Page 58 - Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish, 3rd Edition

56 FRESHWATER FISH: ILLNESS AND TREATMENT

DIAGNOSIS OF COMMON PROBLEMS
It is not always easy to distinguish between the different ailments The tables on the following pages will help you diagnose the most
that can affect tropical fish, especially in their early stages. Diagnosis common conditions affecting freshwater species and point you toward
may be further complicated by the fact that more than one infective appropriate treatments. First, in the table below, identify the part of the
agent is often responsible for the visible symptoms. For example, when fish’s body that appears to be affected. Next, find the signs of illness
a fish develops white spot (see p.54), bacteria and fungi may gain that most closely match those displayed by the fish. Note the number(s)
access to the body at the site where the parasites initially attacked, associated with the relevant signs and refer to pages 57 and 58 for a
confusing the diagnostic picture. fuller description of the possible conditions and their treatment.

SIGNS OF DISEASE
EYES • One or both eyes appear to be bulging abnormally from their • One or both eyes missing from their sockets, with no other
sockets ⑤ ⑨ ⑫ obvious physical symptoms or behavioral abnormalities ①
• Bulging eye or eyes, accompanied by loss of appetite and • Area around the eyes becomes abnormally white ⑨
color change ①
• Eyes develop a glazed appearance, and the fish has difficulty
• One or both eyes have a cloudy appearance in the central coordinating its movements
pupillary area ①
SKIN • Skin loses its color, becoming paler than normal, and the fish • Skin has a more slimy appearance than normal ⑬ ⑯ ⑰ ⑱
appears less active than usual ⑮ ⑲ ⑲
• Growth resembling cotton fluff appears on an area of the • Straggly pieces resembling cotton appear to trail down from
body or on a fin ③ ⑦ the sides of the body ⑰
• White, pus-filled pores develop near the head, becoming • Strangely shaped blemishes become evident on the sides
ulcerated. Whitish feces may hang from the body ⑭ of the body ⑥ ⑰
FINS • Fins develop an abnormally ragged appearance, especially • White spots appear over the surface of the fins as well as on
evident in the caudal fin ② the body ⑬
• Red streaks start to develop in the fins, which appear to be • Fins are clamped down against the body, making it difficult for
congested with blood ② ⑤ the fish to swim normally
• Areas missing from the fins; especially evident in fish with • Splits develop in the fins, vertically in the dorsal fin and more
unusually long fins horizontally in the caudal fin
COLOR • Fish becomes paler in color and loses its appetite ⑮ ⑲ • Body color alters, with markings appearing less defined than
normal ① ⑬ ⑯ ⑰ ⑱ ⑲
• Reddish areas become evident on various parts of the body,
including the mouth, anal region, and bases of the fins ⑤ ⑥ • Pale areas develop on the head ⑭
• Body develops a yellowish-gray cast, which extends to the fins • Eggs develop an abnormal cloudy, milky appearance, especially
as well as the body ⑱ if infertile ⑧

SHAPE • Abdominal area swells significantly, to the extent that the fish • Surface of the body erodes, forming ulcers ⑤ ⑥ ⑬ ⑭ ⑰ ⑱
has difficulty swimming ① ⑫
• Fish’s profile alters, with its belly area starting to bulge
• One or more unusual swellings appear anywhere on the noticeably upward, indicating emaciation ① ⑭
surface of the fish’s body ⑨ ⑯
• Fish undergoes a progressive loss of weight, in spite of the fact
that it appears to have a healthy appetite ①
BEHAVIOR • Fish starts to spend longer than normal at the surface of the • Loss of appetite, with the fish becoming less active, and lying
tank, sometimes hanging there at an abnormal angle ⑯ ⑳ on the floor of the aquarium ⑤ ⑥ ⑨ ⑩ ⑪
• Gill movements become very apparent, causing the fish to • One individual starts to be picked on by other fish in the tank
appear as if it is gasping ⑱ ⑳ and starts to hide away ① ⑮
• Fish starts to rub itself against rockwork and other objects in • Fish begins to swim at a strange angle in the tank, sometimes
the aquarium ⑬ ⑯ ⑰ ⑱ ⑲ even upside down ④ ⑲

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