JBL fish diseases - jbl aquaria

21/22 If despite all precautions, the worst should happen, and yourfish show signs of an infection by behaving differently, the follo-wing 3 tables will assist you in gaining an idea of the possiblecauses.

Symptoms appear in all or nearly all fish in the aquariumsimultaneously

The main causes and errors which lead to diseases in theaquarium

Rapid gill movements in allfish; in extreme cases the fishfloat under the surface andgasp for air.

After initial restlessness, thefish hide and are abnormallystill. The fish then sway ab-out, before dying.

Symptoms Poss

ible

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Susp

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Cause RemedyOverstocking Reduce stock of fish. Guideline: 0.5 - max. 1cm fish-

length per litre water.Incorrect combination Remove "trouble-makers“. Only fish with similar de-

mands and tolerances are compatible. Information is available from specialist literature or your aquarium fish supplier.

One-sided feeding / Vary feed according to the needs of the species. More de- over-feedings tails are available in the JBL "What - How - Why“

booklet No.3 "Correct Feeding of Aquarium Fish".Incorrect Correct water values and ensure values remain constant. water values More details are available in the JBL "What - How -

Why booklet No.2 "Aquarium Water". Unsuitable Provide decorations with refuges of stones, plants etc., decorations reflecting the needs of the type of fish stocked. Information

is available from specialist literature or your aquarium fish supplier.

Introduction of germs Offer only live food from fish-free waters or frozen or through live food freeze-dried food.

4BOOK

Your specialist petshop supplier

With JBL and your specialist petshop supplier

always well-advised

Price:

WHAT - WHY - HOW ?A Guide to

Aquarium Fish Diseases

2.

1.

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7 9

6225

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8. Diagnosis - Tables

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Fish swim rapidly and aimlesslyaround the aquarium, collidingwith the walls, decorative materi-als etc. Fish which normally do notjump, flick above the surface.

1 18.12.2002 17:38 Uhr Seite 1

3.

Symptoms Poss

ible

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Contents Page

1. Introduction 1-22. Prevention by appropriate care 2-43. Disorders not caused by

virusesA. Disorders caused by water parameters 5-8B. Other disorders 9

4. Acute infectious diseases caused byvirusesA. External diseases 10-14B. Internal diseases 15-17

5. General tips for the treatment of fish diseases 18-19

6. Product information 207. Literature 208. Diagnostic table 21-22

Published by:JBL GmbH & Co. KGD - 67141 Neuhofen.

2nd edition 2000

3.

Text: Dr. Rainer Keppler, JBL Company BiologistLayout: akzenta PR, 53797 LohmarPhotos of fish diseases: D. Untergasser, Prof. Dr. Mehlhorn, G. Schmelzer

Fish rub against stones, floor-covering material etc.Fins stick.More or less clear white spots on the skin and (or) fins, whichare not clearly raised above the skin's surface.

Thickened, whitish areas of skin, mainly on the back.

Fine, white to bluish-white film on the skin, only visible in obli-que lighting.

Bloodshot fins in ornamental veil fins.

Mainly spawn and young fry die.

Velvet skin coating, whitish to brownish, also yellowish in freh-water. In freshwater and saltwater.

Affected fish respire abnormally rapidly.

Whitish, clearly raised lumps, mainly on fin edges, occasional-ly on body. Lumps feel hard. (see illustration P. 14)Whitish areas in the body, visible through the skin. Pigmentati-on cells of the skin above the infection are often destroyed.White areas around the mouth of live-bearing fish, does notapply to guppy.

White to pale tinted threads protruding from the body.

Small, red threads hang from the anal vent of resting fish.

Frayed fins and/or fin damage.

Skin tumours (especially in goldfish), open skin lesions, gapsappear in tail.

Dark colouring.

Fish become emaciated.

Threadlike, slimy, white excrement.

White hole-like appearance in the region of the head.

Fish grow abnormally fat, scales protrude.

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Myc

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PROFESSIONAL FEEDING AND CARE

At first only a few fish (orjust one) become ill, but theillness quickly spreads to allfish or all fish of one species:

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1

This small brochure offers first aid ad-vice in the event of illnesses or deathsin your aquarium. A comprehensivetable on page 21 helps you with dia-gnosis. In this table we have delibera-tely listed only those diseases anddisorders which occur relatively often,and which have external symptomswhich can, as a rule, be identifiedwithout dissecting the fish. A moreexact description of particular disea-ses and various treatments will be gi-ven in a special section. This brochure is not, nor is it intended

to be, a complete guide to fish disea-ses. Therefore, in cases where no re-sults can be achieved with this guide,advice should be sought either in theliterature listed on page 20, or from areputable pet shop or aquarium spe-cialist.

The first rule of thumb: If anythingshould appear to be 'out of order'with your fish, do not treat them in-discriminately with any old medici-ne or "cure-all" treatment.

