Aquarium fish, like other pets, can get sick. In the article I will talk about common diseases, the signs by which they are recognized, and also give advice on treatment and prevention.
Main diseases of aquarium fish and methods of treatment at home
Familiarization with the signs various diseases will help you avoid buying sick fish, because aquarium inhabitants are susceptible to infection at any age, regardless of species.
Cockerels, as well as fry of all varieties, are considered one of the most unprotected species. Some diseases are so serious that the purchased pet can die literally after bringing it home.
Time really plays a decisive role in this matter.
Alkalosis or alkaline disease
Alkaline disease can be provoked by too soft acidified water, which becomes so with excessive lighting and large quantities vegetation in the aquarium.
Signs indicating alkalosis:
- tarnish color;
- allocation gill mucus;
- movements are accompanied by convulsive twitching;
- spreading the fins to the sides.
Treatment at home consists of replacing water, the acidity of which corresponds to 7-8.5 pH. They also check the amount of vegetation and adjust the lighting regime.
Plistiphorosis
Main signs of the disease:
- refusal to eat, rapid exhaustion;
- color becomes pale;
- gray and whitish spots form under the skin;
- impaired coordination of movement while swimming;
- gluing fins.
Unfortunately, there are no drugs for plistophorosis, so infected fish die.
It is important to remove the diseased fish when the first signs are detected, and transfer the rest to another container with clean water. The aquarium is thoroughly disinfected (with chlorine or potassium permanganate), the plants are thrown away, and the soil is calcined for disinfection.
Columnaria
The cause of the disease is infection with the rod-shaped bacterium Flexibacter columnaris.
The following manifestations indicate the disease:
- formation near the fish's body or mouth white cotton wool(clouds);
- decreased appetite and activity.
For treatment, it is necessary to place the pet in another container into which phenoxyethanol is added. In addition, baths are made using the drug Merbromin or methylene blue. When internal tissues are damaged, antibiotics are used.
Cold
The cause of the disease lies in a violation of the temperature regime characteristic of each type of fish.
You can recognize the problem by the following symptoms:
- lethargic behavior fish, stick to the surface;
- color fades;
- fin pressing;
- the gills darken and become swollen;
- due to decreased immunity, secondary infection is possible.
Compliance with the conditions for keeping pets, in particular bringing the water to the desired temperature, will help correct the situation.
Gas embolism
The disease is caused by oversaturation of water with oxygen. In this case, the fish’s blood vessels become clogged, which impairs blood circulation.
Main features:
- sudden change in behavior;
- swimming on the side;
- immobility of gill covers;
- air bubbles on the walls of the aquarium, plants and soil.
When bubbles accumulate in the vessels, the fish dies. To eliminate the problem, it is necessary to adjust the operation of the filter and aerator and remove excess plants.
Branchiomycosis
Fungal infection (Branchiomyces demigrans and Branchiomyces sanguinis) affecting the gills of fish.
A decrease in activity and appetite, and the appearance of anomalies in the gill area should alert you. Treatment is carried out with fungicidal drugs after diagnosis has been established.
To determine the problem, tests are taken on the pet.
Saprolegniosis
The causative agent of the disease is Saprolegnia fungi.
Used to treat antifungal drugs(dissolve streptocide tablet in water). They also make baths from solutions:
- table salt (5%);
- malachite green oxalate;
- rivanol;
- formalin, etc.
Tuberculosis of fish in an aquarium
The disease is caused by infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium piscium. The most susceptible to the disease are fish belonging to the following families: tropical carp, characin, labyrinth, and carp.
It is easier to cure in the early stages, when the fish is still eating (add kanamycin to the food in an amount of 10 mg per 10 g of food).
Main signs: decreased activity and appetite. More complex forms of tuberculosis are incurable, so the fish are disposed of and the aquarium is carefully treated.
Hexamitosis
The disease is caused by the flagellate entering the stomach, which is possible when using low-quality food, contaminated vegetation or water.
The problem can be recognized by the exhaustion of the pet, white thread-like excrement, and ulcers formed on the body and head. The fish’s digestive system is disrupted, its scales darken, and its appetite worsens.
Treatment consists of the following methods:
- baths with the addition of ritrocycline and griseofulvin;
- mixing feed with Ichthyovit, sera Fishtamin, sera bakto, ZMF Hexa-ex;
- use of the drug calomel (0.5 g of product per 250 g of feed).
Costiosis
Reproduction of flagellates occurs by fission in two.
Maximum activity was observed at a temperature of 25-28 degrees.
The main signs indicating the disease:
- desire to itch about something;
- restless behavior;
- attacks of suffocation;
- decreased appetite;
- formation of mucus on the gills;
- appearance gray plaque on the body.
Formaldehyde baths are used as treatment (add 2 ml of 40% formaldehyde solution to 10 liters of water).
