Free Articles on Pets and Animals and many other topics
Another free Pets and Animals article for you by Moses Wright
Titled: How to Identify and Treat Common Aquarium Diseases Get the Pets and Animals category RSS Feed

How to Identify and Treat Common Aquarium Diseases

Article Summary: This article reveals that most fishes can live long and healthy lives as long as suitable living conditions are provided. In fact, one of the highest chances for fish owners to experience fish loss is mainly due to the occurrence of common fish diseases. Explain the common fish diseases, symptoms and how to seek treatment.

Most fishes can live long and healthy lives as long as suitable living conditions are provided. In fact, one of the highest chances for fish owners to experience fish loss is mainly due to the occurrence of common fish diseases.

One common fish disease is ICH. It is a fish disease where the infected fish gets white spots all over its body. When a fish is sick it is important to check for those white spots of the size and shape of the grains of salt over its skin. Such a affliction is caused by Ichthyophthirius in tanks containing freshwater and Cryptocaryon antigens in the saltwater tanks. ICH may affect the eyes and the insides of the mouth and gills of the fish besides the body of the fish.

Should there be strange behaviors and signs such as a difficulty in breathing and a gasping for oxygen, or even a constant need for the fish to scrape its body along other objects, a likely cause would be ICH. A disinterest in food is another sign along with the indicators already mentioned earlier. The fishes seldom can fight ICH by themselves. They have to be provided copper sulfur medication to cure them. Antibiotic medication should be provided after the parasites are gone, in order to prevent them from recurring.

Velvet is a common bacteria with very similar signs to ICH, however, the spots on the body of the fish is smaller and dustier. Sometimes the spots may be gray or gold in color. The spots will be tinier and so they are more difficult to spot and attention should be paid to this aspect. Fishes that have contracted Velvet display similar symptoms to ICH, and will abrade itself against objects or show difficulty in breathing by trying to gulp in air near the surface of the water especially if the gills are infected. Copper medication treatment is recommended for Velvet as with ICH by most of the veterinarians.

A fungal infection may also develop quite commonly in fishes which appear in gray or white color over the body of the fish. They usually appear in the fins or the mouth of the fish as well. An injury to the fish induced by another fish may also be the cause of this disease. Open wounds are highly prone to fungal infections. Suitable cures for fungal diseases are readily available from your local pet shop and can also be procured from pet suppliers registered online with ease.

Bacterial infection is a common occurrence among fishes. If you notice orange or red spot on the scales of the fishes, they are most probably bacterial infection. Dropsy is one of the most common bacterial infections. If the fish looks distended or has scales that bulge out, it is a sign that the infection is attacking the insides of the fish and it is. The fish exhibits loss of appetite and is lethargic. Medications such as penicillin, naladixic acid and tetracycline are most commonly used to cure bacterial infections.

Proper prevention measures can save your fishes from getting prone to diseases and the hassles in treating them. The best way to provide a healthy environment for the fishes is to keep the aquarium clean. You should check for aggressive fishes that attack weak fishes and try to keep them separate. The size of the fish tank, fish types and quality of the water should be checked constantly too.

Dear in mind that the fishes can still fall prey to infections and afflictions at some juncture despite your best efforts. It is important to try to cure the disease as soon as possible to reduce the chances of it spreading and contaminating other fishes.

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

About the Author:
Moses Wright
Moses Wright has been a pet fish lover since young and now he loves to help fellow fish owners solve their pet problems and aquarium fish care problems whenever he can on his site web.