Fish Health

There are many ways to acclimate a new pet fish into one of your cycled fish tanks. No matter how gentle you are during the acclimation process, somewhere along the way your new fish is going to...

Ich, a common fish disease, can easily destroy an entire aquarium population if not caught early and treated properly. The parasite causing this condition advances rapidly and will spread from...

Ich is a parasite that can attack fish in aquariums. Ich is also called White Spot Disease because of the small white spots that show up all over the body of the fish. Ich can spread from fish to...

The technical term for ick, or ich, is Ichthyophthirius multifilis, but it is also commonly called White Spot Disease. The presence of ick is identified by the white spots that show up on the...

If there is one syllable that strikes fear into the heart of fish fanciers, it's "ich" (often spelled "ick"). This condition, also known as white spot disease (scientific name ichthyophthiriasis),...

Ick is the most common disease affecting freshwater fish kept in aquariums. Although possibly fatal, several treatments are available. They must be properly administered or serious problems will...

Moving to a new home can be a stressful, hectic, exciting experience. Boxes are stacked all over and you're constantly dealing with this vague notion that you've forgotten something extremely...

While people breath oxygen from the surrounding air, fish are able to process oxygen from the water. Water, or H2O, is made up of both hydrogen and oxygen. However, fish cannot separate these...

While having a pet fish may seem easy and definitely less time-consuming than having a cat or a dog, you still need to treat fish with care. One thing you can do to keep your fish healthy is to...

It doesn't come from sharing hats or having heads too close together. And the school nurse won't be sending anyone home because of them ... but fish lice poses a serious problem for pet fish and...

A mickey fish, also known as Mickey Mouse fish, is a type of platy fish. The name comes from the two small dots (ears) and large dot near the tail of the fish. The mickey fish is a live bearer,...

The Molly Fish is a type of guppy. A Molly Fish is a live bearer, meaning the babies come out of the mother alive. Breeding occurs easily and often for the molly fish if males and females are in a...

The pH level is a measure of the hydrogen ion content in water. The higher the concentration, the more acidic the water. The lower the concentration, the more basic the water. If the water pH...

A pregnant fish may not be as easy to spot as you may think. While most livebearing fish show the telltale bulging belly, in some fish it may not be as obvious. In addition, you will need to watch...

Determining if your fish is pregnant depends on the type of fish you have. If you recently purchased the fish, and it came with an extended belly just below the gills, you should check with the...

The red wag fish is a type of platy. It is a live bearer, meaning its babies come out swimming. Breeding occurs easily and often for the red wag fish if males and females are in a tank together....

Trying to determine if your pet fish is pregnant is a rather easy process. If you have just gotten the fish and don't know what it looked like before pregnancy, you should try and look up a photo...

Fish are highly susceptible to developing infections in their eyes, which can be confusing and frustrating for their owners. Eye infections in fish are caused as a result of fungus or bacteria,...

It is always fun when your pet is expecting! However, it can be difficult to determine whether your fish are pregnant. Since fish are not generally that big to begin with, and you do not usually...

Bettas are a type of tropical freshwater fish known for their bright colors and their potential to be aggressive with other betta fish. Swim bladder disease or disorder is a medical condition...

The swim bladder in fish is a sac located in the abdomen and is how the fish controls and maintains buoyancy in the water. A fish with a swim bladder problem will have trouble swimming or staying...

Veil tail goldfish are very common goldfish known for their fancier tail structure than the standard goldfish. Often kept in bowls with a simple filter, these fish are hardy and easy to keep,...

Saltwater mouth fungus affects marine fish and causes them to lose their appetite or motivation to move. The fish might be reacting to the saltwater or the tank might not be cleaned out properly.

African cichlids can get sick just as any other pet can. They can suffer from bacterial or fungal infections or from parasites. Common parasites include leeches, anchor worms and lice. Just as a...

Flowerhorns are a type of cichlid fish that are very well known for two things: beauty and aggression. While they're a very physically attractive fish, with sparkling scales and a moderate size,...

