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This section contains information about the most common marine fish and invertebrate diseases and disorders, along with their suggested treatments. This information is intended to be used only as a basic guideline.
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I would like to start by saying that first and foremost, you need to be sure you have a proper diagnosis before you treat for the problem. You can cause your fish more harm than good by mis-medicating it. While medication is good in that it treats the problem, the chemicals themselves are stressful to a fish (not to mention the stress it's already under for being sick), so you only need to use medicine when it's necessary. Put your fish under a nice bright light and look for actual visible problems like white stuff which looks like sand grains, or white fuzzy stuff, for example. These are real, defined symptoms for which you can treat.
http://www.fishjunkies.com/health.php When there is an outbreak of disease, most people immediately buy one or more of a myriad "cures" available commercially. These substances, when added to a Marine aquarium often give disastrous results. Those containing antibiotics and copper kill the nitrifying bacteria, which results in an increase in the ammonia and nitrate levels. Furthermore, the treatment itself (especially copper) may stress the animals directly. When disease is first noted: 1. Immediately maintain 25 percent partial water change. 2. Check the aquarium equipment. Is the air pump unplugged? 3. Never add medications directly to the aquarium. Most substances stay there. For example, copper sulfate rapidly precipitates at the normal pH of sea water. This is wide manufactures of copper base cures recommend a second or third edition of the medication every two days. This toxic copper is never removed from their core item; it is only removed from solution. If the pH ever drops, the precipitated copper goes back into solution and levels high enough to kill many animals. 4. Seriously infected specimens should be moved to isolated quarantined tanks. Here they can be treated safely without affecting healthy animals or disrupting the biological filter.
Society of Aquatic Veterinary Medicine The Society of Aquatic Veterinary Medicine (SAVM ) is a non-profit organization dedicated to veterinary continuing education in Small Animal Medicine and Aquatic Medicine.
Diseases in fish Everyday questions and some important answers By Shawn Prescott I have been very occupied with our new farm in Singapore, where we are breeding several species of food fish, including Seabass ( Asian variety aka Baramundi ), also threadfin and shrimp, Paneaus merguensis.Hobbyists may be interested to know that we have also had a world first, and bred Batfish Platax tiera . We have to date made 3 shipments of these to the USA, and will be making more in the future. Currently we are working on the reproduction of the Imperator Angel, Pomacanthus imperator, and hope before the year is out, to begin shipping these as well, plus probably other species. Anyway, I decided to entitle this contribution “Everyday questions etc” as there is hardly a day passes, that I do not get an E-Mail or a phone call, referring to some of the questions that I will now give details of. I will also give my reply to these matters. I hope it will be helpful to some of you, if you happen to meet the same problem. By Shawn Prescott Member of Andre's Aquarium Club
THE AQUARIUM DOCTOR Member of Andre's Aquarium Club Probably 90% of diseases in captive fish can be prevented by avoiding stress. Stress will weaken the fishes immune system and make them susceptable to disease. Although in just about every tank there are some sort of diseases but the fishes immune system will prevent it from infecting the fish. In a aquarium the most common sources of fish stress are: Improper nutrition,food is not varied. Not enough oxygen in the water. Wrong water hardness for species. Not enough hiding places. High ph or temp. fluctuations in a small amount of time. wrong ph or temp. Tank is too small. Too many fish. Incompatable species in one tank. Poor water quality,high ammonia,nitrates(N2) or nitrites(NO3)
Head and Lateral Line Erosion Other Names: HLLE Symptoms: Erosion of the lateral line and the formation of pits in the skin. Comments: This disease is usually caused by poor environmental conditions and poor water quality. If conditions are not improved, the condition of the fish will slowly deteriorate and the animal may die. Treatment: Improve environmental conditions, maintain optimum water quality and proper diet. The use of vitamin supplements may help. Prevention: Insure good water quality and temperature parameters. Maintain healthy diet. HOLE IN THE HEAD http://www.pconline.com/~jude/hlle.html#whatis Bacterial Finrot Symptoms: Erosion of fins and fin rays, reddened areas, lethargy, poor appetite. Comments: This disease is usually associated with stress, sometimes brought on by poor water quality. Healthy animals can usually resist infections. Finrot usually begins as a mild external infection causing a reddening of the base of the fins. In severe cases, the animal's body and mouth may be eaten away. Treatment: Identify the source of stress and correct the problem. If this does not correct the problem, the animal should be treated with antibiotics in a hospital tank. Adding antibiotics to the main aquarium can kill invertebrates and damage the biological filter. Prevention: Insure good water quality and temperature parameters to prevent animals from getting stressed. Stress breaks down the protective mucous coating on a fish and allows bacteria to gain a foothold. The use of an ultraviolet sterilizer may help prevent outbreaks of this disease.
