Ways to Avoid Goldfish Disease

By Sara Le

In giving your pets proper care and attention, you should not normally experience problems with goldfish disease. With a possible exception of some of the more exotic types, the goldfish is a pretty hardy little fellow, and can live a long life whether kept inside, outside, or a little of each. When hearing the word goldfish, we sometimes envision a pretty little fish swimming serenely round and round in a small bowl. While a goldfish can live in such an environment, it is not the best one for it, if for no other reason than one must take special care to keep the water fresh and clean at all times.

A poor environment is easily the greatest cause behind goldfish disease. Breeding and genetics can be a factor of course, and you can always inadvertently purchase a diseased fish, but as a goldfish owner you have a primary responsibility to keep it disease free or, when possible, treat the fish should a disease arise.

Sometimes the symptoms of goldfish disease can be quite obvious. One of the more common symptoms is when the fish begins to swim in an abnormal fashion. Gasping at the surface, or hugging the bottom (most goldfish are normally not bottom feeders) are other common signs. Goldfish can also suffer from skin problems, and when this occurs they will often spend a significant amount of time scratching against objects in the aquarium, trying to get some relief. Many conditions such as fin rot or fungus are treatable unless they spread to the gills, in which case the situation generally becomes fatal.

The two most common types of disease you're apt to encounter are worms and bacterial infections. Worms generally will not be a concern unless introduced into an aquarium with live food, and are much more apt to become an issue in an outdoor pond. If you have indoor fish and feed them non-living fish food (flakes), worms are very unlikely to ever become an issue.

The other more common type of goldfish disease is bacterial infection, which can take on many forms. Fin or tail rot is perhaps the most common, which will happen if a fin or tail is damaged, and the water is allowed to become dirty. Ulcers, present on the fish's body are another symptom of a bacterial infection. Dirty water, especially water where an accumulation of nitrites or ammonia has become too great, probably accounts for the vast majority, if not all, bacterial infections, and rather than worry about treatment, the best approach is to take the simple preventive measure of keeping the goldfish's environment clean. Antibiotics are available to treat both fin and tail rot, and must be used as the problem will not clear up on its own.

Sometimes fungus can become a problem. Fungus is generally a secondary situation, arising when, because of injury or bacterial infection, there is an open sore on the fish. The presence of fungus is also a treatable problem. There are other kinds of goldfish disease, some of which are of uncertain origin. Goldfish can suffer from lice, constipation, scale loss, air bladder problems, and even tuberculosis. Rather than worry about each and every possible goldfish disease, it's best to keep an eye on your fish and be on the lookout for abnormalities. If you have a number of fish, and one exhibits unusual behavior, it is of course a good idea to quarantine that fish. The condition may or may not be contagious but you'll not want to take chances.

Keep the environment clean, don't overfeed, and be on the lookout for injuries if you have many fish, and the chances of goldfish disease are slim indeed, and your fish should live a normal life span of 10 years or more.

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