You can also use a solution of free chlorine (1 ml per 1 liter of water). The treatment period is 5-7 days.
Asphyxia
Suffocation occurs when the environment is insufficiently enriched with oxygen. More often, such cases occur when the aerator is not working properly or the aquarium is overcrowded.
The following symptoms indicate a problem:
- openness of gill covers;
- intense breathing movements.
The situation can be corrected by urgently relocating the pets to another container with sufficient oxygen. It is also worth adjusting the operation of the aerator and cleaning the container from food debris and debris more often.
Ammonia poisoning and its external signs
With insufficient care of the aquarium, rare changes of water, lack of regular cleaning and a dense population of fish, the water becomes polluted with waste products of the inhabitants.
The disease is recognized by the following signs:
- external darkening of color scales;
- fish stay on the surface, some species try to jump out of the aquarium;
- damage to the gill part.
To eliminate problems, it is necessary to replace most of the water in the container, increase aeration, and clean decorative items.
Disease Prevention
Most diseases of aquarium fish develop due to violations of the maintenance conditions.
Therefore, the main preventive measure is the creation of conditions favorable for the life of a particular species of fish and their constant maintenance.
Other precautions include:
- regular monitoring water indicators(temperature, acidity, hardness, presence of salts, etc.);
- compliance with the regime feeding and norms;
- use only quality feed, varied diet;
- timely cleaning of the aquarium, changing water;
- proper operation of equipment (aerator, filter, backlight, etc.);
- limited use various drugs and compliance with dosage;
- daily fish behavior control, their condition;
- instant isolation of sick fish;
- prevent overpopulation of fish in the aquarium (observe space standards for each species);
- exclude cohabitation of residents with different conditions content;
- Do not place decor or plants in the aquarium that can cause injury to pets.
When the first signs of the disease are detected, treatment measures must be taken immediately. If you have difficulty diagnosing, you should seek help from a specialist.
To reduce the occurrence of unpleasant surprises, you need to regularly carry out preventive maintenance, then nothing will threaten the health of your pets.
Diseases of aquarium fish are an unfavorable period in the life of pets that occurs suddenly. Nowadays, the first symptoms are easily recognized, and laboratory diagnostics confirmation of this. Many diseases are treated with great success.
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Classification of diseases
Diseases of aquarium fish caused by pathogens:
- Infectious.
- Invasive.
Diseases that are not caused by pathogens:
- Physical etiology.
- Chemical etiology.
- Diseases as a result of improper feeding regimen and quality.
Roughly they can be divided into the following:
- Caused by pathogens:
- Bacteria;
- Fungi;
- The simplest;
- Coelenterates;
- Flatworms;
- Acanthocephals;
- Viruses;
- Crustaceans;
- filamentous helminths
- Chemical etiology (poisoning with toxic substances);
- Physical etiology (due to improper care of fish - poor quality of the aquatic environment, disturbed temperature conditions);
- Result improper feeding(bloating, food poisoning).
How to avoid diseases? Symptoms
Common symptoms of diseases in aquarium fish, their diagnosis:
- There are changes in appearance: Uncharacteristic white dots, spots, plaque, or “fluff” may appear on their body. Sick fish may also have ulcers, hemorrhages, and increased mucus production. The fins are destroyed, stick together, and fall off. The scales ruffle and fall off, the abdomen swells, the eyes bulge.
- The behavior of the fish is changing. Their head and tail tilt downwards. They can swim belly up, or on their side, float on the surface, capturing air. Sick fish swim jerkily and rub against hard surfaces in the aquarium.
- Sick pets lose their appetite and become lethargic. They move unnaturally, body color changes and fades.
Sometimes it happens that diagnosing a disease becomes a labor-intensive task. If you cannot decide on the disease, contact an ichthyopathologist and have the fish take scrapings from the fins and scales. Results laboratory tests They'll tell you for sure what's wrong with her.
Treating diseases is more difficult than preventing them. There are a number simple rules, compliance with which will allow you to get rid of health problems for your pet fish:
Diseases caused by infection
Plistiphora, or neon disease, is caused by a fungus of the genus Plistiphora hyphessobryconis, which settles in the muscle tissue of fish. Neons are mostly susceptible to diseases. Signs of illness on early stage: The glowing neon strip dims and later fades completely. In other fish, the color of their scales fades. Doesn't exist today effective ways how to treat patients with plistiphorosis.
Columnaria - the causative agent of the infection is the rod-shaped bacterium Flexibacter columnaris. Signs: sick fish are externally covered with white “cotton wool”, especially in the mouth area, which is why the disease is also called “mouth fungus”. Treatment is carried out using phenoxyethanol in a quarantine tank. It is also effective to use baths with Merbromin or methylene blue. Antibiotics can be used if the disease has damaged internal tissues.
