Diseases and Health Problems

Diseases and Health Problems
By Joe Anderson
okcaa.org/articles

I have been very fortunate when it comes to health problems. I have had to deal with very few health related problems. Ich, body fungus, and a nematode worm infestation are the only health problems that I have had to deal with. I have also experienced an outbreak of planaria worms in the substrate of my last 10 gallon tank, but this did not affect the health of the fish in any way.

For most, if not all, of these health problems, I have used Mardel products; Maracide, Maroxy, and Maracyn. These products have worked very well for me in the past and I would recommend them highly. For the nematodes I used a remedy which I discovered on the net; Levamisole HCL. This is actually a cattle wormer, but if used in the correct proportions is touted to work wonders on such parasitic infestations. It worked for me, although I did have to dose a second time.

I should also note that I have lost very few fish, and no plants, as the result of medication. I have generally followed the dosing instructions on the labels with the exception that I don't usually dose as many times as is recommended. However, I would not suggest such a haphazard approach to fish care!!! It is always best to treat an illness to its end and sometimes an illness or infection may continue to exist in a dormant state although not visibly detectable!

The best remedy is one that works without resorting to the use of potentially harmful chemicals. By ensuring that the water is kept clean and that any new plants or fish are quarantined or cleaned of any contaminants the aquarist can almost be assured that his/her fish will live a healthy and happy life.

ICH Ich, or white spot disease, is the common name for Ichthyopthirius multifilis. Symptoms include white specks on the body. Ich is actually a parasitic infestation. The white spots are basically the embryonic (?) cysts of the parasite. They use the fish body as a host. These parasites will be present in most aquariums with fish. Without fish, or without stressed or ill fish, the parasite will not be able to reproduce as rapidly.

All of the ich problems that I've experienced were brought in by newly purchased fish and/or plants. This proves the logic of a quarantine/hospital tank. I have rarely been able to keep an additional tank in operation solely for this purpose, but if I could I would definitely keep one for emergencies, and for new additions. I treated all the outbreaks of ich successfully using Mardel's Maracide product, with the exception of one - which leads us to the next story.

BODY FUNGUS/BURNT GILLS My bouts with Body fungus and burnt gills were the result of using an ich remedy that was not meant for scaleless fishes. At a very early stage in my fish keeping history, I did not know that some pl*cos and loaches do not have scales. Thus, when I used a remedy for ich that was not intended for scale-less fishes, my PRIZE zebra pl*co developed burnt gills and body fungus. This being a "very" special circumstance, I took the afflicted fish out of the large (120 gal.) community tank that it was in and treated it separately. I used Maroxy and Maracyn to treat the primary condition as well as any secondary condition that could develop as a result. Unfortunately, (sob) I neglected to heat the separate container adequately and the fish froze to death? Shock probably killed him really.

NEMATODES/FLUKES My personal experience with a nematode worm infestation was dealt with using Levamisole HCL. I discovered this remedy through the Apistogramma Mailing List. The kind advice of Mr. Dionigi Maladorno and Mr. Ken Laidlaw was of invaluable assistance. They recommended a single dose of 1ml in 7.5 litres of tank water using a 7.5% concentration of levamisole. I used a product labeled Levamisole Phosphate, injectable soln 13.65%. The insert stated that each ml of soln. contains Leva. phosphate equivalent to 136.5 mg of Levamisole HCL. I used approximately one ml of this solution for each 3.5 gallons of water (half the recommended dosage, because my soln. was double the described concentration). Assuming that in my 10 gallon I had only about 8 gallons of water, I used only 2ml of solution. Mr. Laidlaw recommended using 1ml in 7.5litres of tank water. First mixing the required quantity in luke warm water. Then pouring it into the tank. After 24 hours perform 100% water change if possible. He also recommends that you treat all tanks and fish not just those showing signs of infestation. This remedy has worked very well for others and worked well for me too. However, I did have to dose twice, probably because of the low dosage amount that I used. YMMV.

PLANARIA I also have experienced a planaria worm infestation in my last 10 gallon. This problem was alleviated naturally (thanks to the advice of Mr. Bob Dixon) by the addition of two small Corydoras paleatus, as well as a good couple of water changes and vaccuumings. It seems corydoras catfish love any kind of worm. Loaches are, likewise, eager worm eaters. I believe the worms came in with some soil that I'd dug out of my back yard. Next time I think I'll bake any soil I use first. Hindsight is 20/20 though.

FISH TUBERCULOSOUS Generally, fish infected with TB are considered a lost cause. The only method that I've discovered that has been proven successful is to either soak flake food in erythromycin (if you can get the infected fish to eat) or to inject the fish with erythromycin. This idea came from Mr. Mike Nielson off the APD Mailing List.

HYDRA INFESTATIONS Hydra are a freshwater anemone. They are really not that great of a problem unless they become too numerous. They can be harmful to some small fry. Three things are listed below that are known to help reduce their numbers:

* Dwarf Gouramis (colisia sp.) are known to relish hydra.
* Cut back on feeding of baby brine shrimp. Hydra outbreaks are often tied to overfeeding of bbs.
* Panacur and Clout are often suggested medinical remedies. Both are not especially good for fish.

SKIN AND GILL INFESTATIONS BACTERIAL INFECTIONS
Most problems are due to water quality issues or to parasites. True primary bacterial infections are rare. Bacterial infections are common after shipping or pH crashes. It is best to identify and remedy the primary cause before medicating.
Primary causes for bacterial infections are poor water quality; pH crashes, ammonia spikes, high Nitrates, etc. Below are listed several medinical remedies for these bacterial infections:

* Doxycycline
* Tetracycline
* Nifurpirinol/Furanace

That is all the information I have to relate concerning disease and infection in fish. For a more indepth examination of fish disease and treatment, see Gerald Griffin's EXCELLENT powerpoint presentation on the subject.