The Pet Fish Care Blog

For many people, a fish can make an ideal pet. You don’t have to take it for a walk, pick up after it. You also don’t have to worry about it shredding your furniture or shedding on your favorite outfit before that important job interview. While fish may not need as much care and maintenance as many other pets, you still need to make sure you can provide the right environment to give your fish a long and healthy life.

Freshwater fish or Saltwater Fish

There are hundreds of types of fish that you can own, but the first distinction that you need to make is whether you want to have fresh water or salt water fish. For beginners, the choice is easy - freshwater fish are easier to take care of and require much less specialized equipment. Breeds like the common goldfish are inexpensive and are known for their hardiness and longevity. While it’s tempting to just get a fish bowl for your new pet, shelling out for a fresh water fish tank will often cost you less money and hassle in the long run. Goldfish can grow quite large and outgrow a fish bowl before you know it; your new fish will be much happier and healthier in a tank. Even though fresh water aquarium fish require lighting, filters and heating (especially for fresh water tropical fish) it is still cheaper than caring for saltwater fish.

Salt water fish tend to grow larger than their fresh water counterparts, are more expensive and require more water capacity per fish. Salt water fish tanks need lighting, heating and filters along with recommended extras like protein skimmers and a UV sterilizer. You need to maintain the correct balance of salinity for your fishy friends, so you’ll also need to shell out for fish tank salt mixes, water test kits and hydrometers.

For these reasons, it makes sense for beginners to start out with fresh water fish first. If they choose a resilient fish like a goldfish, they can learn the basics on how to care for them before moving onto more delicate fresh water fish. Afterwards, if they’re ready to move beyond fresh water aquarium fish and explore the different types of salt water fish and equipment, they can get some direction from the staff at their local pet store and move onto the next challenge.

Cleaning an ornamental fish bowl is necessary for atleast weekly once. Hence it is mandatory to keep the following materials to get a clean fish bowl.

The materials required include-

1. Water for cleaning the bowl.

2. Paper towels to clean the fish towel

3. Razor to wipe out the stubborn. Use plastic razor for acrylic bowls.

4. Algae scrapers to get rid of algaes

5. Syphon to remove water from the bowl

6.  Two containers- One for holding the fishes and the other to store gravels. ornamental plants, and gravels,

7. Scooping net to remove fishes

Fish pop eye as the name indicates is the bulging of the eyes in fishes. Fluid accumulates behind the eyes of the fishes and causes bulging. It is mainly a symptom of some underlying disease. Initially the eyes become red and start to bulge. In the later stages the bulge becomes more prominent that the fish look strange.

The bulged eye will be covered wit ha transparent soft tissue, that stretches as the eyes bulges. The fish becomes less active and stops feeding.

Early detection of this condition can prevent the fish losing its eyesight and becoming blind. In order to prevent the disease anti bacterial drops must be added weekly once to the water.

Causes

The bulging can be because of some fight injury or some bacterial infection. If the bulging appears only to one eye, it could be from the fight trauma. If both the eyes are affected, the possibility is for a bacterial infection. High nitrate content, contaminated water, ammonia, saline water etc are favourable conditions for the growth of bacteria in water. Other reasons include vitamin A deficiency, air embolism and tumors.

Symptoms

Gas bubble disease occurs as a result of over saturation of water with nitrogen. This happens when the concentration of nitrogen in water is more than that of the surroundings. Nitrogen from fish’s blood stream is pulled out forming gas bubbles in the blood. Other symptoms include the formation of bubbles under the skin of the fish, possibly because of the water pressure from the tap water while filling the tank.

Treatment

The fish with bulges eye need to be isolated immediately and treated. It is difficult to know the line of treatment as till the reason is found out. Treatment with Epsom salt draws fluid from the eyes of the fish. 1 table spoon of Epsom salt must be added with 5 gallons of water for 5 days. Epsom salt is chemically Magnesium sulphate, different from the normal salt.

Any new item, a fish, a plant or even a filter must be monitored carefully to make sure it is not releasing any toxins that are harmful to the fish. Always use a good quality water conditioner instead of picking a cheap one. Water from only a good source is advisable in the aquarium. Monitor the water reading frequently for possible contamination. You should never over crowd your aquarium with fishes as there will be shortage of oxygen inside the tank and chances of fighting between the fishes.. Never over feed the fishes as the unused food gets decayed inside the tank and act as a source for bacterial growth. Any dead fish in the aquarium should be removed immediately. Metal parts are not advised to use inside the aquarium. Plastic materials like filters should be of very fine quality. The poor quality plastic releases a poisonous substance that is dangerous to the fishes.

