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Appearance| Symptoms | Possible Causes | Treatments |
|---|---|---|
| Black spots appearing | Caustic irritant Parasites | Test and correct water Parasite treatment |
| Broken spines on fins | Mechanical damage | Will heal without treatment |
| Color change; white spreading | Pigment loss to the skin | Not a problem if fish is acting good, eating well, and fins look OK Can be caused by a temperature spike |
| Crooked ("S"-shaped) back | Malnutrition -- lack of vitamin C Enlarged ovary | Add good-quality food No action required |
| Dropping scales | Mechanical damage Myxosporidia protozoans | Will heal without treatment Is not treatable; change water |
| Eyes bulging | Water accumulation Trauma to the eye | If related to Dropsy, can be fatal Will return to normal shortly |
| Eye/eyes pop out | Exothalamus | Bacterial infection; no cure, but not fatal |
| Eyes pop out | Edwardsiella Etarda | Bacterial infection carried by frogs & turtles Feed Romet B Inject Chloramphenicol or Amakacin |
| Fins or tails are eaten away; red area adjacent to body | Fin/Tail Rot | Jungle Fungus Eliminator Salt solution Antibiotics |
| Gills are bright red | No problem | No action required |
| Gills are brownish | Nitrite toxicity | Correct water chemistry |
| Gills are dark red | Water quality problem | Test & correct water quality |
| Gills are light red with patches of rotten tissue | Bacterial infection | Salt solution Antibiotics Jungle BGDX |
| Gills swollen open or pale red | Flukes | Parasite treatment |
| Gill cover has hole | Tuberculosis Aeromonas bacteria | TB not treatable Antibiotics Raise water temp to 85 deg F |
| Milky skin | Excess mucus production pH plunges Ammonia burn Parasites | Test and correct water Salt Parasite treatment |
| Mouth rotting away | Parasite caused the initial lesion; Flukes | Formalin Antibiotics |
| Red belly | Aeromonas infection Bacterial infection | Antibiotics Injections Raise water temp to 85 deg F |
| Red mouth | Columnaris infection or Enteric redmouth | Romet B antibiotic food |
| Red spiderweb under scales | Stress Bad water quality Parasites | Test and correct water Salt Treat for parasites |
| Red spots on skin | Bacterial infection Abrasions Parasites (Flukes) | Antibiotics Salt Parasite treatment |
| Red streaks on fins and/or tail near body | Hemorrhagic Septicemia | Jungle Fungus Eliminator Clear Pond Treats All Nearly always fatal |
| Scales are white or clear | Site of wound which has healed | No action required |
| Scales missing on a "fat" fish | Mating ritual | Treat for parasites & then bacteria Salt dip Peroxide on wound Neosporin Creme on wound Anotbiotics |
| Scales stand out on part of the body | Mating Parasites | Test and correct water Salt |
| Slimy, light-colored feces with bubbles | Constipation | No food for 2 days, then chopped earthworms for 3 days |
| Split fin | Flukes | Parasite treatment Suture fin |
| Swollen abdomen; no raised scales | Fatty liver Egg impaction Cystic kidneys | Remove eggs |
| Swollen and deformed abdomen; no raised scales | Cancer of some kind Cystic kidneys | Surgery |
| Swollen abdomen; raised scales all over body | Dropsy | Jungle Fungus Eliminator Heat water to 85 deg F Add 1/8 tsp Epsom Salt to 5 gallons water Antibiotic food Usually fatal |
| Ulcers, lethargy, & loss of appetite | Bacterial infection Aeromonas/Pseudomonas | Salt Antibiotics Raise water temp to 85 deg F |
| Very red fins | Stress Nitrate poisoning Ammonia or Nitrite Parasites Bacterial sepsis | Test and correct water Salt Parasite treatment |
| Wasting away | Flukes (smaller fish) TB of the liver (larger fish) | Parasite treatment |
| White eye | Flexobacterial infection Corneal edema Caustic trauma | Antibiotics Time will heal Caused by Formalin or Ammonia |
| White ring around red ulcer | Aeromonas bacteria | Antibiotics Raise water temp to 85 deg F |
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Behavior| Symptoms | Possible Causes | Treatments |
|---|---|---|
| Anorexia, excess slime, isolation, resting on the bottom, streaking of the fins, and finally death | Acidosis | Water changes Buffering agent |
| Clamped fins | pH crash Parasites | Test and correct water Salt Parasite treatment |
| Fins collapsed close to body; listless behavior | Gill Flukes | Jungle Parasite Guard Anti-parasite food Sulfadimethoxin |
| Flashing/scratching | Parasites Changes in water quality UV stabilizers in PVC pipe | Specific parasite treatment Test and correct water Don't use untested plastics |
| Gasping at the surface | Inadequate oxygen in water Gills are damaged | Test and correct water Salt |
| Gasping at the surface; excess slime; death | Alkalosis | Water changes Buffering agent |
