Hey I've written out all these common fish diseases. If I've missed any please add to this topic.

Ich/White Spot: This is probably one of the most common fish diseases. Ich looks like literally white spots all over the fish. This is a Protozoan disease caused by Ichthyophthirius in fresh water aqauriums (Cryptocarion irritans in Marine). It is a parasite that attacks the eyes, fins, gills, skin and mouth interior.

Symptoms: White spots all over the fish. The fish may attempt to scrape itself against objects in the aquarium, have a loss of appetite or a stressed-rapid breathing. The parasite can only be affected by treatment during the free-swimming stages of the cycle.

Treatment : A Copper Sulfate or Copper Formalin medicine should be able to kill most infections. There are many medicines all do the trick. If the fish are salt tolerant give your fish a salt bath. Also raise the temp this ups the life cycle of the disgusting parasite.

Velvet Similar to ich except the white spots appear 'dusty'.

Symptoms Same as ich except dusty spots

Treatment Same as ich

Dropsy : One of the most disturbing of fish diseases, and is rarely cureable. Dropsy is an internal bacterial infection.

Symptoms: The fish's scales will stand out, making it have a pine comb look. Sometimes eyes can .blow up'.

Treatment : Use Kanamycin or Tetracycline and raise the temperature to about 80 degrees/ 30 deg C. This helps remove the fluid note this is rarly curablee.

Fungus:: Common disease that effects all kinds tropical fish. Fungus mostly infects in poor water conditions in which there are unacceptable levels of ammonia or nitrites. Fin nippers will damage the fins of other fish making them more susceptible to fungal infections and external bacterial infections such as fin and tail rot.

Symptoms A white cottony fluff will appear on fish. Can be around body or in mouth. Fin rot appears as white on ends of fins.

Treatment: Relatively easy. Add appropriate medication (Available for all fungal infections). If fish are salt tolerant add salt. Raise the temp to 30 deg C or 80deg F.

Swimbladder: This is a disease that effects the fishes swim bladder.

Symptoms: Fish swim side-ways or rest on bottom and can't go to surface.

Treatment: Raise the temperature, add appropriate medication for swim bladder. Note this is a disease that is rarely curable.

Cysts This is a uncommon disease. Fish infected by systs should be ethunaised before the cyst bursts.

Symptoms: Large balls appear on fish internally or externally. They look full of fluid and are relatively large.

Ok.....

CataractsCataracts are fungal growths on the eyes. Treatment with any aquarium fungicide should work. Its probability increases with water rich in ammonia or nitrates.

Symptoms:White or gray material covering the eyes only.

Treatment:Special attention should be made to assure that ammonia and nitrite levels stay within accepted measures. Add anti fugal treatment. Raise the temperature and if fish are compatible with salt add it.

CorneybacteriosisCorneybacteria causes swelling in the head which will push the eyes outward. It is caused by overcrowding and water of poor quality, having an excess of ammonia and / or nitrites. (YOU KNOW SEE WHY WE GO ON AND ON ABOUT AMMONIA/NITRITES )

Symptoms Bulging Eyes

Treatment:There are a few commercially available products which treat corneybacteriosis Penicillin and tetracycline are among them.

Black Spot Black Spot, or diplopstomiasis, often follows the addition of new aquarium fish. All fish are susceptible, especially the Silver Dollar and Piranha. It is fairly easy to diagnose and treat.

Symptoms Small black spots on the body.

Treatment Black spot is generally easy to cure. There are a number of commercially available treatments and preventatives.

VelvetVelvet looks similar to Ich, but there will be many more small white spots that appear dusty. This Protozoan disease in fresh water environments is caused by Oodinium limneticum and Oodinium pillularis. In marine environments by Oodinium occellatum. The parasite attacks the eyes, fins, gills and skin.

Symptoms: Similar to Ich more white spots that appear dusty

Treatment As for Ich

Fin Rot Can be either bacterial (fins rot with red [blood] outline on edge) or fungal (white, cottony grows on edge of fin)

Symptoms The fins will have a ragged, uneven appearance that will eventually, if left untreated, disintegrate to the point where only a stub remains.

Treatment There is a range of medication including penecilin.

Hole In The Head (HITH): This is a common disease among larger Cichlids such as Severums and especially...Oscars. It appears as small holes on the face and around the eyes, that may have a white material growing inside them.

SymptomsIt appears as small holes on the face and around the eyes, that may have a white material growing inside them. Loss of appetite and whitish feces are another indication that may appear before the development of the holes.