Any treatment of a disease must fol-low careful diagnosis, in order to allowtreatment that is specific and success-ful. All medicines, whether for ani-

1. Introduction

Professional feeding and care

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2mals or people, ultimately contain aspecific poison which is deadly forparticular viruses but not damaging tothe afflicted organism; neverthelessthey cause some degree of stress. Anindiscriminate dose of medication canweaken the defence mechanisms ofthe fish to such a degree that anunidentified disease could spreadquicker, worsening the fish's conditi-on. Careful and regular observation of

the fish, not only when disease is evi-dent, is essential in order to identifydiseases in time, because only a pre-cise knowledge of the appearanceand behaviour of healthy fish permitsthe speedy recognition of any declinein health. However, initially you maybe somewhat inclined to suspect sym-ptoms of disease from any apparentlyabnormal behaviour.

As it would obviously be better for every-one if fish were never ill at all, this sec-tion was deliberately placed before thesection of the booklet concerned withillnesses. If you follow the important ba-sic rules, then outbreaks of diseaseshould very rarely or never occur in youraquarium. These basic rules can besummarised in brief as follows:

This means that stressful conditions willbe avoided, leaving the fish in a positi-on to fully develop their immune sy-stems. Stress is defined as any conditi-on which is different from that which thefish are used to in their natural environ-ment. However, the well-being of yourfish does not depend on the aquariumhaving a design true to the original ha-bitat, which in most cases would not bevery attractive at all. What is more im-portant is to recreate as authentically aspossible those conditions that the fishmeet in their natural habitat in the aqua-rium.

Provide your fish with the environ-ment and nutrition that is, as far aspossible, in keeping with their na-tural needs and requirements.

Overstocked aquariums andpermanent stress are still thenumber one causes for fishdiseases in the aquarium.

2. Prevention by Appropriate Care


3For example, fish which like to hide inplants should not be kept in a complete-ly bare tank. The origin and the speciesof the plants play a subordinate role - noharm has been done to a South Ameri-can fish from swimming amongst Asiaticplants.

Fish that require different water qualitiesshould not be kept together, neithershould non-predatory fish be kept withpredators. Overstocking should be avoi-ded - the list can be continued indefini-tely.

Before making any purchases, find out,either from relevant literature, or by see-king advice from your pet shop dealer,which fish are best suited to live to-gether due to their similar needs. Thisdoes not necessarily mean that youneed to select fish that come from thesame continent to live together: only theneeds and requirements must comply.Buying fish that match your wallpaper,or with the attitude: "I've got a blue one -now I want a red one" shows a lack ofrespect towards the fish as a living crea-ture. Many beginners make grave mista-kes at the outset. Understandably, the patience of theproud owner of a new aquarium is great-ly tested if he is not allowed to stock hisaquarium with fish as soon as it hasbeen set up, but instead has to wait twoto three weeks during which time he can

only look at a lifeless aquarium contai-ning only plants and decorations.

Refer to JBL Book 3 "WHAT - WHY - HOW? Cor-rect feeding of aquarium fish" on how to offer your fish the most suitable and "tailor-made" feed.The booklet is available from your petshop.

NfE

32,3%(carbohydrates)

JBL NOVObel

Crude protein 45.2%

Moisture 6.3%

Crude ash 9.7%

Crude fat 5%

Crude fibre 1.4%

Without plants or other decorati-ons in the tank that allow thefish to hide, their immune sy-stems may become weakenedby the resulting stress, and the-refore more prone to diseases.

This period is necessary to succes-sfully establish nitrifying bacteria, andcrucial for the later functioning of theaquatic microcosm. The presence ofthese bacteria ensures that the fishdo not die of nitrogen poisoning assoon as they are put into the tank.


4This waiting time can be shortened by usingthe JBL product, Denitrol. JBL Denitrol con-tains a concentrate of beneficial bacteria,which colonise the filter and multiply, "settlingin" the aquarium within a short time. Refer to our JBL booklet No. 2 "What- Why-

How - Aquarium Water" for more details onnitrite and other nitrogen compounds in theaquarium.It is also important to "compose" your fishstock with the greatest possible harmonyamong the fish, and not to introduce new fishat random. Newcomers to your fish tank willalways upset the existing "order" among themore settled inmates, with resulting territorialskirmishes and fights over favourite spots,which in turn means stress. Also, newcomerstend to be weakened by being caught and

When buying aquari-um fish, you shouldnot allow yourself tobe guided by aesthetic considerations alone,but ask the petshopspecialist for advice.Many a beautiful tail fin could later be chewed to shreds inthe aquarium by a "rival".Keep in mind, too, thata harmonious "neighbourhood" makes your aquariumfish thrive.

"Matured filter sub-stance" contains the ne-cessary micro-organismssuch as 1) colonies of campanularia, 2) radiola-ria, 3) rotifera, 4) tubi-fora.

