Fish and Aquarium

Keeping your goldfish healthy is relatively easy if you follow some basic rules of pond or aquariuim management. These include feeding your fish correctly, keeping the aquatic environment clean, avoiding rapid temperature
changes, ensuring there is an adequate oxygen supply and performing partial
water changes on a regular basis.

No matter how well you maintain your aquarium, unfortunately, illness sometimes still occurs and it is important that you identify goldfish diseases
as soon as they strike. The first sign to be aware of is stress. Just as a
stressed human is prone to infection by bio-aggressors, so are fish,
and stress is the principle cause of disease in fish.

There are three basic types
of goldfish diseases: parasitic, fungal and bacterial. These organisms
are always present in the aquatic environment and a healthy fish can
generally ward them off. However, if a fish is weakened by stress or
damage the risk of infection is high.

When fish become ill they display behavioral symptoms such as:

• clamped fins
• bodies shaking
• repeated scratching against objects in the tank
• hiding in corners
• gasping at the surface
• swimming abnormally
• sitting on the bottom
• breathing difficulties

The good news is that most goldfish diseases can be treated if caught in time.