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Do aquarium fish get sick? Treatment of aquarium fish: Trying to treat bacterial infections

Diseases of fish living at home usually arise suddenly. If you carefully observe your pets, you can easily recognize the first signs of common diseases.

Aquarium fish can become ill suddenly, so they need to be monitored

If it is impossible to determine the disease, seek help from laboratory diagnostics. Most diseases can be cured easily and quickly without harm. aquarium fish OK.

General information

Ichthyopathology is a scientific discipline that studies diseases of aquarium fish. Their treatment is not always successful, but it is possible. Ailments are classified into the following types:

  • contagious, which are divided into infectious and invasive;
  • non-contagious.

Infectious diseases are caused by single-celled organisms: viruses, fungi, protozoa and bacteria. Invasive ones are caused by helminths and arthropods (multicellular animals).


Fish diseases may or may not be contagious.

Non-communicable diseases arise due to chemical or physical damage. This is due to poor quality care and conditions for keeping fish. Poor care means:

  • temperature violation;
  • poor quality water;
  • entry of toxic substances into the aquarium;
  • improper feeding;
  • poor nutrition.

Physical damage is caused by the arrangement of the aquarium. It is enough to provide your pets with proper care and the likelihood of illness will be reduced.

Infectious diseases



The dosage of each drug is prescribed by a specialist. An increase in the norm or an incorrectly prepared solution will lead to death.

Non-communicable diseases

Poor quality food and mechanical damage cause illness aquarium fish. You need to notice the first signs in time:


In case of any illness, be sure to keep the aquarium clean and check the food for freshness. We should not forget to take into account the change in mood of the fish.

Preventive methods

It is easier to prevent diseases than to treat them in a neglected state. If you do simple rules content, you can protect fish from diseases:

  • weekly cleaning of the aquarium with replacement of ¼ volume of water;
  • transplantation of excess individuals;
  • cleaning traumatic scenery;
  • quality food 1 or 2 times a day;
  • temperature regime of water, each species has its own;
  • proper transportation of pets;
  • using a thermostat in winter;
  • quarantine for newcomers;
  • disinfection of everything that interacted with sick fish;
  • quality drugs in correct dosage during treatment.

Care, timely care and nutritious food will protect your favorite fish from diseases and injuries. And regular cleaning of the aquarium will help avoid many troubles.

Many types of fish are susceptible to alkaline disease, the condition of which is negatively affected by changes in the pH of the water. Most often, guppies, neons, swordtails, veiltails, and goldfish get sick. In severe cases, splitting of the gills and fins occurs, which leads to the death of the fish.

Treatment of individuals with alkalosis consists of gradually changing the level of alkali in the aquarium, which must be brought to a neutral value. If there is a strong difference in the balance, the fish should be transplanted into a fish tank until the pH is balanced aquatic environment.

Fish obesity

It occurs due to a violation of the feeding regime, a monotonous diet, due to overeating, and the predominance of fatty foods in the diet. With this pathology, metabolism is disrupted, internal organs are affected, in particular the digestive and reproductive system.

In obese fish, the tummy increases and the sides become rounded. They become inactive and float near the bottom of the aquarium.

To prevent obesity, fish must have nutritious, balanced diet, various types quality feed. If you are obese, you should keep the fish on a semi-starved, starvation diet for 1-2 days.

Gas embolism

The disease causes an increase in the amount of oxygen in the aquatic environment. Vascular blockage occurs and blood circulation is disrupted. With this pathology, restless behavior and impaired coordination of movements are noted. Fish swim on their sides, their gills are motionless.

The development of the disease is indicated by the presence large quantities bubbles on plants, soil, glass or the body of the fish themselves. Gas embolism most often leads to the death of pets due to blockage of blood vessels.

Prevention

To avoid infection of fish, it is very important to create optimal conditions content, think over the diet. Systematically monitor the parameters of the aquatic environment (temperature, pH). Purchase special equipment for aeration, filtration, and water heating.

