A List Of Common Fish Diseases And Their Symptoms
Author: Devin Gilliland

There are a lot of diseases fish can suffer from, and a
majority of them are infections. Some of the common parasites
are bacteria, flukes, ich, argulus, chilodonella, saprolegnia,
etc. The following is a list of the most common diseases in
aquarium fishes with their brief descriptions.

1.Bacterial Diseases in Fish

Bacteria are a very common cause of complaint for fish
breeders. There are many bacterial diseases in fish caused due
to pathogenic bacteria. These bacteria can either attack the
fish externally, or can enter into the body of the fish through
the skin and can damage internal organs, even leading to death.
Fin rot and bacterial gill disease are the most common bacterial
attacks in fishes, in which the fins and the gills are infected
respectively. If the bacteria have managed to gain entry into
the body, it is known as systemic infection. Bacteria can also
cause ulcers and lesions on the body of the fish. Bacterial
infections are easily apparent externally as ulcerous marks or
red irritations on the skin of the fish. Bacterial infections
are very common in koi fish.

2.Fish Lice

Fish lice are scientifically termed as argulus, and being about
a centimeter in size, they are among the largest parasites found
in the animal world. They are very detrimental to the health of
the fish, because they can suck out the fluids from the body of
the fluids by clamping their proboscis like mouth into the
bodies of the fish.

Lice are easily to identify on the bodies of the fish because
they are clearly visible. However, it is necessary to carry a
careful inspection of the body of the fish, especially in the
hidden areas behind the fins. Lice may appear as dark spots when
they are not moving. If there are too many lice, the fish will
be quite agitated and will move their body a lot.

3.Flukes in Fish

Flukes are parasites in fish that are harmless in small
numbers, but can be fatal to the fish in large numbers. Flukes
are small, about 2 mm in length, and are almost invisible to the
naked human eye. But these flukes have hooks through which they
clamp to the bodies of the fish. Flukes can suck out the body
fluids from the fish and even cause their death. The significant
threat from flukes is that one fluke requires only one fish to
complete its lifecycle, and therefore there is more reason why
the fluke will remain clamped to the fish. Flukes have been
considered to be the most difficult of the fish parasites to
treat, though treatments with malachite and formalin often show
positive results in stronger doses.

4.Ich

Commonly known as ich, ichthyobodo or costia is a very common
parasite that is found on the bodies of fish. Several fish can
live with this parasite showing no signs at all. In fact, in
small numbers, ich is harmless. The defenses of the fish can
keep the number of ich under control. But when fish suffer from
some other disease, the defenses are broken and then ich begins
to multiply. Ich can multiply at a very fast rate. In no time,
the fish will show a large amount of ich on its body, its
breathing will become labored and shortly, it will retreat and
isolate itself from the other fish. When this stage arrives, ich
often proves fatal to the fish.


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