How to Diagnose Your Fish's Ailment

One sick fish today could lead to a sick tank tomorrow. Finding out what is ailing your scaly friend could save the tank community.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Aquarium Air Pumps
• Aquarium Filters
• Aquarium Filtration Supplies
• Aquarium Fish Nets
• Aquarium Heaters
• Aquarium Lights
• Aquarium Thermometers
• Aquarium Water Conditioners
• Saltwater Test Kits
• Freshwater Water Test Kits
• Tropical Fish

1. See if any foreign object has fallen into the tank.

2. Check for dead animals in the tank. If you find one, remove it immediately and inspect it carefully for signs of illness.

3. Check the tank temperature. Heat can kill fish in a hurry. Sudden changes in temperature - especially cooling - can prompt an infection.

4. Check the pumps and tubing. Ensure that aeration is adequate.

5. See if the filters are clogged. Be sure the filter media is clean and doesn't need to be replaced. Cloudy water is a sure sign that there's a problem.

6. Be sure the fish are adequately fed. Very hungry fish will take bites of other fish in the tank. Also beware of overfeeding, which can change ammonia and nitrite levels radically.

7. Watch for fish with poor appetites. This could be due to competition from more dominant fish, a new environment, a parasitic infection or inappropriate food.

8. Check the fish for red or bleeding gills, and note whether a fish is gasping for air at the surface. In these situations, suspect ammonia poisoning, which has no cure. It's common in new and full tanks and causes permanent damage to the gills.

9. Do a chemical test. Check ammonia and nitrite levels, as well as pH levels. Water quality is the culprit in many fish illnesses. Low pH and ammonia or nitrite poisoning will cause dark coloring in fish, an increase in skin mucus, erratic swimming and gasping for air.

10. Watch for abnormal behavior such as odd swimming patterns, refusing to eat, hiding more than usual, sluggishness or extreme aggression.

11. Notice darting in normally sedate fish, which indicates water quality problems, skin parasites or stray voltage from faulty equipment.

12. Check for head standing, lying flat, floating upside down or sideways and poorly coordinated swimming. These are symptoms of either a swim bladder infection or an intestinal obstruction. These problems are caused by overfeeding or by eating dry food too quickly.

13. Check for darker coloration in fish, which can indicate chemical imbalances in the water, parasites or bacterial infections.

Tips & Warnings

• Note all of the water parameters, even if you think you know the cause of your fish's illness. A change in water quality can provoke potential infections. Even with a correct diagnosis, it can be very hard to treat a problem without also taking care of the water imbalance.
• If you decide to take your fish to a veterinarian, find one specializing in ichthyological diseases - diseases in fish.

[walter222]

on 5/20/2009 The sick fish is a NeonTetra but the sickness described below usually doesn't affect Neon Tetras I don't think.I can't find anything else close enough for a diagnosis. Neon Disease (Sporozoasis)S: This incurable disease can affect characins, Cyprinds, and cichlids. The disease can manifest itself in several ways. Symptoms vary, and can include a loss of color, emaciation, and the loss of equilibrium causing fish to swim in an erratic, jerky manner. An infected specimen will wander from its school. The body may become a milky, opaque color. A: Since this disease is not treatable, the best way to prevent its spread is to immediately remove the affected fish, and destroy it. Disinfect the tank after removing other fish. The above sickness describes my fish with the exception of a bulging belly.Its not an intestinal infection because he can swim perfectly normal.The belly swells up and g...

on 11/22/2005 Fuzzy, whitish fungus sometimes appears on goldfish. Buy salt without iodine. Sprinkle two small pinches in the bowl with the fish and every time you change the water, which should be more often. [See Freshwater Ich http://faq.thekrib.com/disease-fw.h