In clean and well-groomed aquariums, fish are very rarely sick. But even aquarists with a lot of experience sometimes have to face fish diseases. If the disease is found in time and take all the necessary measures, you can avoid the death of aquarium pets.
External signs of diseases of aquarium fish
Regular monitoring of the condition of aquarium fish and their behavior allows you to detect most diseases at an early stage. During this period, the infected fish has not weakened yet, and the probability of infection of healthy fish is minimal. Correctly established diagnosis is the key to successful treatment of any disease of aquarium fish. This will allow you to select the necessary medicines that will not affect healthy fish and plants .
Almost all diseases of aquarium fish have similar external signs. These include lethargy, decreased appetite, and as a result, weight loss, discoloration, loss of orientation during swimming. Fish with such signs are recommended to move to quarantine, and closely monitor it. Water in the aquarium should be checked for the content of harmful impurities, using a special test.
To the external manifestations of diseases in fish are also signs of irritation. With them, fish have chaotic movements with sudden throwings and throws, rapid movement of the gills, jumps, yawning and convulsions. In combination with such signs on gills or skin, irritations may also appear.
Characteristic diseases of aquarium fish
All aquarium fish are prone to disease, the symptoms and treatment of which are caused by chemical, physical or infectious factors.
Chemical or physical factors cause chlorine poisoning, anoxia or oxygen deficiency, temperature shock, alkaline disease, obesity and gas embolism.
Under the influence of infections, the most common occurrence in fish is white skin, exophthalmia or blight, plafophorosis, fin rot, gyrodactylosis, and glueosis.
Symptoms of major diseases and methods of treatment
These diseases of aquarium fish have their own characteristic symptoms, which must be paid attention when changing their behavior.
- White-skinned . With the development of this disease in fish, the appearance of white spots in the tail and dorsal fin. Fish often stay close to the surface. Infected fish are placed in a separate container. In 1 liter of water it is necessary to dissolve 200 mg of levomycetin and add the resulting solution to the aquarium with fish. In quarantine, diseased fish should be kept for 5 days.
- Exophthalmia . The main symptom of this disease is eyelashes. The eyes of the fish swell and literally fall out of their orbits. The disease occurs due to poor water and a lack of vitamins in the diet. Treatment consists in a systematic change of water and inclusion in the diet of high-quality feed.
- Plistophorosis . The disease is provoked by amoeboid sporoviki. During the disease, the color of the fish dims, the coordination of movement is disturbed, the fish do not eat well. To date, this disease is considered incurable. In this case, you must destroy all fish, and disinfect the aquarium.
- Rotting of the fins . Most often occurs due to deterioration of water quality in the aquarium. The source can also be the aggression of other fish. With this disease, the fins deform, the edges become uneven, and their surface also decreases. Treatment is to increase the quality of water. If the cause is the aggressive behavior of other fish, the patient should be better placed in a separate container until complete recovery.
- Gyrodactylosis . The disease can affect only one type of fish in the aquarium. The color of the body may become cloudy and cover with a touch, and the eyes become clouded as well. At the time of treatment, the fish are isolated and a copper sulfate solution is used as a medicine, based on 15 ml per 10 liters of water.
- Glugueoz . The most dangerous disease, during which almost all vital organs are damaged. An infected fish can swim on one side, tumors appear on its body and a glaucoma appears. This disease is incurable. When it occurs, all living creatures must be destroyed and the aquarium disinfected.
Preventative methods
The most important condition for the prevention of diseases of aquarium fish is their maintenance under good conditions. Parasites and pathogens are present in each aquarium, but they have no chance to infect fish with a healthy immune system.
The main preventive measures to prevent diseases of aquarium fish include the maintenance of a healthy habitat with high water quality, the correct diet. Aquarium is not recommended to overpopulate, and also to settle together fish, some of which can cause stress in others.