Diana Administrator
Number of posts : 6033 Age : 72 Location : On here, talking to you! Registration date : 2007-12-12
| Subject: INTRODUCTION Mon Apr 07, 2008 12:57 am | |
| From time to time your fish may suffer from one of the many bacterial, fungal or parasitic diseases that can blight your fishtank.
The illness listed below are just a few of those, and will hopefully give a starting place if that dreaded day ever comes.
There are a few things you can do though to keep the chances of your fish getting ill to a minimum.
Choosing fish
When choosing fish from a pet shop or local fish shop (lfs), look in ALL the tanks not just the ones containing the fish you are interested in.
Many of these stores have a filtration system which connects all the various tanks together, so disease from one tank can easily be transferred to another.
If you see any fish looking lethergic, or a bit below par, or if you see any with obvious signs of illness DO NOT BUY ANY!!!
When you do buy, choose a healthy looking fish, one that is active in the tank.
Quarantine Tank
If possible put all new fish in a quarantine tank. This does not have to be a big, fancy affair, and it does not even have to have lighting, although a heater and filter will be necessary.
The newcomer should be kept in the q tank for at least 4 weeks. This timeframe allows you to keep an eye on the fish and monitor it for any sign of illness or infection.
Should any signs of trouble appear, it also allows you to treat the fish without having to treat all of your established tank.
Tank Maintenance
Tank maintenance can be a really important part of keeping illness and infections at bay.
Fish can become easily stressed, and prolonged episodes of stress may affect their immune systems to such a degree that they are susceptable to disease.
Causes of stress can be poor water quality, overcrowding or bullying.
If you do get any fish that are ill, have a look at the following pages for information.
NB - The treatments mentioned in the following Health Guides are for information only. They are not being recommended by anyone on the forum as being 100% effective, and there are many more treatments on the market that you may see in your local fish shop. | |
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