Some Types Of Aquarium Fish Diseases

If you own an aquarium as an accessory of your interior decor, you should pay attention to the health of your fish. You should not only maintain the quality of the water, but also monitor the condition of their health. It is better for you to notice their activity, so you could recognize the signs whether they catch any diseases or not. To allow you get more information about some common diseases that usually come against your fish, please read the whole of this brief review.

Gill disease is the first disease that often attacks aquarium fish. The main symptom is when your fish swim in a great hurry but do not move at all. In some cases, their fins flap very quickly and they gasp for breath at the surface of the water. If you find your fish in these kinds of condition, you have to pay more attention to them.
You have to immediately improve the quality of the water for the first treatment, and then you can give some anti-bacterial substance to cure the fish completely. The threat and preventive action for this disease is similar: changing the water regularly as well as conditioning and dechlorinating it. Keeping the quality of the water will be important to prevent this disease because bacteria, fungi and parasites are the main cause of this disease.
The next disease is columnaris. Fish that catch this disease usually show some signs, but the most obvious sign is the white marks in the body or around their mouth. This symptom is similar with another disease called Mouth Fungus. Other signs shown by fish that catch columnaris are deterioration and the forms of the sores in the body of the fish.

You might need anti-bacterial medication if you notice this disease in its early stage. However, you might need help of antibiotics to cure your fish if the disease reaches the later stage. Mostly, this disease is caused by bacteria and a result of poor quality of water. In some cases, fish that are shock with their new aquarium also have risk getting catch this disease.

The third disease commonly found in fish aquarium is ick. This disease causes many grain-like spots in small size on the body of your fish. Thus, this disease is also known as white spot disease. It is caused by Ichthyophthirius Multifilis protozoa that will be easily infecting the whole environment of your aquarium. Once the protozoa form the white spots on the body of the fish, they can be more mature and release some new free-swimming parasites that surely will infect other fish. To kill the parasites, you need to wait the white spot fallen down and released into the water and so you can sterilize it.

Those are the most common diseases for aquarium fish. Learning more about fish diseases will be very thoughtful to maintain the health of your fish. Therefore, you can notice the sick fish in the earlier stage so you can cure them earlier.

Maintaining water quality is very important not only for aquarium fish, but also for fish in your garden pond. To maintain the water quality of your garden, you can install some additional supporting devices and filtration system will be quite helping. You can find pumps that fit well with your requirements.

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White Spot Disease and How To Cure Your Fish

The bad experience about fishkeeping is having death of fish due to aquarium disease. For some people the presence of disease is frustrating leading to the sometimes quitting the hobby.

Fish disease has a solution and in many cases could be avoided. A main reason is the presence of parasites (internal and external types). To know whether your fish is infected by parasites is important. You can do observation, 3 times a day to see their behavior and also the physical appearance of the fish. After you detected parasites, you can proceed to a treatment preparation.

Look out for the following White Spot disease behavioral symptoms in your fish.

- Constant lying on the bottom or hanging at the surface.
- Rubbing of the body against rocks
- Gasping at the water surface
- No response to feeding
- General dullness and lethargy
- Hovering in a corner
- Fish swimming with clamps up

The most common of the visible signs is the development of the pin head-size while spots on the body or fins. This ailment is referred to as White Spot disease and is caused by the parasite - Ichthyophthirius multifillis.

This parasite has a free-swimming stage, which attaches itself to the fish. The most common chemical used in treating infected fishes is Methylene Blue. You could buy a one per cent stock solution from a reputable chemist or aquarium shop and apply at 0.8 to 1.0ml per gallon of water. This amount should be added all at once. Repeat after one or two days.

The fishes must remain in this bath until every while spot has disappeared. A water change after treatment is necessary or else prolonged contact with the chemical may affect the fertility of the fish.

Another tip if you are using a side filter with activated charcoal should remove it to prevent the coal from absorbing the Methylene Blue.