1

43

2

Fotos : D. Untergasser

transported over long distances, and theyneed to get used to their new environment.This also means a great deal of stress andcan lead to the outbreak of diseases. This isthe point where many newcomers to fish-keeping jump to the (mostly wrong) conclusi-on, "The dealer has sold me diseased fish!".Encouraged by the stress situation in whichnewly introduced fish find themselves, latentgerms can attack fish easier and so cause theoutbreak of diseases. Another frequent mista-ke made in the beginning is "poking around"in the aquarium too often. JBL Acclimolshould always be added to theaquarium water when introducingnew fish and following unavoidablemaintenance work in the aquari-um. JBL Acclimol, with valuableplant extracts and vitamins, ensu-res that the new occupants adjustwithout stress, and also alleviatesstress suffered by the fish as a re-sult of maintenance work. Any out-break of disease is successfullyprevented in most instances. The appearance, especially that

of the plants, will change anyway in the longrun, because they have to adapt their leafshapes and colours to the special conditionsexisting in your tank. And for that they needREST! Of course, an occasional intrusionmay be necessary to restore order, since weare dealing with an artificial miniature aquaticworld which is not as self-regulating as in(intact) nature. The keyword is therefore:care, yes, but only to the right extent. And pro-per care also includes regular partial waterchanges with the subsequent addition of JBLBiotopol. For more detail on setting up andcaring for your aquarium, see JBL bookletNo. 1 "What - Why - How".

Allow the aquarium and its fish stockenough time to "grow used to each other".Try not to rearrange the aquarium plants toooften and change the decoration as little aspossible.


5A Disorders caused by

water parametersChanges in the quality of the tank watercan cause situations leading to a sub-stantial impairment of the fish's well-being or even to the death of the fish.You will find detailed information onaquarium water, its ingredients, and onmaintaining a healthy and well-balancedaquatic environment in the JBL booklet"What - Why - How? No. 2, AquariumWater". The present brochure (No.4) gi-ves a brief outline of the most frequentrisks, their effect on fish, and on thepossibilities of eliminating these ha-zards.

PoisoningIf one or more of the poisoning sym-ptoms listed in the diagnostic table (p.21-22) appear to affect your fish stock,immediate remedial steps must be takento save the fish. Looking for the causescomes later. The best first-aid step is

the immediate change of as much of theaquarium water as possible (80% of thetank volume) followed by the addition ofa double the dose of JBL Biotopol toprotect the affected mucous membra-nes. Before changing the water, use aclean vessel to take out about one litreof the aquarium water and place it asideuntil the water has been changed. Assoon as the immediate danger has beenaverted, you will have sufficient time totest the sample, for instance by usingthe comprehensive range of JBL TestSets.

Nitrogen poisoningExcessive concentrations of nitrogencompounds such as ammonia and nitritein aquarium water are the most frequentcauses of poisoning, since these com-pounds originate from the excretions offish and, in unfavourable conditions, arecapable of becoming concentrated in thewater. A disturbance or oversaturationof the nitrifying bacteria in the filter andin the aquarium can lead to such accu-mulations of ammonia or nitrite.

3. Disorders not caused by viruses

Besides conspicuous changes in behaviour, colour changes de-parting from the normal state (e.g. fading of the colours) alsoindicate possible effects of poisoning.Foto: G. Schmelzer

JBL´s extensive range of water test sets al-lows you to determine the water values withgreat accuracy. JBL Biotopol should alwaysbe kept within reach in order to respondquickly in an emergency.


6oxygen deficiency. A well cared foraquarium with good vegetation and onewhich has not been overstocked oughtnot contain any nitrite or ammonia at all,or at least only minute traces. Valuespermanently exceeding 0.2 mg/l mustbe seen as dangerous. Check the vitalconditions in your aquarium.

Heavy metalsCopper or zinc, both of which are heavymetals, can dissolve in new water mains(copper or zincplated iron pipes). Thelonger the water stands in the pipes, themore intensive this effect. This can leadto dangerously high concentrations, es-pecially of copper, which have fatal ef-fects on aquarium fish. Within the spaceof one or several years (depending onwater hardness) calcareous depositsform on the inside of the pipes which ef-fectively prevent any further dissolutionof heavy metals. Flow-type heaters arealso equipped with copper pipes. Speci-al care must be taken with new applian-ces or after descaling the appliance. Ifin doubt, allow the mains water to run fora few minutes before using it for theaquarium. In any case, the use of JBL Biotopolwater conditioner is recommended. Bio-topol binds harmful heavy metals in thewater and so helps to prevent the risk ofheavy metal poisoning.

In such cases, change one third of theaquarium water each day until the levelshave returned to normal and put adouble dose of JBL Denitrol directlyinto the filter each day. This adds bene-ficial cleansing bacteria to the filter. Ap-propriate steps must also be taken toensure that levels do not rise again.Whereas nitrite has a direct toxic effect,the toxic ammonia develops from the re-latively harmless ammonium in direct re-lation to the pH-value. The higher thepH-value, the more toxic ammonia willbe generated.

The nitrite valueshould always be be-low 0.2 mg/lAs a rule, nitrite andammonia poisoningdoes not occur inaquariums with lowfish stock (0.5 - max. 1 cm of fishlength per litre of wa-ter).

May be harmful to sensitive fish and small fry.

May be harmful to adult fish, very harmful to young fry.

Very harmful to adult fish, lethal for small fry.

Absolutely lethal for all species of fish.