Diseases & Treatments This section contains information about the most common marine fish and invertebrate diseases and disorders, along with their suggested treatments. This information is intended to be used only as a basic guideline. Consult your local aquarium dealer or specialist if you are unsure about treatments or need more information. The diseases are organized by the categories below: Fish Parasites | Virus & Bacterial Infections Other Fish Diseases
There are literally hundreds of afflictions that can effect the health of your fish. The most common of these afflictions are listed here. A table of contents is provided along with a diagnostic chart with links to appropriate medications
Peteducation.com
Fish have amazing anatomy, with organs and systems not found in land animals. And, like other animals, fish can have bacterial and viral infections, parasites, and fungal diseases. Learn the symptoms of these diseases, and how to prevent and treat them.
Goldfish Disease On this page we will discuss the General goldfish diseases that are out there.
Medicating Fish with the Recommended Treatment for Fish Disease in Tropical Fish and Goldfish. If your tropical fish or goldfish show Signs of Stress or Disease, give them the Recommended Treatment. It's difficult to determine exactly what makes tropical fish and goldfish sick, but we always use the same 6-step treatment, and that treatment is given on this page.
Aquarium Information Source Saltwater Diseases : Symptoms & Treatments
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I | WATER CONDITIONS THERMAL ADAPTATION: Fishes taken from one water temperature and placed into a higher or lower temperature usually should not be subjected to immediate change of more than 2 to 3 °C - to reduce thermal stress. The temperature may be increased or decreased by 1°C per minute slowly. pH ADAPTATION: Most aquarium fishes live in environments with a pH level between pH 6.20 to pH 8.20. To avoid fish pH trauma, environmental pH levels must remain fairly constant and if necessary adjust gradually in steps of not more than + 0.3 pH units per day. OTHERS: Incorrect or fluctuating water conditions particularly pH, hardness, specific gravity and temperature, excessive levels of nitrite or ammonia (mainly due to poor filtering systems), presence of other toxins and low levels of dissolved oxygen are the main cause of environmental problems which causes fish diseases.
Common Freshwater Diseases This is a glossary of common diseases which infect freshwater fish. Although not every disease is treatable--or easily diagnosed, this list should serve as a basic aid in diagnosing ailments.
Copper At NO time should you be using heavily bonded or chelated coppers, as they are NOT as effective against the disease, and you can not measure the amount of copper in your system. Heavily bonded coppers are also much more difficult to remove from your system once the treatment is finished. In order for copper to be effective against a given disease, it must be in the ionic form, and heavily bonded coppers do not meet this parameter. The use of copper also suppresses the immune system for a time, so be aware of any bacterial infections that may set in. Feeding Tetra medicated food for bacterial problems is a good idea during copper treatment. Once treatment is finished, remove the copper from the system by doing water changes and adding PolyFilters to the filter system. If you are treating in a hospital tank, allow the fish to recouperate from the treatment for two days before adding it to your display tank. Also remember to remove any chemical filtrants before using ANY medication. All treatments herein assume that the fishes will be treated in a hospital tank. Certain medications (antibiotics, methylene blue) will disrupt biological filtration. If you must treat in your display tank, keep a close watch out for a rise in ammonia.
