How to Tell if Your Tropical Fish Is Sick

By eHow Pets Editor

Rate: (15 Ratings)

If your fish appears sick, examine the water quality, diet and social structure of fish in the aquarium. It helps to know what's normal in order to determine what's not.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1
Inspect your fish's scales for wounds, discoloration and growths. Missing scales could be a sign of fighting.
Step2
Observe the fish's respiratory rate - if it's slower or faster than normal, that could indicate problems.
Step3
Check the clarity of its eyes. There should be no blood or cloudiness.
Step4
Look for abnormal behavior, such as sluggishness or an unusual swimming pattern.
Step5
Consult a veterinarian.

Tips & Warnings

  • Monitor the condition of your fish regularly.
  • Bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections arise from poor water-quality control.

Comments

| View All Comments
Anonymous

Anonymous said

Flag This Comment

on 11/22/2005 I usually find that if my fish gets sick, it will just slow down until it eventually stops. If all your other fish are still normal, you know that the fish is sick. Try feeding your fish. If all the other fish race to the food and that one either has no interest and doesn't move, or stays fairly close to the bottom and moves slowly, it's not a good sign.

View All

Post a Comment

POST A COMMENT

Request a New How-To Article

Looking for more How To information? Chances are there’s an eHow member who knows how to do what you’re looking to do. Submit an article request now!

eHow Article:  How to Tell if Your Tropical Fish Is Sick

eHow Pets Editor

eHow Pets Editor

Category: Pets

Articles: See my other articles

Related Ads