How To Diagnose Sick Fish

Once an Aquarium has been set up and is well stocked with a variety of fish it becomes a pleasure to watch the coming and goings in the fish tank. This is the time when you can really enjoy the little world that you have created. With time you will come to understand how the fish act and gain a sense of their normal behavior. At times this behavior may change and could be down to a number of reasons from the fish becoming stressed, spawning or developing an illness. It is important to be responsive to these changes and determine what might be the problem. This article will deal with when your fish develop an illness. It will discuss the types of problems a fish can suffer from. How to diagnose a sick fish by their behavioral changes and what you can do to cure the illness.

The most obvious way to determine a sick fish is to view it's body for any unusual spots or growths. Ich is a common illness characterized by white spots around the gills or on the body. Ich is a species of ciliate protozoa that is often introduced by snails, new fish or caused by changes in the water condition. Should you notice these distinctive white spots you can treat the tank by adding chemicals that will kill the ciliate protozoa. You can also quarantine fish that may be infected until they are healthy.

Another way to determine that your fish may be sick is to notice it's changed behavior. A common symptom of illness is flashing. Flashing is when the fish appears to be scratching itself on the substrate or rocks and wood in the tank. Flashing could be a sign that the fish is developing an infection on the body.

The fish may also be swimming erratically. This might include darting around the fish tank, moving up to the surface or spinning round on itself in a constant motion. This erratic behavior indicates that the fish is stressed in some way. This may be because the water condition has changed or that the fish is suffering from some kind of illness. As many conditions that affect fish can be attributed to poor water quality it is important to check the water condition first. This could solve the problem immediately and in the future.

Another behavior that might indicate a problem is that the fish are staying around the filter or on the surface a lot. This indicates that they are trying to get more oxygenated water and again might be due to the water quality or may be an illness.

Once you have attained as much physical and behavioral data as possible about the fish you could then consult a fish disease book or visit a website on fish disease. These media often have diagnostic questionnaires on the condition and behavior of the fish. They will ask questions about the fish and help you to determine the problem with the fish and the appropriate action to take.

As a last resort you could take a skin scrape or biopsy of the fish and have the sample diagnosed by a professional. Of course this could create more stress for the fish that could make the condition worse and it is quite costly.

Water condition is the most important factor to consider when keeping your fish healthy. Diligent care of the water and habitat will ensure that your fish don't suffer from any of the common illnesses. If they do however you can follow the advice listed and take the appropriate action.

How to Tell If Your Fish Are Sick

One of the things us Aquarists always worry about is the health of our fish. With a dog or a cat you can quickly tell if they are sick, but with a fish it is more difficult. But how can you tell if your fish are sick?

Diseases

There are many different types of fish diseases that your fish can develop. The diseases can come from bacterial, fungal or parasitic diseases.

Your fish can even develop illnesses from physical ailments, too. These usually develop from the poor quality of their environment requiring them to gasp for air Aggressive tank mates can cause illnesses by nipping fins of other fish.

Spotting Sick Fish

If your fish develops a sickness you want to treat them right away to prevent them from getting sicker and even dying. There are many remedies in your local pet store that will cure your fish if they are sick if you spot if quickly.

There are a few ways you can quickly identify if your fish are sick.

First if you are an Aquarist, you need to know the fish in your aquarium. You should know their personalities and their habits to be able to quickly identify sickness. By knowing this, you will be able to understand when your fish are telling you they are sick.

If your fish is sick, their whole routine will change because they know there is something wrong with them. A sick fish will stop eating and even lose weight. If your fish has vibrant colors and becomes sick or even stressed, their colors will become dull.

Some diseases will cause your fish to not swim as rapidly as they did before, some of your fish may even swim near the surface and upside down. Yet other diseases, such as Flukes, will cause your fish to swim rapidly.

Another sign that your fish is sick is if you notice it rubbing against the substrate or other objects in your aquarium. This is common for fish that contract a parasite such as Ick.

You may notice other things wrong with your sick fish, such as their fins rotting away or a change in color. You may even notice spots of a variety colors on your sick fish.

Illnesses Your Fish Can Develop

If you have an aquarium you will more than likely develop some kind of illness in your fish. How can you prevent your fish from developing an illness and what illnesses can your fish develop?

How Fish Develop Illnesses

Your fish are really healthy little guys. But they can get in to trouble if they become stressed. Stress will cause their immune system to become less effective so that they will become vulnerable to an illness.

So the key to preventing illness in your fish is to not cause conditions that will stress your fish. Activities that can stress your fish are:

Over Feeding
Sudden Temperature Change
Over Crowding
Poor Water Quality
Inconsistent Lighting
Illnesses Fish Can Develop

There are several different kinds of illnesses your fish can develop. Here are a few of the major ones your fish can contract:

Constipation - Yes your fish can become constipated. Serving them the same old food everyday usually causes this. You can tell they are constipated when they stop eating and you see their body swells. Try serving them different types of food. I give my fish flakes, blood worms, brine shrimp and some algae wafers. Which is quite a variety.

Internal Bacteria - When your fish develop this illness you will see their body swell, they will also become listless, grow darker in color and may even die. To attack this you will need to treat the whole tank with antibiotics. This treatment will help all your fish, even those that are not sick.

Ick - When you get this your fish will look like they have white spots all over their body. You again will need to treat the whole tank with one of the many treatments available. Once you spot it you need to start treatment immediately. I keep a cure at home so I can start the treatment right away.

Fungus - You will notice this on the body of your fish. It appears as a white substance where your fish has damaged their skin. Again treat the whole tank with an anti-fungal treatment.

Tumors - Unfortunately this condition is usually untreatable. But the good news is it may not affect their quality of life.
Conclusion

The best way you can prevent your fish from developing certain illnesses is not to stress them. If they do develop some condition, it needs to be treated right away to prevent the condition from spreading.