Diseases of Freshwater 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.

Sooner or later, every hobbyist will have to deal with some aspect of disease in their freshwater tropical fish. Preventative care is your best defense against disease, including proper temperature of the water, regular testing for PH, appropriate filtration/oxygen supply, good nutrition etc. But when your fish do present symptoms, it may be for one of the following common problems.

· Mouth Fungus (Columnarius): Shows as a cottony substance on the fish’s body. Treat with anti-fungal medication and a salt bath (1tsp. aquarium salt per gallon).

· Fin Rot: Not to be confused with damage from other fish. Soft tissue of the fins begins to disintegrate, as opposed to the tears and sharper edges from having tissue bitten. Treat as soon as symptoms are noticed. Although severe damage may not occur for several days, secondary infection may set it.

· Gill Disease: Should not be confused with environmental problems such as overcrowding, or inadequate air filtration. Fish may gravitate to tank bottom and remain inactive while gasping. Gill disease, which is relatively rare, would show definite disintegration of the gill, where environmental issues would be more likely to cause signs such as red streaks on the gills.

· Dropsy: Fish appear bloated, and scales stand out from the body. Dropsy is usually a symptom of bacterial disease, and not an illness in itself. Medications can be used, but are not always successful. Check water conditions.

· White Spot (Ichthyophthirius): Commonly known as “ich”, this seems to appear frequently in new aquariums. Isolate the sick fish, and treat the tank as a preventative measure.

· Eye Fluke: A white, filmy substance over the eye. Can be treated with medication. However, eye problems can also be related to a tank that is not clean, or tap water that has not been treated to bring the PH level to where it should be.

· Anchor Worm (Lernea): Tiny parasitic worms that cling to the fish’s skin. First symptom may be the fish scraping itself against rocks or other tank contents. A crustacean parasite, Lernea can be brought in from another tank or new pet shop fish. There are medications specific to this species of parasite.

Currently there are only four compounds, comprised of six ingredients, approved for use by the FDA in medicating aquatic species:

1 ectoparaside (formalin)
1 anesthetic (methane tricaine sulfonate)
2 antibiotics (oxytetracycline and a potentiated sulfonamide).

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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.