CATDOLL : CATDOLL: What should I do if my parrot fish has a rotten tail and doesn’t like to swim?

Parrot fish are medium to large fish, so they should be kept in a larger tank, and the water should be kept clean and oxygenated. Tropical fish have a short life span, usually only 2 to 3 years (for small fish), so timely treatment of fish diseases is an important way to prolong their life span. What should I do if my parrot fish is sick? What are the treatments for common diseases of parrot fish? Let's learn about them below.

Parrot fish

What should I do if my parrot fish is sick? Treatments for common diseases of parrot fish

1. Pathological manifestations

Sometimes different diseases have the same symptoms, which requires special symptoms as the main basis for diagnosis.

1. Sick fish are listless and listless, commonly known as "unrealistic", and their activity level is significantly reduced;

2. Hide in a corner or gather in a group.

3. The tail fin and dorsal fin may not be extended, commonly known as a clamped tail.

4. Loss of appetite and not rushing for food.

5. The body surface color is not bright.

6. The presence of special lesions or symptoms on the body is the main basis for diagnosis. For example: spots, lumps, redness, swelling, edema, congestion, stasis, bleeding, abnormal color, increased mucous membrane, mucous membrane shedding, or rubbing against the body surface or fins, drilling around and swinging left and right, etc.

7. There are three conditions that must be met for tropical fish to be infected with infectious diseases:

① Pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, etc.

②Routes of transmission: contaminated water, utensils, water fleas, diseased fish, etc.

③ Susceptible animals (fish): Most fish of the same species get the same disease at the same time.

2. Measures to detect sick fish

1. First, distinguish whether it is an infectious disease and diagnose it in time. If it cannot be confirmed, do not move it temporarily or manage it as an infectious disease.

2. Fish schools or individuals with infectious diseases should be strictly isolated, and all breeding utensils should be used separately.

3. Depending on the progression of the disease, you may stop feeding or feed less, and observe the animal's eating and activity in detail. After a confirmed diagnosis, you may administer medication as appropriate.

4. During the disease period, strengthen feeding management, pay attention to changes in water temperature, keep it constant, and be especially careful when changing water. You can also eliminate sick fish as appropriate.

3. Common diseases of parrot fish

1. White spot disease

White spot disease is a highly contagious external parasitic disease.

[Pathogen] The pathogen is Ichthyophthirius multifida (parasite). Transmission route: Daphnia, diseased fish, and the contaminated tool is the No. 1 disease of tropical fish. Tropical fish are more susceptible to white spot disease than goldfish. The fluctuating water temperature is the cause of this disease and the reason why beginners often fail. When the tropical fish breeding industry first emerged in Europe, it was wiped out by this disease. Timely detection, early treatment, early isolation, enhanced disinfection, and maintaining constant temperature are effective ways to prevent this disease. White spot disease is divided into three stages: early, middle, and late. The course of the disease is 5 to 7 days, and each stage is 2 to 3 days. It often causes a large number of fish to die quickly, and the mortality rate can reach 60% to 70%.

[Symptoms] In the early stage, there are individual small white spots on the fins and body, the fish has an appetite, and the spirit is not much changed. In the middle stage, the fins and body are covered with white spots, the fish has no appetite, is not active, scratches everywhere, and the color becomes darker. In the late stage, white spots are all over the body, the fish floats on the water or sinks to the bottom of the tank. The fish is weak, sways from side to side, the mucous membrane on the body surface increases, breathing is difficult, and it suffocates to death.

【Treatment】This disease requires comprehensive treatment. Medication alone is not very effective. Strengthening feeding and management is very important. First, stop feeding for 4-5 days, reduce pollution, keep the water temperature constant, and it is best to raise the temperature 2-3℃ higher than the original water temperature. If there are no aquatic plants, appropriate medication can be given. Aquatic plants are sensitive to various drugs and die quickly. Commonly used prescriptions for tropical fish are as follows:

① In the early stage, 0.5% to 1% salt can be added to achieve certain results.

② In the early and middle stages, 1-5 ppm furacilin powder can be sprinkled throughout the tank. Dip a matchstick in methyl blue crystal powder and rinse it into the sick fish tank until it changes color. This has a good effect.

2. Hemorrhagic rot

Hemorrhagic rot is a bacterial infectious disease.

[Pathogen] The pathogen is bacteria. The transmission route is water fleas or diseased fish and contaminated tools. This disease is not easy to eradicate. After recovery, the fish are often carriers. If the water quality deteriorates, the disease will recur immediately. The mortality rate is high, generally around 50%.

【Symptoms】Bleeding spots appear on the fish body, the fins change from bright red to pale and rot, the gills also change from red to white, and some of them rot. Dissection of the internal organs shows bleeding spots. It is often complicated by enteritis. The disease develops rapidly and spreads quickly (2-3 days), which can easily cause mass deaths.

【Treatment】Stop feeding for 4-5 days, and apply antibiotic penicillin to the whole box: 800,000 units per 90×45×60 (centimeter) box, 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon, and one course of treatment for 3 consecutive days. Generally, it can be cured in 4-5 days, and it can be cured in the early stage and controlled in the middle stage. The rotten fins will take about 1 month to grow back. Pull out the water plants in the diseased box, rinse them with clean water, and disinfect them with methylene blue (use a matchstick to dip in the crystallization of methylene blue) for 15-30 minutes. Put furazolidone powder (1-5ppm) in the sick fish box, and it can generally be controlled in 3 days and cured in about 6 days. 0.5%-1% salt can also be used in the early stage of the disease, which can also be controlled.

3. Rotifer disease

Rotifer disease is an infectious protozoan disease.

【Symptoms】The pathogen is rotifers, and the transmission route is mostly through feeding Daphnia. New fish worms must be washed several times before feeding fish, otherwise they are prone to this disease. The incidence rate is high, but the mortality rate is not high. General 【Symptoms】Rotifers gather into clouds in the tank. Fish float on the water surface, parasitizing everywhere on the fish's body and gills. The color body mucosa increases, and breathing is difficult. If the diseased fish is not treated in time, a large number of them will die.

【Treatment】The best way is to pour out all the water in the tank, move the fish into a new tank, and then add some medicine. The specific medicine for treatment is copper sulfate. Put a mung bean-sized crystal block in a 90×45×60 (cm) tank. Water plants are particularly sensitive to copper sulfate. Pull out the grass before applying the medicine. Do not use partial water replacement, which will accelerate the reproduction of rotifers and the death of fish. Therefore, full water replacement and drug application must be carried out at the same time. In addition, 0.5% to 1% concentrated salt water can also be used for treatment, which is also effective.

At this time, you need to replace the water in the fish tank and then disinfect and sterilize the fish tank to effectively treat it.