ALKALOSIS
What is it?
This ailment is caused by poor water quality, specifically a high pH. Water should be kept around a pH of 7, varying slightly for different species of fish. Acidosis occurs when water gets lower than about a 8. The skin will become increasingly irritated and may even burn slightly. The fish will produce more mucus to protect itself.

This is a dangerous condition and should be treated immediately and taken seriously.

Symptoms:
Excessive mucus production, browning of gill areas, reddening of skin, burns, jumping and lethargy.

Cure:
The cure is simple: correct the pH! Test using a pH testing kit and follow the instructions to fix the problem.
Also make sure you are maintaining high water quality by changing one third of the water once a week and always checking the water parameters. Regular water changes will prevent this problem occurring most of the time. However if it is excessively high, there might be an underlying problem.



Remember, water quality is always extremely important- so always check that first as it is often the cause of disease in aquarium fish. When treating sick fish, try to put the least amount of stress on them as possible, as stress will hinder the heeling process. Another thing is to remember is that generally, a healthy fish is a happy fish.

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