Tropical Fish Diseases

Whenever you introduce a new fish to your aquarium eco-system, you have to be aware of the consequences of tropical fish diseases possibly impacting the current inhabitants.

There is a high demand for tropical fish all over the world. Tropical fish are exotic. They are beautiful. Tropical fish have such diverse color combinations and come in such a variety of shapes and sizes that they can be very interesting to watch for hours.

Usually, a tank owner will have an established tank and just add fish to the tank colony. One thing that every tank owner must be vigilant about with their tropical fish population is to realize and understand the many different tropical fish diseases that enter the environment via newcomer fish. Some fish from pet shops and breeding nurseries might have tropical fish diseases that they have acquired in their nurseries or breeding pens. Fish from the open ocean might also carry some bacteria and other disease that they have acquired from the open sea.

Many pet stores try as much as possible to check their tropical fish for diseases. After all, they want future business from their customers, and a customer who has been burnt with a diseased fish, may be a lost customer. But there are a lot of tropical fish diseases that exist in the open seas that simply can't easily be tested for.

Common Tropical Fish Diseases

Some of the diseases that can occur in some tropical fish are borne out of mismanagement of the tank, while others are from other fish that are introduced to the tank after it has been established.

Most common of the tropical fish diseases is the "New Tank Syndrome" where the latest introduced fish does not eat or may have even died already. The primary cause of this is stress from entering a new environment, stress caused during the transportation process, or a combination of the two. Relocation causes a certain amount of stress in nearly all animals and fish are no different.

Another common tropical fish disease is having a cottony layer over the fish's body. This is caused by a fungal infection that affects the scales of the fish, covering it with a gauzy, cottony film. This tropical fish disease can be treated with the right anti-fungal medication and a salt bath.

Other common tropical fish diseases are Fin Rot and Eye Fluke. These two tropical fish diseases can be treated with medication and changing the quality of the water in the tank. Fin Rot can also be treated by a salt bath and since this is an infection of sorts, medication is also a must. Eye Fluke can be amended by changing the water of the tank and application of a prescribed medicine.

Taking care of your fish starts in the quality of water you have in your tank. It is also advisable not to introduce new fish into the tank without checking them out for any signs of tropical fish diseases and parasites which can affect the current inhabitants of the tank.

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