Another tip... during treatment you should use artificial aeration with coarse bubbles near the surface, since a dirty bottom would inactivate the medicament by absorption. A better measure is to remove all dirt from the bottom before treatment.

Methylene Blue is harmless to young fish and unlike the general belief, it does not affect plants if used in weaker concentration.

Understanding fish diseases and how to prevent them from happening.

Picture from http://www.aquatics-warehouse.co.uk

Preventing disease:

The health of your fish depends on the quality of their environment. Poor water conditions, stress, and/or incorrect feeding can cause illness, therefore it is up to you to see that this doesn't happen. Certain procedures must be taken to prevent diseases from making themselves at home on your fish. Quarantine new species that will be introduced into your tank so you can evaluate them thoroughly. Keep in mind to handle your fish correctly when moving them whether it be from a bag or from another tank. Prevent poisons from predators from entering your tank. Make sure that heating, lighting, air, and filtration is functioning properly and well maintained. Last thing to do is make sure that the water quality is fresh, clean, and balanced for your fish. Also, if you have a planted aquarium don't forget to care for them as well.

Quarantine:

Quarantining new fish can help stop spreading possible diseases. You can monitor the fishes behaivor. Spot diseases, if any, and treat according to the type of disease. I recommend you keep new fish quaratined for 2-3 weeks before introducing them to a community tank.

Reducing stress:

Stress is a major factor in preventing disease. It is caused by bad handling, poor water conditions, sudden changes in water conditions, and the famous tapping on the glass. If you have to move a fish, remember to handle with care, if you are rough it will cause the fish to stress out. Light changes will cause fish to be stressed, to soften this shock follow this procedure:

Switch off the aquarium light before turning off the lights in the room, wait about 5-15 minutes so the fish can get adjusted to the low light level, then turn off the room lights.

A stressed out fishes immune systems is lowered, therefore allowing infections and disease to occur.

Nets:

If you use a net to move a sick fish keep in mind that net is now contagious and should not be used until disinfected. You should be able to pick up a disinfecting solution at your local fish store.

Nutrition:

Overfeeding your fish can cause algal and bacteria growth so make sure you feed your fish accordingly. A common cause of low immune systems in fish is a lack of vitamins. To prevent this use a variety of foods as like you and me, I'm sure that fish get tired of eating the same thing day after day.

Types of ailments:

External infections are easily seen and treated. Internal disorders, however are much harder to determine and cure.

Parasites:

These are the creatures that make homes out of our fish and are very much unwelcome. Most parasites feed primarily on the mucus layer on the skin and gills. Larger parasites penetrate the skin and feed on blood and tissue.

Bacteria and fungal:

Basically this is caused by poor tank conditions. Dead plant matter, feces, and/or uneaten food encourage bacteria or fungal to grow.

Skin disorders:

This is the most common problem found in fishes. They are caused by bacteria or parasites. There are several symptoms involved in diagnosing a skin disorder which I will explain in another article.

Gill disorders:

Basically it is when the fish have problems with their respiratory system. In time the gills will thicken up in response to the chronic irritation. This can and will slowly suffocate the fish. The cause of this condition may be slime disease, gill flukes, or bacterial damage.

Disorder of the eyes:

Many of the same diseases that affect a fishes skin can also affect its eyes. Bad handling and/or poor water conditions cause minimal damage which will allow bacteria or fungal infections to occur.

Dropsy:

This is when the fish appears to be abnormally swollen. They often can't be distinguished from each other without a postmortem.

Wasting:

Weight loss resulting in an uneven appearance. This is caused by harassment of an individual fish preventing access to food, or a disease such as tuberculosis, which is more common.

Swim bladder problem:

Abnormal swimming or difficulty maintaining equilibrium may be due to several reasons:

Deformed swim bladder
Cancer or tuberculosis in organ next to the swim bladder
Constipation
Poor nutrition
Chilling (colder water)
Serious parasitic infestation
Serious bacterial infections

If you think your fish has a swim bladder problem check and treat for other diseases first.