Branchiomycosis is fungal infection, which affects the gills of fish. The causative agent of the disease is Branchiomyces demigrans and Branchiomyces sanguinis. Branchiomycosis should be treated with the use of fungicidal medications, which are added to quarantine nurseries. The fish should be tested. After the diagnosis has been established, it is necessary to remove any remaining food and waste products from the general aquarium. You should clean the soil, replace half the volume of aquarium water, and turn on powerful aeration.
Saprolegniosis is an infection caused by fungi of the genus Saprolegnia. Treatment is carried out using antifungal drugs (streptocide in diluted form). In a separate container, you need to carry out baths for sick fish, using a 5% solution of table salt. Copper sulfate, hydrochloride, rivanol, and formalin are effective in combating fungi. If the fungus is localized in a damaged area of the skin, then it is better to place the fish in a fish tank and use a solution of malachite green oxalate for treatment to remove the source of infection.
Fish tuberculosis – terrible disease, which appears due to the bacterium Mycobacterium piscium. Under a microscope, it has the shape of a motionless rod. When a bacterium enters an aquarium, several fish can pick it up. Representatives of characins, carps, labyrinths, and tropical cyprinids are sensitive to this infection. Less commonly, tuberculosis is found in cichlids, poeciliids, and cetrarchids. Mycobacterium piscium is acid resistant and can grow at temperatures of 18-25 degrees Celsius. Fish should be treated after the first symptoms are detected. In the early stages, when pets are still eating, kanamycin should be used, which must be added to the food. Dose of the drug: 10 mg per 10 grams of feed. On next stages The fish are not treated for tuberculosis; they are destroyed and the aquarium is completely treated.
Invasive types of diseases
See how to treat hexamitosis in aquarium fish.
- Potassium permanganate. Dose: 0.1 grams per 1 liter of water. The fish should be immersed in the bath for 40-50 minutes. Repeat for 5 days.
- Copper sulfate: 1 gram per 10 liters of water. Place the fish in the solution for 20 minutes. Repeat for 5 days.
- Table salt: 1 tablespoon (25 grams) per 10 liters of water. Keep the fish in the bath for 15 minutes. Repeat for 7 days. Brine It is not suitable for all types of fish; this must be taken into account during treatment procedures.
Many types of fish are susceptible to alkaline disease, the condition of which is negatively affected by changes in the pH of the water. Most often, guppies, neons, swordtails, veiltails, and goldfish get sick. IN severe cases The gills and fins split, which leads to the death of the fish.
Treatment of individuals with alkalosis consists of gradually changing the level of alkali in the aquarium, which must be brought to a neutral value. If there is a strong difference in the balance, the fish must be transplanted into a fish tank until the pH of the aquatic environment is balanced.
Fish obesity
It occurs due to a violation of the feeding regime, a monotonous diet, due to overeating, and the predominance of fatty foods in the diet. With this pathology, metabolism is disrupted and the internal organs, in particular, digestive and reproductive system.
In obese fish, the tummy increases and the sides become rounded. They become inactive and float near the bottom of the aquarium.
To prevent obesity, fish should have a nutritious, balanced diet, different kinds quality feed. If you are obese, you should keep the fish on a semi-starved, starvation diet for 1-2 days.
Gas embolism
The disease causes an increase in the amount of oxygen in the aquatic environment. Vascular blockage occurs and blood circulation is disrupted. With this pathology, restless behavior and impaired coordination of movements are noted. Fish swim on their sides, their gills are motionless.
The development of the disease is indicated by the presence of a large number of bubbles on plants, soil, glass or the body of the fish themselves. Gas embolism most often leads to the death of pets due to blockage of blood vessels.
Prevention
To avoid infection of fish, it is very important to create optimal conditions content, think over the diet. Systematically monitor the parameters of the aquatic environment (temperature, pH). Purchase special equipment for aeration, filtration, and water heating.
Before adding fish to the aquarium, create a favorable ecosystem for your pets, taking into account their individual characteristics and needs.
Buy only healthy fish from pet stores. Before planting, treat plants with hydrogen peroxide and a solution of potassium permanganate.
If you notice that something is wrong with the fish, immediately put it in a separate tank or aquarium. If you don’t know what to do if your aquarium fish gets sick, consult an ichthyologist or ask questions on the forums.
Almost every fish aquarium owner has encountered one or another disease in their pets. Fish, like people, have many different ailments, the prevention and treatment of which also differ. Now we will talk about the main diseases of fish, their causes and the main ways to solve this problem.
Diseases caused by pathogens
They are dangerous because they can be transmitted from one individual to another - thus, one infected fish can lead to the death of all the inhabitants of the aquarium. Let's consider the main types of such ailments.
Bacteria
Bacteria are microorganisms that in most cases are a single cell.
