COMMON DISEASES

ANCHOR WORMS

SYMPTOMS: Threadlike worms hanging from the fish, the base of the worm may be red.

TREATMENT: I have never had to treat this disease but two medications that may be used are Coppersafe and Parasite Guard.

HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA

SYMPTOMS: Red streaks on fins usually near the body with no signs of skin damage.

TREATMENT: I have never had to treat this disease but I have read that Fungus Eliminator and Maracyn-Two can be used to treat this.

CLOUDY EYE

SYMPTOMS: The eye developes a cloudy, white film over it. It may be a bacterial problem or caused by poor water quality.

TREATMENT: If it is bacterial an Antibiotic such as Tetracycline or TriSulfa may help. Other medications that may be used are Maracyn-Two and Fungus Eliminator. Regular water changes may help reduce the problem as well.

FUNGUS

SYMPTOMS: The fish has patches of white or gray cottony, fuzzy puffs attached to its skin, fins or in wounds.

TREATMENT: I have found fungus is easily treated when caught in time. I have had success using Fungus Eliminator, another medication that can be used is MarOxy. Treatment in a hospital tank is recommended.

GILL FLUKES

SYMPTOMS: The fish scrapes itself against objects, gills pump fast and may appear red, the gills or fins may be eaten away, mucous covers the gills or body.

TREATMENT: I have never treated this disease but I have read that two medications available to treat Gill Flukes are Coppersafe and Parasite Guard.

INTERNAL PARASITES

SYMPTOMS: Fish may act listless, turn darker in color, have a loss of appetite, lose weight and have long, white, stringy feces.

TREATMENT: In my opinion internal parasites are difficult to cure, although not impossible. Metronidizol is the most common medication used to treat this disease. I have had success using Parasite Clear tablets in combination with medicated flake food that contains Metronidizol, if the fish will eat.

FIN AND TAIL ROT

SYMPTOMS: The tail and/or fins are frayed or ragged. This is a bacterial disease that usually attacks weak or slightly damaged fin edges and eventually works its way toward the body.

TREATMENT: Treatment should be done in a hospital tank with an Antibiotic that is made to treat this disease. Medications that can used to treat this are Maracyn, Binox and Fungus Eliminator. I have had success treating this with Fungus Eliminator.

VELVET

SYMPTOMS: Very small white speckles on fish, it resembles a dusting of fine powder. The white pustules are finer than that of ick and are located mainly on the body of the fish. It can be caused by poor water quality as well as by stress or chilling during transportation.

TREATMENT: Velvet is suppose to be easier to cure than Ick because the life cycle is shorter. I have never had to treat this disease but some medications used for treatment are Velvet Guard, Coppersafe, Maracide and Super Velvet.

DROPSY

SYMPTOMS: The body will have general swelling and the scales often protrude, resembling a pinecone. The eyes may also bulge. Dropsy is a bacterial disease that attacks almost all the internal organs of the fish, causing fluids to concentrate in body tissue or cavities. Tuberculosis causes similar symptoms as Dropsy.

TREATMENT: From what I have read, Dropsy is not very infectious, although I have never been able to cure it. The best treatment for this is gram negative Antibiotics such Furan or Kanamycin Sulfate. I have also read that Maracyn-Two may be used. Treatment in a hospital tank is recommended.

POPEYE

SYMPTOMS: One or both eyes protrude from the socket. This may be caused from, fighting, bacteria, tumor or over-aerated water. If left untreated, the eye may bulge out so far that the eye can pop out of the socket, resulting in the loss of an eye.

TREATMENT: If it was caused by over-aeration, turn the power head water stream adjustment to its lowest setting. Temporarily shut off the air to the power heads, and allow the air pump to be the only source of air. Observe the Popeye for a few days, if this was the problem, the eye should begin to recede. If no improvement is noticed, it may be because the problem is bacterial. Medications that may help are Furan, Kanamycin Sulfate, Tetracycline and Maracyn-Two. Treatment in a hospital tank is reccommended.

ICK

SYMPTOMS: Little white dots resembling salt or sugar granules. This is probably the most common parasitic disease among tropical fish. It is almost always present in aquariums and can become visible if the fish's resistance is weakened from poor water conditions, overcrowding, stress or an improper diet. A new fish that has recently been added to the tank can also be a carrier of ick. The best prevention is to maintain optimum water quality and quarantine any new fish before adding them to your tank, this will enable you to observe the new arrival and monitor them for an diseases.

TREATMENT: Treating ick can be done in a hospital tank, although I prefer to treat the entire tank to prevent any tankmates from becoming infected. There are many ICK medications such as Clout, Malachite Green, Ick Guard and Coppersafe. Personally I have had the best success with Coppersafe.

HOLE-IN-THE-HEAD

SYMPTOMS: This is a parasitic disease which affects the head and/or lateral line. The fish has tiny round holes in the head area, usually with stringy-looking white worms inside the holes. Discus and other large cichlids, especially Oscars, are especially prone to HITH. It is said that this is caused by feeding feeder fish in the diet, but poor water quality and poor diet can contribute to the spread of this disease. Often the fish will stop eating.

TREATMENT: I have never had to treat HITH but an effective treatment is the drug Metronidazol. I have also read that Hole-In-The-Head Guard works well. If the fish is eating combining a medicated food which contains Metronidazol will also help. It is recommended to treat in a hospital tank. Even though I have never treated HITH, I did have a very similar, horrible disease afflict one of my Discus and I used Parasite Clear tablets to cure him.

SWIM BLADDER DISEASE

SYMPTOMS: The fish has a buoyancy problem and may float to the surface, sink to the bottom, swim with it's head down, do somersaults through the water or do headstands in the gravel. In the later stages of the disease, the fish may lose its balance or swim upside down. The key to swim bladder diagnosis is that no other signs of disease are present and the water conditions are ideal. Since enviromental conditions can affect the equilibrium of the fish, pay special attention to the density and temperature of the water.

TREATMENT: There is no specific medical treatment for swim bladder disorder and I have never been able to cure this disease. If the origin of the problem is not from disease, a fish may recover on it's own. If the water conditions are normal and the fish is eating, and no signs or symptoms are noticed, the cause may be from a bacterial infection. The best treatment to try is a broad spectrum gram negative Antibiotic such as Furan or Kanamycin Sulfate. Treatment in a hospital tank is recommended.