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Let’s face it; if you have fish then they’re bound to get diseases. Although more experienced aquarists go for a long time without disease, there is always the possibility that it will happen, and for someone new to the hobby it’s a given. Below are some diseases you may run across and their treatments. Please keep in mind when deciding on a medication that fish such as tetra's, loaches, and pacu's to name a few can not tolerate malachite green and you should use an alternative medication.
Due to the recent information I have received of Tetra's decision to stop producing their medicated food line I have undertaken the task of coming up with a medicated food that will work in place of it. It is simple to make in your own home and at the bottom of the page will be step-by-step instruction for you to follow.
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BACTERIAL FIN ROT:
- Symptoms: The fins on your fish appear to be rotting away, and could be accompanied by red sores in the affected area or with a white rim.
- Treatment: Furan-2, Aquari-Sol, MelaFix™ (use to help heal the fins after proper treatment), Triple Sulfa™, see also the bottom of the page for medicated food.
- BLACK SPOT DISEASE:
- Symptoms: Small black spots on the body.
- Treatment: Maracide, Copper Safe, Trifon
- CHILODONELLA:
- Symptoms: A very contagious gray white film of mucus covering the fish’s body.
- Treatment: Maracide
- CLAMPED FINS:
- Symptoms: Fins held close to the body.
- Treatment: See the bottom of the page for medicated food
- DROPSY:
- Symptoms: The body will be swollen with scales protruding outward.
- Treatment: You can try Maracyn-Two, Formalin-3, Furan-2, see also the bottom of the page for medicated food, but there is really no known effective treatment for dropsy, and you may have to euthanize.
- EYE FUNGUS:
- Symptoms: A white coating appears over the eyes.
- Treatment: Malachite green, Aquari-Sol
- FISH LICE:
- Symptoms: Flat somewhat rounded parasites crawling on the fish.
- Treatment: Copper safe, Maracide
- GILL AND BODY FLUKES:
- Symptoms: Gill covers will protrude, and fish may pant and scratch on objects in the tank.
- Treatment: Copper safe, Maracide, Trifon, General Cure
- HOLE IN THE HEAD DISEASE:
- Symptoms: Holes appear around the head, and fish may show no interest in food and swimming may become uneven.
- Treatment: Make sure your tank is grounded as any electrical current flowing through it could cause this disease. If grounding the tank doesn’t cure it see the bottom of the page for medicated food.
- ICHTHYOPHTHIRIUS OR JUST ICK:
- Symptoms: White spots on the body and fins. Fish will look like it’s covered in grains of salt.
- Treatment: Malachite green, Maracide, Copper Safe, Quick Cure, Aquri-Sol, Rid-ICK.
- INTERNAL PARASITES:
- Symptoms: Fish will appear thin and listless with a loss of appetite. May also have white stringy feces.
- Treatment: Medicated food for internal parasites (other companies besides Tetra still make this, however I don't know off hand where you can get it), you can also try the recipe at the bottom of this page for a medicated food, but I have not tried this on internal parasites and have no idea how it would work.
- LERNIA or ANCHOR WORM:
- Symptoms: The fish will appear to have worms on it’s body.
- Treatment: Remove the worms with tweezers and put iodine on the wound.
- MOUTH FUNGUS:
- Symptoms: White marks or cottony clumps appear around the mouth.
- Treatment: Malachite green, E.M. Tablets™, Formalin-3, Fungus Cure, Aquari-Sol
- POP EYE:
- Symptoms: Eyes protrude from sockets.
- Treatment: See the bottom of the page for medicated food
- SKIN FUNGUS:
- Symptoms: Cottony clumps appear on fins or body.
- Treatment: Malachite green, E.M. Tablets™, Formalin-3, Fungus Cure, Aquari-Sol
- SWIM BLADDER DISEASE:
- Symptoms: Fish will be unable to maintain buoyancy.
- Treatment: This is a problem more common in fancy goldfish, and there is no cure for it. Feeding medicated food (see bottom of page), adding salt to the tank, feeding peas, and raising the temperature to 76 degrees may help but only for a short time. Eventually the fish may be unable to eat and will have to be euthanized.
- VELVET:
- Symptoms: Skin or fins may appear to be dusted gray or yellow in patches.
- Treatment: Copper safe, General Cure, Formalin-3, Malachite Green
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Keep in mind that you can prevent almost all of these diseases by not letting the quality of your water deteriorate. Also, aquarium salt will help to repair a fish's natural slime coat, which will in return help prevent disease. (Warning: Use no more than 1-tsp of aquarium salt per 5-gallons of water with less tolerant fish such as neon tetras. Some fish can't tolerate it at all, and salt should NOT be used with these fish.)
Medicated Food
1-tablet Tetracycline tablets from Mardel Laboratories ground into a fine powder.
1-tsp. of ground flake food (grind until it reaches powder form)
2-tablets of Nutrafin Spirulina Tablets (grind into a powder)
1/4-tsp. ground freeze dried bloodworms (approximately 1 tsp. before grinding)
1-envelope Knox Gelatine for Recipes (unflavored)
1-cup dechlorinated water
Bring water to a boil and combine all ingredients in a container with a lid. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour. After one hour take food out and stir thoroughly. Place back in refrigerator to allow to set. Once food is set freeze half of it. The other half put on a clean well-rinsed plate and mash with fork. Feed fish twice a day what they can eat. (Caution: Food will sink to the bottom right away. If not eaten within 30 minutes take remaining food out.)
Any of the ingredients may be replaced to make suitable for other types of fish. If used as is, it is more suited for omnivores.
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