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article: Fish Infections
Fish Infections
While not all of your fish are going to be susceptible to every type of
infection, it is important that you check the majority of your fish a few times
a year so you are more likely able to keep them from dying from these
infections. Infections can affect how your fish swim, eat, and even breed so the
affects of the infections in fish can be wide ranging.
Treatments for infections vary from the type of infection to the type of fish
and to what the infection is. If you are not sure what type of infection your
fish has, taking a photograph of your fish, or taking the fish with you to the
pet store, to the ag center or to the fish breeder will be important as
sometimes words do not express the differences well.
Cottonwood is a disease that will strike various types of fish, leaving them
with a creamy colored fluffy thickness over their body and sometimes over their
fins. From the name Cottonwood, you can imagine what this creamy fluffy
thickness would look like over a portion of your fish body. Giving your fish a
salt bath is just one of the general treatments that are used for this disease.
A salt bath about 3 percent is what is most often recommended. Other treatments
include treatment of the entire pond, so checking your entire fish stock may be
needed for proper treatment of this disease.
Fish TB is a very noticeable disease once you gather all the information about
your fish. If your fish are not eating, if their fins seem to be ‘coming apart’
looking a little frayed, of if areas of the scales seem to be raised on the body
of the fish, your fish could be suffering from Fish TB. There is actually very
little you can do for these fish, although you might want to obtain some
antibiotics from your local supplier if you are finding many of your fish in
this condition. It is important to wear gloves when treating fish that are sick,
and especially with this disease. This disease will rarely be cured in your fish
unless you have caught the symptoms very early.
Another type of disease that you should be aware of in fish is Dropsy. Dropsy is
actually a bacteria problem, a disease that there is no cure for. The fish that
has Dropsy has a very swollen stomach, a belly that looked very much like it is
full of air. The scales on the body of the fish are also going to look raised in
a way that makes the fish look as if the scales are going to fall off. To
prevent this disease from spreading even further through your water garden,
disposing of the affected fish will be necessary. You should always be wearing
gloves when handling fish that are sick with this disease.
Fish that are healthy will swim before and after your handling, they will be
full of energy. You will notice fish that are healthy are going to eat regularly
as you put food in the water garden. When disposing of fish, you need to keep
from throwing them in the yard surrounding your home, where animals can be drawn
to them. Ask your local ag center, pet dealer or fish breeder what are the best
methods for disposing of fish, they might even like to have the fish to study
them!

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