Common diseases and cure

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As a fish keeper, the one which most worried us is the unfamiliar diseases. So in order to keep our fishes healthy, it is necessary for us t know the most common diseases and the tips of curing them. Below the articles hope it help.

Abnormal Behaviour
Breathing Difficulties- Flukes, Velvet Disease

Flukes- *Flukes are trematode worms up to 0.8 mm or .03 in in length. *They attach themselves to the fish sometimes near the gills, by using a sucker with two clasping hooks and then they proceeded to feed on the fish skin cells. It is possible to see the flukes by using a low-powered microscope. These worms are forever producing. *(the adult produces young, and even the young is producing a younger worm within it) Serious infections can result, and minor ones are less likely to be noticed. *You should assume that if you are treating for a bacterial infection that you treat for Flukes as well. *They are easily seen with a microscope. Most species of fish can become infected with this problem. *Symptoms: The fish may rub against hard objects, and the skin may appear opaque or inflamed. *Treatment: *Easily treatable with Potassium permanganate, or Fluke tabs. *Another known remedy is using a 3% salt dip to rid fish of the parasites. *The best advice given is to keep your fish in tip-top health. Keep the tank clean, and the water conditions accurate.

Velvet Disease- Velvet will affect fry that are only a few days old. *These parasites mainly attack the skin but may also cause severe damage to the gills. *Symptoms: *Fish rub themselves against solid objects and may have difficulty breathing. *As the infection increases, a yellowish brown to grayish haze may be appearing in dots. *The skin may become inflamed. The fish will become emaciated. *You can see the individual parasites with a magnifying glass. Treatment: There are several medications available that are worth trying. *Older remedies were to use copper sulphate. *(with extreme caution) Usually young fish show the signs and symptoms first and happen to be the most difficult to treat. The reason for this is the fact that they are sensitive to the chemicals available for use in the aquarium.

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Cloudy Eye- *Cloudy eye can have many causes. *Look for signs of Velvet Disease, Ick, and Fish tuberculosis. However, sometimes this is caused due to bacterial infections. *Symptoms: One or both eyes become cloudy, and take a whitish appearance. Fish may show signs of distress, and be off-color and behave abnormally. *Treatment: *Establishing the likely cause of the problem and treating it as soon as possible is the best way to prevent damage to your fish's nervous system. *The incidences of cloudy eye can be maintained by keeping the water quality in a good condition, and adding a small amount of aquarium salt to the water at water changes. *There are many good medications available at your local pet stores that deal with this problem. Follow the recommended accordingly.

Pop-Eye- *Pop eye can affect pond and aquarium fishes. The progress of the disease depends on what is or has caused it. Bulging eyes can result from a number of causes, including fish tuberculosis, ichthyosporidium, dropsy, and bacterial infections. Symptoms: One or both eyes protrude abnormally. (remember some fish are bred to have protruding eyes ex: fancy goldfish) Treatment: Use anti-parasite and anti-bacterial treatments. This is usually effective.

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Skin Flukes- *Flukes are trematode worms up to 0.8 mm or .03 in in length. *They attach themselves to the fish sometimes near the gills, by using a sucker with two clasping hooks and then they proceeded to feed on the fish skin cells. It is possible to see the flukes by using a low-powered microscope. These worms are forever producing. *(the adult produces young, and even the young is producing a younger worm within it) Serious infections can result, and minor ones are less likely to be noticed. *You should assume that if you are treating for a bacterial infection that you treat for Flukes as well. *They are easily seen with a microscope. Most species of fish can become infected with this problem. *Symptoms: The fish may rub against hard objects, and the skin may appear opaque or inflamed. *Treatment: *Easily treatable with Potassium permanganate, or Fluke tabs. *Another known remedy is using a 3% salt dip to rid fish of the parasites. *The best advice given is to keep your fish in tip-top health. Keep the tank clean, and the water conditions accurate.

pH is an issue to keep under watch (especially if your tank is crowded). *It is measured on a scale of 1 to 14 to measure the acidity or alkalinity of your tank's water. *Goldfish thrive at the 7.2 - 7.6 range*(your pH testing kit will come with a colored chart to follow ) You will want to keep the pH levels in line or you could have dead fish. *Goldfish are able to stand variations in pH much more so than other fish, but*you should make an effort to maintain their water in this range. Over time, the water in your tank will become more acidic. Being aware of this and doing partial water changes is generally all that is needed to maintain the pH.

