COMMON DISEASES IN FRESH WATER FISH

* FLEXIBACTER:

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Flexibacter spp.

COMMON NAME(S): mouth "fungus"

SYMPTOMS: Off-white marks around the mouth. As the infection spreads, white cottony tufts may appear in the mouth region, along with red ulcers on the body and frayed fins. Fish may "shimmy" and go off feed.

ORGANISM: bacterial infection, poor water quality

RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: Neomycin sulphate @ 250 mg/gallon. This antibiotic is affective against a wide range of gram+ and gram - bacteria. Improve water quality.

  

* ICK:

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ichthyophthirius multifiliis

COMMON NAME(S): ick, white spot disease

SYMPTOMS: Large white spots on the fins and body of the infected fish.

ORGANISM: Ciliated protozoan

RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: .15 ppm malachite green. 3 treatments, two days apart.

* LERNIA:

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lernia sp.

COMMON NAME(S): Anchor Worm

SYMPTOMS: "Worm" is seen on the body of the fish. Usually it is a female that is seen, with her two egg sacs on the rear of the parasite.

ORGANISM: Parasitic crustacean

RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: Remove parasite with tweezers, and paint the wound with tincture of iodine. In ponds, DYLOX, at a dose of .75ppm repeated every two days for three treatments, is advised.  

COMMON DISEASES IN FRESH WATER FISH

* FISH LOUSE:

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Argulus sp.

COMMON NAME(S): Fish louse

SYMPTOMS: The flat, somewhat rounded parasites can be seen crawling over the skin of the infected fish.

ORGANISM: Parasitic crustacea

RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: Dylox at a dose of .75 ppm. This dose is repeated three times, three days apart.

OTHER TREATMENT ALTERNATIVE: copper sulphate @ .20 ppm until parasites have gone.

ON USING COPPER: For several diseases listed , copper is mentioned as the treatment of choice (TOC) or as an alternate treatment. When speaking of copper, I am referring to citrated copper (ex: Sea Cure). At NO time should you be using heavily bonded or chelated coppers, as they are NOT as effective against the disease, and you can not measure the amount of copper in your system. Heavily bonded coppers are also much more difficult to remove from your system once the treatment is finished. In order for copper to be effective against a given disease, it must be in the ionic form, and heavily bonded coppers do not meet this parameter. The use of copper also suppresses the immune system for a time, so be aware of any bacterial infections that may set in. Feeding Tetra medicated food for bacterial problems is a good idea during copper treatment. Be careful when dosing copper in freshwater aquaria as the low pH levels usually found in freshwater aquaria make the copper extreamly toxic. Once treatment is finished, remove the copper from th!
e system by doing water changes and adding PolyFilters to the filter system. If you are treating in a hospital tank, allow the fish to recouperate from the treatment for two days before adding it to your display tank. Also remember to remove any chemical filtrants before using ANY medication. All treatments herein assume that the fishes will be treated in a hospital tank. Certain medications (antibiotics, methylene blue) will disrupt biological filtration. If you must treat in your display tank, keep a close watch out for a rise in ammonia.

ON METHYLENE BLUE: Some of the treatments require the addition of 2 ppm methylene blue. This is done in cases where gill damage may be present, as methylene blue acts as an oxygen carrier, easing the stress on the fish.

COMMON DISEASES IN FRESH WATER FISH

* DROPSY:

SCIENTIFIC NAME: varies with organism

COMMON NAME(S): Dropsy

SYMPTOMS: Swollen belly, usually with scales protruding at a 90 degree angle. Redding of vent area, and long, pale feces.

ORGANISM: Bacterial, viral infections or nutritional disorder.

RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: No effective treatment. Remove affected fish to quarantine tank and give the best possible food and water quality. If fish does not improve, euthanasia may be in order.

* EYE FUNGUS:

SCIENTIFIC NAME: varies according to fungal species

COMMON NAME(S): eye fungus

SYMPTOMS: Eyes may appear to have a white coating.

ORGANISM: saprophitic fungi

RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: A mixture of Potassium dichromate and Silver Nitrate works the best. This is available through Aquatronics as Eye-Fungex. First, one is painted on the infected area, then the other. Follow directions on package.

COMMON DISEASES IN FRESH WATER FISH

* BLACK SPOT DISEASE:

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Posthodiplostomum sp.

COMMON NAME(S): Black spot disease

SYMPTOMS: Small black spots present on body.

ORGANISM: Digenetic fluke

RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: Will usually go away on its own, as the complex life cycle of the fluke can not be completed in an aquarium. Otherwise, a five minute freshwater bath followed by formalin @ 75 ppm for one hour. Formalin is dangerous to use, so treat ONLY is a hospital tank, and wear gloves and goggles when handling.

  

* CHILODONELLA:

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Chilodonella sp.

COMMON NAME(S): none

SYMPTOMS: Fish has a grey-white film of excess mucus covering its body. Gills may be swollen.

ORGANISM: Ciliated protozoan

RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: Treat with .15 ppm malachite green and .50 ppm formalin. Dosage is given three times, two days apart. 2 ppm methylene blue should be added to the treatment if respiratory distress is evident. THIS IS A VERY CONTAGIOUS DISEASE, SO BE CAREFUL NOT TO SPREAD IT BY USING CONTAMINATED NETS AND HANDS IN OTHER AQUARIA.
Keep temp. at 75 dF. 

Characteristics Of Betta Fish Family

Characteristics Of Betta Fish Family

Banded 
Round small tail, small flowing fins, goldish in color, banded body, oftentimes displays greenish splots.

Brunei
Also with a round tail and small flowing fins, green colored border around anal and Bettas dorsal fins, its body is a mixture of gold, pink and a whiteish color. It also has green pectoral fins.

