Seeing white spots on your fish will make you panic in a certain way. You look over, turn to Google and wonder “what’s wrong with my fish?” It’s not hard to understand why; fresh water aquariums is very sensitive to chemicals. Something as simple as one wrong move can send things spiraling out of control in just a few hours.
That’s why this graphic (above) break down how to visually identify these issues and allows you to do something about it instead of freaking out. When you know what to look for, you can properly handle the issue.
How to Identify and Treat Fish Diseases
One thing that novice keepers do is they view fish medications as antibiotics for humans. Any pill, so they think, cures everything. That is wrong. Without knowing what is wrong with your fish you can’t simply throw in some broad spectrum drugs. It’s not right. That stresses the fish out and also kills off good bacteria in your filter which then makes water quality even more poor.
For example, if it’s a parasitic problem (like Ich) don’t use an antibiotic. Why? Antibiotics are chemicals that kill bacteria while parasites aren’t bacteria. Also, how do you know if it’s Fin Rot or something else like Ich? The edge is ragged on Fin Rot. The Ich look like little grains of table salt. Knowing the difference are important. The treatment is not the same.
And then there’s hiding in plain sight, parasites. The velvet-like dusting on a fish that looks like general illness is actualy caused by millions of microscopic organisms stuck to the skin. The cause is spread rapidly and can escalate in days, as noted in the reference guide. You’ll notice your fish rubbing along rock surfaces and/or flashing. Something is bugging them physically. Treat it early with a simple course of meds. If you ignore it until your fish stop eating, you are probably already losing the fight.
Parasites vs. Bacteria… Unlike parasites, bacterial infections appear different than. If you notice pinecone scales, the fish has dropsy. Dropsy means something is wrong, such as a bad internal infection or the fish is failing. According to the infographic, bacterial problems typically arise from poor water conditions. And this ties right into the bottom part of the visual guide’s prevention section.
Regular water testing + regular water changes aren’t tasks, they’re insurance. In a healthy tank, the immune system doesn’t fail and allow germs like bacteria to get in. You may have the best medication available on the market but nothing will cure a spiked tank of ammonia.
The last and most overlooked part of fish keeping is quarantine. That’s because new fish appear healthy when purchased. Transport stress makes them defenseless. And the chart provide a basic quarantine plan for isolating new fish for four weeks. Four seems like overkill, until you lose a long-established community that you’ve nurtured for years to a disease. By using a sponge filter and a bare-bottomed tank, you can treat the new fish while keeping biological filtration in your main tank. This takes only a little extra time upfront and would of saved you months of rebuilding your ecosystem.
Color and posture indicate a healthy fish. Bright colors, upright fins, and active schooling is good signs. Dull colors, limp fins, and hiding are bad signs. The Symptom Guide shows how a behavior connects to its possible causes. Gasping on the surface means there is low oxygen or a problem with the gills. Does hiding mean you are sick or stressed?
Prevention is better than a cure. Have an emergency kit as explained in the medications portion of this article, but stock it with the bare necessities. Clean water, proper diet and stable temperature does more to keep fish alive longer then all the drugs combined. Knowledge is power when it comes to disease; once you know how they happen, you no longer fear them. Test, watch and maintain your system. The fish are bright and the water is clear.