If the bulge eye is caused from bacterial infection, anti bacterial agent such as Maracyn should be used.

Fishes by nature swim in order to adjust their body weight without drowning or raising in the water. It is the result of the muscles at the sides of their body. Swim bladder is an air filled structure seen in fishes to maintain the buoyancy. It is located at the dorsal aspect of a fish body. In some species it also helps in respiration. If there is an injury or a disease that affect swim bladder, fishes find it difficult to manage their body weight. You can easily make this out if you carefully observe the fish, they looks drunken. There are a number of conditions in which a fish can get infection to its swim bladder.

External factors are the common thins that affect the swim bladder. It could be from a fight with the other fish or from the hits with the walls of the tank or accessories. These physical injuries can sometime become fatal. The sudden temperature changes inside an aquarium can also affect the swim bladder and swimming of a fish.

Some fishes due to genetic reasons are prone to develop a deformed swim bladder as they grow. This commonly occurs during the line breeding to acquire high quality fishes. The same species fishes with a certain quality when line breeded, results in fishes with impaired swim bladder.

Cancer and tuberculosis in fishes are another factor that affects the swim bladder. If the cancer or tuberculosis is affecting an organ that is close to the swim bladder, the chances of swim bladder getting infected are very high.

Under nutrition can cause swim bladder disease as the fish is not getting enough nutrition for the growth of internal organs. The initial stages can be cured giving a proper balanced diet. Improper feed also causes constipation in fishes. The swelling of internal organs results in compression of swim bladder and the fish may find difficulty to swim. Gold fishes are the most affected by this condition.

Swim bladder disease can be a result of various fungal, bacterial, parasitic infections.

This problem should be cured according to the underlying cause. Severe damage from external factors cannot be treated and the fishes will be dead within 2 weeks. The fishes need to be in a healthy environment for it to be free from diseases. Keep the water clean and give an adequate quantity of food at regular interval. Monitor frequently for any contamination and treat the water with anti fungal drops if necessary.

<p align=’justify’>You might have experienced it and thought you are out of luck, but constipation in fish is not that unusual and may, if left untreated, lead to the decease of the clogged fish. I know this is not the news you were expecting, but that’s just the way it is. Although, there are some things you can do to avoid such unfortunate events. After reading this article you should be able to determine what caused the constipation in fish for you and how to remedy it.</p>

<p align=’justify’>Some fish are disposed to constipation to a greater extent than others and it’s difficult to present any common patterns about which fish are prone to become constipated and which are not. It could still be stated that fish with high and narrow bodies , like angelfish and silver dollars ordinarily can be more vulnerable to constipation than fish with different embodiments.</p>

<p align=’justify’>The main symptom of constipation is the swelling of its body and stomach and loss of appetite. Now constipation is normally not induced by any diseases but more likely by the kind of diet the fish are being fed. You should know that in case the wrong kind of diet is disposed to a cetrtain fish for a sustained time this could induce constipation and constipation can then oftentimes be remedied by ameliorating the specific diet of your fish. Precisely what this means depends on the different species of fish you might keep in the tank.</p>

Predatory fish are better kept on a certain type of diet while herbivores on some other types of diets which I won’t get into right now. But just knowing this can do you a world of good if you do your research. In case a predatory fish is fed an herbivore’s diet or vice versa you can imagine why problems may arise. One potential problem that you may experience is constipation; some others could include diverse deficiency induced diseases.

Explore this website, the rest of the Net and physical books and find selective information around what the proper diet is for your type of fish and do make sure to give your fish the right diet in the forthcoming. It is also decisive to remember what the importance of a well diversified diet is. Not having a varied enough diet is a frequent cause for problems such as constipation just as well as for various deficiency related health issues. Remember that if you make sure you are giving the fish a diversified diet suitable for its specific breed, constipation should never come about.

If the constipation doesn’t conclude itself after a melioration of the current diet you might have to try some other methods. One thing you could try is to feed your fish some kind of flake or some other dry food that has been imbued in glycerol, caster oil or even medicinal paraffin oil to really help take out the colon obstruction that stimulates the constipation in fish. So by now you should have a good idea about where to go next when having trouble with constipation in fish. Thanks for reading.