Fungus on a betta fish appears as white, fluffy, cotton-like growth on the body or the fins. Sometimes the fungus appears to be long strands of white hair. Betta fungus disease is common. Prompt...

Ick, or white spot disease, affects aquarium fish. Ick (also known as ich) is caused by a white parasite that is very small. Stress is the main reason fish suffer from the condition. Stress can be...

Discus fish are popular wet pets due to their strong personalities and bright coloration. However, when they get a swim bladder infection (also called bloat) they can easily be killed by it.

The first symptoms of mouth fungus is a grey or white line around the lips of the fish. This line gives way to gray and white patches that form around the mouth. If left untreated, mouth fungus...

Pond parasites attack and live off the fish you're keeping in your pond. Parasites pierce a fish's skin to suck its blood, and cause the fish to itch. Once the fish's skin is broken, it becomes...

Many people are familiar with fish, but are unsure of the important organs and anatomy exclusive to the fish that helps it survive in its aquatic environment. The fish is highly evolved and its...

Dropsy is another name for bloat. A goldfish suffering from an advanced case of dropsy will puff up, and its scales will stick out like a pine cone. The causes can be varied, ranging from...

Fish make up the largest percentage of vertebrates on earth. There are roughly 22,000 species of fish, and they come in every conceivable shape, size and color. Fish are an integral part of all...

A blood fluke is also known as a gill fluke, fluke worm or simply fluke. Blood flukes are worm parasites that without treatment may eventually kill fish. Flukes can also cause other fish diseases...

Although many fish in the wild and in captivity are egg-laying varieties, some fish do give birth to live young. Known as live-bearers, these fish raise their young to term as any mother would,...

"Ich" is short for Ichthyophthirius multifilius, one of the best known and most common aquarium diseases. Ich is actually a parasitic organism that attacks fish, often because they are weakened or...

The swim bladder allows many bony fish to remain buoyant in water by storing gas in a balloon-like sac.

While there are commercial products designed to remedy issues in the aquarium, some home remedies exist as well. Home remedies are capable of having the same effect on an aquarium as their...

If you're reading this, then chances are pretty good that you have a skeleton. When most of us think of skeletons, we think of the bones in our body holding us up, keeping us from deflating into a...

The guppy, one of the most common fish in the world, is common for a reason. If you've ever had a batch of guppies, then chances are you've also had a batch of baby guppies, probably even several....

Guppies are often purchased through pet stores, and a large number of female guppies are already pregnant by the time they are purchased. This is because male and female guppies are housed...

The pH value in aquarium water refers to how alkaline or acidic the tank water is by measuring the hydrogen ions. Tests record the pH levels in numbers from 1 to 14, with 1 meaning the water is...

Fish are kept by many individuals as pets in ponds or aquariums. If you have fish long enough, you may want them to mate, or they may do so on their own. Every species of fish is capable of...

While living in a tank, a fish or other aquatic pet has no way to swim away from fouled water to fresh. They are stuck with the water they are given. Even with a filter, water agitator and a...

Have you ever seen a fish commit suicide?? Many fish, given the opportunity, will jump out of their tank and onto the floor. This, obviously, is not good. If that ever happens to you and you get...

How to treat Ich in Fish. No those white spots aren't good on your fish. That could be the early stages of Ick, how to stop this from becoming a problem.

Have you ever had a fish die right after you bring him home? Have you ever wanted to have a fish last more than a day or two, or maybe even a few weeks? Well, this article can teach you the most...

A number of different treatment options are available for dealing with sick fish. Many different illnesses can befall one or several fish in a tank, requiring you to take immediate action to save...

You're outside relaxing by your pond, when you notice the water level is low. No big deal it's the middle of summer and the water will evaporate. So you top the water off and don't think about it...

Puffer fish teeth continue to grow constantly. If their teeth are not properly worn down by eating snails or other shelled creatures, their teeth may become so long that they cannot open their...