| Hover at the surface; milky skin | pH plunge | Test and correct water Salt |
| Isolate themselves, lie on the bottom, clamp their fins, secrete excess slime | Ammonia toxicity | Water changes Manage pH Aeration |
| Jumping | Irritant in the water Flukes | Test and correct water Parasite treatment Salt Potassium Permanganate |
| Jumping; small lump on skin or fins | Fish Lice (Argulus) | Jungle Parasite Guard |
| Labored breathing and eratic movements | Salt Toxicity | Reduce salt concentration in water |
| Lethargic; don't play | Inadequate aeration | Add waterfall, venturi, or air stone |
| Laying inactive on bottom; gills are light red | Bacterial Gill Disease Parasites | Jungle BGDX Salt |
| Open gills, rapid respiration | Gill Flukes | Jungle Parasite Guard |
| Rolling/spiral swimming | Neurological disorder due to poison | >50% water change Chloramine and heavy metal neutralizer |
| Rubbing objects and breathing rapidly | Acidosis | Correct pH of water |
| Scratching on bottom or objects in pond | Itching | Jungle Parasite Guard Clear Pond Treats All |
| Sitting on bottom; struggle to swim to surface | Swim bladder problem (bacteria) Electrocution | Antibiotics Salt GFCI outlet |
| Sitting on bottom: swim fine when disturbed | Heavy Fluke infection | Fluke Tabs Salt |
| Spitting | Normal behavior Fluke infestation | No problem Fluke Tabs |
| Swimming VERY fast | Bad water quality | Test and correct water |
| Swimming with head down, tail up at the surface | Bacterial infection | Antibiotic injections |
| Swimming with mouth open; can't close it | Foreign body stuck in the mouth Ulcer or sore in the roof of the mouth | Remove object through the gill Swab with hydrogen peroxide |
| Swimming with tail up | Swim Bladder Disorder | Jungle Fumgus Eliminator |
| Swimming upside down | Constipated | No food for 2 days, then chopped earthworms for 3 days Feed more green roughage |
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Death of Fish| Symptoms | Possible Causes | Treatments |
|---|---|---|
| Babies dying in large numbers | Ich or Flukes Ammonia accumulation | Test and correct water Salt |
| "Fat" fish dies after being chased during spawning | Exhaustion | Don't let "slow" females be courted by "fast" males |
| Fish are dying rapidly | Many possible causes | Salt Test water and fish |
| Illness and death | pH crash | Test and correct water; add buffer to water |
| Largest fish dies | Lack of oxygen | Increase water flow and aeration; what chemicals were recently added? |
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External Problems| Symptoms | Possible Causes | Treatments |
|---|---|---|
| Golden velvety coating on the back of the fish | Velvet Disease | Acriflavine |
| Leeches | Leech | Salt solution |
| Small lump on skin or fins; jumping | Fish Lice (Argulus) | Jungle Parasite Guard |
| Small thread-like worms attached to the body of the fish | Anchor Worm | Trichlorfon Potassium Permanganate Jungle Parasite Guard Mecurochrome swab Dimilin |
| Waxy growth on skin and fins | Fish Pox | Viral infection Heat water to 85 deg F Salt |
| White cottony growth on body or fin (like goblets) | Epistylis | Salt |
| White cottony growth on body or fin (like strands of hair) | White Fungus | Jungle Fungus Eliminator Salt Peroxide Potassium Permanganate |
| White cottony growth on body or fin; red around the wound; darkened skin; loss of slime coat; can go systemic | Columnaris bacteria | Salt Potassium permanganate Antibiotic food Swab peroxide and Neosporin on the wound |
| White cottony growth on body or fin; very dark red around the wound; usually an Oranda | Staph infection | Salt Potassium permanganate Antibiotic food Swab peroxide on the wound |
| White pinhead spots on body or fins | White Spot or Ick | Salt > 1 ppt Malachite Green Clear Pond Treats All Methyl Blue Copper salts Raise water temp to 85 deg F |
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Feeding Problems| Symptoms | Possible Causes | Treatments |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of appetite; surfacing | pH crash | Test and correct water; add buffer to water |
| Loss of appetite, ulcers, & lethargy | Bacterial infection | Antibiotics |
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Miscellaneous| Symptoms | Possible Causes | Treatments |
|---|---|---|
| One or more fish chasing a "fat" fish | Spawning ritual | Remove female if she becomes exhausted by chase |
| Strange smell in the water during spawning season | Fish have spawned | Partial water change; remove eggs if desired |
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Bonnie's Links
bonniehill@verizon.net
last modified on June 25, 2008
URL: http://mysite.verizon.net/bonniehill/ponds/pages/symptoms.html