General Information
Fish Tuberculosis is an extremely dangerous disease. It is very contagious and can wipe out your entire aquarium with little warning. Infection of this disease causes small nodules on the surface of fresh water fish. Be aware that humans can contract fish tuberculosis through cracks in the skin, cuts, etc while rearranging decor, cleaning the tank and more.

Diagnosis
Here is a list of symptoms your fish may have if they are infected, as you can see by the list it would be very difficult to diagnose as these symptoms are the same for many other fish illnesses.

• loss of appetite
• fish remains in seclusion and out of site
• rapid breathing (respiration)
• eyes appear to be cloudy or “popping out”
• fish lies on its side near bottom of aquarium
• stomach of fish appears to be sunken
• whittish blotches on exterior
• degraded and frayed fins

Treatment
Treatment of fish tuberculosis is very difficult and oftentimes unsuccessful. Once the external symptoms are starting to show, it is normally too late. All fish should be removed from the tank and placed inside a hospital tank. If possible, place the fish that are most affected into a separate hospital tank. Both tanks must be treated with a strong anti-biotic such as Melafix or Pimafix. The diseased aquarium that the fish tuberculosis started in should be stripped and disinfected right away. All of the substrate must be thrown out, or clean through many stages of a bleack and water solution. When removing fish with tuberculosis, do it with extreme care since this disease can be passed on to humans although it is extremely rare. When the infection occurs in humans, it is usually in the form of an infected nodule in the skin.

Diagnosis
Fish that have swim bladder disease appear to have an abnormal swimming pattern, usually with the tail end up. The fish may even float upside down or look to be stuck at the top of the water and unable to swim down, or sometimes its the other way round and they may lie on the bottom of the tank,and then are unable to rise to the surface of the tank. Fish that have swim bladder disease will continue to try and eat,with a normal appetite.The most common cause of swim bladder disease is improper diet. An improper diet can end up leading to intestinal gas or intestinal blockages. Intestinal blockages can irritate the bowel, which gives bacteria or other parasites an entry point where they can cause damage to the fishes swim bladder.Fish that are fed a lot of dried foods, like pellets, are more likely susceptible. This condition is frequently observed in the later stages of Malawi Bloat, which is normally due to an improper diet as well an intestinal irritation.

Treatment
This disorder is due mainly because of an improper diet, a change to their feeding needs should be made. Dried food that contains lots of protein should be kept to a minimum. Pellets and other dense foods should be soaked before feeding or completely removed from their diet. Food contains alot of fiber should be introduced, such foods include zucchini, squash, spinach,lettuce, peas, and grated carrots. If you think that your fish is a victim to a bacterial infection, treat the fish with some sort of medicated food.

General Information
Anchor Worms are nocturnal creatures. Although you can’t see them during the day this does not mean they’re not there. The best time to check your fish for anchor worms is at night or when the tank is quite dark. It can take several hours after you have turned the light off and the room is darkened before the anchor worms will appear. Sometimes using a red light will make them visible to the human eye, quick movements should be avoided while observing them as it will scare the worms back into hiding.

Diagnosis
Fish that are infected can be seen with a whitish red worm-like thread, approx 1/4 of an inch long. These parasites are found anywhere on the body of the fish, including the eyes,the gills and fins. Raised ulcers may sometimes appear at the site of where it has attached itself. Consequently, a secondary bacterial infection may occur. The first signs that your fish may be infected include rubbing or scraping itself against objects in the aquarium such as rocks ect. The fish do this in an effort to remove the parasite.

Treatment
Any visible worms should be killed by dabbing them with a cotton swab dipped in Potassium Permanganate or an anti-parasitic medication. You should then carefully remove the worms from the fish using a pair of tweezers. It is a good idea to kill the worms before removing them from the fish. If the worms burrow to deep removing them while still alive could cause the fish some pain and significant physical damage.When you have removed the worm or worms, you can then dab the fishes wounds with some Methylene Blue to stop any secondary bacterial infections from starting. It is also recommended that you feed the fish with a medicated food.At this stage you need to treat the tank tank as well. Using Fluke Tabs, Clout, Paragon or Trifon will help to kill any of the unseen, free swimming baby worms.

Pop eye fish disease is various combined problems and or symptoms of an underlying disease,he most common being bacterial infection. Bacterial infection may have been caused by some preceding fish diseases or ailment. It can also be caused by rough handling, tumors, too much lighting, poor dietand or a vitamin A deficiency. The eyes begin to protrude and a build up of fluid forms in and around the eyes. Like most fish disease, stress is one of the main factors. Overcrowding, poor water quality and temperature changes in the aquarium are all major causes of stress in your freshwater fish. Good water quality is a must for keeping your freshwater cichlids healthy. Rarely life threatening, pop eye fish disease is easily curable. However, sometimes the fishes eyes will not fully heal and may remain a little bigger than usual, even after the fish has recovered fully.

