Treating Fish Diseases

Many aquarists experience various diseases in their tanks . . . particularly when they have recently made a new addition or overstocked their tank. Most domestic fish diseases are bacterial or fungal and can be cured if caught in time. Happily, because fish diseases are so similar there is a set of remedies that will work on virtually all fish diseases. Remember, when it comes to medicating your sea life, natural is better.

Remedy 01:

Salt is one of nature's gifts to fish. Salt levels can be used to cure almost anything a fish is experiencing.

For freshwater you will want to add salt to fight fish disease. Add 1 teaspoon per gallon of aquarium salt (I prefer instant ocean). Siphon some tank water into an empty milk jug (or similarly sized container) and mix the salt into it (just to be clear you can mix all necessary salt into the milk jug, you don't have to do one gallon at a time). Then siphon or pour the water back into the tank. Leave the tank like this for two to three days and see if your fish improves.

If you have a saltwater tank hyposalination is your best bet. Perform a 25%-50% water change and replace the water with fresh water.

For both situations the use of reverse osmosis (RO) water is recommended. This is because RO/DI water is usually free of most natural contaminants. At the very least treat all water with Stress Coat or Prime for ammonia, chlorine and chloramine elimination.

Remedy 02:

Melafix and Pimafix. These are antibiotics that are gentle yet effective. They are not meant for all fish however (although their bottle does not advertise this). Any fish that has a labyrinth bladder (goldfish and bettas) may be severely harmed by the use of these products. The remedy uses Melaleuca which is natural oil from surface plants found in ponds and other bodies of water. The oil stimulates a bacterial bloom in the tank and in your fish that gives it an immunity boost thusly killing whatever is ailing it. Melafix is meant for external infections and rapid tissue regrowth from abrasions and fighting injuries. Pimafix is for internal infections, although it will aid in tissue regrowth.

Oh no! I gave my betta/goldfish Melafix/Pimafix:

The oil in the remedies can coat the labyrinth bladder, suffocating the fish. You will see them get lethargic if this is happening. The only way to help them in this situation is to place them in fresh water, in a rather small container and let them fill it with ammonia for 1 to 2 hours. If they can be saved, the ammonia will dissolve the oil away from their labyrinth bladder and allow them to breathe again. API is now making a product called Bettafix to address this issue.

Remedy 03:

Maracyn and Maracyn 2. You need to treat with both since you probably don't know if the bacteria in the water are gram negative or gram positive. This will wipe out the beneficial bacteria in the tank so you need to monitor your fish closely. Ammolock will protect your fish from rising ammonia levels when the biological filter dies. Purchasing Biozyme for freshwater or Bio Spira for saltwater and Cycle will also be beneficial because you can use them to boost your biological filter when you have finished treatment. Adding Cycle during treatment will also protect your fish from ammonia and nitrite.

Remedy 04:

Formalin dips can be dangerous and sometimes more harmful than the disease, but if nothing else works this is your best bet. A formalin dip uses saltwater and formaldehyde to kill off whatever is ailing your fish. It is called a dip because it is setup in a separate container and only lasts for a short time. You want to mix the formalin and Malachite green into water that has an air stone bubbler in it. Measuring for each must be careful. Add Formalin at about 250mg/l (500mg for a soda bottle) and about .5mg/l of malachite green. The malachite green will cut the formalin so it acts as a buffer between the medicine and the fish. Aerate the container with an air pump. If you see your fish in distress take them out of the dip, otherwise let them stay in the dip 30min-60min. All formalin dips must be performed in a salt environment so the dip must be made with water that has 1/2cup per gallon of aquarium salt. Aeration is very important as salt and formalin use up quite a bit of the oxygen supply.

Source: Personal Experience