangerous parasite and fish killer, and because of his high range of temperature tolerance, especially in cooler waters, a threat to the fish in those months (Outdoors, in ponds). There are VERY resistant strains of chilodonella out there. Some can withstand salt at a higher range than most fancy goldfish can handle so dont completely count on 0.3% salt to eliminate them. Acriflavin has proven to be useless against some strains as well. For elimination, formalin/malchite green combos usually work very well.
Chilodonella under the microscope:
C. piscicola/cyprini (tan background) and another species unkown
The first one is the more common species that is seen in aquariums and ponds. The second one is a different species, but still parasitic. The third one is a side view of number two. I am positive there are more but these two seem to be the regulars.
Chilodonella can lie dormant for long periods because it is not only a fish parasite. It can and does subsist on wastes and cyanobacters that can accumulate in the filters, gravel or algae beds. So, you cannot starve them out. This seems to at least be true of the chilodonella that I have observed under my scope. If your having problems eliminating it in a tank, the fish should be removed to a sterile container for treatment while you sterilize and re-cycle the tank with bio-spira or media from a known-to-be healthy tank.
Furthermore, if viewing under a microscope, you will find that chilodonella can move quite fast at first. Dont be mistaken by videos that show you slow moving chilononella. They wait til the chilo is near death to move in close for a good, focused view. Usually between 10 and 20 minutes after being placed on a slide, the individuals begin to slow down and die off (This is not a rule though).
They move in a circular fashion sometimes spinning as if they were stuck to the floor, sometimes in quite a straight line. They can "free-swim" but seem to twirl as they glide through the water. If they are "walking", they can wrap their bodies to match the contours of the particles they are mounting.
A few videos of a different species (C. Uncinata?):
Click here to watch 3D-Chilo
Click here to watch a chilodonella convention (The guest speaker is a water mite!)
http://www.zippyvideos.com/6917430383051106/hpim1882/
http://www.zippyvideos.com/5096737943051256/hpim1881/
Chilo generally attacks the gills and fins of fish, at least in the beginning stages. Once the fish has become exhausted and begins to bottom sit and/or pipe at the surface, this ciliate can begin to invade other soft, scaleless tissues such as the head region where there is, or would be, wen. This results in small spots of excess mucous production around the head, but usually concentrated near the gill openings on either side. Photos below:
This is not breeding tubricles or stars. This is a 6+yo female fish. You can see how it seems to spread out from the gills. Note the areas in between the scales have excess slime production as well.
Good luck!