Symptoms of pop eye disease are one or both eyes will appear a lot larger than normal. Pop eye fish disease will cause the eye or eyes will protrude from the head and look as if the eyes have a cloudy covering. The disease takes about two weeks to peak, and by then the eyes have swollen a great deal.

when treating pop eye disease you must make sure your aquariums water quality is in good shape. Also, check you tanks parameters such as ammonia and ph. If these check out okay you can proceed with the treatment. It is best to treat your aquarium with a broad spectrum antibiotic. Antibiotics can treat a large range of ailments in your freshwater fish. Always check the water quality first. Often times it is the root cause of fish disease in aquarium fishes. When treatment fish diseases, I use a bare-bottomed hospital tank with no decor and very little light. This tank is also in a room that receives very little traffic, therefor the odds are disturbing or stressing the fish is low.

Malawi Bloat can effect all African Cichlids, not just those from the very popular Lake Malawi. The freshwater fish that seem to be most prone to contracting Malawi Bloat are those that eat mostly a vegetable diet.

The first symptom of Malawi Bloat is usually the loss of a fishes appetite. Other fish will can get the disease if treatment is not started by this stage. Another symptom may include swelling of the stomach, which is why it was given the term bloat. Rapid breathing, white feces and sulking at the bottom of the tank are also good indicators that your freshwater fish may have Malawi Bloat. You may also notice red marks near and/or around the fishes bottom, as well as skin ulcers. These symptoms only occur in the later stages of the dreaded Malawi bloat Disease. It is very important to get the treatment started as soon as symptoms are noticed. By the time the disease reaches the second stage, the disease may have already caused damage to the fishes liver, kidneys and swim bladder. After the onset of the second symptom, death will normally follow within 24-72 hours.

When you have noticed that your freshwater cichlid has lost its appetite, you should remove the fish from the community tank and begin treatment right away. There are two different treatments for the Bloat disease. First, and most common is Metronidazole and the second being Clout. This treatment should be followed by a 25-30% water change to try improving the water quality and increase aeration of the tank. Follow this up with a 50% water change. You may want to remove any biological filters you have placed inside your tank during this process. The 30% water change is not necessary if this is a hospital tank and has not been used previously for fish. The water change is important because you won’t be able to perform a water change for the duration of treatment.

Fint Rot

Disease Type-Bacterial (gram negative organism)

Description-Fin rot is one of the most common, and most preventable, diseases in aquarium fish. It is caused by several types of bacteria, and often occurs concurrently with other diseases. It can usually be cured, but if left untreated it can kill the diseased fish and infect all the others in the tank.

Symptoms

1. Fin edges turning white.
2. Frayed fins.
3. Bases of fins enflamed.
4. Entire fin rotting away.
5. Frayed fins.
6. Bases of fins enflamed.

Treatment

1. Correct root cause.
2. Water change.
3. Antibiotics such as MelaFix.
4. Addition of aquarium salt.

Fin rot is caused by one of several gram negative bacteria. Several anitiboitics are effective, however the root cause must be addressed as well. Fin rot occurs when a fish becomes stressed. The most common causes are poor water quality, overcrowding the tank, and overfeeding.

Treatment should include a water change and careful examination of the aquarium conditions. If there are any food debris, vaccumm the gravel and be sure to avoid overfeeding. Start dating your fish food as it loses the vitamin content quite quickly after it is opening. Feeding with fresh, high quality food in smaller quantities is far better than frequent large feedings of stale foods. Check the pH and water temperature of the water, and make sure it is appropriate for your species of fish. Incorrect pH is extremely stressful for fish and can lead to disease. Low water temperatures can also trigger fin rot in some fish. If the root cause is corrected, antibiotics will usually cure the disease itself. Be sure to use a drug that is effective against gram negative organisms. Chloramphenical, Oxytetracyclin Tetracycline are good choices. Treat according to manufacturers instructions. The use of aquarium salt will benefit livebearing fish but should be avoided in fish such as scaleless catfish that are sensitive to salt.

Prevention

1. Maintain good water quality.
2. Keep proper water parameters.
3. Feed fresh food in small amounts.

The best prevention is good aquarium maintenance. Change the water regularly, vaccum the gravel and monitor the water chemistry. Do not overcrowd the tank, and be sure to watch for signs of fighting between fish. When feeding, keep the volume low! Overfeeding is the most common mistake made by all fish owners, and contributes to poor water quality. Be sure to use fresh foods. If the can has been open for half a year, it has lost most of its nutritional value. Purchase food in small enough containers that it can be used in one to two months.