Body Slime Disease in Tropical Fish

When dealing with tropical fish illness and disease, it's always a good idea to have a good guidebook at your side. We recommend this book as a handy desktop reference.

Sometimes this type of disease, which is highly infectious, takes hold in your tank before you know it. Occasionally an aquarium owner will find a fish whose color seems a bit dull, but who is still apparently healthy. Then they begin acting sluggish, their fins become frayed, and if the grayish discoloration has reached their gills, they can be close to death.

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Body slime disease in tropical fish is caused by a protozoa, with two or three being the chief culprits. There is Costia (Ichtybodo, not Necatrix, which is rare), Cyclochaeta (Trichodina) and the most difficult to treat, Chilodonella. Once it is in the aquarium, it's multiplying, which means you're going to have to treat the environment, while removing the sickest fish to a hospital tank.

Whatever medication you use for the home aquarium, remember to remove the activated charcoal from your filtration system, as this will affect the level of medication in the water. At the same time, you may raise the tank temperature to 86F if the fish will withstand the change, and add a small amount of aquarium salt in the recommended proportion to the tank capacity. Salt baths are beneficial for many conditions, and at a low concentration are generally not harmful to the inhabitants.

Treat the sick fish with specific medications in the hospital tank, and observe carefully for a few days. If there is no improvement, it's possible the strain of protozoa is Chilodonella, for which you may need other medications. In extreme cases, consult your vet or an experienced hobbyist, about using a salt and formalin bath.

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Recommended! A-Z of Tropical Fish Diseases and Health Problems: The aim of this book is to help aquarists recognize signs of illness so they can identify and resolve problems. Divided into three sections, the first focuses on health and husbandry, describing the signs of a healthy fish, anatomy and general care; the second provides signs of diseases and health problems and is cross-referenced to section three, which covers the treatment of diseases and health problems. Illustrated throughout with top-quality color photos, the book is an invaluable reference for novice to experienced fishkeepers. Click here for your copy.