Illness, Treatment & Prevention
Disease in the aquarium can be very common, especially when introducing new stock. Some disease is much more common than others, and it is those we will look into here as well as Goldfish specific treatments (if you have other inhabitants in the tank, you'll need to research those individually) and how we can prevent disease illness in the Goldfish tank.
I am of the belief that we should only use medications when they are absolutely necessary. If there is a way to treat our fish without adding any medication, I believe that route should at least be attempted, before medication is dosed. The following information will likely echo this belief as I truly feel it is the best option. Of course, medication has it's place and there are times when it is absolutely necessary.
I am of the belief that we should only use medications when they are absolutely necessary. If there is a way to treat our fish without adding any medication, I believe that route should at least be attempted, before medication is dosed. The following information will likely echo this belief as I truly feel it is the best option. Of course, medication has it's place and there are times when it is absolutely necessary.
Prevention
If we can prevent disease entering our aquarium in the first place, we are in a much better position to ensure all our stock receives the best possible care. This means making full use of a quarantine tank. All new arrivals, be it fish, inverts, plants and even rocks and wood should have a period of quarantine before being added to your display tank and existing stock.
I recommend a quarantine period of 6-8weeks for all new additions, to be sure you are adding healthy additions to your existing stock. The last thing you want is to buy a beautiful new fish and add it to the tank, the new guy spreads disease throughout the tank and you lose everything... not good. Some disease can lie dormant for over 8weeks, some can lay dormant for months so at the end of the quarantine period, it is vital that you stay vigilant
Plants, rocks, wood and other similar décor (and anything you buy from a tank, even if it's a pretty mermaid ornament!) can also be dipped in bleach solution. Make up the solution by mixing 19parts water to 1 part bleach and soak the décor in the solution for a few minutes. Once you have dipped your décor, transfer it to a bucket with fresh water that has been double dosed with dechlorinator and allow the décor to sit in the bucket for an hour or so before adding it to the tank. The bleach will kill off any nasties (including “pest” snails) and the dechlorinator, in turn, will get rid of the bleach residue prior to addition.
Ensuring you maintain pristine water is also another method of preventing disease. Water changes are vital to the health of your aquarium. By ensuring the water is clean, we are removing anything from the water which may make the fish feel sick. Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, hormones, dissolved solids, bacteria and all sorts of other nasty things that are present in the water can make the fish ill. In itself, these issues can be tricky to fix without clean water. When the Goldfish is ill, their immune system is lowered making them susceptible to further illness.
Water changes also replace electrolytes and minerals which the Goldfish will have absorbed via osmosis, from the water. Providing a constant supply of these electrolytes and minerals gives the fish a bit of a boost to their immune system and means they aren't in need of anything from the water. This gives them more strength to fight off any potential illness or disease which may be present in the tank.
Garlic is said to boost immunity. Whilst there is debate over it's effectiveness, Goldfish love the taste of Garlic, so I can't see the harm in adding it to their diet. It also makes food more palatable which can encourage fussy eaters to try new foods. It also comes in handy when feeding medicated foods, which can taste a little foul (I imagine they have the after taste that soluble paracetamol leaves in your throat.. yuck!).
Some hobbyists dose salt to their tank, in low quantities, full time. Whilst I don't think this is necessary or particularly helpful (parasites and bacteria can build up a tolerance over time and you may be left with no option but to use medication and it can also be very stressful for the fish, amongst other things), those hobbyists would claim that it prevents parasites and bacteria and therefore reduces the risk of your fish developing disease or sickness. Personally, I use salt as and when it is needed but I respect that some people choose this route and I can see the reasons for doing so.
I recommend a quarantine period of 6-8weeks for all new additions, to be sure you are adding healthy additions to your existing stock. The last thing you want is to buy a beautiful new fish and add it to the tank, the new guy spreads disease throughout the tank and you lose everything... not good. Some disease can lie dormant for over 8weeks, some can lay dormant for months so at the end of the quarantine period, it is vital that you stay vigilant
Plants, rocks, wood and other similar décor (and anything you buy from a tank, even if it's a pretty mermaid ornament!) can also be dipped in bleach solution. Make up the solution by mixing 19parts water to 1 part bleach and soak the décor in the solution for a few minutes. Once you have dipped your décor, transfer it to a bucket with fresh water that has been double dosed with dechlorinator and allow the décor to sit in the bucket for an hour or so before adding it to the tank. The bleach will kill off any nasties (including “pest” snails) and the dechlorinator, in turn, will get rid of the bleach residue prior to addition.
Ensuring you maintain pristine water is also another method of preventing disease. Water changes are vital to the health of your aquarium. By ensuring the water is clean, we are removing anything from the water which may make the fish feel sick. Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, hormones, dissolved solids, bacteria and all sorts of other nasty things that are present in the water can make the fish ill. In itself, these issues can be tricky to fix without clean water. When the Goldfish is ill, their immune system is lowered making them susceptible to further illness.
Water changes also replace electrolytes and minerals which the Goldfish will have absorbed via osmosis, from the water. Providing a constant supply of these electrolytes and minerals gives the fish a bit of a boost to their immune system and means they aren't in need of anything from the water. This gives them more strength to fight off any potential illness or disease which may be present in the tank.
Garlic is said to boost immunity. Whilst there is debate over it's effectiveness, Goldfish love the taste of Garlic, so I can't see the harm in adding it to their diet. It also makes food more palatable which can encourage fussy eaters to try new foods. It also comes in handy when feeding medicated foods, which can taste a little foul (I imagine they have the after taste that soluble paracetamol leaves in your throat.. yuck!).
Some hobbyists dose salt to their tank, in low quantities, full time. Whilst I don't think this is necessary or particularly helpful (parasites and bacteria can build up a tolerance over time and you may be left with no option but to use medication and it can also be very stressful for the fish, amongst other things), those hobbyists would claim that it prevents parasites and bacteria and therefore reduces the risk of your fish developing disease or sickness. Personally, I use salt as and when it is needed but I respect that some people choose this route and I can see the reasons for doing so.
Syringe feeding a sick Goldfish
As you can see, I'm not one for preventative treatments. However, I do believe that it is vital that you should treat your Goldfish for Flukes, preventatively, every 6 months. Generally speaking, Goldfish have Flukes, be it gill Flukes or body Flukes. It is when their numbers get out of control that we see symptoms of the Flukes and if we still don't treat, severe illness can result. I recommend using Praziquantel or Flubendazole (look for the active ingredients. PraziPro and Kusuri wormer plus are widely available) to treat them every 6 months to keep the Fluke numbers as low as we can. I also recommend treating all new fish for Flukes during quarantine, prior to being added to your display tank. There are many symptoms of Flukes; flashing, bottom sitting, torn fins, red joints, blood streaking, spots and bumps, spitting food... there are too many to list. If left untreated, Flukes can be fatal. As its hard to eliminate them completely (unless your system is completely closed), a preventative treatment is recommended.
In the case of superficial injuries, clean water should be used as a treatment method in the first instance. This i Penfold after a total disaster and 3days later, with clean water alone. Minimum 50% daily water changes, teice if you can, can work wonders. Sometimes, this isnt enough but it for minor wounds, only minimal intervention may be needed.