TO bacterial diseases It’s often not so much the presence in the aquarium that drives fish pathogenic microorganisms, how much weakened immunity. This can be caused by stress from irritants, fluctuations in water temperature, aggressive behavior neighbors.
Main types of bacterial diseases:
Fungi
The causative agents of fungal diseases are fungi that affect the body and internal organs of fish. Fungal growth occurs when the water is too cold and the aquarium is not properly maintained. Preventive measures against them include cleanliness in the aquarium, disinfection of live food and purchasing fish and plants from trusted places.
Important! SometimesIt is difficult to determine the fish disease on your own - in this case, you should contact a specialist ichthyopathologist to conduct tests and make the correct diagnosis.
There are often such fungal diseases fish:
Invasive
Acanthocephals
Treatment is carried out with the help of “Konkurat”, which needs to be used to treat a quarantine aquarium with infected individuals.
A preventative measure for introducing acanthocephalans into an aquarium is a strict ban on feeding pets with live food from ponds with fish.
Coelenterates
Important! When treated with hydrogen peroxide, free oxygen is released, which is harmful to fish, so they must be removed during treatment.
Annelids
Annelids- These are different types of leeches. For aquarium fish they are enemies, as they can easily destroy the inhabitants of the aquarium. Annelids can live in the soil layer; poor aquarium hygiene contributes to their appearance.
The leeches that have not had time to attach themselves are removed using a net or siphon. The infected aquarium must be treated with organophosphorus compounds, for example, Trichlorfon, removing fish from it during the treatment. After 2-3 weeks, re-treatment is necessary.
Threadworms
If they appear, it is necessary to carry out treatment using anthelmintic drugs, for example, "Piperazine". It is also necessary to filter the excrement and remove it with a siphon to prevent re-infestation.
To expel worms, it is necessary to keep the water temperature at 33-35°C for several days. To combat them, the drugs “Flubenol” and “Febtal” are also used, carefully observing the dosage according to the instructions.
Important! Among natural ways The most effective way to destroy harmful worms is to place hungry macropods in the aquarium.
Crustaceans
Crustaceans settle on the surface of the fish and suck out its blood. In addition, in order for the blood to clot faster, they secrete a poisonous secretion, which causes weakness and shock in the fish. And by acting on the gills, they can choke the fish.
Viruses are intracellular pathogens that reproduce only in living cells. They spread to neighboring cells and remain in the body. In this case, even healthy-looking fish becomes a virus carrier. The virus can enter the aquarium from an infected individual.
The most common virus in aquarium fish is lymphocytosis. Its main symptoms are the presence of flat growths and nodules on the body of the fish.
The most severe way to get rid of an infection is to remove and then destroy the diseased individual. Plants in the infected aquarium are also destroyed, and the soil and decorations are boiled for 30 minutes. The aquarium must be disinfected, and all fish must be quarantined for a month.
Protozoa
Protozoa are single-celled organisms that are capable of attacking both outer surface fish and internal tissues. In small quantities they are found on the body of the fish and do not cause them any particular harm.
Did you know? The largest aquarium in the world is located in Singapore, its volume is 54.6 million liters.
The alarm should be sounded if their number increases to a level that can provoke the disease. This is possible in case of weakened immunity due to stress, poor quality water and other unfavorable external factors.
Among the protozoa there are the following organisms:
Diseases that are not caused by pathogens
Fish diseases are not always caused by various pathogens. Often, the causes of diseases can be of physical and chemical origin, as well as the result of an incorrect feeding regime. They are not contagious, but each of these reasons deserves special attention.
Physical origin
Diseases physical origin mainly related to improper care for fish: poor quality water, poorly selected temperature conditions. Below are the most common fish diseases caused by this cause.
Alkalosis (pH too high)
Alkalosis is often called alkaline disease due to the fact that the level of acidity in the aquarium increases, which can be harmful to some types of fish. This phenomenon is possible if aquarium inhabitants are kept in conditions with high level pH of water than in the natural environment.
Wherein skin covering the fish become dull, their breathing quickens, their gills secrete mucus, and the inhabitants of the aquarium themselves tend to jump out of it.
Treatment is carried out using a suitable pH buffer, available in pet stores. Repeated partial replacement of water with fresh water with a pH value close to neutral will help to gradually adjust the pH level. This will reduce the amount contained in the aquarium. minerals that can provoke chronic alkalosis.
A preventive measure for this disease is initially properly selected water for all types of fish, and the inhabitants of the aquarium themselves must be compatible with respect to pH.
Acidosis (pH too low)
In contrast to alkalosis, the opposite situation occurs, a low pH level. A sharp drop in pH usually occurs in an environment that does not contain minerals.
The fish become slow and timid, their color fades. Some individuals swim sideways or belly up. If timely measures are not taken, the inhabitants of the aquarium die.
