Oscar Fish Disease
You must watch your aquarium fish closely so that they do not spread disease to one another like the Oscar Fish Disease which can kill your fish if left unchecked.
You can keep many disease in check with frequent water changes, but some do take special medication. If you notice something amiss in your tank, take a look at the list below to determine what it actually is that your fish have and how to treat it.
If you suspect Oscar Fish Disease, look also for little white dots This indicates the parasite Ichthyophthirius, sometimes called Ich. It is a common parasite affecting all kinds of fish. It is usually caused by poor water quality or stressed out fish whose immune system have weakened. It can be treated easily if caught in time and there are many medications that you can purchase online or at the pet store to treat your tank at the first signs of this tropical fish disease.
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.
Sometimes the cause of a disease also causes another, the Oscar Fish Disease is sometimes found with fish that have rotting fins. Likely caused by bacteria, this is another disease that happens due to poor water quality. Fish that are stressed are more likely to be affected. Isolate any fish that show this problem to keep it from spreading to your other fish. Treat the tank with medicine formulated specifically for this problem.
If your fish have cloudy skin or you see them scraping themselves along the bottom, it’s quite possible they have flukes – a parasite that attacks the skin and gills. This disease can be hard to control, so you must treat the tank at the first sign of 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 you use a medicine to clear your tank of Oscar Fish Disease, make sure you follow the directions on the label. As you can see, most of these diseases are caused by poor water quality so periodic water changes are your best bet to make sure your fish stay healthy.