There is nothing worse that feeling you get at the first signs of disease in your tropical fish tank. Fear not, many fish ailments easy to treat, provided they are nipped in the bud at the first chance. Here’s a quick guide to some of more common diseases and treatments.
Ich or White Spot
The symptoms of this disease are small white dots, appearing a little like grains of sugar sprinkled on the fish. This is a common parasite. Fish often carry the disease without showing any symptoms unless there is poor water quality in the tropical aquarium, or the fish becomes stressed and their immune systems are compromised. Ich can easily be treated with medication if caught in time.
Fungus
Grayish cotton wool like patches on the skin or gills usually point to fungus. This is caused by decaying matter building up in the tropical fish tank. It usually clears up quite easily with medication if it has not progressed too far.
Fin Rot
Fin Rot is prevalent where there is poor water quality or the fish have become stressed, and is demonstrated by ragged, split fins. Again, fin rot can be treated with medication. You should inspect tank regularly to ensure your fishes’ fins are in good condition as fin rot requires immediate treatment.
Flukes
This is a parasite which attacks the skin or gills and is demonstrated by the fish’s cloudy skin and flicking or rubbing against ornaments or substrate. Poor water quality can cause flukes to multiply very quickly and it is therefore imperative that fish are treated as soon as symptoms are noticed.
When medicating tropical aquariums it is very important to follow the medication instructions very carefully. Isolating sick fish in a quarantine tank is the ideal precaution in containing any disease. If that option is not available to you, however, we recommend a 30% water change at least to improve water quality. Good water quality through careful aquarium maintenance is the best prevention of tropical fish disease in tropical aquariums. Do remember to use a water treatment to remove chlorine and chlorimine from tap water, and be sure to remove any carbon from your filter before adding medication otherwise the medication will be absorbed by the carbon.
Lindsay Coope
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