Before adding fish to the aquarium, create a favorable ecosystem for your pets in advance, taking into account their individual characteristics and needs.

Buy only healthy fish from pet stores. Before planting, treat plants with hydrogen peroxide and a solution of potassium permanganate.

If you notice that something is wrong with the fish, immediately put it in a separate tank or aquarium. If you don’t know what to do if your aquarium fish gets sick, consult an ichthyologist or ask questions on the forums.

Aquarium fish get sick too, and the sooner you recognize alarming symptoms and start treatment - the more chances the aquarium inhabitants have to survive. Let's talk about the most common diseases and how to treat them.

Bug-eyed

The first symptoms are that the eyes swell, begin to protrude beyond the orbit, and later become cloudy. Fluid accumulates behind the eye, which “squeezes” them out. If the disease is not treated, the fish may lose its eyes. There are several causes of the disease - infection or poor-quality water, insufficiently nutritious food, eye nematodes.

Sometimes bulging eyes are not a disease, but a symptom (for example, dropsy), so treatment is carried out after water tests. The fish need to be placed in another container, the aquarium must be disinfected and filled clean water, water changes every 3 days are required. If the reason is in the diet, you need to give mineral supplements. After a week, the swelling goes away, and the fish again takes on a healthy appearance.

Fin rot (saprolengia)


It is manifested by the appearance of spots or plaque on the fins, the fish behave sluggishly, may refuse food, gradually rot affects all fins and gills, and the work is disrupted internal organs, the fish dies.

To combat saprolengia, you can make manganese or salt baths, lubricate the affected areas with penicillin, and keep the fish in a solution of malachite green for an hour (50 mg per 10 liters). Also known are such drugs as Antibak, Fiosepit, copper sulfate, Tetra Generaltonic, Sera baktopur, Fungus Cure and others.

Hexamitosis

Hexamitosis is treated with calomel (it is added to the feed at the rate of 0.5 g per 250 grams of feed), baths with erythrocycline and griseofulvin. You can add sera Fishtamin, Ichthyovit, ZMF Hexa-ex, sera bakto to the food.

Dropsy

The fish behaves apathetically, sluggishly, lies on the ground, abdominal cavity swells, anal hole it is inflamed, the scales begin to bristle, and bulging eyes are observed. The abundance of fluid causes swelling, the fish dies from hemorrhage.

Added to feed antibacterial drugs– oxytetracycline, chloramphenicol, sera Costapur, sera Bactopur, Furan-2, Triple, you can do baths with chloromycetin. It is better to remove sick individuals from the aquarium, thoroughly disinfect the tank, and replace the soil.

Ichthyophthiriasis

The easiest way is to add malachite green to the water, but it is not suitable for labeos and loaches. Fiosept, furazolidone, sera Bactopur, Nala-Gram, Antibak, Diprovan, sera Omnisan are also used for treatment. Place sick fish in quarantine, raise the water temperature, and clean the aquarium regularly.

Furunculosis


There are several forms of this disease: acute, fulminant and chronic. Fulminant disease can be practically asymptomatic and ends in the death of fish. At acute form The skin of the fish is darker, reddish spots appear on the fins and abdomen, and the excrement is mucous and mixed with blood. Later, the fish stops moving, it develops bulging eyes, clearly defined boils, and the gills turn pale.

It is necessary to increase the water temperature, antibiotics are added to the aquarium - Biomycin, Antibak, Ichthyovit, TetraMedica, Furan-2, Sera bactopur, white Streptocide, Tetracycline, Aureomycin. Plants, soil, and equipment must be disinfected.

Plistophorosis

The aquarium must be disinfected with chloramine or potassium permanganate, the soil must be boiled or heated over a fire, plants must be thrown away, and diseased fish must be destroyed.

Mycobacteriosis


Tuberculosis is often transmitted by river fish and live food. Fish that have contracted tuberculosis behave passively, they have a inhibited reaction, they often lie on the bottom or hide in the corners of the reservoir. The appearance of the fish also begins to change: the abdomen sags, scales fall out, the abdomen enlarges, ulcers appear, and the color fades. Sometimes bulging eyes are observed, the eyes become cloudy, the fish swim as if they are jumping and refuse food.

