What are some typical contaminants of fish?

Question

besides mercury...

Answer 1

Any of the toxic heavy metals, like mercury are prone to bio-magnification in fish habitats. They do not break down in the environment, and are magnified each time they go up the food chain. Some toxic heavy metals are lead, aluminium, arsenic & cadmium. PCB's get run off into watershed's and can contaminate fish stocks. Although PCB's are more famous for hurting bird populations for making thier egg shells too weak to support the mother birds weight...causing a rapid decrease in population... leading to the outlaw of the use of PCB's

Answer 2

The most common contaminant in aquarium water is ammonia. It is caused by over-feeding aquarium fish. Uneaten fish food will rot and release ammonia which is poisonous to aquarium fish.

Answer 3

Fin rot

Signs: Fin rot often begins with red streaks in the fins that are soon followed by abnormal lightening of the edge of the fin and then a fraying or rotting of the fin membrane and edges. This infection can lead to a complete rotting of the fin and can spread to the body and lead to death.
Cause: Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, and Flexibacter


Fish tuberculosis

Signs: Fish with tuberculosis usually show a loss of appetite, pale skin color, emaciation, lethargy, skin ulcers, and general poor health. The disease may progress slowly leading to skeletal deformities and eventually death. Post mortem exam will reveal small white nodules in the internal organs.
Cause: Mycobacterium

Mouth rot

Signs: There are two forms of mouth rot: Acute and chronic.
Acute Form: Sudden, unexplained death with the diagnosis made on post mortem examination.
Chronic Form: The disease usually begins with small white to gray marks on the head, fins, or gills. The lips may be involved and the disease may progress to the inside of the mouth. The lesions grow to resemble white, fluffy, fungus-like tufts. The lesions produced by a bacterial infection are coarser and grayer in color than most fungal infections. The infection can continue to grow and can lead to death.
Cause: Flexibacter columnaris

Skin ulcers

Signs: Ulcers usually show up as raw opened areas on the skin. They often have reddened edges and may be associated with other symptoms of systemic infection or disease.
Causes: Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Mycobacterium, and Vibrio

Vibriosis

Vibriosis is most often found in marine or brackish water fish, but can occasionally be found in tropical species as well.
Signs: There are two forms of vibriosis: Acute and chronic.
Acute Form: Death may occur suddenly, before any signs are noticed. Symptoms may include increased respiration, loss of appetite, lethargy, skin hemorrhages, and death. Post mortem exams may reveal enlarged internal organs, but without a diagnostic test, this disease is difficult to distinguish from other bacterial infections.
Chronic Form: Exophthalmos, ulcers, and intestinal inflammation in fish that have died.

These are just a few of the most common bacterial infections that can infect fish. After reviewing the list of infections, it is very clear that most bacterial infections are caused by a few similar situations, and that following a few basic precautions can prevent most of these infections. The precautions include maintaining excellent water quality at all times, quickly removing any dead or diseased fish from the tank, treating all diseased fish, never introducing diseased or sick fish into your community tank, and preventing injuries from fighting or unsuitable habitat. If these basic guidelines are followed, bacterial infections will be a very rare occurrence in your tank.

Answer 4

i don't know if this is consider contaminants, but i have to say worms (parasites)

Answer 5

If they are from Lake Michigan, I'd say feces and body parts.

Answer 6

what she said... whatever you do, don't eat your pet fish.

Answer 7

dont know