Nitrite or ammonia poisoning severelyrestricts the oxygen intake of fish, withthe effect that the fish show signs of

pH le

vel

NH4 mg/l (ppm)

7,0

7,5

8,0

8,28,4

8,68,8

9,0

0,1 0,25 0,5 1,0 2,0 4,0 6,0 8,0


7Please refer to the JBL booklet "What -Why - How No. 2, Aquarium Water" formore details on the pH-value and its sig-nificance in aquarium water. Excessive-ly high or low pH-values, or even sud-den and violent pH-fluctuations up ordown, can cause irreparable damagewhich is normally defined as acid or al-kaline disorders.

But even more moderate pH-fluctuati-ons, or pH permanently set at the limit ofthe fish's adaptability tolerance, cancause severe stress which may eitherdamage the fish directly or which mayresult in the outbreak of diseases cau-sed by the weakening of their immunesystem.

Carbon dioxide poisoningVirtually the only cause for carbon dioxi-de poisoning is an incorrectly set CO2fertiliser. An excess of CO2 can be nor-malised quickly and efficiently by rigo-rously agitating the water or by aerating.

DetergentsEven in low concentrations, tensides foundin detergents can cause damage tothe sensitive gills of fish. The symptomsresemble those caused by lack of oxy-gen. To prevent this kind of risk, neveruse the appliances used in aquariumcare for any other domestic purpose. Inparticular, never allow watering cans orbuckets which are used for changing theaquarium water to come into contactwith household cleaners.

Insect spraysNever use any insecticides, herbicides,room sprays or other products fromspray cans in rooms where an aquariumis kept. Concentrations in the aquariumcan easily and quickly reach harmful le-vels. An urgent word of warning: neveruse any biological mite and pest controlagents for warm-blooded domestic ani-mals (birds, cats, dogs, etc.) becausemost of these products contain pyre-thrum as their active ingredient, which isabsolutely deadly for cold-blooded ver-tebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles).

pH-values Depending on species, origin and adap-tability, freshwater fish will normallycope with pH-values between 5 and 8.5.A pH-value in the slightly acidic to neu-tral range between 6.8 and 7.5 is consi-dered to be the best environment forkeeping most fish.

Never underrate the importance of good vegetation in your aquarium. For best results, fertilise with the JBL PROFLORA CO2 System. Healthy aquatic plants provide vital oxygen and help to degra-de undesirable pollutants in the aquarium.

Without any special measures, the pH-value in most aquariums will be slightlyin the alkaline range around 8.5. Lowe-ring pH to the range of 6.8 to 7.5, whichis optimal for most freshwater aquari-ums, is best achieved by fertilising withcarbon dioxide (for the benefit of fishand plants alike).


8For best results, use the JBL PRO-FLORA CO2 System. pH of 9 or morecan occur in strongly illuminated aquari-ums with fast-growing vegetation if noCO2 is supplied or if aeration is exces-sive. If the supply of CO2 in the water is ex-hausted, the plants will absorb the CO2chemically bound in the carbonate. Theoutcome is a rapid increase in pH andpossibly calcareous deposits on plantsand glass panes. This can be prevented by using the JBLPROFLORA CO2 System.

Excessively low pH is virtually only foundin very soft water.The causes may be vigorous filteringthrough peat, or an excessive CO2 con-tent. If pH is accidentally set too low byCO2 fertilising, readjust pH by strong ae-ration. Any other occurrences of low pH can beremedied with JBL Aquakal, both insaltwater and in freshwater.

JBL PROFLORA CO2 System for maintaining a biotopicaquarium. It helps to keep pH in the moderately acidic rangeconducive to most aquarium fish. It also supplies your suba-quatic plants with sufficient quantities of carbon dioxide.

Temperature

Fish are poikilothermal animals, whichmeans that they adapt their body tempe-rature to certain temperature rangeswhich must be kept at relatively con-stant levels.The temperature ranges differ depen-ding on origin and species of the fish. Ifthe optimum temperature range is ex-ceeded in either direction, or if the tem-perature fluctuates suddenly (e.g. whenchanging the water), the fish suffer con-siderable stress which may eventuallyresult in parasite infections. For thesereasons, always keep the fish in the cor-rect temperature range (see literature).In particular, avoid major temperaturefluctuations when introducing new fishfrom the water bag or when changingthe water. A difference of 1-2°C is ofcourse not very relevant.

Lack of oxygen

Oxygen is quite simply the most impor-tant substance in aquarium water. Thesurvival of our precious little fish de-pends directly on an adequate supply ofoxygen. But our invisible helpers, the fil-ter bacteria, also rely on oxygen for theircleansing job. Lack of oxygen not onlyresults in the symptoms listed for fish inthe diagnostic table (p. 21-22), but italso affects the filter bacteria who willfail in their decomposition work. Theshort-term solution for acute lack of oxy-gen is vigorous ventilation or agitatingthe water. In the long term you mustmake sure, however, that the causesleading to lack of oxygen will be elimina-ted. These may include: abundant vege-tation, overstokking, overfeeding, etc.For more details on this subject, refer toour JBL brochure "What - Why - HowNo. 2, Aquarium Water".