Did you know? Catfish love to swim with their belly up; for them this is a completely normal phenomenon.
Treatment and preventive measures of this disease are similar to measures for alkalosis.
Anoxia (lack of oxygen in fish)
Aquarium inhabitants can become ill with anoxia when the level of oxygen in the water is low. In this case, the fish begin to suffocate and die. You should be wary if pets show anxiety, often swim to the surface of the water and gasp for air.
If pets experience similar symptoms (and also to prevent this disease), it is necessary to regularly monitor the water filter. It is also necessary to install aeration equipment if it does not already exist.
Anemia (anemia)
Large fish are susceptible to this disease if their place of residence is– small aquariums with poorly aerated water. Another cause of this disease is a low amount of amino acids in food.
The fish becomes lethargic, refuses food, weakness and dystrophy appear. She stops responding to stimuli and appears stuck in the aquarium. Before death, she begins to spin rapidly or hangs upside down.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to cure anemia; fish death cannot be avoided. Measures to prevent this disease include a spacious aquarium and nutritious food, which must be varied with crustaceans or daphnia. Chopped lettuce and nettle leaves will also come in handy.
Asphyxia or suffocation of fish
This problem will affect your pets if they spend a long time in water with a low oxygen content (less than 3 mg per 1 liter of water). The reasons for this are improper maintenance of the aquarium and a large number of fish (more than 1 cm of fish length per 1 liter of water).
The fish experience rapid breathing, rising to the surface of the water and greedily swallowing air.
Infusion of a 15% solution of hydrogen peroxide (1 ml of solution per 1 liter of water) and improving the care of pets will help to cope with this problem.
Gas embolism
This disease is caused by excessive accumulation of water-soluble oxygen, which occurs when plants actively release oxygen in sunny days summer. It enters in large quantities circulatory system fish and clogs blood vessels.
The fish become restless, react sharply to external stimuli, and their fins are destroyed. In some cases, the lens of the eye and cornea become cloudy.
Recovery of infected fish will occur if they are transplanted into an aquarium with an oxygen content of no more than 10-15 mg per 1 liter of water. To protect your pets, you need to avoid intensive aeration of aquarium water with a large number of plants and bright lighting.
Hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of fish
Hypoxia occurs when not enough oxygen enters the fish's blood. It can be provoked bad conditions contents and physiological reasons, such as damaged gills.
The fish's breathing accelerates, they hover and swim at the surface of the water, gasping for air. Then breathing becomes difficult, the gills swell, the pets lose strength and fall to the bottom.
If you notice the fish oxygen starvation, you need to immediately establish powerful aeration so that the oxygen concentration increases. Preventive measures for this phenomenon will be a thorough study of the oxygen needs of pets and timely elimination of factors that can cause hypoxia.
Tumors in fish
Tumors are pathological growths fabrics. They are divided into benign and malignant. Benign tumors grow slowly and do not harm surrounding tissues. Malignant tumors damage tissues and form metastases.
There is no treatment for tumors. Sick fish must be killed immediately and painlessly. To prevent tumors, you need to protect fish from carcinogenic substances, and also exclude spoiled food from your pet’s diet, which may contain a fungus that can cause cancer.
Hypothermia and overheating in fish
Hypothermia can be caused by heating device failure, sudden power outage, or transportation in cold weather. When the temperature in the aquarium is too low, the fish become lethargic and lie on the bottom. If you stay in too long cold water the fish may die.
In case of hypothermia, frozen fish are warmed up gradually, slowly raising the temperature to the optimal value. If hypothermia occurs due to faulty devices, they should be replaced.
Overheating can occur due to the aquarium being in direct sunlight or in hot weather. The fish's breathing quickens, their gills swell and expand. Prolonged overheating can cause death.
If the fish is overheated, you need to partially replace the water in the aquarium with cold water to reduce the temperature to a safe level.
The temperature is too high or too low
If the temperature deviates from the norm by 3-4°C in one direction or another, the fish may go into shock. At elevated temperatures, fish rush around the aquarium and try to leave it. Low temperatures make the fish's movements sluggish, and their gill covers open slowly.
It is necessary to set the temperature in the aquarium suitable for a particular type of fish, use a heater if the temperature deviates downward, and periodically change the water to colder water during the hot season.
Injuries in fish
Aquarium fish can become damaged for various reasons. Their severity can also vary: from torn scales to muscle rupture. The inhabitants of the aquarium themselves can injure each other when they behave aggressively.
Pisces with high immunity quickly recover from injuries, while weak individuals need help.
If the wound is serious and internal organs are affected, it is unlikely that the fish will be cured. If the wound moderate severity, then the fish is placed in a separate aquarium, where they ensure a calm recovery. To speed up the healing effect of wounds, you can add methylene blue to the water.
