Diseases
I think every aquarist should know a bit about the diseases
your fish can get. This way they will be familiar with the symptoms and
be able to treat the disease when it is in the early stages. If fish don't
get treated in the early stages it is more likely to die.
Illness in fish is most commonly started by adverse water conditions due to lack of maintenance or malfunction of equipment. Excess feeding of an aquarium can also cause serious health risks for the fish. Diseases can be put into 4 broad categories:
Failing to remove chlorine and chloramine from water is a great killer of tropical fish. It is a big reason why fish die in newly established aquariums. Chlorine oxidizes gills denying oxygen to the blood. Sypmtoms are immediate; fish gasp near top of water, of spin and swim erratically. Later they move lethargically before they die. Some form of fin care must be used immediately to alleviate symptoms. There will be some gill damage that may inhabit growth later; it is best that this toxin be removed before the water is put in an aquarium.
The second most common cause of death, ammonia and nitrite poisoning shows similar symptoms but new water isn't the cause. In this case test for nitrite or ammonia. If present do a partial water change to dilute the poison and add CYCLE to provide the necessary bacteria to remove these toxins. CYCLE is a living bacterial biological filter supplement that concentrates large quantities of beneficial bacteria Nitrososnas sp. and Nitrobacter sp. into a handy bottle. There is other similar products in your petstore to treat nitrite and ammonia, just ask your petstore owner which one is best for your tank.
When fish undergo stressful netting, broad temperature fluctuations or dirty water, the natural slime coating protecting their scales may be removed or weakened. This allows parasites to attack. Most diseases of whatever kind, begin fish are stressed by the environment and water conditions are not the best.
List of Common Diseases
This will help you determine what disease your fish has so you know what to buy to treat it.
Cotton Mouth Disease
Symptoms: Appears as a tuft of cotton or white discoloration on the mouth. Sometimes seen with white patches on other parts of the body.
Ichthyophthirius (Ich)
Symptoms: A few or many raised white spots, the size of grains of salt. Fish may scratch against gravel or decorations in the tank.
Ich often occurs after new fish are added due to transportation stress or rapid temperature fluctuations. Fungus is often a secondary result of overfeeding, poor water quality and lack of maintenance.
Bacterial Hemmorrhagic Septicemia
Symptoms: Blood streaks without sign of skin damage. Seen in goldfish as blood streaks in the fins.
Bacterial Body Slime and Eye Cloud
Symptoms: Filmy white patches on the body or a white haze over the eye.
Gill Diseases
Symptoms: Bacterial-fish, remain near the surface, laboured breathing, shimmy, gills are opened wide, and gill membranes appear very red. Parasitic- In addition to the above symptoms, small white gill worms can be seen.
Fin and Tail Rot
Symptoms: Fins are usually folded or closed. Fungal- Fins rot evenly and have an appearance of white edging or white line. Bacterial- Fins rot unevenl and have a very ragged appearence.
Velvet Hole-In-The-Head Disease- Fish lice
Symptoms: Velvet- fish lose normal color, scratch against gravel or aquarium decorations, and golden velvety appearance on skin. Hole-In-The-Head disease- small holes visable above eye usually seen in Discus and Angelfish. Fish Lice- Parasite on fish, pierces skin and sucks blood and tissue fluids.
Furunculosis
Symptoms: Open red sores (ulcers), which sometimes appear as small raised lumps.
Disease prevention is one of the most important reasons for regular aquarium maintenance and water changes instead of simple replacement of evaporated water when the levels become low.
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