Does fish get sick?

Answer 1

Fish are susceptible to fish diseases just as any other organism. There are hundreds of afflictions that can effect the health of fish. Fish disease has remained a rudimentary branch of veterinary medicine. The reasons are their miniature nature makes tests more difficult and cheap price of most fish exceeds expensive tests and medication cost. Fish diseases can be referred to as etiology organ/system most severely affected. Communicable disease can easily affect most fishes in the aquarium due to limited volume of water and increased number of fish compared to natural environments. Many diseases in captive fish are avoidable and preventible. Water conditions are important factors. In spite of all precautions, disease episodes may still occur in the aquarium especially when fish face environmental stresses.

Prevention

Disease cures are almost always more expensive and less effective than simple prevention measures.

Precautions:

* Avoid introducing infected stock into the water.
* Avoid stressing the fish.
o Keep fish in the ideal water conditions for their species.
o Don't overcrowd the aquarium.
o Don't overfeed the fish.
o Avoid vessels that have no water movement or filtration, like fish bowls.
* Don't introduce external disease sources.
o Quarantine newly-bought fish, plants, and invertebrates.
o Don't buy from shops with diseased fish.
o If you cannot quarantine new fish, do not add the fish's transportation water into your tank. Instead, pour the fish and water through a net, and add only the fish themselves into the tank.
o Carefully wash vegetable matter, like lettuce and cucumber, before feeding it to your fish.
* Monitor the fish.
o Look closely at the fish at least a couple of minutes a day to check for symptoms of stress or disease.
o If a fish appears distressed, quarantine it immediately and monitor it until it seems healthy.
* Avoid using unknown chemicals in your tank.
o Never use soap or detergent when cleaning anything that will go in to the aquarium.

Fish disease etiology
Myxobolus cerebralis triactinomyxon
Myxobolus cerebralis triactinomyxon

* Bacterial infections
o External bacterial infection
+ Pseudomonas fluorescens
+ Cotton Mouth, Mouth Fungus, Chondrococcus columnaris
+ Scale Protrusion
+ Myxobacteriosis
+ Tail Rot & Fin Rot
o Internal bacterial infection
o Frunculosis (Aeromonas salmonicida)
+ Fish Dropsy
+ Red pest
+ Septicemia
# Pop Eye
+ Mycobacteria
# Fish Tuberculosis, (Curved Spine), Crooked Spine, Mycobacterium piscium
* Fungal infections
o Saprolegnia
o Ichthyosporidium
o Fungal cataract
* Mould infections
o Water moulds
+ Oomycetes
+ Saprolegnia
* Parasitic Disorders
o Gyrodactylus salaris
o Protozoa
+ Malawi Bloat
+ Costia
+ Ichthyophthirius
+ Cryptocaryon
+ Oodinium
+ Trypanosoma
+ Velvet disease
+ Brooklynella hostilis
+ Hexamita
+ Glugea
+ Henneguya
+ Chilodonella
o Myxosporea
+ Ceratomyxa shasta
+ Kudoa thrysites
+ Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae
+ Ceratomyxa shasta
o Microspora
+ Neon Tetra Disease Pleistophora hyphessobryconis
o Helmintic
+ Leeches
+ Nematoda
+ Trematoda
+ Platyhelminthes, Flat worms
# Planaria
# Monogenea
+ Cercaria and Metacercaria
# Black Spot, Diplostomiasis
o Crustaceans
+ Argulus (Fish louse)
+ Copepods
# Lernea Anchor worms
* Viral Disorders
o Koi Herpes virus (KHV)
o Infectious salmon anemia
o Lymphocystis
* Metabolic Disorders
* Water conditions
o Physical conditions
+ Too many fish
+ The tank is too small
+ New tank syndrome (NTS)
o O2
+ Insufficient aeration
o PH
+ Acid Water
+ Alkaline Water
+ pH fluctuations greater than 0.2 units/day
+ Adding concentrated acid/alkaline (Chemical burns)
o Water Hardness
+ High GH
+ Low Gh
o Temporary Hardness
+ High Kh
+ Low Kh
o Water temperature
+ Water Too hot
+ Water Too Cold
o Poisoning
+ Ammonia Poisoning
+ Nitrite poisoning
+ Copper Poisoning
+ Clorine Poisoning
+ Chloramine Poisoning
* Malnutrition
o Undefined
+ Rotting nose disease
o Underfeeding
o Overfeeding
o Wrong food
o Foods not varied
o Vitamin deficiency
+ Fat Soluble Vitamins
# Vitamin A
# Vitamin D
+ Water Soluble Vitamins
# Thiamine (B1)
# Riboflavin (B2)
# Nicotinic Acid (niacin, B3)
# Pantothenic Acid (B5)
# Pyroxidine (B6)
# Cyanocobalamin (B12)
# Ascorbic Acid (C)
* Hole in the head disease
# Biotin (H)
# Choline
# Folic Acid (M)
# Inositol
# p-Aminobenzoic Acid
# Vitamin E
o Mineral deficiency
+ Calcium
o Constipation
* Injuries
o Incompatible species
o Improper handling
o Sharp decor
* Tumors
o Benign
o Malign
* Congenital Abnormalities
o Beneficial
+ Albinism
+ Extra finnage
o Undesirable

