Freshwater Tropical Fish - Disease

There are a number of common diseases for fish that are easily treated.  The most common is "Ich" or "ick", which comes from the Latin word for fish ("ich").  In this disease, the fish develops white spots over its body.  It is also known as White Spot Disease.  Follow the next button for a discussion on curing "ich" and then on fin rot.

For an excellent detailed listing of types of diseases and pharmaceutical treatments, link to National Fish Pharmaceuticals.

Comments by LittleHippyGirl from our Forum: Treating ailments really depends on the species of fish and what symptoms they are showing. The first thing anyone should do is test the water quality. If you think that it is either a bacterial or fungal infection, treat them separately with jungle labs fungus clear. It fights both types. Combining medications can be dangerous unless the box clearly says they can mix.

Salt is a good general medication because it fights types of parasitic, bacterial and fungal infections. The downside is that not all fish can deal with salt. Salt dips and baths have to be stronger since they are quick also. Tetras, young and small fish, catfish, and any "scaless" fish will not do well with salt. There are others too, but these are more general.