Cichlid Diseases

Cichlids are a fairly hardy fish and their upkeep is comparatively easy provided you stick to several fundamental principals. As hardy as they are the cichlid fish can suffer from quite a few diseases so with this article I’ve set out to clarify what they are and what you are able to do about them.

Diseases in cichlid fish may be caused by parasites within the body, fungi on their exterior and also poor bacteria inside the tank water.

Issues that you simply want to look out for are cloudy or puffy eyes, sores on their bodies, loss of color, restricted movement, bloating of stomach or internal organs. Any of these symptoms are typically caused by some sort of bacterial infection.

In case you observe any strange looking growth around the face region or sporadic behavior in the tank like darting about in a crazy manner you might be looking at some sort of fungal infection.

If you see any weak breathing, impaired movement, mucus growth on the skin, loss of appetite, spots, intense scratching. These are usually the sign of parasite infection which may possibly consist of leeches, worms or lice.

Just about the most typical cichlid illness is Hole within the head illness. Hexamita, typically outcomes in rapid weight loss as well as a major loss of appetite, and you will also notice small indentations on and about the head location.

Ich or Ichtyophthirius is also another widespread cichlid disease. With this distinct ailment whitened crystal marks show up on the head first, after which propagate over the whole body. Inhaling and exhaling is quick, the fish scrapes a great deal, and also the eye balls and fins all turn into cloudy.

When the belly is enlarged, and also you locate reddish scales encircling this region, it really is feasible that the cichlid is really struggling with Dropsy. This might be because of germs, parasites, or even cancer. The very best method to cope with this is saltwater therapy.

Should you neglect their water conditions then your fish may possibly end up with Fish Pox, Fin Rot or even Ammonia poisoning.

Columnaris or Cotton Wool Illness is one you have to be quite wary of because it is quite contagious. Symptoms is going to be a grey/white layer on the skin, fin harm, ulcers and sores, loss of color inside the gills. You must treat this right away having a great antibiotic type therapy, and you will have to treat the complete tank. The exact same goes for Fish Tuberculosis which too is incredibly contagious.

An additional parasite kind infection is Slime Illness which causes a white coating of the skin, sporadic movement, reddening about the gills and also folded fins. You need to treat this straight away having a very good parasitic medication and also by raising the water temperature a degree or two.

Cichlids can also endure from constipation which will cause a swelling of the stomach, loss of appetite, and erratic swimming. The fish might even have feces hanging off of them. The best method to fix this would be to starve them for two days then commence them on a different diet.

On the subject of diet plan should you over feed your fish they may end up with Swim Bladder illness which will cause difficulty in swimming, swimming upside down, floating. Flip Over illness is also feasible with these symptoms.

One well-known way of dealing with diseases is salt therapy, but this need to ideally only be performed in a quarantine tank as other fish may be negatively affected. Plus it’s going to not guarantee a remedy for all diseases.

Now since an aquarium is such a little closed atmosphere, with out suitable monitoring and therapy can become an illness incubator. Normal cleaning of one’s tank and water will probably be your best weapon against illness within your aquarium.

It’s finest to spot these items as early as possible so as to implement a cure method before it can be too late….Excellent Luck

You will find a vast range of cures and treatments for cichlid diseases at my website www.CichlidsSite.com which also covers cichlid breeding, care, species, buying, tank setup and much much more.