Basic Health Care
When it comes to the health of your fish it is much better to prevent a disease from taking place than curing one. However it more often than not most fish keepers will experience an outbreak from time to time. I personally have had a whole marine tank wiped out over night when introducing the very last fish to finish my display. I had several fish that were several years old and which was sad , but it cost a lot of money replacing them.
1) Check your fish over every week to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary. You will get very used to how your fish swim and interact with one another, and it is very easy to spot when one of them is swimming erratically or hiding away
2) When you have identified the disease you should try and work out what has caused it, as well as checking the water chemistry. Most ailments in fish are brought on by stress, with the causes ranging from over crowding, poor water chemistry to the introduction of a new fish. To prevent this from happening do not overstock the tank and always quarantine any new stock. A quarantine tank is also a good place to treat poorly fish with medication.
3) When dosing the quarantine tank you will need to make sure you follow the instructions on the medication. If you just pour some in when you remember your fish will not get better and possibly die. Many medications give a dose related to water volume so it is always a benefit to know the water volume of your tank. Without knowing this you may never be medicating your fish properly.
4) A common ailment is a parasite attack which will create spots or a dusting effect on the fish. A fish may also have rapid breathing or is constantly trying to rub itself on the tank decorations. Such ailments are often very simple to cure and the wish will go on to make a full recovery.
