Fish health problems can be the result of bacteria, virus, parasites, fungi, bad food, and even environmental factors. The most common diseases of aquarium fish include gas sickness, thrush, sepsis (also known as ascites) and oodinosis. If you have fish, you can use this article as a good guide. Many diseases of aquarium animals are caused by inappropriate habits of their keepers. Knowing what to avoid will make it much easier for you to keep your fish healthy. Diseases of guppies and other species are also worth learning about. Read our text!
Diseases of aquarium fish – causes
What can lead to health problems of the aquarium inhabitants? Diseases are caused primarily by abnormal environmental conditions. This means that aquarium fish diseases are the responsibility of their guardian. The factors causing the disease are, for example:
- Incorrect water chemistry – so remember to never put any unnecessary substances into the water.
- Water purity – clean the aquarium as often as possible to keep the water clean and clear at all times.
- Temperature – make sure that your aquarium fish do not get cold, especially when the temperature outside the aquarium is disturbingly low.
- Oxygenation – don’t let your fish run out of oxygen.
- Nutrition – Buy the right food for the species of fish and watch if your pets eat it. It is also good to pay attention to the quality of the food you buy for aquarium fish.
- Overcoating – don’t let too many fish in your aquarium.
- Poor fish selection – each fish behaves differently and prefers different living conditions, and mismatch can cause disease.
- Introduce sick animals or plants to your aquarium.
Diseases of scalars and other aquarium fish
What are the most common aquarium fish diseases and what causes them? Diseases of veils and many other species living in the aquarium can have a different background. Now we will divide the health problems of goldfish precisely because of what causes them.
Diseases of aquarium fish caused by environmental factors
- choking disease;
- gas sickness;
- acid disease;
- alkaline disease.
Diseases of aquarium fish caused by poor nutrition
- fatty degeneration of internal organs;
- inflammation of the digestive tract.
Diseases of aquarium fish caused by bacteria and viruses
- mykobakterioza;
- infectious dermatitis;
- lymphocystosis;
- choroba bawełniana posocznica;
- nocardioza.
Diseases of aquarium fish caused by fungi
- ichtiosporidioza;
- saprolegnioza.
Diseases of aquarium fish caused by parasites
- chilodonelloza;
- costioza;
- semolina disease (aka fishpox, white spot disease or ichthyophthiosis)
- oodinosis;
- spironukleoza.
Parasites in aquarium fish – oodinosis
The last group includes parasitic diseases. Oodinosis belongs to it, which we will now discuss in a little more detail. This condition is very common and also known by other names such as Velvet Disease, Rust Disease, Velvet Disease or Golden Sand Disease. Such diseases of aquarium fish are caused by protozoa called dinoflagellates. These are Oodinium ocellatum (in sea fish) i Oodinium pillularis (be Oodinium limneticum) in freshwater fish.
Effects of oodinosis in aquarium fish
Parasites primarily attack the skin of aquarium fish. It often happens that they also settle under the epidermis, which can be seen from the local protrusions on the fish. In order to diagnose this disease, one should pay attention first of all to the olfactory fossa, fins, gills, eyes and the place under the epithelium of the oral cavity. Oodinosis attacks at a temperature of 23-25 ° C and can develop unnoticed. When small, yellow-brown spots appear on the fish, it is most likely a sign of it. Other symptoms include a golden or dark pearly coating on the skin and peeling of the skin of the fish.
A remedy for parasites in aquarium fish
The symptoms of this disease in aquarium fish can be disturbing as the animals become restless, do not eat, breathe heavily and hide. They also have slightly frayed, glued, folded fins. Ecchymosis or gill leaf congestion may appear. What to do?
- You need to buy anti-parasite medication and put the fish in quarantine for two weeks, during which they will take therapeutic baths with the medicine.
- Also disinfect the aquarium tank, turn on the light and raise the water temperature to 25-27 ° C.
This way, you should get rid of the parasites in the aquarium and restore health to your pets.
Diseases of aquarium fish – thrush
An equally common disease in aquarium fish is thrush (also known as saprolegniosis or white fungus). It appears due to the fungus-like protists of the family Saprolegniaceae. Most often they belong to them Saprolegnia ferax i Saprolegnia parasitica. Interestingly, microorganisms are present in every aquarium, but their development only takes place at low temperatures. Fish that have previously been subjected to some mechanical injuries or infected with other microorganisms are at risk of thrush.
The effects of thrush in aquarium fish
Thrush is just tinea pedis in aquarium fish. How does thrush manifest itself in fish? You can compare the photos you find with the appearance of the fish. Gray-white mycelia appear on previously damaged tissues. Some aquarium fish owners believe that the mycelium that heralds aquarium fish disease looks like dirty cotton wool. Over time, the thrush also spreads to the fins and the rest of the body, causing the animal to suffer from breathing difficulties and hypoxia. The diseased fish wastes before the eyes and begins to rub against all objects in the aquarium.
Treatment of thrush in aquarium fish
To cure thrush in aquarium fish, you must:
- provide them with the right temperature;
- wash the contaminated places in the tank (e.g. with a tampon with a solution of potassium permanganate);
- subject the fish to a therapeutic bath.
Fish quarantine in this case takes about seven days. Unfortunately, fish are unlikely to be helped when the disease has covered a large part of their body. Still, it’s worth trying.
Sepsis – another common disease of aquarium fish
Sepsis (also known as water dropsy) is an equally common disease of aquarium fish. Its source is bacteria Pseudomonas punctata or Aeromonas hydrophilawhich affects internal organs, e.g. in the circulatory system. Old and weakened animals are particularly at risk of sepsis.
The effects of sepsis, or why is the fish lying at the bottom of the aquarium?
The symptoms of sepsis are quite characteristic. It manifests itself in the form of:
- inflammation;
- distension of the yolk sac and abdomen;
- bulging eyes;
- highlights on the skin and flat blisters under the skin.
Unfortunately, fish scales are also more susceptible to damage and begin to stick out. Such an aquarium fish lies at the bottom of the aquarium or hides among the plants. If an aquarium pet behaves this way and does not look healthy, it most likely has septicemia. Is the treatment of this disease in aquarium fish effective? Much depends on your reaction.
Treatment of sepsis
The fight against sepsis boils down to proper disinfection of the entire tank and its accessories. If the disease develops, it will not be easy to deal with. This is why it is important to keep an eye on your aquarium and the fish that live in it. React to any disturbing sign and immediately conduct a long-lasting therapeutic bath. This way you should save your aquarium fish.
Bent fish in the aquarium – what is this disease?
It is quite common for the fish to become strangely and disturbingly twisted. Guppies in particular can look like this when there is something wrong with them. The diagnosis is not easy as the curve may reveal more than one specific ailment. It is probably one of the following diseases:
- microsporidiosis;
- mycobacteriosis – grubby fish;
- plistophoresis.
It can also indicate a nutrient deficiency.Aquarium fish diseases are quite common in any aquarium, so you need to know how to recognize them and how to deal with them. Some of them are caused by inappropriate conditions in which animals live. Therefore, prevention is important, because it depends largely on you whether the fish will be healthy. Make sure that they are not frozen, hungry and dirty. Also, remember to provide them with the necessary nutrients. If your fish have already fallen ill, you need to disinfect the tank properly, isolate the sick individuals and conduct a therapeutic bath. Don’t forget that it is much better to look after the fish in a proper way, rather than to fight the animals’ diseases that are not easy to deal with.