Treatmeant A range of medication including Aquarium Pharmaceuticals-General Cure, Aquatronics- Hex-a-Mit, Aquatronics- Hex-A-Vital (especially for Discus, Angelfish and Oscars)

Gill Flukes Parasite livign in gills. Gills become inflamed.

Symptoms: The gills may turn red and swollen. The fish may scratch himself against objects and breathe rapidly.

Treatment Use appropriate medication and raise the temp and if possible give a salt bath.

Flexibacter Flexibacter is a gliding bacteria. These bacteria are long, thin, and flexible. One end of the bacterial cell is attached to the fish, while the other end if free floating.

Symptoms: Looks like fuzzyness basically. Balls that look like mold.

Treatment Appropriate medication (Maracyn and Maracyn II used together). Increased aeration, and decreased temperature.

Tumor There are 2 types of tumors. The Benign and Cancerous tumor.

Symptoms: The benign tumour will have something that looks like an infection around it. A Cancerous tumour will keep growing and some scales around the area will protrude when it grows big enough.

Treatment: Sadly no cure. Either euthanise the fish reccomended or let it live in agony for its remaing days.

Clamped fins The fish clamps its fins close against the its body. Experienced aquarists use this to quickly spot problems with their fish.

Symptoms Like the name clammped fins.

Treatment: Water change (Like with all diseases) add melafix or some sort of appropriate medication. If possible add salt to compatible fish.

Ok any more guys?? Remember all Infected fish are to be removed and put in a hospital tank. And water changes should be done without question.

Good stuff, however, I think it should be noted that the vast majority are uncommon. I've seen numerous beginners assume their fish are diseased and have added a steady stream of different medications to their aquaria, when in fact, the fish are in a poor state because of adverse water conditions.

If your fish look "off colour" test the water first.

This post has been edited by Lateral Line: Sep 8 2003, 10:17 AM

Or old age - when I was a newbie I tried to save several fish (I'd acquired them from a friend). When I realised they were getting one thing after another I asked my friend when he'd first bought them and some of the fish were over 6 years old (cardinal tetras) and 2 years old (pencilfish). According to the books, this was the expected age of these particular fish. So, if the gill flukes/fungus etc. didn't get them, something else pretty soon would.

I've pinned this for a bit of reference and to save it dieing a death as it falls down the forum after all the work kossy has put into it It should be noted not all of these diseases as Lateral Line says are common, perhaps I've been fortunate in that I've only ever had a mild dose of ich with my fish.

Never the less an informative article If others care to add to it feel free as the topic will remain open

YOu forgot one that I have encountered numerous times, correct me if my information is off:

Septicemia: A fairly rare to common in all tropical and coldwater fish. It is caused by bad tank conditons and is very hard to cure if not impossible. Bacterial Hemorrhagic Septicemia can be diagnosed by red streaking of the fins and body and once this disease progresses, ulcerations and body sores start to appear. There is significant loss of appetite, lethargy, loss of motor functions in the later stages of the disease.

Treatment: I recomend using Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride Powder obtained from a vet to cure this disease.

Then there is the all too common (at least I have noticed in Goldfish) Anchor Worm.

Diagnosis: The fish scrapes itself against objects, whitish-green threads hang out of the fish's skin with an inflamed area at the point of attachment.

(copied here from a web page) Anchor worms are actually crustaceans. The young are free swimming and borrow into the skin, go into the muscles and develop for several months before showing. They release eggs and die. The holes left behind are ugly and may become infected.

Treatment (copied from web page) The anchor worm is too deeply imbedded to safely remove. Treatment can best be done with a 10 to 30 minute bath in 10 mg per liter of potassium permanganate. Or treat the whole tank with 2 mg per liter, but this method is messy and dyes the water.

Hi, good reference point!!

Would just like to add a short point.

I think some reference should be made to the fact that most of these diseases are preventable with good care and ultimately treatments will invariably fail if the conditions that cause a weakness in the fishes immune system arent tackled.
By this I mean regular partial water changes and tank/gravel cleaning, I do 10-15% every day at the first sign of disease and I firmly believe that plenty of good clean water will in a lot of cases cause the fish to cure itself with little or no additives in the water. This is especially true of bacterial diseases such as fin rot and septecimia.

Ken

As suggested by WuvMyBetta

External Disorders.

All information gleaned from You and Your Aquarium - ISBN 0-7513-0274-0. If this information is useful - please support the author and purchase the book from all good bookstores (and some bad ones too).