Edith's
Also with a round tail and shorter flowing fins. The female is usually orangeish in color with darker spots that the male. The male is brighter and more orangeish than the female with lighter spots. The males light spots are usually a greenishish blue in color.

Emerald
Rounder tail and with much larger flowing fins. Its body is usually a bright greenish color with black lines something similar to a spider's web. Its pectoral fins are usually a medium redd in color.

Foershi's
Rounded sometimes with a shorter tail along with much shorter fins. The female can be seen to have a pinkish and even orange colored body that usually displays dark blotches and spots. The male is almost always an orange color along with bright green body spots and sometimes displays an odd shape line or stripe.

Mouthbrooding
Again another BETTA with arounder tail and smallish type fins. Every now and then you will see one with a somewhat pointed tail. Mouthbrooders can vary a lot in color formation.

Painted 
Painted's also diplay a rounder tail along with smaller flowing fins that have a green border. They can be goldish looking in color and usually displays three prominate stripes that run horizontally down the full length of its body.

What Betta Fish Like To Eat

What are the foods that Bettas... love the most?
We'll list them below but first... one thing that you should keep in mind is: "It's best if Bettas eat a variety of foods":.
Foods which we'll call &quit:Prepared foods". Things like freeze dried foods, frozen foods and even live foods.
However one thing that all Betta fish owners quickly learn is... Bettas are finicky eaters.
It's like the old saying: "One Mans Food Is Another Mans Poison!". This holds true when it comes to Bettas as well.
Food that you give to one betta will be consumed as quickly as you place it in the tank. However, give the same food to another Betta and he'll spit it out just as quickly! So, what type of foods do pretty much all Bettas love? Let's find out below...
Some known favorites of Bettas are:
Freeze Dried Bloodworms. This food is liked by almost all Bettas. And it has a lesser chance of being infected by parasites say than freeze dried grub.
Here's another favorite... live baby guppy fish. Bettas oftentimes go wild when you feed them guppies!
Then there's specialty foods just for Betta fish. One excellent food you can easily find at your local pet store is: "Hikari Betta Bio Gold" Bettas also love the stuff! And its great nutrition for them too!
Frozen food which includes Bloodworms and "Brine Shrimp" is another favorite of almost all Bettas. You can use a little dixie cup to thaw-out the frozen food but... make sure that you usie fresh tank water which is the best. How many Bloodworms should you feed you pet Betta? Usually about three to four per feeding is about the right amount.
"Mosquito larvae" is another food which Bettas seem to love. They'll even thrash about trying to devour all that they can!
But the bottom line is (when it comes to feeding)... finding out just what your pet Betta loves the most, and serving it up as the main meal. Luckily feeding bettas comes down to offering them what they'll eat.
So, you can see that Bettas love lots of different types of foods, and what one Betta will eat another Betta may turn his nose up at! Try a few different styles of fish food, and it won't take you very long to work out which food is the favorite of your pet Betta.
Just remember that a Bettas stomach is tiny and usually no more than the size of its eye. In some instances, it holds true that a Bettas eyes are bigger than their stomach!
So, you should keep this in mind at feeding time, and try and limit the amount of food that you feed you pet Betta.

How To Choose A Betta Fish

How To Choose A Healthy Betta Fish FromThe Local Pet Shop

You should check what the surrounding environment is like: Examine the jars the Bettas are being kept in. See if the water is clean and clear in appearance, and with no traces of leftover food or too much excrement.
Check and see that there's no bad odors coming from the jar. Sometimes bad odors come from dead fish. Next thing you should do is carefully and thoroughly inspect the Betta fish.
Next, check its body: The Betta should be free and clear of any type of lumps or unusual shaped bumps. its scales should be flat in appearance.
Healthy Bettas Scales Are smooth
Look for fish with missing and loose scales letting you know of any trauma and illness it may have suffered. Look for white colored patches on its body which could indicate a serious fungus infection. See if its stomach is swollen. These symstems oftentimes indicate that the Betta is not healthy and well.
What About The Bettas Fins And Gills
Check that there should be no type of discoloration, body tears or noticeable holes when its fins are fully extended. Sometimes it can hard to check properly because in the tiny bag used by pet stores it's difficult for the Betta fish to extend its fins.
Nevertheless Betta fins can get broken or torn because of the fact that they are mostly kept for long periods of time in jars usually too small for there needs. When a Betta fish swims about their protruding fins can brush-up against the container walls and can break.
You should also look carefully at the Bettas gills that they look smooth and almost flat in appearance showing no signs of splitting and peeling. Make sure there's no unsightly lumps or body discoloration.
Checking For Color Discoloration
Healthy siamese fighting fish are beautifully and bright colored and have no signs of discoloration. Whereas unhealthy Bettas tend to take on a pale appearance displaying spots and shades of discoloration usually seen along their body or on their actual face.
Examine the Bettas eyes: A truly healthy Betta will display very clear eyes. You shouldn't purcahse any Betta fish whose eyes appear either sunken or over bulging.
Checking A Bettas Behavior
Bettas are usually very active and should float upright, unless they're sleeping. Slowly bring the fingers of your hand close to your Betta pet to make sure that it's alive and alert.
Please NEVER startle a Betta fish by jabbing your finger into its bag in which the Betta is stored, or by constant tapping on its bowl. Instead move one of your fingers slowly toward the Betta fish and watch for its reaction.
Try and be gentle and a bit subtle so that the Betta fish isn't traumatized at all. Remember, a strong and healthy Betta is active and alert and will instantly react in one way or another to your movement if detected, although your Betta fish may not always respond by flaring its fins.