Fish diseases - gold fish or other tropical fish disease
As a general rule of thumb, fish diseases are the result of improper husbandry issues eg not cleaning the tank often
enough, introducing new fish without quarantine etc. Most fish diseases are better prevented and this can be done
by ensuring good husbandry practices and that water quality is in tip top shape. The problem with fish disease is
that because it is usually a consequence of poor husbandry, it is not often easy to establish that there is just one
type of problem going on eg it's only a fungal infection, or purely a bacterial problem. A lot of the times it's a
combination of the lot and one just seems to have affected the fish more than another. Whilst the best treatment
for fish disease is to come to a proper diagnosis first BEFORE embarking on treatment, more often than not, the
ALL in one type treatment regime to cover your bases is utilized for convenience sake.
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The first sign of fish disease is usually lethargy and loss of appetite - your fish may just lie on the bottom of the
tank a lot or seem 'sleepy' - further investigation is required to get down to the bottom of what the cause is. Your
first action point when you notice these first signs of fish disease is to check your water parameters (water
quality).
- Fish disease 1 - my goldfish's tail is suddenly all tattered and looks like something's been chewing
on it!
This is what's commonly referred to as fin rot. Sometimes, it's because the pH of the fish tank is too high (you can check the pH with dip sticks), but more commonly it's the result of a bacterial infection due to stress. Treatment generally involves either :
1. giving antibiotics in the form of adding medication into the tank as a liquid anti-bacterial solution or giving them antibacterial pellets as food.
or
2. you can try the old salt bath treatment for 2-3 days. This may or may not solve the problem for you depending on the severity of the fin rot. - Fish disease 2 - my fish looks like it's gasping for breath and isn't as active as it used to be
This could be a few things - check the ammonia, nitrates and pH of the tank using your test kit. Look out for gill parasites or signs of gill disease eg reddened gills, mucus around the gills. Treatment would depend on the cause. It may be as simple as changing the water (if it's a result of tank parameters being out of whack) or treatment with an anti-parasitic solution if it's gill parasites.
- Fish disease 3 - my gold fish has red (or white) spots on its body
This is usually a sign that parasites are present eg fish lice, anchor worms - treatment involves adding antiparasitic solution into the water.
- Fish disease 4 - my fish seems to have mucus like stuff trailing over the gills and skin
Possible causes include poor water quality (check your water quality) and parasites.
- Fish disease 5 - my gold fish swims upside down all the time and seems to have trouble getting
anywhere
This is a common problem in gold fish (especially the fancy type) - and can be the result of constipation. It is caused by a swim bladder problem that has resulted from a viral, bacterial infection, a disease of the internal organs or the result of constipation. Unfortunately for these fish, there is a very poor cure rate despite interventions like anti-biotics. With fancy gold fish you can try to give them a laxative to see if it's constipation that's causing it - apparently frozen peas are a good laxative for fish. I'm afraid to say that the prognosis for these fish is poor and they don't tend to survive despite all attempts to rectify the situation.
- Fish disease 6 - my fish has ulcers on its body
Most likely to be bacterial. You can try anti-bacterial solutions or giving them anti-bacterial pellets to feed on.
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