Freshwater

In This Chapter
Learning about stress
Chapter 11
Diseases and Treatments
Spotting problems ahead of time
Treating common diseases
Preventing disease
Using quarantine and hospital tanks
If you want your fish to live long and healthy lives, then you need to make
sure that they remain as disease free as possible. Many factors, including
stress, bacteria, fungus, parasites, chemicals, and poor water conditions, can
cause disease. By monitoring your water conditions daily and checking your
fish for signs of disease, you can stay ahead of the game and keep your
aquatic pets in prime condition.
An Ounce of Prevention . . .
. . . is worth a pound of cure, right? Preventing disease is generally the best
way to battle physical problems. Sounds simple doesn’t it? It is. You can provide
optimal living conditions for your tropical fish simply by following a few
simple maintenance routines.
Keeping abreast of the water and equipment conditions in your aquarium,
which takes only a few moments a day, gives you a safety margin to quickly
correct any problems that show up. The schedule suggested here gives you a
few pointers on watching for signs of disease and other problems such as
equipment malfunction.