List of Fish Diseases

Fish Lice

• Also known as argulus or louse, fish lice are flat and oval-shaped organisms. These parasites attach themselves to marine and freshwater fish using suckers that pierce the skin or gills. Lice then feed on fish by sucking mucus, blood and other body fluids. The infected fish becomes a host to the lice until they travel to another fish for the purpose of feeding or mating. Fish lice spread bacteria and viruses in aquariums and ponds as they swim to new hosts. Their eggs hatch on pond materials including plants, making fish lice a primary problem in outdoor ponds. Lice are noticeable on fish without the use of magnifying tools. They cause inflammation that produces red spots on fish. The infected fish become irritated and restless, rubbing against aquarium objects to remove the lice. You can treat the disease by removing lice on large fish using tweezers. Pond stores also carry products that kill these parasites, while veterinarians can provide treatment for this fish disease. Indoor aquariums are less susceptible to this disease but are still at risk of becoming infected. Using a quarantine process for new fish and plants can prevent the introduction of lice into aquariums. Birds and amphibians can also carry the disease.

Velvet Disease

• Velvet disease is also known as rust, oödinium and gold dust among pet experts. The disease appears as fine white spots that make fish appear slimy or as if they were sprinkled with gold dust. Velvet disease consists of parasites that feed on nutrients in the skin cells and gills of their host fish. The parasites travel from one host to another and can live without feeding on fish for 24 hours. The disease causes skin infections that can become fatal and is difficult to detect until it is too late for treatment. This disease can compromise an infected fish's internal organs, including damaging lung tissue. Symptoms of velvet disease include weight loss, peeling skin, bleeding or inflamed gills, loss of appetite and breathing complications in fish. Stress from travel or poor water conditions are among the common causes. Increased water temperature and copper can help to treat fish infected with velvet disease. However, too much copper during treatment may be harmful to fish.

Ich

• Often called whitespot disease, ich is a common disease among freshwater and aquarium fish. Ich affects stressed fish with low immune systems, feeding and growing on their skin and tissue. The disease comes from parasites that cause cysts in the skin during their life cycle and will attach to plants and filtration systems if they have not found a host fish. Ich appears as white spots on the fins in its early stages and then develops into a skin fungus. The white spots make fish look like salt has been sprinkled over their body. Fish infected with ich will scratch against rocks or gravel in the tank and show signs of respiratory trouble. Ich is one of the most difficult fish diseases to treat with medicine. The treatment process for fish infected with ich can last over one week using malachite green and copper-based medications.