Shock in fish
Shock in aquarium inhabitants occurs due to stress factors. The more sensitive an individual is, the more likely it is to be affected by this condition. Shock happens:
- osmotic,
- nitrate,
- temperature,
- chemical,
- toxic.
There are different symptoms of shock:
- faster or slower breathing
- faded color,
- Sometimes fish fall to the bottom with their belly up.
Chemical origin
Diseases of aquarium fish of chemical origin are all kinds of poisoning. Depending on what poisoned the fish, their main types are distinguished.
General fish poisoning
This is a common problem among aquarium dwellers and can cause illness and death. There are acute and chronic poisoning depending on the degree of toxicity of the substance that caused the poisoning.
More often harmful substances enter the aquarium due to improper equipment and decoration. The first symptoms that pets have general poisoning are loss of coordination, glassy eyes and suffocation.
We need to transfer the fish to a new aquarium. If this is not possible, then it is necessary to remove the source of contamination and perform repeated water changes until the signs of poisoning decrease.
Poisoning with ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, nitrates and nitrites
Ammonia is released by the fish themselves during the metabolic process. It is very poisonous, even small doses are fatal. Its high content can be caused by leftover food in large quantities and a large number of aquarium inhabitants. Pisces breathe heavily, their coordination is impaired. Fish poisoned by this substance must be immediately transferred to clean water and install the filter.
Hydrogen sulfide poisoning occurs due to overfeeding of aquarium inhabitants, when food with fish excrement forms anaerobic environment, as a result of which hydrogen sulfide will be released in the water. The water becomes cloudy, and the fish suffocate. The aquarium must be thoroughly washed and cleaned to remove the cause of hydrogen sulfide.
Nitrate poisoning is relatively painless, but in some species of fish they increased sensitivity. Nitrate poisoning is characterized by pale gills, choking and lethargy of the fish. For treatment, about half the volume of water is replaced.
Nitrite poisoning is more dangerous than nitrate poisoning and can lead to death. Characteristic feature This type of poisoning is due to the dark coloration of the gills. For treatment, you need to add methylene blue to the water (3-4 mg per 1 liter of water).
Metals
The most common causes of poisoning are iron and copper. They can come from water pipes, along with food, from metal-containing medical supplies. The symptoms of this disease are:
- color change,
- blurred eyes,
- the fish suffocate and stay near the surface of the water.
The water in the aquarium is replaced with fresh water and the filter is thoroughly cleaned. Sick fish are placed in a reserve aquarium. But even if sick fish recover, they most likely will not be able to reproduce and grow.
Chlorine
This happens if the water for the aquarium is not settled, or is not settled for an insufficient amount of time. Chlorine disinfects tap water, But high content This substance in water is harmful to fish.
They secrete mucus, which first covers their gills and then the entire surface of their body. Individuals with poisoning are very excited, they rush around and try to jump out of the water.
To treat chlorine poisoning, fish are transferred to clean, settled water or an activated carbon filter is used.
Chemical industry products
These products surround us everywhere. The following are particularly dangerous for fish:
- An aquarium hose that releases plasticizers into the water over time.
- Paint and tobacco smoke. They can be dangerous if the room containing these odors is not ventilated.
- Detergents used for aquariums.
- Medicines, or rather their overdose.
- Epoxy putty, which is used to coat the inner corners of the aquarium.
Treatment occurs through the most quick fix causes of poisoning, changing water and washing the aquarium, interior items and filter.
New Aquarium Syndrome
This is poisoning of aquarium inhabitants with ammonia or nitrites after being introduced into a new aquarium, as well as with a large amount of fresh water when replacing it.
The reason for this phenomenon is non-compliance with the rule: the new aquarium must be without fish for some time. Before introducing residents there, biological balance must be established (the ratio of various microorganisms to the aquarium environment). This usually takes 2 to 4 weeks.
If this period is not met, the aquarium inhabitants will have difficulty breathing, the coordination of their movements will be disrupted, and the body and fins will darken.
Did you know? The breeding of some ornamental fish breeds began in ancient China in 1500 BC. e.
To rid your pets of new aquarium syndrome, they must be temporarily transferred to an aquarium where ammonia and nitrites will be at low levels.
Diseases as a result of improper feeding regimen and quality
If you do not take a serious approach to feeding your aquarium pets, they may experience serious problems. Below are the main problems in fish due to improper feeding.
Constipation in fish
With constipation, the intestines become blocked by food. This problem is associated with feeding pets monotonous food, mainly dry food. This phenomenon can also occur if the fish swallows a large piece of food or an inedible object.
With this disease, pets have no excrement and may also be lethargic and lack interest in food. To treat constipation, fish must be fed mosquito, daphnia and cyclops larvae.
Important! Each type of fish requires an individual approach to the size of food and frequency of feeding.