A quarantine tank (QT) is a very important accessory for any responsible aquarist. The whole point of quarantine is to prevent problems in the main tank and protect your investment. Why take the chance of introducing pest or diseases into an healthy tank or why should we let a sick fish contaminate the others.

1-Quarantine for new live stock
Before to introduce any newly acquired animals in your main tank, it is wise to assume they might carry something you don’t want. It is much easier to fix problems in smaller tanks and, if anything goes wrong, all you risk is what’s in the quarantine tank, not the entire system.

So it’s simple; you get new live stock, you quarantine and then, after a couple weeks, you introduce it into you tank.

2- Medical use
When a fish is sick or injured, it is wise to remove it from the tank and move it to a quarantine tank. This way, there is less chance the whole community get affected by the illness.
Using a quarantine tank to treat sick fish will also make you save money, as medication for a small tank is less costly than it is for a large tank.

Also, invertebrates and many micro-organism may be in may be harmed by some medication so that’s an other reason to not use medication in the main tank.
Finally, being sick in the main tank can be stress full for the fish. It has to fight against the disease and deal with all other fish at the same time. A stress free environment will help it recover.

Quarantine Tank setup:
Equipment required for a quarantine tank:
-10 gallon tank (larger if needed) with cover and light
- Hiding place for the fish. Many people simply use a few pieces of 6? long PVC
- heater and thermometer
- air pump with airline and air stone
- biologically active sponge filter
- net
- ammonia test kit
- nitrite test kit
- antibacterial and anti-parasitic medicated food
- NO SUBSTRATE

Set up your quarantine tank the same way you’d set up any tank but don’t use a substrate. At this point, the tank should be empty with only the heater and air stone in it. Next, fill it with water from your already established aquarium, add the PVC pipe pieces, add the heater, and set up the filter and air pump.

That’s it! You have a quarantine tank.

Be ready!

Always have some extra saltwater ready in case an emergency water change is needed. Never use freshly mixed water to a tank!

Quarantine procedures:

1) Set up your quarantine tank.
2) Catch your fish and acclimatize it to the quarantine tank.
3) Use recommended medication for the disease. During that process, monitor your main tank and look for signs of disease on other fish.
4) Once your fish look healthy again, you should always wait for a good week before to move it back to the main tank (just to make sure).

Algae are tiny green photosynthetic harmless organisms that are commonly seen in most habitats. Blue green algae are minute deadly life that are found in freshwater aquarium .These are nightmares of aquarists, as once get into an aquarium, it is difficult to eliminate it.

Blue green algae are cyanobacteria group of bacteria and they are able to photosynthesise same as the green algae. These bacteria are found as coatings over the tank stones, walls and the aquatic plants as blue- green, purple, black or brown color. The affected area appears slimy, which is the protective membrane that the bacteria create over their colony. If they are not removed from the aquarium, the fishes and the plants will be seriously affected by the poisonous substances produced by them. The bacteria affected water is characterized by foul smell.

Blue green algae are one of the primitive forms of bacteria. It is well adaptable to all conditions and grows fast in extreme conditions where normal flora doesn’t grow. Blue green algae have the capacity to fix nitrates. So they can grow in water with nil or low nitrate concentration. Read the rest of this entry »

Dropsy is not really a disease. For all intensive purposes we will call it one. It’s really an internal bacterial infection usually caused by poor water quality.

Fish may recover with no treatment and may die despite it. There are multiple possible causes. Sometimes it’s not contagious, but sick fish should be isolated and treated since determining the actual cause may be impossible. The swelling is because the fish is absorbing water faster than it can eliminate it, and it can be caused by many different problems. High nitrates are one thing to check. Internal bacterial infections, including fish TB, are other possibilities. If there are no water quality problems, you may want to attempt antibiotic treatment in a separate tank.

There are multiple possible causes. Usually caused by kidney damage. Kidney damage may be caused by overuse of drugs or a disease. Eventually the swelling will cause the scales to raise, giving the fish what is called the “pine-cone” appearance.

You can best see this by viewing your fish from the top. Fish may also stop feeding, appear off-color, become listless and/or lethargic, have sunken eyes, and hang at the top or stay at the bottom of the aquarium.

Dropsy Treatments

Dropsy is not very contagious; however, Fish usually die from this, but in some cases where the problem is due to bacteria, if detected early enough, it can be treated.

