How To Cure Pond Fish Diseases

Introduction

Rippling blue water, green floating lily pads and darting fish are three attractions of having a garden fish pond. Though they may be a picturesque addition to a home garden there is a downside to a pond, and that is pond fish diseases. There are a few pond fish diseases that can have detrimental effects on your pet fish causing them to become sick or sometimes even pass away.  

Step 1

The first of these fish pond diseases is dropsy, a deliberating and devastating bacterial disease. There are three main causes via a human agent is over use of salt (NaCl), prolonged exposure to poor water conditions, and an improper diet. The bacteria that causes this disease, Aeromonas hydrophila and Mycobacteriosis which thrive in the above mentioned conditions. When a pond fish develops a cut or injury the bacteria will enter them and thus infect the fish. The common symptoms of this pond fish diseases are Big belly, Swelling of Body, Bulging sides and stomach, Scales protruding and they may be forced outward
and their eyes may pop out  from the trapped fluids beneath. This disease if caught in the early stages can be treated with a suitable antibiotic medication , but if the fish is experiencing the aforementioned symptoms it normally means it's too late and they will die.

Step 2

Ulcers are open sore wounds on the fish's body. They are pink-red in colour, and often with a whitish border. This ulcers may occur on the fins and very rarely on the eyes or within the mouth cavity. An ulcer is caused when the fish is exposed to bacteria. Various conditions can contribute to this infection/ulcer, these being poor water conditions, overcrowding of the pond, and stress on the fish's part. If this fish pond diseases is left untreated it can lead to other more serious diseases developing due to the fish having a weakened immune system. The treatment plan is as follows, separate the infected fish into a separate area and treat with hydrogen peroxide by applying with a cotton swab. If the case is more severe then you should also feed the fish with medicated food that contains antibiotics. 

Step 3

Fin rot is caused by several kinds of bacteria, and is brought about by  poor water quality, low water temperatures, or a combination of both, injury, or poor diet. The first sign of this fish pond diseases is a change in color of the fishes fin, it will turn a a cloudy color. This will later develop into a distinctive rotting appearance with  the rays of the fins being exposed until they themselves start to rot. The rotting process will start from the bottom of the fin and work itself up to infect the body of the fish. Once this has occurred it's harder to treat the fish. At the early stages of the fin rot an individual can treat it  by using a bacterial medication and this should be added to  the whole fish pond. This treatment can be seen to be successful if the fish grows back a new and healthy fin. 

Step 4

Lymphocystis, is a viral fish pond diseases that affects both fresh and slat water fish. The fish will become infected via exposure to the virus via  broken skin or injured tissue of the fish. This disease has the prominent symptom of clusters of whitish  growths on the skin and fins. These white spots will look quite  Cauliflower in appearance and usually infect the fin area first. There is no suitable and easy cure for this pond fish diseases, but some people opt for surgery to remove the infected area. 

Step 5

The last fish pond diseases we will explore is white spot or ich, caused by the  parasite Ichthyophthirius multifilis. The most common symptom of this disease is white spots that cover the fins and body of the fish. These cysts feed on the tissue of the fish, and will regularly release spores which will fall from the fish and are free floating in the water. It is important to note that these free floating cysts can also produce more spores so they must be removed when treatment is being performed. The success rate for this disease is very high and there are many commercial treatments available. Once you have opted for a certain brand of treatment just follow the instructions and success should ensue. There are preventive measures which can be taken to prevent the disease from either developing in the first place or from recurring, this includes  keeping the water quality high and the fish pond well maintained. 

Tips

The fish that are the most at risk for dropsy are goldfish, koi and carp. 

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