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Dropsy
Symptoms:
This disease is very common among African Cichlids, and is commonly called "Malawi Bloat," even though it affects fish from Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria. Dropsy is also very common within the Carp family and among Anabantids. It is characterized by swelling of the body and especially abdomen, which causes the scales to stand out with a pine cone appearance. Eyes may protrude or cave in. Reddening at the vent and/or base of fins may be observable as well as body ulcers and long pale feces. In advanced cases, skin discoloration and scale loss may also occur. Sick fish will not show any desire for food. They will often hang near the bottom, resting on the gravel, or at the top, gasping for air. In the latter stages of this disease, the fish may lose its equilibrium and hence ability to swim properly.
Cause:
Three main causes for Dropsy have been identified. The over use of salt (NaCl), prolonged exposure to poor water conditions, and improper diet, which lead to a parasitic infection. Other causes include poisoning, internal injuries and cancerous tumors. The swelling is not the disease itself, but rather a symptom, which is caused by a build-up of fluids in the body cavity due to internal organ failure.
Treatment:
Treatment of this disease is difficult, as by the time it is recognized, permanent damage to the internal organs of the fish will have occurred. Immediate treatment must be performed if there is to be any chance for survival. Metronidazole (Flagyl) and or Clout are the best medications for treatment of Dropsy. Notwithstanding, not much is known for certain about the etiology of this disease and some experienced aquarists use antibiotics to fight Dropsy. For oxytetracycline, baths of 20-100 mg/litre for five days is suggested. For tetracycline hydrochloride, treat with baths of 40-100 mg/litre for five days. And for minocycline hydrochloride a dilution of 250mg/10 gallons of water is recommended. On day 2 change all the water and add the medicine again at the same dose for another 2 days. Increase aeration during treatment. Do not use minocycline a third time in a row. Caution: tetracyclines are photo sensitive so turn the tank lights off during treatment and cover the whole tank with a blanket. If the fish is still eating, you can soak the food in a concentrated solution of the antibiotic before feeding.
You can read more about this disease, treatment, and how to prevent it in the future by reading our article: Malawi Bloat.
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Piscine Tuberculosis
Symptoms:
Because of the symptoms associated with this disease, it is often referred to as Wasting Disease. An infected fish may show a loss of appetite, emaciation (sunken belly), fading of colors, eroding fins, erratic swimming, scale loss or protrusion, "pop-eye" or eye loss, skin inflammation, ulcerous skin wounds or open lesions, gill deformities, spinal curvature, and Dropsy.
Symptoms may occur singly or in various combinations. Symptoms may also vary from species to species and from one individual fish to another. Not all symptoms need be present. Healthy fish may carry the illness for some time without being affected, and then become ill when stress or poor water conditions lower their resistance. The disease may run a lingering course, killing the fish slowly over time, or strike in epidemic proportions quickly wiping out an entire aquarium population.
Diagnoses of Piscine Tuberculosis is difficult, as all of the diseases symptoms may appear in other illnesses. Piscine TB can only be verified upon autopsy.
Cause:
Mycobacterium bacteria. Piscine Tuberculosis is highly infectious and can be easily transferred. Gravel can harbor this bacteria causing the entire aquarium to become infected. The disease may strike in epidemic proporations, killing an entire population of fish in record time with little to no symptoms. However, it can also remain latent for some time, progressing slowly, silently causing internal organ damage to the fish.
This illness is not always fatal to the fish. The bacteria may become encapsulated to form small nodules and as long as good environmental conditions are maintained there is no danger. However, if the fish is weakened by unsuitable water conditions or other diseases the nodules can burst. The infection then becomes acute and can kill the infected fish as well as infect others.
Treatment:
Infected fish must be isolated quickly because the disease is highly contagious (see below). Treat with a combination of sulphafurazone (0.2mg/g fish), doxycycline (0.005 mg/g fish) and minocycline (0.005 mg/g fish) administered intramuscularly. It is also recommended to feed any sick fish isoniazid. It may take up to 2 months for fish to completely heal. Kanacyn also claims to be helpful in treating Piscine Tuberculosis.
Caution:
Piscine Tuberculosis is caused by a species of bacteria belonging to the genus Mycobacterium, which is also the causative agent of Tuberculosis in humans. While the bacteria that causes this disease in fish prefers cooler temperatures than most bacteria that infect humans it is still possible for the illness to be passed on to humans. Such an infection in humans usually shows in the form of an infected nodule in the skin, although there is a chance of a more serious internal infection. If you suspect your fish has this disease, observe the strictest of hygiene to prevent the spread of this serious disease to humans.
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