After the diagnosis has been established, it is necessary to treat the fish in the hatchery by adding antibiotics to the water and food: Ichthyovit, Antibak Pro, Kanamycin, Rifampicin, immunomodulator Vetom. The water temperature is raised to the maximum, the aquarium is disinfected.

Peptic ulcer

The disease is best treated with initial stage. Streptocide (1.5 grams per 10 liters), bicillin-5 (500,000 units per 100 liters) is added to aquarium water; you can add Fiosept, Tripaflavin, Furan-2, Sera bactopur, TetraMedica, Antibak, Ichthyovit. It is better to carry out treatment in a community aquarium, since other fish can also easily become infected.

Gyrodactylosis

Used to treat gyrodactylosis generic drugs– Fiosept, Formamed, Antipar, Ichthyovit, Diprovan, copper sulfate, Sera Mycopur, Sera Med, General Cure and others. It is better to treat fish in a community aquarium, since helminths are transmitted from a sick individual to a healthy one.

Cause of the disease: in an aquarium with soft, acidic water, densely planted with plants and under intense sunlight, the acidity level of the environment (pH) can jump sharply, up to 10-11. Long-term exposure of fish to such an environment can cause illness and alkalosis. The disease will not necessarily affect all the inhabitants of the aquarium, because each species has its own acceptable pH range. It should be noted that high values pH also exacerbates ammonia poisoning.

Alkalosis can be acute or chronic. The likelihood of acute alkalosis is high when moving fish from one aquarium to another without taking into account the pH levels in both aquariums or when using medicines, sharply changing the pH level. There can be several reasons for chronic alkalosis: if a fish that naturally lives in water bodies with low level pH, you have to live in an aquarium with high level pH, if the evaporated water in the aquarium is constantly replaced with fresh water, with a large number minerals, and also when decorations in the aquarium (for example, limestone stones) constantly release soluble minerals into the water.

Symptoms: skin the fish become dull, their breathing quickens, and mucus is released from the gills. The fish spread their fins, begin to rush around the aquarium, impaired coordination of movements and convulsions are visible. The fish are rushing about, trying to jump out of the water. In the absence of treatment or when the disease is neglected, clouding of the cornea of ​​the eye occurs, which leads to complete blindness. In the end, the fish die, en masse, often at night.

Treatment: immediately after determining the diagnosis, you need to transplant the fish into an aquarium with a hydrogen index (pH) of 7.5-8 (they recover slowly). In an aquarium with a high level of acidity, gradually bring the pH value to an optimally low one. A suitable pH level must be set. This can be achieved using a suitable pH buffer (available from a pet store). To slowly adjust the pH, it is better to use repeated partial water changes, and fresh water should have a pH close to neutral.

Acute alkalosis: Survival of sudden large changes in pH is unlikely unless the pH is immediately returned to normal level. If the pH is returned to normal gradually, then the fish will be exposed to the harmful effects of an inappropriate pH for too long. However, acute alkalosis is usually fatal, even if corrected quickly. Therefore, it is very important to determine the cause of the problem and take necessary measures to prevent its recurrence.

Chronic alkalosis: It is necessary to slowly change the pH so that it falls into the optimal range for the fish. The rate of pH change should not exceed 0.3 units. per day so that the fish have the opportunity to gradually adapt to the changes.
There is a risk of infection that accompanies or follows alkalosis. Such an infection is possible as a result of suppression immune system fish caused by stress (especially if the problem is chronic). Due to inappropriate pH values, gills and skin membranes are damaged, making them vulnerable to secondary infections.

Prevention: It is necessary to initially select fish species that have similar needs in terms of water pH. Choose the design of the aquarium in such a way that it does not affect adverse effects to the desired chemical composition water. Check the pH value regularly to detect early signs of leaching due to calcium contained in aquarium furnishings.