Fish Health
Learn to recognize fish illness and prevent fish disease from happening. Disease prevention is better than needing to find a cure, so buy healthy-looking fish from a reputable aquatic or pet retailer. As with any pet, goldfish and tropical fish may sometimes get sick. Many ailments are triggered by poor water conditions (e.g. dirty aquarium water) or poor nutrition, so keep the aquarium properly maintained with AQUARIAN® Tap Water Safe and always feed a quality diet such as AQUARIAN® fish food.
ADDITIONAL TIPS
Most common fish ailments can be treated with remedies that are available from an aquatic or pet retailer.
Checking on your fish daily for odd behaviour is key to fish disease prevention.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR FISH LOOKS SICK?
Bear in mind that unhygienic aquarium conditions (e.g. dirty water; dirty gravel) are a common cause of many fish ailments. At the first sign of any illness, perform a partial water change and clean the gravel. Remember to treat the replacement water with AQUARIAN® Tap Water Safe. Try to identify the problem. If you are unsure what your fish is suffering from, seek advice from your aquarium retailer. It will help to get a sample of your aquarium water tested. Many aquatics retailers offer a water testing service. Bring a cup full of aquarium water in a clean glass jar. It can also help to take a picture of the sick fish to show them.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Click on the below questions to reveal the answers.
A goldfish’s colour may alter during its life. Young goldfish are typically olive-brown and gradually acquire their adult colours as they grow. Old goldfish, on the other hand, tend to pale with age and may eventually turn silvery white. Environmental conditions, such as an increase in water temperature or very bright light, may cause the goldfish colours to temporarily pale. Provided the fish appears healthy and is feeding normally, these colour changes should not give cause for concern.
Fish gasping at the water’s surface indicates a need for oxygen. Increase aeration immediately with air stones or powerheads. High temperature, high nitrite, or high ammonia levels will cause this symptom, so be sure to check all of your water parameters, and if necessary, perform a 25% water change. If the water quality and temperature are safe, gasping is a symptom of disease. Visually inspect the fish for signs of damage or disease.
Recovery time depends on how soon you began treating your fish after the disease was contracted, and whether you selected the proper fish remedy to target your fish’s specific symptoms. If you have diagnosed and treated your fish correctly, you should notice an improvement in your fish’s behaviour and appetite within one week. For stubborn illnesses, multiple treatments and doses are sometimes necessary; however, it is important to dose according to the directions on a product label.
