Goldfish diseases – symptoms and treatments

The best way to keep your fish healthy is to follow the basic rules of good aquarium or pond management. Feed your fish correctly, keep their environment clean, avoid rapid temperature changes, ensure there is an adequate oxygen supply and make partial water changes as necessary.

Unfortunately, illness sometimes still occurs and it is important that you identify goldfish diseases as soon as possible. The first sign to be aware of is stress. Just as a stressed human is prone to infection by bio-aggressors, so are fish, and stress is the principle cause of disease in fish.

There are three basic types of diseases in fish: parasitic, bacterial and fungal. These organisms are always present in the aquatic environment and a healthy fish can generally ward them off, however, if a fish is weakened by stress or damage the risk of infection is high.

When fish become ill they show behavioral symptoms such as:

clamped fins
bodies shaking
repeated scratching against objects in the tank
hiding in corners
gasping at the surface
swimming abnormally
sitting on the bottom
breathing difficulties

The good news is that most fish diseases can be treated if caught in time.

Our comprehensive guide to goldfish diseases and their treatments is an instantly downloadable e-book that covers all common diseases. There are illustrations to assist you in identifying the disease that your goldfish may be suffering from plus it describes all treatment options available. The guide also covers setting up a hospital tank for sick fish and, if all else fails, there is a section on euthanasing fish because sometimes it can be better to end a fish’s suffering by humane means.

Here is a brief sample of what is covered in the ‘abnormal behavior’ section of the e-book:

Breathing difficulties – flukes, velvet disease
Distressed/off-colored – cloudy eye, chilodonella
Closed fins – ick
Clamped fins – poor water conditions
Scratching/Flashing – flukes, pH
Increased respiration rate – chilodonella
Gasping at the water’s surface – not enough oxygen in the water, increase aeration, check water for ammonia, pH level, and nitrates
Appetite loss – tuberculosis, constipation
Yawning – toxic water, parasites, rock stuck in the mouth
Loss of balance, unable to rise from bottom of tank – swimbladder problems
Sitting on the bottom – swimbladder disease, flukes
Eating bubbles – could be the fish is trying to clear its gills. Could also be caused from air bladder problems. (See swimbladder disease.)
Spitting – flukes
Rapid gill movement – flukes
Restlessness – fish leech (lice)
Jumping – parasites, low pH, poor water conditions
Tired fish – Check the water conditions, do routine water change, smell the fish food and check its freshness, check for any other signs or symptoms.
Swimming awkwardly – costia, swimbladder problems
Swimming with mouth open – could be a foreign object stuck in the fish’s mouth
Swimming upside down –swimbladder disease
Rubbing body along gravel or tank objects – ick, chilodonella, costia, fish leech, skin flukes, velvet disease
Swimming wildly – check ammonia level
Standing on head – intestinal worms, kidney damage, toxic water (do immediate water change) female fish may do this when they become exhausted from the male’s breeding attempts
Standing on tail – exhaustion from spawning, toxic water
Laying or leaning to the side – where is the fish’s light source coming from? Also toxic water, infections, parasites, lack of oxygen. The fish could be blind and cannot see the light to balance itself.

This is just a sample of the topics covered … also covered are worms, spots, parasites and more… Plus the treatments and remedies for all goldfish diseases!

Grab your copy of “Goldfish Diseases – Symptoms and Treatments” here for only $7.97.