Also, with constipation in aquarium inhabitants, peas or beans will help, which need to be boiled, cooled, crushed and fed to the pets.
Gonadal cyst
A cyst is a tumor with liquid and semi-liquid contents. Fish get sick from this if females and males are kept separately for a long time and fed the same food.
Symptoms of this disease are a greatly enlarged abdomen and refusal to eat. Then the fish become infertile and die.
The disease is often asymptomatic and is detected when saving the fish is no longer possible. If the disease is detected at an early stage, the individual is placed belly up in a wet cotton swab and stroked with a finger from head to tail so that the cyst is squeezed out through the anus. But even this will not save the fish from infertility and a shortened life span, although there are exceptions.
Obesity
This problem occurs due to overfeeding and monotonous dry food. Another reason could be small aquarium with a large number of inhabitants in it.
Fish suffering from this disease move little, swim poorly, and their belly becomes enlarged. It causes infertility and death in pets.
When observing signs of obesity in pets, they need to be given a variety of food, but in small portions. You need to feed 1-2 times a day with the amount of food that the fish will eat in 5-10 minutes. Periodically give your fish a “fasting day” when they do not receive food. If the aquarium is cramped, then it is necessary to free up space from plants and decorative items. It is necessary to seat the fish if there are too many of them.
Fish diseases are a problem that every aquarist may encounter. You should carefully monitor your fish to detect symptoms of diseases at an early stage, thereby providing your pets with timely help. And knowing the signs of the main types of diseases, every aquarium owner can take preventive measures to prevent their occurrence.
Bacterial infections of aquarium fish are very diverse, so treatment methods can differ significantly from each other, at least in terms of the drugs used. But let’s try to generalize what can be generalized, and try to bring significant information into one topic. We will consider what is written below as a kind of limited reference guide, which, I really hope, will be at least useful to someone and at least sometimes help save a few fish lives.
Traditional routes of bacterial infections
- New fish not properly quarantined. They can be carriers of infections. At the same time, you may not visually notice the disease right away, and sometimes it is not visible, but it will develop especially quickly, especially considering the often stressful state of the fish when they “move.” This is why quarantine is strongly recommended. Do not consider keeping new fish separately for 1-2 days or bathing the fish once, for example, in methylene blue and/or potassium permanganate, as quarantine. During such a time, only some diseases can be identified in an obvious form, and potassium permanganate still cannot kill all bacteria. Quarantine is an important and slow measure that allows you to reduce the risk of infection from this source to a minimum.
- If you feed your fish live food, especially from unverified sources, or store food (live or frozen) incorrectly, then this is the possible source. This does not mean that fish should be fed only dry food, just be careful when choosing food. You should not buy food that arouses even minimal suspicion and from dubious sources. Remember that even freezing in household freezers cannot guarantee complete disinfection of feed, especially against bacterial problems.
- Causative agents of many diseases, including bacteria (and unfortunately, not only nitrifying and other beneficial ones), live in almost every aquarium. It’s just that in conditions favorable for fish there are few of these bacteria, and fish have sufficient immunity to resist these infections. But if the conditions for keeping fish worsen (for example, water pollution with waste, in particular organic residues and nitrogenous compounds, increases, the temperature or acidity of the environment increases), then disaster awaits. Therefore, make sure that your fish live in comfortable conditions, then they will not be afraid of almost any diseases. In addition, do not forget that treating fish without improving its living conditions is practically meaningless - the disease will most likely return again.
It should be noted that accurate identification of bacterial infections is possible only using a microscope, and sometimes only in special laboratories with the need to seed a culture and then microscopic examination. In this regard, it is often difficult to choose a specific drug, so you have to use drugs wide range actions or mixtures of drugs.
What are the typical bacterial diseases most commonly found in aquariums?
- Fin rot. The causative agent is bacteria of the group Pseudomonas.
It is characterized by the destruction of fins with a white clouding of the edges of the collapsing fins. It happens that this disease develops as a secondary infection after damage to the fins, for example, ichthyophthyriasis, or after a change in hydrochemical parameters (for example, with sudden change pH when transferring fish from one aquarium to another) or in the presence of harmful compounds in the water (waste products, medications). - Columnaris. Pathogen - bacteria Flexibacter columnaris. Characterized by whitish spots, often with plaque, especially in the head (on the lips), bruises on the body. Viviparous carp-toothed animals are most susceptible to this disease. This disease is almost always introduced into the aquarium with new fish.
- Peptic ulcer(aeromonosis and/or pseudomonosis). Pathogen - bacteria groups Aeromonas and Pseudomonas. Formation of ulcers on the body, ruffling of scales. Very often the disease affects labyrinth fish, in particular lalius, especially when it comes to imported fish.
