Preventing Invasive Parasites in Fish
Many small animals and fish are susceptible to diseases and once infected, have greatly shortened life spans. Any fish can get sick if his tank is dirty, the water and oxygen levels are too low, the temperatures are too warm or too cool and if he is not being fed properly. Even if you are an excellent and doting parent, sometimes your fish might get sick for reasons unknown. Prevention and early detection are the best ways to help your fish fight the urge to float upside-down. Read on for some prevention measures I’m gonna share with you.
There are many diseases that tropical fish owners should be prepared to treat. They may not be pretty and you might be a little uneasy at first when attempting to identify them, but for the sake of your fish take the time to learn about and become familiar with parasite identities.
One parasite which I have always encountered since I started this keeping tropical fish, is the anchor worm. Anchor Worm is a contagious parasite that attaches itself to the sides, head or mouth of the fish and is contracted by the ingestion of infection live food. The worm looks like a piece a green, brown or white thread dangling from the goldfish and can cause sore blood spots once it has entered into the flesh. This worms thrive in a dirty water. Medicines are available for curing this disease.
While there are medicines for anchor worms, it can also be prevented by maintaining a good filtration system. If you observe the presence of anchor worms in some of your pet fish, immediately separate the infected fish to another tank and monitor their health. To remove the worm from the body of the fish, do it very gently. I made a vlog about this too, you may watch it here.
After having separated the infected fishes, treat them by putting rock salt to the water. I also put rock salt to other tanks for at least once a month to prevent anchor worms from thriving. You might be asking, how do I manage the fish farm? I never fail to do monitoring. Upon arriving from work, I usually check on the fishes directly. When I notice some unhealthy fish, I treat them immediately.
There are plenty of different diseases, parasites and fungal infections out there just waiting to attack your poor defenseless goldfish. By monitoring and properly caring for your pet, you will improve your fish’s chances of avoiding illness.
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