Freshwater fish diseases are extremely common, especially with new fish owners who aren't familiar with the maintenance and care of a fish tank, as well as what types of symptoms to look for. With these hints and tips, however, you should be able to at least avoid some of the most common mistakes that lead to freshwater fish diseases.
- Establish Your Tank. Perhaps the number one most common mistake new fish owners make is that they introduce their fish to the tank on the same day in which they purchase it. Always make sure that you take the time to fill the tank, get the chemicals at optimum levels, and have all of your decorations, plants, and equipment in place before releasing your fish into the water. Give your tank at the very least 3 to 4 days in which to acclimate itself before introducing fish and other marine life.
- Don't Overpopulate. We've all been to pet stores and seen the displays of aquariums filled to the brim with fish. Don't let that fool you, however, as that is not a safe way to care for fish (in fact, overpopulation usually kills fish quite quickly, due to it causing fatally increased amounts of ammonia in the water), much less avoid common freshwater fish diseases. In fact, in order to ensure healthy fish, as a general rule you shouldn't have any more than one fish per one gallon of water in your tank.
- Change the Water in the Tank Regularly. Most new fish owners don't realize that at least one-fourth of the water in the tank should be changed each and every week-even if it doesn't look like it needs it. Make sure that this is part of your regular routine; not doing so will greatly increase the chances that your fish will come down with an illness, or perhaps even die.
- Always Check the Chemical Levels. Make sure that you have some water testing kits on hand to check and double-check the ammonia, nitrate and pH levels of the water. Do this regularly to ensure the safety and good health of your finned friends and, if necessary, add additional chemicals and supplements when needed.
- Never Overfeed. While it's fun to watch your fish jump to the surface as they feed, it's not a safe practice to ever overfeed them. Only give your fish about as much food as they can eat in five minutes (at the very most) and only feed them twice a day. Cloudy water is an indication that you have been overfeeding your fish. Change a significant amount of the water in the tank in order to try and curb the situation before your fish die or contract some freshwater fish diseases.
Not all freshwater fish diseases can be prevented or cured by following the above rules. But all in all, if you do your best to stick to the above tips, you should be able to avoid at least the most common freshwater fish diseases.
