Hey everyone!
Sorry I didn't post last week; I took some personal time off. I'm back this week with new information on common diseases fresh water fish may encounter in their tank environment.
One
of the challenges of keeping an aquarium tank is that many diseases will make themselves at home in the
aquatic environment. There are hundreds
of afflictions that can affect the health of your fish. The most common seen in
are usually either bacterial or parasitic. Fungal infections sometimes occur,
and occasionally physical afflictions.
It’s
easy to involuntarily introduce fish diseases to the aquarium tank when buying
new fish, plants and decorations. Bringing new living organisms into the
aquarium is more risky than inserting a new piece of equipment. Luckily, most
ailments are easily diagnosed and treated with success. Understanding how the
home aquaria and its filtration systems work will help support aquatic life
vital in preventing fish diseases. The basics of life support are the same
whether you have a freshwater aquarium, saltwater aquarium, or a mini reef.
The
most common fish diseases are White Spot Disease, Marine White Spot Disease, skin
and/or gill flukes, Anchor Worms, Hole in the Head disease, Velvet, Marine Velvet,
Fin Rot, TB (tuberculosis) and Dropsy. I’ll cover a few of the fresh water
diseases in today’s blog. For more details on common fresh water diseases:
symptoms, causes, and descriptions visit:
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| White Spot Disease |
White
spot disease, also known as ich or ick, is the distinguished by the white spots
that develop on the body and/or fins of the fish. Heavy breathing can be
another symptom. An infected fish will often scrub itself against a rough
surface in the tank.
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| Gill Fluke |
Skin
and gill flukes are caused by parasitic flatworms. A healthy fish will usually
withstand a small fluke attack, but a large infestation can be lethal since
they can cause severe tissue damage and lesions.
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| Anchor Worms Near Fin |
Anchor
worms are thread-like worms that attach themselves to the head of the fish.
They need to be treated with a remedy made special to kill anchor worms. Like
ticks, never pull the worms using force since the head still stay attached to
the fish and grow a new body.
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| Hole in the Head Disease |
Hole
in the head disease is caused by “Hexamita,” a flagellated protozoan that is
found in the gastrointestinal tracts of many fish species. Even healthy fish
can carry these protozoa. If the water quality drops, or the fish is weakened
by another problem, it can spread from the intestines via feces in the water
and attack the outside of the fish. A small sore will form above the eyes of
the fish and eventually grow into a large hole. Large fish species are more
prone to hole in the head disease.
Knowing that these conditions exist is reason enough to make sure we take care of our fish friends to the best of our abilities. That's it for this time!
References:
Wow ... poor pink fish. I didn't know about the hole in the head disease. Thanks for sharing this info! Great work!
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