When Your Tropical Fish Get Sick
Just like you can catch a virus or cold, every type of tropical fish in your aquarium can get sick too. Of course, they get different illnesses but when your fish gets sick he feels just as bad as you do when your sick.
Why Do Tropical Fish Get Sick?
While a lot of factors can make your fish fall ill, stress is the most common thing that will make your fish get sick. Like humans, a fish's immunity defense is reduced when it's under stress. When your fish are stressed, the bacteria in the water that is usually harmless to them can make them sick.
What Makes Your Fish Stressed Out?
Your tropical fish experience stress as soon as they're brought home, when new plants or decorative objects or fish are placed into the aquarium, or when they're removed from the tank. That's why there are so many procedures in preparing a fish tank, adding something new or moving fish to a new location. Proper maintenance of the fish tank water is crucial since poor water quality adds stress to your fish. Taking care of your fish and tank properly will reduce stress and keep your fish healthy.
Signs Of Sick Fish
A sick fish just doesn't swim with the same pep that it used to and if you're a careful observer of your pets, you'll notice this early on - when there's time to do something about it. Other signs are forced breathing, staying in one section of an aquarium for long periods of time, or even swimming into things as if it was having sight problems.
Restoring Aquarium Health
One way to reduce illness is to reduce the stress on your fish. You must do periodic water changes and make sure to feed your fish the appropriate food - also do not overcrowd the tank as this is another cause of stress for your fish. By watching your fish's behavior and carefully monitoring how he or she reacts to new additions, you should be able to quickly determine what's making your fish feel stressed. Perhaps that new plant isn't good for them? Maybe that new decorative object is upsetting the existing balance of things.
The least stressful environment for your tropical fish is going to be the one that is closest to nature. If you can manage to represent a habitat that's close to the original, you should be able to enjoy your collection of healthy fish for a very long time.
About the Author: Visit http://www.fish-tank-guide.com for more on aquarium maintenance as well as caring for your
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