9Incorrect feedingDamage caused by incorrect feeding mayonly become evident after longer periodsof false nutrition, after which it is hard toremedy. In most cases incorrect feedingaffects the digestive organs and other in-ternal organs. To prevent these ill effectsright from the start, fish ought to be fed inkeeping with their natural needs and withthe greatest possible variety. To find outhow to feed your fish properly, read theJBL brochure "What - Why - How, No. 3,Correct feeding of aquarium fish". Wewant to mention just two less known, butfrequent mistakes: Frozen fish food mustbe unfrozen before feeding. Frozen feedwhich is swallowed can result in dange-rous intestinal infections which usuallyend lethal for the fish. Some commercial deep-frozen fish foodcontains krill, i.e. small saltwater shrimps.These have sharp spines which can pier-ce the intestines of freshwater fish. Salt-water fish are normally impervious to the-se spines because marine plankton istheir natural food.JBL Krill is a high-grade flakefeed containing krill. Using aspecial ultra-fine grinding tech-nique, the krill is ground so fine-ly that there is no longer anyrisk to the intestines of freshwa-ter fish. The precious carote-noids and unsaturated fattyacids in krill promote brilliantcolouring in all aquarium fish.

Other disorders

Injuries

Fish can sustain injuries or abrasionswhen caught or transported. But somefish may also suffer substantial injuriesduring incompatibilities or when defea-ted in territorial fights. Injuries heal rela-tively quickly in healthy fish in soundcondition.

This process can be enhanced by ad-ding a double dose of JBL Acclimol tothe aquarium water. If the injuries arecaused by incompatibilities or by territo-rial fights, then common sense demandsthat the fish stock in the tank be chan-ged. Sick and weakened fish can fallprey to infections even with minor inju-ries.

Cloudiness ofthe eyes causedby mechanicaldamage to thecornea.Foto: D. Untergasser

Severe infections withexternal parasites (e.g. costia infection in thisdiscus fish) canalso causeopen wounds.Foto: G. Schmelzer

Animal feed carefully attuned to the needs of differentspecies made by JBL provides healthy nourishment inkeeping with the animals ́natural feeding habits.

B


10External diseases

White spot disease (ichthyophthiriasis) in freshwater

This disease, named "ichthyo" for shortby aquarians, is probably the most com-mon disease overall of aquarium fish.The carrier of this disease is a ciliatenamed ichthyophthirius multifiliis. It isfound world-wide in both warm and coldwaters. Small, whitish spots of about 1 mm insize are a sure sign that the fish hasbeen infected with ichthyophthirius. Asa rule, the infection sets in at the fins

and eventually spreads to coverthe entire body of the fish. Quiteoften it also attacks the gills,which can lead to severe difficul-ties in breathing.

The disease is of a cyclical natu-re and proceeds more or lessspeedily, depending on the tem-perature of the water. At a temperature of about 25°Cthe parasite lives in the fish'sskin for about 5 days, after whichit drops off to the bottom of theaquarium where, within 24 hours,it develops up to 1024 highly mo-bile cysts which then actively

seek new "victims". The cysts remain vi-tal for about 55 hours. They are capableof infecting other fish within that period.

The disease can be successfully treatedwith Punktol, with successful resultsclearly visible after only two days. Treat-ment should, however, be continuedfor 7 days to ensure that all the matureparasites which leave the fish are de-stroyed. After changing the water, add afull dose on the 3rd and 5th days of treat-ment. Aquarium without fish are free of para-sites after approx. 8 days. Followingsuccessful treatment, a double dose ofJBL Acclimol promotes fast healing ofthe wounds left by the parasites on theskin of the fish.

Note: Under certain circumstancesstrong, healthy fish may recover fromthis disease without treatment and ac-quire a degree of immunity.

White spot disease (Cryptocarion) in saltwater

Cryptocaryon Irritans is the saltwaterequivalent of "Fresh-water - Ichthyo" intropical fish. The carrier of this disease

Acute infectious diseases caused by viruses

A

4.

The white spotscaused by infection withichthyophthiriusare clearly identified in this picture.Foto: G. Schmelzer

Photomicro-graph of infestation withcryptocarion insaltwater fish.The white spotscan only berecognised onclose examina-tion.Foto: Prof. Dr. Mehlhorn


11is almost identical to ichthyophthirius infreshwater and displays the same cycleof development, developing somewhatmore slowly at the same temperature.The disease is more difficult to identifyon the fish as the parasites are embed-ded more deeply in the skin and aresmaller than in ichthyophthirius. The di-sease can be treated with Oodinol orPunktol. Due to the slow developmentof the parasite, treatment should be ex-tended over a period of at least 14 - 15days at 27°C. Treatment over a shorterperiod of time often leads to a relapse.Oodinol is toxic for many invertebratesand algae. For this reason, infected fishshould be removed from an aquariumcontaining invertebrates and treated inisolation in a quarantine tank. Parasitescan be eliminated from a main aquariumwithout fish within 2 - 3 weeks. Infectedfish should therefore remain in the qua-rantine tank throughout this time, evenafter they have recovered.

