Water Works Aquatic Centre

I recently got an email from a very concerned fish keeper regarding one of his very well looked after goldfish.  The goldfish had started to develop brown patches on its fins.  After looking at a few different photos of the goldfish it was decided that the illness was probably fungal.

Most common illnesses that captive fish suffer from are easy to spot and identify and are also equally ease to avoid and treat.  Many “off the shelf” treatments and medicines are available which will treat many illnesses or ones that will treat specific problems.  They are also not a thing to be scared of, they are easy to use and generally harmless to all fish.

Here are a few common problems and illnesses that pet fish can suffer from, ways to avoid these illnesses and how best to treat them.

Fungus Or ‘Cotton Wool Disease’

This very common problem is caused by a type of water born becteria.  Early symptoms are slightly off-white patches usually around the mouth or body of the fish.  In more advanced cases this progresses into the more noticeable ‘cotton wool’ growths on the fish.

This disease is nearly always caused by un-favourable water conditions.  This could be a sudden change in certain water parameters, lack of regular water changes and tank maitenance or unsuitable water for certain fish species.

Treating fungal diseases is usually fairly easy.  Offr the shelf treatments such as Waterlifes ‘Protozin’ or Interpets ‘Anti Fungus and Finrot’ work well in early stages.  If these treatments do not work fully on badly infected fish, a mild salt bath may be needed to kill off the remains of the infection.

Prevention of this illness is easy, regular water changes are essential.  The environment that your fish live in is so critical to their health so its vital to get it right.  Regular testing of water can show up any differences or problems that need to be remedied.

Finrot

Finrot is caused by similar bacterias as fungal infections.  Symptoms are very easy to spot as the fins of the fish appear to dissapear or become very reggedwith a white edge to them.  Some bad infections may also have red streaks running through the fins.

Again the causes of this illness are directly related to the fishes environment, see a pattern forming already?  Poor water conditions or lack of tank maintenance is the number one suspect for finrot.

Off the shelf treatments will rememdy most cases of finrot, waterlife ‘Myxazin’ or Interpets ‘Anti Fungus and Finrot’ will work fairly well.

Prevention is again easy as keeping on top of regular water changes and tank maitenance and cleaning.

White Spot or ‘Ich’

White spot is probably one of the most common illnesses in captive fish and is caused by microscopic parasites.  Symptoms are easy to spot at any stage of the illness. Small, round, white cysts that look like small grains of salt appear on the fishes fins, gills and skin.  The fish may also ‘flick’ or scratch on rocks and surfaces.

Causes of the occurence of white spot can vary from fish to fish but is most commonly caused by stress or a weakening of the fish.  Once the parasite has attached to a fish it divides many times and then breaks away and attaches to another fish causing a massive problem of cross contamination.  Therefor all the fish AND the aquarium need to be treated.

Treatment is relatively easy.  Many off the shelf treatments are available for this disease and all work well.  For tough cases that hang around it may be beneficial to increase the temperature of you aquarium or tank slightly as this weakens the parasite.

Avoiding white spot is quite tough.  Although close inspection of any new fish that you are introducing to your existing fish is a good idea.  Also trying to minimise stress on your fish by  keeping regular checks on water quality and ensuring your tank/pond mates are all compatible.

This is just a few of the many illnesses that fish can suffer from.  But following the guidelines above is a good starting point to avoiding many of the problems fish keepers face.

If you need anymore advice or help with diagnosing fish illnesses pop to our website or call us on 01332 865665.