🐟🩺 What to Do if Your Aquarium Fish Are Sick

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🔎 Step 1: Identify Symptoms

🐟 Physical Symptoms

• ⚪ White spots → Ich (Ick) — or possibly Epistylis (commonly confused!)
• 🩸 Red streaks or sores → Bacterial infection
• 🦠 Cotton-like patches → Fungal infection OR Columnaris (bacterial “cotton wool”)
• ✂️ Frayed fins → Fin rot
• 🎈 Bloating → Swim bladder disorder, constipation, parasites
• 🪱 Visible worms/eggs → Parasites
• 🫁 Gasping → Ammonia burn, gill flukes, low oxygen

😟 Behavioral Symptoms

• 💤 Lethargy
• 🌀 Erratic swimming
• 🧽 Flashing (scratching on surfaces)
• 🍽️ Loss of appetite
• 🫀 Rapid gill movement

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⚠️ Important Note on Diagnosis

Some fish illnesses look almost identical:

• ❄️ Ich vs. Epistylis → Both look like white spots, but ich responds to heat + ich meds, while Epistylis needs antibacterial treatment.
• 🍄 Fungus vs. Columnaris → Fungus = true fungal infection on dead tissue; Columnaris = bacterial, looks like “cotton” but needs antibiotics.
• ✂️ Fin Rot vs. Aggression Damage → Fin rot shows tissue breakdown; aggression leaves torn, uneven bites.

👉 Misdiagnosis is common. Always test water first, then treat carefully.

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🪣 Step 2: Quarantine the Sick Fish

• 🚧 Move to hospital tank.
• 🛡️ Prevents spread.
• 💊 Allows targeted treatment.
• 🧼 Keep simple: bare bottom, heater, sponge filter, airstone.

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💧 Step 3: Test & Fix Water Quality

• Ammonia → 0 ppm
• Nitrite → 0 ppm
• Nitrate → <20–40 ppm
• pH → Stable
• Temp → Appropriate for species

Bad water quality = stressed, sick fish.

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💊 Step 4: Begin Treatment (Choose Carefully)

• ❄️ Ich → Heat + ich medication.
• 🦠 Epistylis → Antibiotics (kanamycin, furan-2).
• 🍄 True Fungus → Antifungal meds (methylene blue, salt dips).
• 🦠 Columnaris → Broad-spectrum antibiotics.
• ✂️ Fin Rot → Water changes + antibiotics or antibacterial meds.
• 🪱 Parasites → Praziquantel, copper-based meds, or metronidazole.
• 🎈 Swim Bladder Issues → Fasting, peas, possibly antibiotics.

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💊 Be Prepared: Stock a Fish Medicine Cabinet

Don’t wait until you see sick fish to order meds — by the time they arrive, it may be too late. Just like we keep aspirin for headaches or cough syrup for colds, your fish need fast relief too.

🧴 Recommended Medications to Keep on Hand

• ❄️ Ich Treatment (malachite green, copper, formalin-based)
• 🦠 Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic (kanamycin, erythromycin, furan-2)
• 🍄 Antifungal (methylene blue)
• 🪱 Anti-Parasite Meds (praziquantel, metronidazole, copper)
• 🧂 Aquarium Salt (general support, mild infections, stress relief)
• 🌿 Stress Coat/Dechlorinator (improves slime coat, reduces stress)

👉 Having a well-stocked fish medicine kit allows you to start treatment immediately and saves precious time when fish are at risk.

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🍽️ Step 5: Supportive Care

• 🌑 Dim lights to reduce stress.
• 🚫 Remove uneaten food.
• 💨 Boost aeration.
• 🌡️ Keep temperature stable.
• 🍲 Offer vitamin-rich, high-quality foods.

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🕒 Step 6: Monitor Daily

• 👀 Watch for improvement/worsening.
• 🐟 Check other fish for symptoms.
• ⏳ Finish full treatment course.
• 📝 Keep notes for future reference.

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🛡️ Prevention Tips

• 🪣 Quarantine new arrivals (2–4 weeks).
• 💧 Weekly water changes (20–50%).
• 🚫 Avoid overcrowding.
• 🍽️ Don’t overfeed.
• 🧼 Sterilize equipment between tanks.

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📝 Quick Symptom Confusion Chart

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⚡ Golden Rule:

1. Test water first.
2. Quarantine if possible.
3. Treat with the correct medication.
4. Keep a stocked medicine cabinet so you’re always ready.