Freshwater

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Part II: Fish and How to Care for Them
We’re not talking about adding salt to your main tank. When you hear that people
have salt in their main freshwater tank, it is because they are keeping species
such as the Molly which actually thrive better with a bit of salinity to their water.
Don’t confuse this concept with standard salt bath in a hospital tank.
The Sherlock Holmes Method
Everyone wants to do a little bit of detective work at least once in their lifetime.
If you’re like us, you couldn’t find more than one pair of matching socks
in the dryer if your life depended on it. Fortunately, looking for clues that
indicate the presence of a tropical fish disease is much easier to do the laundry.
To get started, all you need to do is find one of those cool-looking hats, a
pipe, a long coat, and follow the clues we give you in this section.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of checking the overall health of
your fish very carefully every day. Shimmying, abnormal loss of appetite,
weight loss, paling or darkening of colors, increased or labored respiration,
and miniature For Sale signs on the aquarium’s porcelain castles are a few of
the warning signs that disease or environmental conditions are causing them
discomfort.
Other tell-tale clues to look for include: a bloated look, obvious visible
damage to your fish’s eyes, fins, or scale areas, and abnormal spots on the
body. If your fish is hanging around the heater, continually scratching on tank
decorations or substrate, or is normally active but is suddenly moving slowly,
it may have a serious problem.
If you notice any of these problems, don’t panic. Take the time to make careful
observations on the efficiency of the equipment, condition of the water,
and other disease-related factors. After you compile all the information you
can, you’re in a better position to make a sound judgment on the proper
course of action. If you’re unsure about what to do for a diseased fish, contact
your local vet or fish dealer. The people there can give you good advice
and help you with your fishy problems.
Using Quarantine and Hospital Tanks
A hospital tank helps you treat sick fish and is simply a small aquarium that
acts as a hospital ward. You remove diseased fish from the main tank and
place them in the hospital tank for chemical or other types of treatment. It’s
as simple as that. A quarantine tank is used to hold fish for a week that you
have just brought home from dealer, so that you have time to see if any illness
develops before you put them in your main tank. Both tanks are very
important.