Fish disease by affected organ system

* Neurological Disorders
* Body Cavity
* Eye Disorders
o Cloudy cornea
o Blindness
o Cataract
o Black Spot
o Pop Eye , exophtalmia
* Fecal Disorders
* Fin Disorders
o Fin rot
* Gallbladder
* Gill Disorders
o Gill flukes (Dactylogyrus )
* Intestinal Disorders
* Kidney Disorders
* Liver Disorders
* Locomotor Disorders
o Spine
+ Scoliosis
* Mouth disorders
o Cotton Mouth
* Skin Disorders & Changes In Color
o Anchor Worm
o Black spots (diplopstomiasis)
o Chilodonella
o Costia
o Dermocystidium
o Fish Lice (Argulus)
o Fungus
o Ich (white spot disease)
o Scale Loss (stress)
o Skin flukes (Gyrodactylus)
o Slime Disease
o Ulcers
+ Ulcerative dermal necrosis
o Velvet
* Swim Bladder Disease
o Congenitally deformed
o Tumor adjacent to the swim bladder
o Constipation
o Malnutrition
o Chilling
o temperature fluctuations
o Serious parasitic infestation
o Serious bacterial infection

Fish Disease treatment

[edit] Basics

If the disease cause is not obvious, check water conditions, including temperature, acidity/alkalinity (pH), General Hardness (GH), Carbonate Hardness (KH), Ammonia concentration (NH3), Nitrite Concentration (NH4), Phosphate concentration (PO4) and Nitrate concentration (NO2). Observe the fish for symptoms. Check any recent changes.

[edit] Hospital Tank/ Quarantine

Diseased fish should be isolated whenever possible so they are not likely to spread infections among other healthy fish in the tank. The best way to isolate sick fish is to set up a hospital tank. If possible move all sick fish to a hospital tank without sand, live plants or decorations. If the treatment is an antibiotic antiseptic or copper-based, remember to remove all carbon from the filtration system. Make sure the biological filtration in your aquarium, which cycles harmful ammonia and nitrites, is not destroyed by the drugs. The tank should be furnished with a reliable heater that will not permit much temperature variance. The tank should be furnished with an air stone. After treating the sick fish, disinfect the tank.

[edit] Baths

An alternative means of treating a fish is to give it a short bath in a bucket containing water and a medication or salt.

[edit] Salt bath

A salt bath is a good way of treating the fish without damaging the beneficial bacteria. It is a good antiseptic and fungicide. Most table salts may contain additives like magnesium sulfate to keep them from clumping and appear whiter, which might not be beneficial to fish. Aquarium salt is recommended, although Kosher salt or rock salt is satisfactory.

[edit] Heat Therapy

Heat therapy of raising the water temperature, can be administered to kill certain parasites. The temperature should be raised gradually. Sometimes diseased fish cannot handle such a temperature change, or the species can not tolerate high temperatures. Discontinue treatment if any side effects occur. Aeration is necessary since less oxygen is dissolved in warm water.

[edit] Medications

Commercial fish medications are not regulated by any government agency. This means that some commercial medications have not been tested for safety or effectiveness. Thus some medications may be completely useless and may be even harmful to aquarium inhabitants.

[edit] Treatment Options

* Conservative treatment
o Temperature modifications
o Changing water conditions
* Pharmaceuticals
o Drug baths
o Topical drugs
o Feeding drugs
o Injecting drugs
* Surgery
* Killing the fish

[edit] Example drugs used in Fish treatment

* Antibiotics
o Tetracycline
o Chloromycetin
o Amoxicillin
* Antihelmintic
o Parachlorometaxylenol
o Dimilin
* Antifungals
o Phenoxethol
* Antiseptics
o Malachite green
o Formalin
o Potassium permanganate
o Methylene blue
o Mercurochrome
o Acriflavine, (trypaflavine)
o Mardel's Maroxy
o Quaternary ammonium compounds: (QACs)
o Monacrin (monoaminoacridine)
* Chloramine-T
* Copper
* Organophosphates
* Salt
* Anti constipation
o Paraffin oil
o Glycerol
o Castor oil
* Other
o Trichlorofon
o Maracyn
o Paragon
o Metronidazole
o Trifon
o Oxygenex

Complications
Nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen cycle

* Damaging Nitrogen cycle
* Damaging aquarium plants
* Damaging freshwater invertebrates in aquarium
* Overdose

Answer 2

yes all fish get sick u just have to keep a eye on them depending on the breed of fish .If its something like fin rot u can treat it just ask Ur local fish dealer.If really sick take out of tank into a holding one till better

Answer 3

Yes. They do get sick. If its in an aquarium, you can see the symptoms when its color changes (noticed in gold fishes) or when the ends of the fins and tails gets torn or ugly and when they start changes in their movements like being slow, or not eating anything and settling in the bottom of the tank.

Answer 4

yes they get lots of sicknesses from bacteria and parasites and fungus. water is usually full of these things but they have a special coat on them that usually keeps things off of them if the coat gets thinned down then the bad stuff can get in and make your fish sick

Answer 5

Simple answer YES they do get sick, just like any other loving thing on this planet.

Answer 6

Yes they get sick however there is good remedies on the market.
The main ones I use is esha 2000,esha optima also stress coat
plus water conditioner.There is numerous treatments.

Answer 7

Yes. Many times fish die because of disease. Also lack of oxygen in the water is a major killer of fish.

Answer 8

Yes, of course. Some change colors when they are sick. Some die.

Answer 9

All living things gets sick at some point...And they could even die.

Answer 10

they do get unwell if that is what you mean.
keep water quality high with regular water changes.
do not overcrowd or overfeed.
rough guide is 1 inch of fish to a gallon.
double the gallons for marine.