Saltwater fish need more maintenance and are not as hardy as most freshwater fish. Their water composition must be checked regularly. You will need special equipment, such as a hydrometer to regularly measure the specific gravity of the water as well as quality salt mixes. [2] X Research source
Regularly maintain the tank through partial water changes. Change about a quarter of your tank’s water every other week. [3] X Expert Source Craig MortonAquarium Specialist, Aquarium Doctor Inc. Expert Interview. 21 July 2020. Feed your fish a nutritious, varied diet. Most fish can do fine and even thrive on processed flake, stick or pellet food. Adding some variety in their diet will help add some nutrition and fiber, such as frozen or freeze-dried bloodworms, live or frozen brine shrimp and some vegetables. Do not overfeed your fish. [4] X Expert Source Craig MortonAquarium Specialist, Aquarium Doctor Inc. Expert Interview. 21 July 2020. Feed your fish only what they will eat in 3 minutes. Not only can excess food foul the water, but it can also make your fish sick. Check to make sure your filtration system is working effectively. Filters remove harmful toxins such as ammonia and nitrites from the water. Give your fish enough tank room to live comfortably. Don’t overcrowd them. A good rule-of-thumb to follow is no more than 1 inch (2. 5 cm) of fish per gallon. Put only compatible fish species together. You don’t want your fish to eat, hurt or aggressively compete with each other. Peaceful fish will be stressed if kept with aggressive fish as well as fish species that communicate differently through body language.
The store’s fish tanks should be clean with active, brightly colored, unstressed fish. The store should offer return policies on fish and provide full credit on fish that die the first few days after purchase. Sales staff should be knowledgeable about fish as well as tank set up, sizes, inhabitants, diseases, ect. Generally, stores that specialize in aquariums and fish are best.
Keep store water out of your tank because it can carry diseases or parasites. If you can, quarantine new fish for 2 weeks before adding them to your tank. In this case, get the fish used to the quarantine bowl or tank’s water first—not the main tank. Watch for signs of disease and adjust the water or medicate, if needed. Set the fish bag in your tank. After 30 minutes add ¼ cup of tank water into the bag. Do this every 15 minutes for an hour. If the bag gets too full just remove extra water. Afterward, net the fish and place it in its new tank. [6] X Expert Source Craig MortonAquarium Specialist, Aquarium Doctor Inc. Expert Interview. 21 July 2020. For the first few weeks, watch new fish carefully for signs of stress and disease.
If your fish is near the surface gasping for breath, this means it’s probably not getting enough oxygen. This can happen due to poor water circulation, gill damage, or toxins in the water. Fish that are always in hiding indicate that either its companions are too aggressive or the tank doesn’t have enough cover such as plants or rocks for the fish to feel safe while swimming. Fish with nicked fins or wounds that don’t heal might be the target of aggression from other fish. Minor cuts should heal quickly. Stress may be suppressing the fish’s immune system so it can’t heal normally. Check to make sure you have followed good care and maintenance techniques and remove aggressive fish.
Fish who are sick may not seem hungry or may spit out food. Sick fish may lay at the bottom of the tank for long periods of time and seem lethargic. Some sick fish may rub their body on tank décor to scratch themselves. Sick fish often acquire a dull color and turn pale or gray. The tails or fins of sick fish may be clumped, closed, stiff, or seem to be falling apart. Sick fish will have open sores, white patches, lumps or spots on their body. Some sick fish may have swollen or protruding eyes. Differences in scale appearance could indicate disease, such as if scales are raised. An abnormally swollen or hollow belly is another sign of a sick fish.
Tail Rot or Fin Rot—Fins or tails appear to be getting shorter or falling apart with reddish areas that may be infected. Dropsy—A fish with dropsy may have a bloated belly, raised scales and have a pine-cone appearance. Popeye (Exopthalmia)—The fish may have cloudy, protruding eyes or a bubble over the eye region. One or both eyes can be affected. Tuberculosis—Fish affected with tuberculosis may die suddenly. Symptoms can include open sores, body deformities, raised scales, fin and tail rot, and gray lesions. People can catch this deadly disease from handling infected fish. Do not handle sick fish and disinfect your hands after touching tank equipment. Septicemia (Red Streaks)—The fish may have bloody red streaks across its body or fins. They may also have clamped fins, bloating, ulcers, gasp for air and lethargy.
Cotton Wool Disease—There may be white, yellowish-brown, or whitish-gray growth on the body, fins or mouth. These growths may look like cotton tufts and can appear on the top of the fish as well. There could be redness around infected areas, along with lethargy, loss of appetite and body rubbing.
