Fish diseases explained 

There are several different health problems that can affect your fishes.

Some of the most frequently occurring fish diseases are:

• Small Parasites - Whitespot, Flukes, Velvet, ‘Hole in the Head' disease
• Large Parasites - Anchorworm, Fish Lice, Leeches
• Fungal Infections - ‘Cotton wool' Fungus
• Bacterial Infections - Fin-rot, Ulcers, Dropsy

Many parasite diseases occur when the fish are stressed by poor water conditions or being transported from one tank to another. Diseases such as white spot or velvet are always carried by healthy fish, but become visible when the fish is under stress and its immune system is weakened. ‘Hole in the head' disease is where the skin gets eaten away by a small parasite when water conditions are poor. They can be treated easily using a treatment from your supplier, so long as if the cause of the problem is dealt with. If you treat symptoms without dealing with the cause of the stress your fish won't get better.

Larger parasites are often introduced with live fish food or infected stock of fish or plants, already carrying the parasite. Most large parasites can be easily treated with a treatment aimed at the particular parasites in your tank.

Fungal infections usually develop where the fish has been damaged in some way, whether attacked by another fish in the tank, or damaged when handling or just in the course of swimming round the tank. Fungus can also develop where bacterial infections have been left untreated. Fungus is easy to treat with an anti-fungal treatment, but an anti bacterial treatment is often helpful in addition to prevent bacteria infecting the site on the fish where the fungus has been.

Bacterial infections such as ulcers can set in where fish have been damaged and a wound has become infected, or where water conditions have deteriorated to the point that the fish's skin is damaged by the bad water conditions. The most common bacterial infection is fin-rot, which is caused by poor water conditions destroying the delicate fins of the fish. If the tank water is in good condition then anti-bacterial treatments usually work very well to clear-up bacterial infections.

It is very rare for fish to die as a result of disease. Fish are normally killed by poor aquarium conditions or care, and the disease is just an indicator of bad care. If symptoms are spotted in good time and treatment - or other measures - are used quickly, most fish diseases can be cured easily.

Disclaimer:  This article is supplied for informative purposes only. Seapets Ltd has done its very best to make sure that the above information is up-to-date and correct, but takes no responsibility for any consequences resulting from the following of this advice. As always, it is recommended that you consult with your local vet regarding any concerns that you may have for your pet.

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