Freshwater

160
Part II: Fish and How to Care for Them
Slimy skin disease
Symptoms: Gray-colored slime on the body or fins; scratching; frayed fins;
excessive mucus coat; shimmying like a politician during questioning.
Cause: Costia, trichodina, cyclochaeta, or chilodonella parasites.
Treatment: Proprietary remedy of malachite green and frequent water
changes. Short-term (five-minute) formalin and salt baths can be effective.
Check and correct any poor water conditions.
Swim bladder disease
Symptoms: Abnormal or irregular swimming patterns (your fish do the
doggie paddle upside down) and complete loss of physical balance.
Cause: Bacterial infection; physical injury to the swim bladder from fighting;
breeding: netting; transportation from the dealer; poor water quality.
Treatment: Treat with an antibiotic in a clean, shallow tank. (The water
should be about 2 inches higher than the dorsal fin on the fish.) Carry out
water changes as frequently as once a day if possible.
Tuberculosis (TB)
Symptoms: Fin deterioration; a paling of body color; clamped fins (fins are
closed up or folded together); excessive weight loss; ulcers; and pop-eye.
Cause: A highly contagious bacterial disease caused by poor filtration or
overcrowding in the aquarium.
Many medical personnel believe that this disease can be transferred to
humans through contact with the infected areas on the fish.
Treatment: At this time, there is no known effective treatment of tuberculosis,
and in our opinion it is not worth risking your own health, or the health
of your family, to try treating infected fish. Use strict care when handling
these infected fish! Use plastic gloves when removing any fish infected with
tuberculosis. Any tropical fish that has this disease should be euthanized
immediately. Do not leave the TB-infected fish in the main aquarium because
other tankmates will probably eat it and may develop the disease shortly
thereafter.