What is the most relaxing way to do on a weekend? Some would probably say spending time with family as tops on their list. Some would say playing games on the computer, while others would say just playing with their pets can give them that peaceful feeling. The same thing is true for me. Watching my fishes in my aquarium as they swim and eat gives me that feeling of serenity.
However, that feeling came to pass when, one day, I saw one of my goldfishes swimming (wobbling actually) awkwardly in the tank. It was leaning more on the right side and looks like it has not digested its food by the way it was acting. Based on research, I found out that what my fish was experiencing is called Swimbladder condition – that is, a fish having difficulty swimming in upright position, thus, it’s either leaning to the left or to the right, or is wobbling in water.
I found out that this disorder is commonly associated with goldfish and usually, is caused by abrupt changes in water conditions or infections.
How do you know your fish is sick?
Look for signs. Most of the time, we take it for granted that the fish is developing its color or is growing bigger and bigger, while we dismiss other indications of illness. Following are some warning signs that your fish is sick:
- White or red spots on fins or tails
- Lesions on the body
- Refuses to eat
- Pale colored gills
- Scales sticking out
- Swollen reddish eyes
- Is swimming upside down
- Wobbling
There are times when we spend time and money for our fishes and yet, in the end, some fishes still end up contracting diseases. This cannot be helped, as like humans and other pets, fishes also get sick. However, no matter what “tender loving care” we extend to our fishes, other factors also come into play like:
- Microbial or bacterial infection
- Fish fights
- Ratio of size of aquarium against the number of fishes (the more fishes you have in a small aquarium, the lesser oxygen levels to share among the fishes)
- Diet and nutrition problems
Knowing the root cause of the disease helps a lot in determining the proper care for the fish. You just cannot feed your fish with medicated food if you’re not even sure about the reason for the disease. Thus, in general, here are some tips that you can follow:
- Baths. Bathe your fish in a pail with medication or simply with a salt and water solution.
- Prevention is key here, thus, you need to be extra alert when observing your fishes
- You may opt to apply antibacterial medicines to prevent the spread of the disease to other fishes
- Separate the sick fish from the healthy ones
- Use heat therapy to kill some parasites. Take note, however, that some fishes prefer to be in cold water environment.
However, that feeling came to pass when, one day, I saw one of my goldfishes swimming (wobbling actually) awkwardly in the tank. It was leaning more on the right side and looks like it has not digested its food by the way it was acting. Based on research, I found out that what my fish was experiencing is called Swimbladder condition – that is, a fish having difficulty swimming in upright position, thus, it’s either leaning to the left or to the right, or is wobbling in water.
I found out that this disorder is commonly associated with goldfish and usually, is caused by abrupt changes in water conditions or infections.
How do you know your fish is sick?
Look for signs. Most of the time, we take it for granted that the fish is developing its color or is growing bigger and bigger, while we dismiss other indications of illness. Following are some warning signs that your fish is sick:
- White or red spots on fins or tails
- Lesions on the body
- Refuses to eat
- Pale colored gills
- Scales sticking out
- Swollen reddish eyes
- Is swimming upside down
- Wobbling
There are times when we spend time and money for our fishes and yet, in the end, some fishes still end up contracting diseases. This cannot be helped, as like humans and other pets, fishes also get sick. However, no matter what “tender loving care” we extend to our fishes, other factors also come into play like:
- Microbial or bacterial infection
- Fish fights
- Ratio of size of aquarium against the number of fishes (the more fishes you have in a small aquarium, the lesser oxygen levels to share among the fishes)
- Diet and nutrition problems
Knowing the root cause of the disease helps a lot in determining the proper care for the fish. You just cannot feed your fish with medicated food if you’re not even sure about the reason for the disease. Thus, in general, here are some tips that you can follow:
- Baths. Bathe your fish in a pail with medication or simply with a salt and water solution.
- Prevention is key here, thus, you need to be extra alert when observing your fishes
- You may opt to apply antibacterial medicines to prevent the spread of the disease to other fishes
- Separate the sick fish from the healthy ones
- Use heat therapy to kill some parasites. Take note, however, that some fishes prefer to be in cold water environment.