Heart-shaped skin blemisher(Chilodonella)

Bluish-white skin blemishes, only noti-ceable on close examination, combinedwith sticking fins and rubbing againstobjects may be signs of infection withthe heart-shaped skin blemisher. Thickening of the skin, particularly alongthe back, is clearly evident in seriouslyinfected fish. In cases of mild infection,alterations in skin are not visible to the

naked eye. The infection can be success-fully treated with Punktol, as describedfor white spot disease in freshwater fish.Note: Strong, healthy fish only suffermild infections of chilodonella and showno significant harm. Such mild infections frequently pass un-noticed. Fish which have already beco-me weakened due to poor aquariumconditions or other factors, becomemassively infected and will die unlesstreated. An aquarium without any fish isnormally free of parasites after threedays.

Small, bean-shaped skin blemisher (costiasis)(Costia necatrix)

In cases of mild infection and when yo-ung fish are affected, alterations in skinare not visible to the naked eye. In adultfish with severe infections, a white tobluish-white film is visible in obliquelighting. Other symptoms of infectionwith costiasis include sticking fins,rocking movements and rubbing againstobjects.

Fish with fins which have a poor blood-supply, (the ornamental "veil" fins), some-times have bloodshot patches. Adultfish, (with the exception of the "veil" ty-pes), are only endangered by severe in-fections. The disease is invariably dead-ly to spawn and small fry. It is the maincause of loss of young fish.

A tropical perch with chilo-donella infectionclearly visible onthe dorsal andtail fins.Foto: D. Untergasser

Photomicro-graph of massiveinfestation withcostia. The ap-pearance can becompared withthe "Discus" illustration onpage 10.Foto: D. Untergasser


12When spawn are infected, the parentfish should be treated at the same time,unless more than 72 hours have passedbetween removal of the parent fish andthe hatching of the spawn. Prompt treat-ment with Punktol will bring success.After changing the water, add a full doseon the 3rd and 5th days of the 7-daycourse of treatment. An uninhabitedaquarium is free of parasites after 3days.

Circular skin blemisher(Trichodina)

There are usually no signs of changes inthe skin visible to the naked eye. Severeinfections can be fatal to fish, but infec-tions are generally mild and conse-quently harmless. Treatment with Punk-tol, as described for cases of white spotdisease in freshwater fish, is reliably ef-fective. A single dose is sufficient.Note: Trichodina is a typical secondaryparasite, which is only capable of cau-sing harm to fish which have alreadybeen weakened by other infections orpoor aquarium conditions. The trichodi-na infection will usually clear up of itsown accord once the original causeshave been eliminated.

Oodinium or velvet disease(Piscinoodinium pillularis in freshwater,amyloodinium ocellatum in saltwater):

A white, yellow or brownish velvety coa-ting is visible on the skin. The immobile,pear-shaped or rounded parasites canjust be seen with a magnifying glass.The disease is common in saltwater. Infreshwater, it is frequently found in killifish, cardinal fish (Thanichthys albonu-bes), and the danio family group. The di-sease may occur, in rare cases, in otherfish species. The disease can be treatedwith Oodinol in both freshwater andsaltwater. Only 75% of the dose shouldbe used in very soft freshwater (lessthan 4° d CH), increasing the dose to150% for carbonate hardness over15° d CH.Oodinol is toxic to many invertebrates(lower forms of life in saltwater etc.) andto algae. In a well-managed aquarium,fish can usually tolerate a few oodiniawithout coming to harm. However, thedisease can break out atany time if aquarium condi-tions deteriorate.

Note: Uninhabited saltwa-ter aquariums left to standdo not become parasite-free, whereas uninhabitedfreshwater aquariums arefree of parasites after a-bout two days. In freshwa-ter, treatment with Punktolcan be carried out andshould be maintained for15 days.

In a photo-micrograph,trichodina has ahighly aestheticappearance.Foto: D. Untergasser

Gourami withoodinium infec-tion and photo-micrograph ofthe parasites.Fotos: D. Untergasser


13Following a change of water, a full doseshould be administered on the 3rd, 5th,7th, 9th, 11th and 13th days. Blacking-out the aquarium for several days willalso assist recovery.

Gill flukes

Increased respiration(as for lack of oxy-gen), rubbing againstobjects, jerky swim-ming movements com-bined with fright colo-ration or apathetic"hanging around" inthe aquarium are signs of an infection ofgill flukes. Infection with skin flukes mayalso cause bloodshot patches on theskin.

An infection of the gills can be easilyand simply identified in the followingway: remove the fish suspected of ha-ving an infection, lay it on a damp sur-face and carefully lift the gill cover withtweezers.

The whitish flukes can be clearly seenwith a magnifying glass (10x). Verysmall fish, up to about the size of a maleguppy, do not have gill flukes. Gill and skin flukes can be successfullyeliminated with Gyrodactol. It is veryimportant that the carbonate hardnessof the aquarium water is at least 8 - 10°d CH and the pH exceeds 7 during treat-

ment. Should this not be the case, thewater must be hardened or the pH valueraised before treatment begins. JBLAqua Dur plus may be used for this.

Note: The eggs of egg-laying gill flukesare not killed in this process. To avoidrelapse, treatment should be repeatedafter 4 - 9 days. Gill and skin flukesspread extremely rapidly, infecting fishof the same or related species only. Forexample, gill flukes of scalars cannot in-fect tetradontidae (puffer fishes).

