The malady that fisheries biologists call "ick" manifests itself most often in fish that have been stressed. Symptoms include a whitish-gray or even pinkish looking rash or fuzzy stuff on the gills or eyeballs.

In the warm waters of Texas, it occurs most frequently in catfish or shad that have been confined, transported some distance.

Not a pretty sight.

Are your fish overcrowded? This sounds like a water quality issue.

If you don't mind starting over with your fish population, ignore the issue. If you value your fish, seek professional counsel before you lose them all.

Editor, Mark McDonald