Septicaemia
This condition can follow on from skin infections such as finrot or may occur independently as a result of dirty conditions. Bacteria enter the blood stream and circulate through the tissues causing inflammation and damage. Blood vessel and heart tissue damage result in leakage of fluids into the abdomen, prpducing dropsy. Inflamed blood vessels in the skin and at fin bases stand out.

Things To Look Out For
Reddening at the bases of the fins
Small haemorrhages around the eyes
Very dull, listless behavious
Lack of appetite

Treatment
Seek vetinary guidance. The vet will prescribe antibiotics. Check the aquarium for the cause and eliminate it.

Tuberculosis
A fairly infectious bacterial disease, tubercolosis is becoming incresingly common. Affected specimens must be removed from the aquariym immediately so that other fishes aren't infected. A tubercular fish usually feeds normally, but loses weight as it's internal organs become damaged. Some fish develop nodules under the skin which eventually ulcerate, in other nodules develop behind the eye, causing "pop-eye".

The bacteria that causes the disease prefers cooler temperatures than most bacteria that infect humans. However, fish tuberculosis can affect people, usually in the for of an infected nodule on the skin, but there is a small chance that it will cause a serious internal infection. nce diagnosed in one of your fish, strict hygienic precautions should be observed. A definate diagnosis is only possible by a post mortem.

Things To Look Out For
Appears dull in colour
Weight loss
Folded fins
Ulcerous skin wounds

Treatment
Seek vetinary advice. Affected fish should be removed and euthanized. Don't allow them to die in the tank as other inhabitants will eat them and become infected too. The tubercular fish's contacts should be treated: move them to a separate hospital tank, and disinfect the original aquarium. If other fish succumb, don't introduce any new specimens, euthanize all affected fish then clean, disinfect and re-stock the aquarium.

i thought id add some pictures to help if no one minds.

Septicemia:

This post has been edited by lionfish: Mar 15 2004, 10:03 PM

cysts:

heres another. im putting these here just so it can help people figure out what there fish have.

Tuberculosis:

Cataracts:

Velvet:
hole in head:
fin rot:

This post has been edited by lionfish: Mar 15 2004, 10:35 PM

gill flukes:
ich/white spot:
Fungus:

fish tumors is a disturbing pic so ill just give u the site: http://www.research.ku.edu/explore/v2n2/im...ages/fish_2.jpg
well i hope those pics help someone in the futur. and i hope i didnt do anything worng

This post has been edited by lionfish: Mar 15 2004, 10:40 PM

* This topic has been edited to remove some of the less informative posts *

* And locked for ease of reference *

* No offence meant to anyone *

If someone would like to add to this list or pictures then please contact a mod or admin




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Anchor Worms (lernaea)

This is a parasitic copepod that attacks mainly freshwater fishes, but have also been found in marine habitats. These parasites can be seen with the naked eye. Females are 10-12mm, males are 0.8mm.

Females are parasitic and embed themselves into the hosts flesh. They are held in place using a 'holdfast', where they begin feeding on the fishs' flesh, organs and fluids. Reproductive potential is seen by the development of two egg sacs on the exterior/exposed part of the parasite, giving them that Y/T-shaped appearance. Young copepods are free swimmers, but soon attach themselves to the gills. Adults and eggs are introduced via live foods, infected water, or plants.

Symptoms: Fishes infected with these parasites can be seen 'flashing' on surfaces. This is the underside of the fishes as they attempt to rid themselves of these parasites. Other symptoms include localized redness, inflation of the body of the fish, breathing difficulties, lethargy, ulcers, dropsy, weight loss, loss of scales, gill and fin damage. Puncture wounds often introduce opportunistic, secondary infections.

Treatments : Infected individuals should be removed into a quarantine tank, as to prevent females from releasing their eggs into the main tank.

1) Salt has been recommended as the safest form of removal for effected fishes. 10-30 grams per litre.
2) Trichlorfon, Dipterex and Dylox (toxic to fishes and invertebrates - use with care)
3) Current treatments involves Dimilin

Sources:
http://www.pondsandpumps.co.uk/artanchorworm.htm
http://uk.msnusers.com/FishHealth/lernaea.msnw

PS Hope this helps
PPS Can't attach a picture I've found as we don't have permission to use it.

thanks for the pictures. i have been trawling the internet all day trying to diagnose my poorly guppies, and pictures really do say more than words!..