Common Fish Disease
Many factors can cause Common Fish Disease which can make your fish sick, and even kill them.
Some disease can be treated with medicine while others are harder to get rid of. If your fish aren’t acting up to snuff, you may want to take a closer look at them and try to determine if they are showing the symptoms listed below.
If your fish have Common Fish Disease, determine if they also have little tiny white dots - This is probably Ich (Ichthyophthirius), a parasite which is rather common. This disease can be caused by poor water and is easily contracted by fish whose immune system is weak. If caught in time, it can be treated with medication that you buy in the pet store.
If you don’t clean your tank regularly, you may find Grayish cottony patches on skin or gills - This is probably a fungus caused by large amounts of decaying matter (fish waste and food) in the tank. It should be easy to clear up with treatments if it has not progressed too far. You can buy treatments online and, of course, clean the tank more often to prevent this from happening.
The Common Fish Disease could also show up with fish that have fin rot. This is another problem that can happen because of poor water quality. It can be treated with a medicine made for this problem. You may want to consider isolating any fish that have rotted fins to keep the disease from spreading.
Fish scraping itself against bottom, cloudy skin - These are symptoms of Flukes – a parasite which attacks skin and gills. Poor water quality can cause Flukes to multiply and it is very difficult to treat the fish. You can buy medication to put in the tank for this but it must be done at the first sign of “itching”.
Fish need oxygen and if it looks like they are fish gasping for air - Your tank may be overcrowded and not have enough oxygen. Try a pump with an airstone to add some oxygen to the tank.
While treating your tank for Common Fish Disease, Follow exactly what the directions say. Make sure you add the amount specified for your tanks size – too much or too little will not be good for the tank. In the future planning periodic water changes and “vacuuming” the tank will help prevent disease.