DiseasesMost diseases can be prevented by following a few basic guidelines and keeping the stress level low. Often a disease is blamed on a new fish when its just the introduction of the fish that stresses the system. Quarantine tank I can't stress the importance enough of a quaranine tank. Not only does it help prevent infection of your tank, but it gives you an opportunity to observe your new fish, ensure that its eating and learn the personality of the fish. Good Water Quality Of course proper temerature, Ph, Specific Gravity, and low nitrate levels. But often overlooked by beginners is Alk. Low alkalinity will let your Ph drop at night causeing stress and even suffocation of the fish. Proper Nutrition Hopefully you took the time to learn the dietary requirements of your new fish before you brought it home. If your not able to supply the proper diet you shouldn't keep it.
DISEASES OF FISH Robert B. Moeller Jr., DVM Fish have some unique anatomical and physical characteristics that are different from mammals, however, they still possess the same organ systems that are present in other animals. All fish are poikilothermic and must be able to adapt to changes in water temperature. Fish live in a variety of temperatures ranging from less than 0øC to hot geothermal springs. Yet, each species of fish must live in its particular specific temperature range. Abrupt temperature changes can be lethal.
Diseases Table A word of warning with using medication: Obviously people want to save their fish, so they go and buy a product, and sometimes these can be quite effective. But a word of warning - some meds can be very detrimental in the long term. Treatments whitch use Malachite Green and Methylene Blue can be useful treatments for parasites and Fungus, unfortunately they can destroy our beneficial bacteria, and then you can get a Ammoni/Nitrite peak for some time. Also some meds demand it that they remove Carbon/Zeolite for the duration of the treatment - this can effectively start up a mini-cycle as the Carbon/Zeolite have lost their bacteria.
FISH DISEASES The early recognition of disease and accurate diagnosis are both critical if fish losses are to be kept to a minimum. Unfortunately, most diseases are not caught at their onsets. Careful daily observation will enable you to recognize your fish's normal behavior and appearance so that any deviation from normal will act as an alarm and allow you to investigate the cause.
Q: Why is my fish sick and how do I prevent more illness? A: Probably 80-90% of diseases in captive fish can be prevented by avoiding stress. Stress weakens fishes' immune systems, leading to increased susceptibility to disease. Actually, diseases and pathogens are almost always present in tanks, but a healthy fish's immune system will prevent them from being a problem. Some of the most common stressors for captive fish are: Poor water quality: measurable ammonia or nitrites, or very high nitrates. The water temperature is fluctuating more than 2 deg F/day Incompatible species in the tank. Too many fish in the tank (5 adult angelfish in 10g tank). The tank is too small for the fish (foot long fish in 10g tank). The water is too warm or too cold for the species (goldfish vs. tropicals). wrong pH for species (Discus vs. African cichlids) pH fluctuations greater than 0.2 units/day. Insufficient cover or hiding places present. Wrong water hardness for the species (Discus vs. African cichlids). Insufficient oxygen in the water. Improper fish nutrition (wrong food, foods not varied).
Aquarium fish diseases Often, detecting illness in your fish is very difficult. However, because disease spreads quickly in tanks it is necessary to spot illness quickly and separate an ill fish from others. Hospital tanks are not as expensive as one might think and they also guarantee the safety of other fish. When a diseased fish is spotted it should either be destroyed or placed in a hospital tank. Also, new fish can be acclimated to new environments using hospital tanks, and this will also serve to make sure the fish harbors no diseases. What are some symptoms and diseases to look for? The most common disease in saltwater tanks is Ick. Ick are free swimming parasites that literally eat fish alive. Symptoms of Ick include white spots on scales, gills or heads of fish, strange swimming motions, decreased appetite, and change in breathing habits (the fish struggles to obtain oxygen). Treatment can either be to remove the fish that display symptoms, or treating the water in the tank with a solution from a pet store. More...
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