Diseases & Treatments
No matter how careful you are, you will eventually have a fish that becomes sick. You can treat most sickness and diseases with using enough aquarium salt and daily water changes. However, when you do need to use medications, here's a good list of suggestions.
Here are the most common diseases and how to treat them:
Here are the most common diseases and how to treat them:
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Disease:
Ich
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Symptoms:
Tiny white spots covering the fish, looks like its covered in salt. Fish will usually have clamped fins as well.
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Treatment:
Along with medication, raise the water temp to 80-85degrees and add salt. Some meds that work well are Jungal Ich Guard and Ich Guard II (for small and weak fish, Coppersafe, Maracide and Rid Ich. For Fresh and Saltwater- Kordon Ich Attack |
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Velvet
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Fish looks like it's covered in gold dust.
Use a flashlight or lamp to help you see Velvet on your fish as it is not always easy to spot. Fins will also be clamped. It is the number one killer of fry. |
Coppersafe, Aquarisol, maracide, malachite green. Along with medication, raise temp, add salt as well as keep out light. Velvet is dependent on light so keep the tank totally dark and it will help to eliminate it.
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Internal Parasites
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Thin, weak, lethargic, clamped fins.
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Maracyn-two, Jungal Internal Parasite Guard
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External Parasites
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Parasites on skin of fish. Some may need to be seen with a magnifying glass. Skin will look infected and fish will be trying to rub against objects.
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Clout, Coppersafe, Seachem Paragaurd, API General Cure
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Gill Disease
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Gills are swollen, sometimes only one side.
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Maracyn-Two and API Melafix
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Popeye
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Eye of fish is cloudy and sticks out.
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Maracyn-Two and API Melafix
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Bacterial Infections
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Reddening of skin or open sores and clamped fins.
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Maracyn and API Melafix
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Septicemia
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Bloody red streaks across the body and/or fins, lethargic, clamped fins.
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Maracyn-two, Jungle Fungus Clear, API Furan-2, API Tetracycline, API Erythromiacin
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Fin Rot
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Fins falling apart, red around the edges.
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Water change, (usually just having clean, warm water helps to get rid of Fin Rot.)
Or use API Melafix, Jungle Fungus Clear, API Furan-2 |
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Fungus
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White patches or stringy material on fish, usually around the mouth, eyes or open wounds. Fish not eating, and clamped fins.
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API Fungus Cure, Jungal Fungus Eliminator, Maroxy, Jungle Fungus Clear, API Pimafix
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Columnaris
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White or gray growth/film on body.White spots on mouth, scales, and fins.
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Maracyn, API Furnan-2
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Consitpation
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Swollen belly
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Don't feed for 2-3 days. Then try feeding a cooked pea, it works as a laxative.
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Swim Bladder Disorder
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Fish has trouble swimming. Either floats at the top, or sinks to the bottom.
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Overfeeding can put pressure on the swim bladder. Some will recover, and some may not. Follow constipation treatment.
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Dropsy
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Swollen belly with scales sticking out like a pinecone.
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Dropsy is caused when the kindneys are damaged, it is a secondary infection. Medications may prolong the life of the fish but there is no cure.
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Tuberculosis
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Fish start acting sick and could just die with no warning. Some symptoms include weight loss, lethargy, open sores, raised scales, fin and tail rot.
If your fish are dying everyday in large amounts, it's a good sign it's Tuberculosis. Warning! Humans can contract tuberculosis from fish! It is a potentially deadly disease. |
No cure and highly contagious!
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Body Slime Infection
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Fish is covered in a white film, may have cloudy eyes, lethargic, clamped fins
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PI Tetracycline, API Fungus Cure, API Triple Sulfa, OR Jungle’s Lifeguard
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Hole in the Head
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Holes will appear around the head area and the fish may be lethargic
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API General Cure OR Jungle’s Parasite Clear fizz tablet
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