pH too low results in acidic conditions. *This can be caused from too much fish waste in the water. (this is less likely to occur in a well-established tank) *At pH levels below 7.2 Ammonia is ionized to Ammonium and is less toxic to the fish. Acidic water can cause your fish to weaken. *It is best to do routine water changes to keep from having this type of problem. *Symptoms: *anorexia, excess slime, isolation, fish resting on the bottom of tank, and then finally blood streaking in the fins and death. (known as Acidosis)

pH too high results in alkaline conditions. *Ammonia is more likely to be toxic when the pH levels are high. Symptoms: Fish will produce excess slime, and gasp at the surface. *Losses can be severe. *Once this takes place(Alkalosis) it is hard to reverse.

There are many brands and types of inexpensive tests available at pet stores to check your pH levels, as well as Ammonia levels. They have colored charts to follow for the diagnosis. *There are products available to increase your pH levels as wells as lower them.

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Fish Tuberculosis- The bacteria Mycobacterium is responsible for this problem. *This infection can infect humans, so take precautions when siphoning water from the tank. *(do not swallow it) *Wash your hands very well when finished. Symptoms: Affected fish may show loss of appetite, become lazy or listless, and lose color. *When the disease has progressed the fish may become emaciated and develop bulbous eyes and skin defects. They may also suffer a deformed spine. *A lot of the time no outward signs will be seen before several fish die suddenly. Treatment: *In the early stages a human anti-TB drug could be used (seek a veterinarian for this). *However, once the disease has advanced the medication does not seem to help. *Always remove the sick and dying fish. *Your other fish will eat on the dead or dying. By removing them you keep from spreading the disease in the aquarium. *

Constipation- This is often caused by a diet without enough variety, or by feeding too many starchy type foods. Symptoms: If your fish is having trouble passing feces, or if they are forever trailing behind a fish, your fish may be suffering from constipation. Treatment: Feeding your fish a diet with more roughage and a greater variety sometimes helps! Feed live foods such as (wax worms, brine shrimp, tubiflex worms, etc.) peas, spinach. If you can get your fish to eat one grain of Epson salt it can also help aid with the constipation. Soaking dry fish food in some*water taken from the tank will soften the food and help in the digestion process.

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Swim Bladder- Swim or air bladder problems sometimes occur in freshwater fish. *I have personally seen this is fancy goldfish such as Orandas, Ryunkins, and Shubunkins. When the bladder is effected, the fish will experience equilibrium problems. Sometimes, the problem is not the bladder but other problems which directly affect the bladder. Diseased and inflamed internal organs, improper water conditions or nutrition, and wounds received from fighting with another fish can also effect the equilibrium of the fish. Constipation is also known to affect a fish's swimming ability! *Symptoms: *The fish has problems swimming correctly. *They may appear to be standing on their head, or floating to the surface and struggling to go down to the bottom, or possibly even have problems removing themselves from the bottom. *At the later stages of the disease, the fish could lose its balance and swim upside down. *Treatment: There is no specific treatment for this dilemma;however, you can try isolating the fish to a quarantine tank in which the water is shallow(this provides relief for the fish). Add one teaspoon of salt per gallon of water. Some individuals will feed thawed out frozen peas and this purges the fish's system and has been noted to help many fish. After 1-2 weeks a return to the main tank with deeper water may be tried. The best advice I can give is to maintain proper water conditions, feed your fish a well balanced diet, and possibly try feeding your goldfish sinking foods rather than floating types. *They won't inhale so much air this way. **The pellets if soaked in water before feeding will expand before the fish eats them and this has helped a lot. Good luck with this!!

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Internal Parasitic Worms- Intestinal worms are usually found in outdoor fish. *Indoor fish can become infected through wild-caught fish, or by feeding certain live foods that carry the parasites.

