Fish Health - Identify and Treat Fish Diseases

Treatment of Fish Diseases

Despite all our attempts to keep fish in optimum health, sometimes fish will get sick. When the energy reserves of healthy fish get depleted due to stress the immune system breaks down.

Ailing fish can be afflicted by a wide range of maladies or diseases due to a weakened immune system. From simple physical injuries to viral infections, it is important to identify at least what type of problem you are dealing with. The huge variety of pathogens we deal with fall into a category of four types.

Disease Groups

Fungal

Very few diseases truly involve a fungus. When fungi do attack, they generally follow a similar route. Fungi feed on decaying matter (think mushrooms and mold) and need the same in an aquarium. This generally comes about because of some prior killed tissue, which becomes prone to a fungal attack. Good treatment methods involve an anti-fungal medication such as Malachite Green or a peroxide-based medication.

Viral

Viral diseases can be devastating to a tank’s inhabitants. They are difficult to identify as they show similar symptoms to many bacterial diseases.

Viruses really can’t be cured. Vaccines are used to help prevent (minimize the risk of infection) and of course symptomatic treatment to help relieve the viral effects and support the immune system until the virus runs its course are the typical methods. In an aquarium it can be a challenge to treat the symptoms of a viral disease and the outcome is usually not very successful. If a virus is suspected, isolate the fish from the rest so as not to allow it to spread.

Bacterial

Bacterial diseases run the range when it comes to symptoms in fish. Red sores and ulcers, gray patches, ragged fins and more can be present when bacteria have infected a fish. Unfortunately, such symptoms are not always so visible when dealing with these infections. Recognizing normal behavior of a fish is critical in identifying the presence of a bacterial disease. There are many of these infections out there (i.e., Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, etc.) and treating them is generally accomplished with an antibiotic and most antibiotics are bacteria specific.

Parasitic

Parasitic infections account for 80% of all fish maladies. These diseases are commonly found in all fish but at low levels and only become a problem when the fish is stressed, and its immune system breaks down. This is when the parasite can become opportunistic and overtake the fish’s health.

Most parasitic infections are going to show up at some point externally on the fish. Being visible makes for easy identification and their treatment options very successful.

Hospital Tanks

Hospital tanks (or isolation tanks) are aquariums that are designed specifically for the treatment and care of sick fish. They can be used alternatively as quarantine tanks as well, to monitor the introduction of new fish to the exhibit tank and allow them time to rest from stress.

Its always better to treat fish in a hospital tank, one should never treat an exhibit tank for several reasons---one, it’s better to get an ill fish out of the exhibit tank and away from the other healthy inhabitants and two, it’s best to never put unnecessary chemicals/medications into an otherwise healthy exhibit aquarium.

The hospital tank should be kept and treated as a sterile environment as much as possible to allow the medication to work, the environment kept clean and controlled and the water quality at its highest level.