A river fish which does not have scales on its head and has a fatty fun on its back
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The water may look clean, but it is actually filled with deadly poisons.
Some of these come in through the water you filled the tank with, some are actually made by the fish themselves as they respire and *eherm* go to the bathroom.
Ammonia and nitrite are two major culprits in causing sick fish. Even low amounts will cause irritation, stress and lethargy. But a low pH will cause many other issues because goldfish need the pH to be around 7.4.
How do you know what’s going on?
There’s a very important step every fish owner needs to take when confronting a problem:
TEST THE WATER.
A liquid water testing kit is something every fish keeper needs on hand at all times, especially for emergencies. (They are also more accurate than strip tests.) Think of it as a necessary investment you need to make in order to be a good, responsible goldfish owner.
So without further ado, here is my complete list of common – and some not-so-common – goldfish diseases, that are actually diseases:
Parasitic Goldfish Diseases
1. Ich: Did it Snow on Your Goldfish?!
Ich (pronounced “ick”) is a parasite also called “white spot disease.”
The white spots of ich are actually not the parasite itself, but the skin of the goldfish stretching over the parasite.
Outbreaks are very common with new fish that have been stressed, weakened, kept in poor conditions or not quarantined (usually all of the above).
If left untreated, it will kill your fish.
Symptoms:
Clamped (flattened down) fins.
Darting and scratching against on objects in the tank, aka “flashing.”
White spots that look like salt granules covering the fish from nose to tail.
Sometimes you might see irritation, lethargy and breathing hard.
If your goldfish has these symptoms, it sounds like you have a case of ich on your hands.
But you should know:
Not all goldfish who do have ich show the classic white speckles. They may just have the behavioral symptoms.
… And not all fish with white spots have ich.
You might see white spots in the wen of an Oranda that aren’t disease-related at all.
Treatment & Prevention:
Fortunately, the cure for ich is pretty straightforward.
It involves:
Raise the temperature up to 80 degrees (F). This will speed up the ich’s life cycle.
Salt the tank. You will need 3 teaspoons of aquarium salt for every gallon (a .3% solution), dissolved in a cup of tank water.
Wait for 7 to 10 days and keep the water pristine. If you do a water change, replace the amount of salt you took out.
If your fish have come down with ich, it’s a sign that something’s probably not right with your tank. It may be a good idea to take a look at your water change schedule or how many fish you have in the tank.
Want to prevent it in the future?
Keep stress low on your fish by providing them with clean water and enough space.
If you have more than one tank, don’t share equipment such as nets or siphons because ich can live out of water (yikes!). This is just asking for trouble.
Some of these come in through the water you filled the tank with, some are actually made by the fish themselves as they respire and *eherm* go to the bathroom.
Ammonia and nitrite are two major culprits in causing sick fish. Even low amounts will cause irritation, stress and lethargy. But a low pH will cause many other issues because goldfish need the pH to be around 7.4.
How do you know what’s going on?
There’s a very important step every fish owner needs to take when confronting a problem:
TEST THE WATER.
A liquid water testing kit is something every fish keeper needs on hand at all times, especially for emergencies. (They are also more accurate than strip tests.) Think of it as a necessary investment you need to make in order to be a good, responsible goldfish owner.
So without further ado, here is my complete list of common – and some not-so-common – goldfish diseases, that are actually diseases:
Parasitic Goldfish Diseases
1. Ich: Did it Snow on Your Goldfish?!
Ich (pronounced “ick”) is a parasite also called “white spot disease.”
The white spots of ich are actually not the parasite itself, but the skin of the goldfish stretching over the parasite.
Outbreaks are very common with new fish that have been stressed, weakened, kept in poor conditions or not quarantined (usually all of the above).
If left untreated, it will kill your fish.
Symptoms:
Clamped (flattened down) fins.
Darting and scratching against on objects in the tank, aka “flashing.”
White spots that look like salt granules covering the fish from nose to tail.
Sometimes you might see irritation, lethargy and breathing hard.
If your goldfish has these symptoms, it sounds like you have a case of ich on your hands.
But you should know:
Not all goldfish who do have ich show the classic white speckles. They may just have the behavioral symptoms.
… And not all fish with white spots have ich.
You might see white spots in the wen of an Oranda that aren’t disease-related at all.
Treatment & Prevention:
Fortunately, the cure for ich is pretty straightforward.
It involves:
Raise the temperature up to 80 degrees (F). This will speed up the ich’s life cycle.
Salt the tank. You will need 3 teaspoons of aquarium salt for every gallon (a .3% solution), dissolved in a cup of tank water.
Wait for 7 to 10 days and keep the water pristine. If you do a water change, replace the amount of salt you took out.
If your fish have come down with ich, it’s a sign that something’s probably not right with your tank. It may be a good idea to take a look at your water change schedule or how many fish you have in the tank.
Want to prevent it in the future?
Keep stress low on your fish by providing them with clean water and enough space.
If you have more than one tank, don’t share equipment such as nets or siphons because ich can live out of water (yikes!). This is just asking for trouble.
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