Ich (Ichthyophthirius)—This condition is caused by a parasite and will show up as white dots all over the fish’s body and head that look like salt. Fins may be clamped. Velvet—The fish may be lethargic, have clamped fins, poor appetite, loss of color, may dart about and rub its body against décor and substrate. Body Slime Infection—A fish with this condition will be covered in a white film that can be raised in some areas, cloudy eyes and clamped fins.
Swim Bladder Disease (SBD) or Bloat—Your fish may have trouble swimming, not be able to stay upright, or swim on his side. Puffy Gills—This condition causes inflamed, reddish gills and gasping for breath. [7] X Research source
Always read and follow medication directions. Don’t overdose your fish. Make sure your fish are not a species that is sensitive to the ingredients. Use antibiotics sparingly. Antibiotic resistance is a real problem around the world that occurs when bacteria mutate and are no longer affected by the antibiotic treatment. Always try other treatments first and do not medicate healthy fish. Consider euthanizing very sick fish. Sometimes treatments just do not work so be prepared this possibility.
Dropsy can be treated by adding no more than 2. 5 teaspoons of epsom salts to the tank per 10 gallons (37. 9 L) of water. This will draw some of the excess water out of the fish’s body. Feed your fish antibacterial fish food for 7-10 days. Maracyn Two added to the water can also help. Fin-rot needs to be cured quickly because it can spread to the body. Treat with warm, clean water, a few drops of garlic juice, and a product that replaces the slime coat, such as Stress Coat by API. You may need Maracyn or an antibiotic like tetracycline. [8] X Research source Popeye can be treated similarly to other bacterial infections with Maracyn or tetracycline and antibiotic fish food. [9] X Research source Septicemia- A combination of Maracyn, other antibiotics like Kanamycin Sulfate and antibiotic fish food is the best way to treat this. [10] X Research source
Ich can be treated with medication that is formalin based, contains malachite green, methylene blue or copper sulfate. [12] X Research source Body slime infection can be treated with formalin-based medication, copper sulfate or potassium permanganate. These parasites are also sensitive to salt and temperature. Raising water temperatures to 86 °F (30 °C) and adding salt at a dose of 0. 4 to 0. 7 ounce per gallon for 7-14 days can cure slime disease. Velvet disease can be treated by dimming the lights of the aquarium. Since velvet is caused by a protozoan that needs chlorophyll for nutrients, a lack of light starves the organism of food. [13] X Research source
If your fish looks bloated, it may be constipated. To treat this, get a frozen pea. Shell it, thaw it, and cut into tiny pieces. Feed a few of these to your fish, then feed it nothing for a few days. You can also try feeding live, frozen, or freeze-dried daphne for the same results.
Never change all of your tank water at one time. This change in water chemistry will likely stress your fish. You should not change more than 1/3 of the water in any 24 hour period. Some aquariums can do ok with changing 1/4 of the water every two weeks. However, most pet fish owners will need to do it more often. Changing 25% of your tank’s water every other week helps to dilute and remove nitrates as well as replace trace elements and important buffers used up by bacteria. [14] X Expert Source Craig MortonAquarium Specialist, Aquarium Doctor Inc. Expert Interview. 21 July 2020. You will also need to remove wastes hiding in the nooks and crannies of your aquarium. To do this, vacuum the gravel when you change the water. The exception to this is saltwater aquariums that use live substrates at the bottom.
You will need to add the chemical sodium thiosulfate, available at fish stores, to the water before adding tap water to your tank. This will neutralize chlorine in the tap water. Chloramine can be neutralized through the use of products such as Amquel. These chemicals take care of the ammonia and chlorine in the chloramine molecules. If you don’t want to use chemicals to remove chlorine, you can leave circulating water via a filter or air-stone in a bucket or tank for 24 hours.
Tank water tends to become acidic over time because of nitrates that build up. The pH can be raised or lowered using chemicals such as muriatic (hydrochloric) acid or phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid can raise the phosphate level in your tank and cause algae growth. Always treat water for pH adjustments prior to adding it to the tank. You can also bubble CO2 (carbon dioxide) through the tank via CO2 injection systems. This will lower the pH without the need for chemicals.
An aeration unit may not be required if you have healthy, aquatic plants in your tank. [16] X Research source Aquatic plants will use up toxic ammonia and nitrites in your tank to grow. Faster growing plants like Cabomba, Ludwigia or Egeria Densa or other stem species can remove a lot of ammonia quickly. [17] X Research source