Fungus infections (mycosis)

Fungus infections are mainly caused bysaprolegnia and achlya fungii and canbe clearly identified by the cotton-wool-like white coating which appears. Fun-gal infections are always secondary in-fections, preceded by injuries orother diseases. Healthy fish arenot affected. Mild infections and fish whichreact favourably to the additionof salt to the aquarium water,e.g. live-bearing fishes, may betreated with Ektolcristal. Se-vere cases and fish from softwater regions (puffer fish, bar-bus etc.) should be treated withFungol.

Gill flukes on gilllamella. (Photomicro-graph)Foto: D. Untergasser

Fungus on thebody and on thehead.

Foto: G. Schmelzer

Foto: D. Untergasser


14Note: The underlying cau-ses of fungus infectionmust, of course, be elimi-nated. Injuries to the fish shouldbe avoided and possibleprimary infections whichenabled the fungus toattack the fish in the firstplace must be eliminated. Gourami are susceptible tomouth fungus, which clo-sely resembles and is easi-ly mistaken for body fungus.

Mouth fungus, however, is caused by aunicellular organism, the CampanulariaHeteropolaria colisarium. Campanularia is not a parasite and doesno actual harm to the infected fish. Aswith body fungus, a primary infectionprovides favourable conditions for infec-tion by Campanularia. Campanularia can be effectively elimi-nated with Punktol. As a rule, infectionsdisappear in two days. The underlyingcause of infection must be found and eli-minated.

Lymphocystis

Lymphocystis is a disease caused by avirus occurring in saltwater, brackishwater and freshwater. Small growths of

up to 2mm appear on the fish. Thegrowths are very hard and cannot berubbed off with the finger. In the initialstages of the disease only the fins areaffected, but growths may later spreadto the base of the fins and the body. In saltwater, infections are usually onlymild and disappear completely after atime.

Treatment is very limited. First wait tosee whether the illness disappears of itsown accord within 2 - 3 weeks. If thenumber of growths is very small, it isbest not to treat the fish at all.

If the growths are not limited to the edgesof the f ins, but spread over the f ins,remove the fish from the water and cutoff the affected parts of the fins with asharp knife. Take care not to cut into any growths.The fish should not stay out of the waterfor longer than 5 minutes. If necessary,allow the fish 10 minutes to recover, be-fore operating further.The fins will regrow within a few weeks.The disease is more virulent in brackishwater and normally proceeds so fastthat any operation is too late. Labyrinth fish are mainly affected infreshwater. Treatment with medicines isnot possible.

Lymphocystis infection of theskin. The diseaseis incurable. In favourable cases, (fin infec-tions), the affectedfish may beoperated on.Foto: D. Untergasser

Skin cells enlarged by thelymphocystis virus. (Photomicro-graph)Foto: D. Untergasser


15Internal diseases

Intestinal flagellates(Hexamita, Spironucleus)

The intestinal flagellates are usuallypresent in low numbers in the intestinesof fish and are harmless. Debilitation ofthe fish, often due to poor aquariumconditions, can lead to a massive in-crease in the numbers of flagellates inthe intestines of the fish and cause thewell-known symptoms commonly refer-red to as "Hole disease".Cichlids (tropical perch), above all, areaffected. Stringy, whitish excrement,combined with dark coloration, apathy,refusal to eat and emaciation are allsymptoms of severe infection. The ap-pearance of whitish-looking holes in theregion of the head is not directly causedby the flagellates, but often occurs in

conjunction with an in-testinal flagellate infec-tion.

It is a sign of lack of vi-tamins or incorrect fee-ding and will disappearwithout treatment whenvaried and vitamin-richfeed is given. Intestinalflagellates can be suc-cessfully treated withSpirohexol.

A single treatment is usually sufficient.In severe cases, treatment may be re-peated after a change of water. Raisingthe temperature to 35°C, if the fish cantolerate this (aerate well), will assist re-covery.Note: After successful treatment, theaquarium conditions and the fishes´feed should be checked and improvedwhere necessary to avoid re-infection.

Tapeworm (Camallanus cotti)

Tapeworms infect all fish which feed fromthe floor of the aquarium; live-bearing fishare particularly affected. The protrusion ofworms from the anal vent, as described inthe diagnosis table, does not occur in allspecies of fish. For example, male guppiesdo not usually display this symptom, al-though they are as frequently infected asfemales, in which the protruding wormscan easily be identified. If tapeworms aresuspected, the fish can be killed and dis-sected with sharp scissors. The lively, red-coloured worms are up to 1cm long andcan be seen in the intestine with the nakedeye. Infected female fish become sterile.Depending on the size of the species in-fected and the number of worms in the in-testines, the fish will die within 3 - 6 monthsafter infection. Tapeworms can be treated

B

A discus fishemaciated by an intestinal flagellate infection. Such fish cannotusually be saved. Foto: D. Untergasser

A king tetra infected with tapeworm. The ends ofthe worms are clearly visible protruding fromthe anal vent. Illustration right: photomicro-graph of a tapeworm.Fotos: D. Untergasser


16with antihelminthica (worming preparation)for mammals, which is only availablefrom pharmacies on the prescription ofa veterinary surgeon. Proprietary namesare, for example, Concurat or Droncit. Pro-ceed as follows: dissolve 2g Concurat(10%) in water. Place live red mosquito lar-va in the solution. When the larva begin todie from the poison (within a few minutes),feed the larva directly to the affected fish,or freeze for later use. Treatment duration:3-5 days. Note: Fish do not like the taste of larvatreated with Concurat. Therefore the fishshould be starved of food for a few daysbefore commencing treatment.

