Common Goldfish DiseasesEven if you have had goldfish all of your life, it is easy not to know that goldfish can get sick. But just as any other living organism can, goldfish can acquire diseases as well. Goldfish have a longer life span than many people think, but because they can be so inexpensive and easy to replace, very rarely do goldfish live to their fullest potential. The reason why so many goldfish die when they are relatively young is because of the fact that they can get diseases, and their owners may not even notice that anything is wrong with them. Goldfish Ich or Ichtyopthirius is one of the most common goldfish diseases of all. Goldfish Ich appears as small white beads on a goldfish’s scales, and it can go unnoticed very easily because it can look like small bubbles or even pieces of goldfish gravel. In all actuality, these small white specks are organisms that act as goldfish parasites. They live off of the nutrients of goldfish and after having attached to their scales for some time, the Ich fall off of the goldfish and usually reproduce in the floor covering of the aquarium. The new Ich attaches to the goldfish, and the cycle repeats itself. Ich can easily get out of control if it isn’t taken care of, as the organisms reproduce very quIchly. This disease is very common, so if you think your pet suffers from goldfish Ich, chances are you are correct. While many people are hesitant to take their goldfish to the vet, you do want to at least talk to your local pet store or pet supply store about your Ich problem, as it causes holes in the flesh of the goldfish, eventually leading to death if left untreated. Another of the common goldfish diseases is fin rot, often called tail rot. If your goldfish fight one another, they are at a higher risk for fin rot as it is caused by existing injuries to your fish’s fins. Fin rot occurs when a bacterial infection occurs in the injured part of the fin; the bacterium slowly eats away at the tissues of the fin from the edges in, until it reaches the body. From there, this bacterial infection can spread and start eating away at the body of your goldfish. So needless to say fin rot is a fatal goldfish disease. Please do consult the services of your local pet store as they may be able to help you treat your fish. While large eyes are characteristic of some tank fish, this is not so for regular goldfish. If your goldfish’s eyes protrude a bit more than you think they should, they may have a disease called Pop-Eye. Goldfish tuberculosis may be to blame for Pop-Eye, as are some other diseases. If you feel like your fish’s eyes protrude a bit more than they should, seek treatment for your pet right away. You might want to move your fish to its own tank for a while, until you can figure out what it is about the fish’s health or environment that is triggering the Pop-Eye. |
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