Diagnosing Goldfish Diseases

By myarn • May 9, 2009

Early diagnosis of goldfish disease is an important part of overall fish care. If you can’t readily identify a goldfish disease see your local vet, or pet store.

Fish live by absorbing oxygen and they give off carbon dioxide as a waste product. Plants under the influence of daylight do the opposite so that what is poison to one gives life to the other. So adding plants to your aquarium will assist in keeping your goldfish healthy and disease free.

Preventing disease is always easier than curing it, so by keeping your aquarium clean, feeding your fish properly, avoiding wide temperature fluctuations and performing partial water changes as necessary you will go a long way to keeping your fish healthy. However, no matter how well you maintain your tank, from time to time one or more of your goldfish may become ill or display signs of stress.

Some of the more common goldfish diseases are discussed here.

Anchor worms appear as a 1/4 to 3/8 inch piece of string with a forked tail. Large anchor worms can easily be seen. They appear as clear, brownish-red, or greenish-white strings. Once the anchor worms have buried themselves into the flesh of the fish open sores may appear on the skin. Anchor worms may be visible in the sores. Frequently this parasite is introduced into the fish tank from adding live food to the tank, or from aquarium plants, especially those taken from rivers or creeks. Anchor worms attach beneath the fish’s scales and bury their anchor-shaped head under the skin causing ulceration and distress to the fish.

Anchor worms are highly contagious and should be treated immediately. Your local pet store can supply an appropriate treatment for anchor worm, usually in the form of a gyrase inhibitor that can be added to the tank water. This should be effective in killing the parasites in three or four days.

Swimbladder disease should be suspected when a fish has difficulty stabilizing itself in the tank. It is fairly common in goldfish although fancy varieties appear more susceptible to the disease. It can be genetic in origin or caused by a variety of other factors including inadequate or improper diet, bacterial infection or even poor quality aquarium water.

Apart from improving the water condition if that is necessary, some fish keepers suggest feeding your goldfish thawed out frozen peas. It is also worth feeding the fish with sinking food instead of floating food to minimize the intake of air. It may also be worthwhile moving your sick goldfish to a shallow tank while you treat it. This may reduce the stress on the fish. Swimbladder disease often occurs quite suddenly in previously healthy fish.

Dropsy is not a specific goldfish disease, but appears as a condition where the fish’s abdomen becomes swollen due to a concentration of fluids in the body tissues or cavities. The abdominal swelling often creates a pinecone effect causing the scales to protrude from the bod. The cause of the swelling could be any of several conditions including cancer, internal parasites or bacterial infection, cancer, internal parasites. Depending on what has caused the condition dropsy may be contagious. There are no known successful treatments for dropsy and the condition generally proves fatal.

Frayed or torn fins are usually indications of fin or tail rot if the fish has not been fighting. This is a bacterial infection that first appears as a whitish edge on the fins, before the fins begin to rot away. It is easily treated with antibiotics available from your local pet store. Make sure that the medication states that it treats fin or tail rot. In some cases a secondary fungal infection can occur. If this is the case, treat the fin rot before dealing with the fungal problem.

Fungus is usually a secondary infection. A fish with an open wound or sore caused from injury or disease may suffer from a lack of mucous around the area of the wound. Open wounds like this can often attract a secondary fungal infection. Look for patches of white or grey fuzzy puffs attached to the skin. There are several different treatments available for fungal infections from the pet store. Fungus will respond well to quick treatment.

Perhaps the most common goldfish parasitic disease is ick. It is frequently present in freshwater fish tanks and will infect fish in poor general health or those that have suffered recent infection. Ick is characterized by small white dots that look like salt sprinkled on the body. The fish may attempt to scratch the infected areas on the wall of the tank which can cause further damage. Cloudy eyes and rapid breathing can also be signs of ick. See your pet store for ick treatment. Badly infected fish should be moved to a hospital or quarantine tank for treatment but it is important to also treat the main aquarium, ensuring that the parasite has been removed.

Goldfish are quite hardy fish but there are still many diseases that can cause them discomfort or stress. If you want your goldfish to live a long and healthy life you need to make sure that you manage the aquarium properly and treat sick goldfish as soon as symptoms appear.

There is a comprehensive and instantly downloadable e-book covering the entire topic of treating goldfish diseases.