Antibacterial drugs
With all the wealth of choice of antibacterial drugs (both branded ones intended directly for fish, and from a regular human pharmacy), we will mention only a few of them, the most popular and affordable:
- Nifurpirinol. Contained in branded medications - Bactopur-Direct (Sera), Furamarin and Aquafuran (Aquarium Munster), Furanol (JBL) (not sold in human pharmacies). Has a wide spectrum of action. Active, including against bacteria of the groups Aeromonas, Citrobacter, Edwardsiella, Flexibacter, Pseudomonas.
An example of successful treatment of aeromonosis in scrofula with this particular drug: I’m trying to treat aeromonosis - Other nitrofurans - in particular furazolidone And furatsilin(aka nitrofurazone), sold in human pharmacies. They are part of some branded drugs, for example, Furan-2 (from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals) (this drug, by the way, can be “created” yourself from the available furazolidone, furatsilin and methylene blue - Furan-2 with your own hands).
They are active, especially in combination, in particular against Streptococcus, Flexibacter, and sometimes they can suppress infections caused by the bacteria Aeromonas and Pseudomonas. - Ciprofloxacin. Contained in the domestic drug Antibak from Agrovetzashchita. The antibacterial can be replaced with pharmaceutical ciprofloxacin, which is several times cheaper (or the more expensive Tsifran, Tsiprolet and drugs with many other synonymous names - http://slovari.yande..., but with the same active substance). It has an even wider spectrum against bacterial infections than nifurpirinol. Active in particular against Aeromonas, Citrobacter, Edwardsiella, Flexibacter, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus.
Ciprofloxacin, in addition negative impact on the hematopoietic organs, excretory system, CNS, etc., etc. (which, it should be noted, many drugs have), has another unpleasant property: if you did not choose the drug correctly or did not apply an insufficient dosage (parameters such as Ph, water hardness, the presence of organics in the water, etc. affect), then after With the use of Ciprofloxacin, strains appear that are absolutely not susceptible to reserve antibiotics. In any case, I am not aware of such antibiotics.
You can replace Ciprofloxacin with a more humane fluoroquinolone - enrofloxacin. - Enrofloxacin. Its properties are similar to ciprofloxacin. Contained in the following veterinary drugs: Baytril, Kolmik, Enroflon, Antibak-Pro (in this drug together with metronidazole).
Dosage: add 5ml 10 percent solution per 100 liters of water. The course of application of the drug is 7 days. There are no analogues of the drug from human pharmacies. - Erythromycin. Contained in the drug E.M.Tablets (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals), and such a drug, of course, is several times more expensive than the pharmacy one. Active against Aeromonas, Pseudomonas.
- Tetracycline. Contained in the drug T.C.Capsules (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals), (pharmacy tablets are, of course, much cheaper). Active in particular against Flexibacter.
- Bicillin-5(sold in human pharmacies). Active against Aeromonas, Pseudomonas.
- Omnipur(Sera) and General Tonic(Tetra) - broad-spectrum drugs, including against bacterial infections.
Unfortunately, they have low antibacterial activity, so it makes sense to use them only at the early stage of some diseases. - Tripaflavin-Ultra(Zooworld). Contains trypaflavin (aka acriflavine) and some kind of nitrofuran (most likely furazolidone or furatsilin). They manage to cure some diseases caused by Aeromonas and Pseudomonas, especially on initial stage. Good to use in combination with copper sulfate.
- Fiosept(Zooworld). Contains basic violet K. Active against Aeromonas and Pseudomonas.
And several links to topics where the dosage is recalculated for pharmaceutical drugs:
Ciprofloxacin and Erythromycin: Ruffled dove's scales
Tetracycline: Help! The fish are dying one by one!!!
To make your search easier necessary medications in pharmacies, I suggest taking advantage of the Internet, and not immediately wandering around pharmacies, because... Not all drugs are always available in all pharmacies.
A drug-free method for treating aquarium fish
It is definitely worth mentioning another method of treatment - drug-free. This is the use of a UV sterilizer. It allows you to successfully cure many diseases, including bacterial infections. There are no contraindications to this method; it is purely gentle on fish. (added as a reminder from YRus)
Finally, special mention should be made next topic. Most antibacterial drugs act not only on pathogenic bacteria, but also on beneficial aquarium bacteria that perform biofiltration in the aquarium. In this regard, the use of such drugs in community aquarium can cause a disruption in biological balance with subsequent poisoning of fish with their metabolic products. Therefore treatment antibacterial drugs It is recommended to carry out it in a fish tank with regular water changes, with some reduction in fish nutrition and control of nitrogen compounds. If this is not possible, then you can treat the fish with short-term baths, taking them from the main aquarium each time for the procedure. If this is not possible and treatment can only be done in a general aquarium, then be prepared to destroy biofiltration, which will inevitably lead to the need for regular frequent replacements and long-term restoration of populations beneficial bacteria in aquarium.
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