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Introduction
There are literally hundreds of afflictions that can effect the health of your fish. Only the most common of these afflictions are listed here. There are several precautions which can be taken to reduce the possibility of disease and keep it from spreading if it does occur.
· Buy only good-quality, compatible fish.
· Quarantine new fish before adding them to the aquarium. (A hospital tank can be used for this).
· Avoid stressing the fish with rough handling, sudden changes in conditions, or "bully" tankmates.
· Don't overfeed your fish.
· Remove sick fish to a hospital tank for treatment.
· Disinfect nets used to move sick fish.
· Don't transfer water from the quarantine tank to the main aquarium.
· Don't let any metal come in contact with the aquarium water.
The most common maladies seen in home aquaria are usually either bacterial or parasitic in origin. Luckily, most are easily diagnosed and can be treated with success.
In most cases a proprietary treatment purchased at a pet store will work very well so that a proper diagnoses is all you need to worry about. If the treatment is an anti-biotic or copper based, remember to remove all carbon from the filtration system.
Bacterial diseases are usually characterized by red streaks or spots and/or swelling of the abdomen or eye. These are best treated by antibiotics such as penicillin, amoxicillin, or erythromycin. The most common parasitic disease called "Ich" can be treated most effectively with copper or malachite green in the right dosage. Most treatments will have copper as an ingredient. Many water treatments like "Aquari-Sol" will also contain copper as an ingredient.
When using any anti-biotic make sure the biological filtration in your aquarium is not destroyed. Although most of the treatments available at the store state that they will not harm your biological filter, sometimes they will and it is best to either monitor your ammonia and nitrite levels, or use an ammonia remover such as "AmQuel" to be sure your levels of ammonia don't become a problem.
When using any medication which has copper as an ingredient, be aware that most plants will not do as well and that invertebrates, such as snails, will be killed. Indeed, most snail removers are copper based.
Courtesy of Aquaria Central
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