Bacterial diseases

There are numerousbacterial diseases ofaquarium fish, noneof which can beclearly diagnosedfrom the externalsymptoms. Openwounds, tumorouswounds, bloated ab-domen with protru-ding scales and pop-eyes are symptomswhich may indicate

bacterial disease. An outbreak of bacterialdisease can always be traced back to in-correct aquarium conditions. Bacterial in-fections do not occur if the aquarium ma-nagement reflects the needs of differentspecies and if stress situations (over-stocking etc.) are avoided. Infections in theearly stages will disappear if there is animprovement in the aquarium conditions. External bacterial infections e.g. finrot, canbe successfully treated with JBL Ektol-fluid. This preparation is also highly re-commended for the prevention of secon-dary infections after treatment againstparasites such as ichthyophthirius. Thefine wounds caused by the parasite to theskin of the fish are otherwise easily infec-ted by bacteria. In the case of internal bac-terial infections, JBL Ektolfluid preventsinfections spreading. Furanol is a highlyeffective antibacterial preparation produ-ced by JBL for the treatment of internaland external bacterial infections. The pre-paration is successful in eliminating mostgram-positive and gram-negative bacteriawith the exception of fish tuberculosis. JBLFuranol is well tolerated and is absorbedextremely efficiently by the gills. Therapeu-tically effective concentrations of the pre-paration can be identified in all organs with-in a short period of time. Bacterialinfections can also be successfully treatedwith common antibiotics such as penicillin,chloramphenicol etc. These substancesmust all be obtained from a veterinarian,without exception!! Antibiotics should notbe used haphazardly. They should only beadministered following an exact diagnosis,as they are effective against specific bac-teria. Indiscriminate "doctoring" with anti-biotics not only produces resistant germsfor the fish, but also frequent contact withantibiotics in the aquarium can make hu-man germs resistant. JBL Furanol has theadvantage that it is reliably effectiveagainst almost all known fish-pathogenicbacteria. As soon as infection is suspec-

Finrot and open sores are symptoms of bacterialdiseases. Fotos: D. Untergasser


17ted, steps can be taken for the benefit ofthe fish without waiting for time-consumingdiagnoses. One disadvantage should, how-ever, be mentioned: beneficial filter bac-teria are also destroyed by JBL Furanol.Before commencing treatment with thispreparation, the filter should be disconnec-ted from the aquarium and allowed to runin a separate container. If this is not possi-ble, beneficial cleansing bacteria should beadded to the aquarium using JBL Denitrolafter treatment has been concluded. Note:Every few months headlines such as "Tu-berculosis from aquarium" appear in thepress. Headlines like these are purely forsensation, filling a gap in the "silly season"when there is insufficient other "sensatio-nal" news matter. The organisms responsi-ble for fish tuberculosis cannot survive athuman body temperatures. Nevertheless,in rare cases it is possible for single germsto invade the skin of the hand and causeweeping eczema, since the temperature atthe surface of the hand is much lower. Insuch a case, it is advisable to visit a doctor,and inform him that you keep an aquarium.

Diseases caused by viruses

Viral infections have been well-researchedin farmed fish and can cause considerable

damage. Little is known about viral infec-tions in aquarium fish, except for lym-phocystis, as already mentioned (seePage 14).

Viruses may produce similar symptoms tothose of bacterial diseases. Infections areoften mixed. Virus infections can definite-ly not be treated with any medicationwhatsoever. The only chance of a cure isby strong fish developing immunity. Im-mune fish may still become ill, but less sever-ely, and will recover after some time.

This applies, for example, to the spring vi-ruses of carp-like fish, which includes mostof the fish kept in garden ponds.

Diseases caused by sporozoa(Microsporidium and mixosporidium)

Sporozoa infections cannot be cured withmedication. All the organs of the fish areinfected. Conclusive diagnosis can only bemade by dissecting the fish and examiningorgans under a microscope. Special men-tion must be made of one disease causedby sporozoa because of the notoriety andsignificance for aquarians: neon disease.

Usually the muscles are infected. The in-fected areas become dull and appear whiteunder the outer layer of skin. The redstripe of the neon fish is broken up. Thefish becomes emaciated and shows abnor-mal behaviour patterns. Infected fishshould be removed from the aquarium im-mediately and destroyed to prevent the in-fection spreading to other healthy fish.

Bloated abdomen, protruding scales and popeyes may indicate viral infections. However, The infections are usually from bothbacteria and viruses.Fotos: D. Untergasser

Tropical perchwith cyst on oneside caused bysporozoa.Foto: D. Untergasser


JBL fish diseases - jbl aquaria

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