Thorny headed worms- These parasites attach themselves to the intestine, damaging lining and making the fish susceptible to infections and other parasites. *These particular parasites hang on the gut lining by a cluster of tiny hooks and absorb food over their entire body surface. *

Tapeworms- They are usually flattened and similar to a ribbon in shape. *They use sucking discs or hooks to attach themselves to the belly or intestine of the fish. *

Threadworms or roundworms- They are usually found in the intestine of the fish. *There are only a few select species that will be found in fish tanks. *

Camallanus- A worm that infects the rectum of aquarium fish. *It is usually seen in livebearing fish. *Clusters of the worm can sometimes be seen protruding from the anus of a resting fish. *

Intestinal flukes- The gill and skin flukes are exterior parasites. *

Treatment: *Severe infestations are difficult to treat in internal parasitic worms. *You would have to check with a veterinarian for more help on this issue. *Prevention is the best medicine.

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(Columnaris)Cotton Wool Disease- This is highly contagious caused by a bacterium. *It spreads through the water and can be transferred by nets and other aquarium equipment. The bacteria enters the fish's body, especially via wounds and small abrasions. They then multiply quickly to produce the characteristic symptoms. This is very widespread in freshwater fish, especially livebearers. Symptoms- A grayish white film develops over the fish's skin, particularly on the head region, but also on fins, gills and body. The fish could have sore(s) that are red on the outside and white on the inside. As the disease progresses, the body may become ulcerated, fins frayed, and the lips and front of the head can be eaten away. Treatment- This disease is very virulent and must be treated immediately. Fish that are affected around the mouth may die within 24 hours. Antibacterial compounds are effective. The best way to avoid the disease is to keep your fish in clean, healthy conditions and add a small quantity of salt to the water.

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Bulging Eyes- This is usually related to dropsy. *This is a fluid accumulation in the body. *Salting the water may help. Bulging eyes with dropsy is terminal. *Trauma to the eye can cause bulging. *This is when swelling occurs in the blood vessels of the eyes and the bulging or swelling will go down in about a week or so.

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Sitting on the Bottom- Fish that sit on the tank bottom are divided into two categories.

Class A - Sinkers who have to struggle to swim to the midwater or the tank surface. *These fish have a swimbladder problem, sometimes due to a bacterial infection, sometimes due to defects in air bladder filling and some are autopsied to find water in the airsac instead of air. *Electrocution can cause this system as well.

Class B - Sinkers which swim fine when disturbed. These fish usually feature a massive fluke burden and are being weakened by the flukes. *They rest on the bottom, which further assists the flukes in becoming numerous on the skin and gills. *The fish will eventually die. *A dose of Healthguard or Fluke Tabs is usually rapidly effective to these fish. *You can also perk them up with salt. *

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Spitting- This is almost always from an advanced infestation of flukes. *But you should do the following 2 things:

(1) Capture the fish, and do an oral exam looking for an ulcer, check the gills for swelling, paleness, white streaks around the edges of the gill or through the gill tissue, or any kind of foreign body (rock, pebble, etc.).

(2) Scrape the gill and examine under a microscope for flukes. *( best done by someone who knows what they are looking for)

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Open Mouth (cannot close mouth)- This is usually when fish have a rock or something foreign stuck in their mouths. *If you are very gentle you can push it forward and out of their mouth through an accessway under the gill cover. *The fish of course would do better if under some anesthesia. *Oil of cloves can be recommended too. *The other reasons for open mouth could be a sore or ulcer located on the roof of the mouth. *This is usually treated by swabbing the area with hydrogen peroxide (be careful not to get any in the gills) and an injection of Baytril.

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Laying Over- Layover or Sleeping Sickness is usually a bacterial infection caused by parasites chewing on the gills or skin. In other instances, it is only a result of severe stress, such as a bitter cold or exposure to chlorine. *The most common found parasites are Costia, Trichodina, and Chilodinella. *

You will have to evaluate for all sources of stress and get them corrected. *It is recommended by to salt at 0.3% and then in at all possible, inject the fish to offset any infection that may be in the fish's system. *Several medications are available.

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Scratching or Flashing-Fish that flash and scratch will do this if they have flukes or most any parasite. *They do this to try to remove them from their bodies. *Parasites will damage the skin, opening it to infection. *The other thing is the fish will do their own damage to the skin when they flash so you need to treat this immediately. *Water changes are important because water quality can cause flashing. *A large water change can sometimes cause flashing as the fish is adapting to the different pH level. *Chlorine or other metals can cause this as well. *Using a dechlorinator helps a lot with this.