It’s possibly the hardest internal bacterial infection to cure. There are a number of medications available such as penicillin, tetracycline and naladixic acid. The fish usually doesn’t make it. By the time the scales begin to raise, however, it is very fatal to the fish. Salt baths can help to draw the fluid out of the fish. A variety of medications can be purchased that treat dropsy, which sometimes occurs due to an internal bacterial problem. Medications for external bacterial problems only will not be effective for this problem.

Dropsy Prevention

Poor water conditions are often the culprit. Gouramies, Cyprinids (barbs, danios, etc), guppies, betta and goldfish are prone to this disease. Goldfish are said to be somewhat more prone to dropsy than other fish. High nitrates are usually the culprit. Clean Water, is a must! Clean Water, should I say that again? Good water conditions prevent this.

When you have possession of a Betta fish, there is nothing worse than understanding that your little companion has contracted a Betta Fish disease. There are various unusual types of diseases a Betta Fish can get, and you are the only one that your Betta fish can depend on to help them get healthier when they are sick.

When you have a sick Betta fish, the basic thing you will have to recognize are the warning signs of the Betta fish disease. A few symptoms comprises of compressed fins, and a lack of desire for food. Clamped fins can be recognized by your ill Beta fish not flaring and holding his fins as close to his or her body as achievable. Clamped fins are mainly a technique by which Betta fish give you an idea that they are sad and ill.

If your ailing Betta fish is rubbing up against plants and other substances in the tank, it is somewhat possible that he or she has contracted a parasite. Parasites can be no matter which from Ich, or white spot ailment, to worms that hang off of your Betta fish’s body. Parasites can be taken care of with medication such as Jungles Parasite Guard, Nox Ich, or Malachite Green. Be assured that you know accurately what parasite is disturbing your fish before you dose the tank with the chemicals.

One more symptom of Betta fish sickness is white or peculiar colored poop. This is the symptom of an internal bacteria or parasite. Regrettably, in most of the cases, if your fish has an inner trouble, it can be incurable. There are medications within definite kind of foods considered to battle these types of troubles, and if caught early sufficiently, it can be resolved.

A third symptom of disease is white, cotton like stuff budding on your ailing Betta fish. This symptom of Betta fish disease is for fungal contamination. Fungus, as well as fin rot, tends to be cured with the similar type of medications. Fin rot and mouth rot can be observed by black, red or white edges to the fins of your Betta fish, and a perceptible shrinking of fin size. Fin rot, if not cured, can turn into complex fin rot, and take the life of your Betta fish.

If you want Betta fish assistance, there are several special forums online that you can make use of. If you are having an urgent situation, though, it is best that you get in touch with your neighboring fish store, where they can assist you recognize and start treating your fish with the correct medicines.

It is to be expected that our betta fish will fall ill either due to water quality or handling. Proper awareness of the temperament of the warning signs and essential treatment process is significant if one were to get pleasure from this hobby. We can take dogs or cats to vets if our pets fall ill. For fish we simply have to be our personal vets … I have never heard of Fish Vets, have you?

The best disease avoidance is a cautious preservation plan. Keep the water hygienic, supply sufficient and suitable diet. Routine inspection is the best preventative measure. Losses of color and or desire for food, sluggishness, tiredness, or unusual behavior are among the first symptoms. Additional signs comprises of swelling, fin rotting and fungus that are noticeable.

Fin rot is generally due to bad water condition resulting from gathering of uneaten foodstuff or other waste material. Aquarium salt will generally help out.

Swim bladder problem is very ordinary to betta fishes. This makes them having complexity rising to the surface for air. After a great effort to reach the top and air is breathed in, the fish falls back to the base, unable to sustain its optimism. Swim bladder can be due to too much feeding or wounds at some point in fights or shipping.

Betta fishes are extraordinarily prone to velvet. Warning signs comprises of tiny yellow specs covering the body, fins, or gills.

White spot disease is a dreadful disease among tropical fishes. It is caused by a organism called- ichthyophthirius multifilii. This disease is also called as Fish Ich. The affected fish would be so lethargic in its movement. It will always rub its body against the wall of the aquarium. It will go off-feed. Finally you can notice white spots all over the body.

It is always advisable to separate this fish from its counter part. Then start treating the fish in a secluded tank. It is always change the water on daily basis of this affected fish tank. Treat the fish with ich with potassium permanganate to remove the white spots on its body. This treatment should be followed for three days.

Although the disease is the equivalent of a skin infection, it can easily be fatal. So consult a fish specialist to get rid of this dreadful condition