article: Treating Sick Fish

Treating Sick Fish

Quarantine is one method of treating sick fish from the water garden, or even from an aquarium. In order to keep other fish in the pond healthy, quarantining fish will sometimes be needed for the most contagious diseases.

Fish that you are planning to purchase, or fish that you bring from other ponds, should be quarantined as well. Because you do not know how these fish were kept, what these fish have been exposed to, and what contaminants they may carry, quarantining the fish may be needed for the protection of your pond.

Quarantining fish can last from two or three weeks, or at least until you have had a good chance to look over the fish for parasites or problems.

What is a quarantine area? A quarantine area does not have to be a large and expensive holding area but a large enough space for the fish to live comfortably while not in the water garden with other fish. A large bucket for just one fish is a quarantine area; a large holding tank for a few fish is a quarantine area.

Water gardeners who have been working with and raising fish for years, will automatically treat fish for parasites and disease before new fish are ever put into the water garden. This can be quite expensive if you are constantly adding fish to your water garden, but well worth the investment if you have a large collection of different types of fish.

Some additional tips in treating fish that are sick, that are new, or that need quarantined before you put them in your water garden are: that you should wear gloves. While many types of disease are not carried over from fish to humans, you can carry them from fish to fish if you are not careful. Working with a sick fish and then with another healthy fish can spread the problem or disease.

Try not to put additional stress on the fish that are sick or that you are quarantining. Using a small net that will not allow the fish to flop about wildly so they can’t get hurt. Be sure to always have your fish in some amount of water, never out of the water for an extended period. Treat the fish gently, not holding it too tightly when you do have to hold it in your hand.