Like all other living things, goldfish can get sick. All their diseases can be divided into two large groups: non-contagious and infectious.
Goldfish - diseases and treatment
Non-contagious diseases
Goldfish can become ill with non-contagious diseases in those cases when their conditions of maintenance were unsatisfactory, you mis-fed them, there was a chemical contamination or mechanical damage.
Non-contagious diseases of goldfish include:
- asphyxiation or lack of oxygen, which occur when the water temperature in the aquarium is high, overpopulation and poor aeration of the tank. Treatment of such diseases will eliminate all negative effects on fish;
- alkalosis and acidosis - the state of fish caused by excessively alkaline or acidic environment in the aquarium. Often found in overcrowded aquariums. Fishes become restless, coordination of movements is disrupted, convulsions appear. To prevent such diseases, it is necessary to regularly partially change the water in the aquarium;
- if improperly fed, obesity or GI disease may occur. Very often there is such a disease of goldfish as a flip-flop. At the same time, due to overfeeding, the swimming bladder is displaced from them, the fish can not keep its balance and floats up to the surface of the water with its belly. To treat this condition, the fish should be placed in a vessel with a water level of not more than 5 cm and strong aeration. Dry food is prohibited. You can give daphnia or a minor bloodworm;
- If the water is bad in the aquarium or if there are strong stresses in goldfish, fin rot may appear. If all the plants are settled, a partial water change and a thorough cleaning of the filter, the disease can pass by itself.
- in goldfish, eye diseases such as ulcers, corneal edema, cataracts and others can occur. A large fish eye without a century is very vulnerable. Aggressive neighbors can contribute to various eye injuries and the occurrence of such eye diseases, some of them can be cured with antibiotics.
Infectious Diseases
Infectious diseases are transmitted from diseased fish to healthy ones. Here are some of them:
- tuberculosis - today is one of the most common and dangerous diseases. The disease can only be cured if it is detected early. A diseased fish dies from dropsy or severe exhaustion. The remaining fish must be urgently isolated, and the aquarium must be disinfected. There is an opinion of some scientists that the tuberculosis of fish is transmitted to humans;
- ichthyothyroidism, or manna disease is a disease of fins in goldfish, in which white small nodules appear in the fish. The disease is parasitizing the body in fish infusoria. It is treated with antimicrobial and antiparasitic drugs.