Fish Velvet Disease
If your tank is maintained regularly, you should have little incidence of Fish Velvet Disease which can make your fish sick, and even kill them.
Many times your fish can be saved, but if you do not act quickly your pet may be too far gone by the time you start treatment. 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.
When inspecting your fish for Fish Velvet Disease, see if they also have tiny white spots like salt This common parasite is called Ich which is short for Ichthyophthirius Although quite common, this disease can kill all your fish if not treated in time. Since it is usually caused by poor water quality, it is treated with water changes and medication that can be put into the tank. You can buy treatments for Ich at your local pet store or online.
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 Fish Velvet Disease might also happen in fish with rotting fins. 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.
Flukes are a parasite that attach the fish’s skin and gills. Symptoms include cloudy skin and scraping against the bottom. This can be caused by poor water quality and my be difficult to treat. You can buy medication for it and you should try to treat the tank immediately upon seeing an outbreak.
Are your fish fish gasping for air? Depending on the type of filter you are using and the shape of your tank, you may not be getting enough oxygen into the water. Add an airstone to the tank which will allow oxygen to enter the water through the air bubbles it makes.
When trying to clear your tank of Fish Velvet Disease, always be sure to follow the directions on the medication and use the proper medication for the problem. Good water quality through diligent aquarium maintenance can help to keep your fish healthy and ward off tropical fish disease.