Sick Goldfish
If you are having problems with a sick goldfish, it may be hard to pinpoint the reason why the fish is becoming ill. This can depend on the symptoms and the appearance of the fish. There are a few common illnesses that can have specific symptoms and they can alert you to a sick goldfish. You can then find out how to treat them.
When the fins are tightly clamped against the side of the fish, this is a sign of trouble. This means the goldfish is suffering from stress. Clamped fins are curable but you should try to treat the fish as soon as possible to avoid the spreading of the disease as well ass germs and bacteria within the tank.
When a sick goldfish swims from side to side but does not move from the spot it is in, it is called shimmy. The fish may also look like it is in distress and may have an apparent twitch when it tries to swim. It is thought that either flukes or parasites cause this unusual swimming action. This disease is curable but you have to purchase a solution to treat the entire tank. Without the treatment, the fish will eventually die.
Ich or white spot is another sign of a sick goldfish. It is small white spotting that appears on the abdomen or back fin of the goldfish. It is considered a parasite and it can produce over a thousand offspring. The nickname for this condition is called fish louse. If the ich is not treated the entire tank can become infected.
The parasite falls off of the original hosts and borrows into the pebbles on the bottom of the cage. It produces more parasites and this can be harmful to everything that lives in the tank. It is recommended that the fish be treated with medication and the water in the tank should be cleaned after every treatment to avoid spreading ich.
If a goldfish stays mainly on the bottom of the aquarium, it can be a problem. He can be suffering with stress or even from exhaustion. Usually this happens when the fish has already came into contact with a parasite or other type of illness and it is tired from trying to fight off the illness. When a fish is bottom dwelling he may also have symptoms that include a loss of appetite, fatigue or gasping for air at the top of the tank. It is important to treat the tank immediately by changing the water and cleaning the pebbles and plants. This can stop the crashing from happening to other fish.
Glancing is when a fish rubs itself against rocks or plastic plants. It can cause scratches to appear on the fish and the scales and fins can also become damaged. This usually happens when the fish has some kind of parasite and it is reacting to being bitten by it. These parasites that exist on fish suck the blood from the fish and it causes an allergic reaction much like a mosquito bite in humans. The fish can get relief by glancing against a rock. It is important to treat the tank to avoid spreading the illness to other fish in the aquarium.
For several of these illnesses, the best thing to do is to clean the tank. You should remove the water and plants and clean them thoroughly. You an also add a clearing solution that can be purchase at any pet store. Aquarium salt is recommended to maintain a healthy fish tank after an infection has been spotted and increasing the water temperature within the tank is also a good idea.
