Author Topic: How do I know when they are ill? (Read 7006 times) 17 replies

Joe Browse · « **on:** September 09, 2014, 01:04:12 AM »

This probably seems like a stupid question but how do I know when my fish are ill?

As far as I know there is nothing wrong at the moment but since joining and speaking to some of you I have realised how little I know about fish keeping and I'm trying to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can

chris213 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 09, 2014, 07:39:42 AM »

one thing to look out for is a change in behaviour - as a fish keeper you will spend alot of time watching your fish and will start to get a idea of there routines and patterns for example if a fish that is normaly quite active suddenly starts to stop and hide away this is a good indication that something is possibly wrong another thing to look out for could be a loss of appetite but ofc if you see one of these things dont start to panic and suddenly assume that there is a big problem the fish have moods and bad days to , some of mine are more stropy than teenagers

ColinB · « **Reply #2 on:** September 09, 2014, 08:06:49 AM »

Chris is right - just 'cos I occasionally scratch it doesn't mean I have fleas.... but if I was doing it all the time it would be different. It's patterns of behaviour that tend to give it away. Also - watch their colour. Some fish tend to lose their sparkle or look 'washed out' if they're not well.

Sue · « **Reply #3 on:** September 09, 2014, 12:07:16 PM »

And of course there are the physical signs as well. If your fish looks like it's been sprinkled with salt, it's got whitespot. If it's fins look like there are chunks missing, it either has aggressive tank mates or it's got finrot.

A lot of fish diseases are due to poor water conditions so looking after the water usually keeps the fish healthy

Joe Browse · « **Reply #4 on:** September 09, 2014, 01:13:28 PM »

Thank you I had no idea about finrot or white spot :/ I will be keeping a closer eye from now on just incase

ColinB · « **Reply #5 on:** September 09, 2014, 06:12:07 PM »

...and you have to become a serious poo watcher, too

White stringy poo = bad!

Joe Browse · « **Reply #6 on:** September 09, 2014, 06:45:44 PM »

$:-\$ My plocostomus/comon pleco poo's like its going out of fashion! and its not white but very long strings of it but then he is quite big. about a foot long.
is this bad?

Sue · « **Reply #7 on:** September 09, 2014, 06:48:33 PM »

No that's just typical plec. They are well known for creating a lot of mess in a tank $:-\$

fishcake76 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 09, 2014, 08:43:17 PM »

Hiya Joe,

A couple of other more general things to look out for are clamped fins (holding fins close to the body), hanging at the surface and increased respiratory rate - this is usually accompanied by gasping. Sometimes the latter can be helped by doing a water change or by increasing the oxygenation in the water by positioning the filter so it agitates the surface of the water and in general any of the above can indicate something else although I would alway test my water first before looking at other problems as water quality is often at fault.

Don't get too hung up on illnesses though you can stress yourself out looking for things that aren't there!!!!! Just enjoy your fishy friends and you'll notice if any of them seem 'wrong' in any way. Then you can worry!!!!!

Happy fish keeping and foruming!!

FC

Joe Browse · « **Reply #9 on:** September 09, 2014, 09:53:38 PM »

Thanks guys that's all a massive help. I just wanted a bit more knowledge for if something was wrong on what to do rather than them dying and realising too late.

I remember when I had my first tank I bought neon tetras and they were doing back flips and having fits lol but that was the day after I bought them and I think I must have done the cycle wrong or they were ill when I bought them

Aquamaid · « **Reply #10 on:** November 07, 2014, 03:49:56 PM »

Quote from: ColinB on September 09, 2014, 06:12:07 PM

...and you have to become a serious poo watcher, too

White stringy poo = bad!

Err i don't want to dwell on this subject lol but not sure of the difference in my Platys poo, one did seem to poo just white cotton thread today, but not sure it is that different to normal?

fishcake76 · « **Reply #11 on:** November 07, 2014, 04:00:48 PM »

Poo is normally the same colour as the food they are eating. So brown poo is normal for flake fed fish, green for fish that have had some veggies. Orange poo is normal for fish just home from the shop as pet shops sometimes feed red/orange pellets. White stringy poo, poo with bubbles in it , poo with light and dark alternating segments and irregular shaped poo or lack of poo all demand further attention. Platys poo for England and can have a good 2 cm of it attached to them while swimming about!!!!

Watch your platy for a day or so and see if the stringy poo continues, if it does then you may have to treat for internal parasites but don't panic yet as it could just be a settling in/bit upset by move poo!!!!!

Hope that helps a bit!!

FC76

SteveS · « **Reply #12 on:** November 07, 2014, 04:09:07 PM »

Quote from: Aquamaid on November 07, 2014, 03:49:56 PM

Err i don't want to dwell on this subject lol but not sure of the difference in my Platys poo, one did seem to poo just white cotton thread today, but not sure it is that different to normal?

If you do a search on "poo" in the forum, you will find many in-depth discussions on type, colour, consistency, length etc of poo. There is a large community of people on this forum who are obsessed with the subject. At one stage, I did consider asking Richard to start a new section in the forum about the subject, but I couldn't come up with a tasteful name and description that didn't lower the tone.

Aquamaid · « **Reply #13 on:** November 07, 2014, 04:56:24 PM »

Haha thanks guys, oooh my minds boggling now with suitable titles lol, yes will have to investigate further then, i can see me wading through..... information then

biffster · « **Reply #14 on:** November 07, 2014, 09:12:54 PM »

Quote from: Joe Browse on September 09, 2014, 06:45:44 PM

$:-\$ My plocostomus/comon pleco poo's like its going out of fashion! and its not white but very long strings of it but then he is quite big. about a foot long.
is this bad?

plec / L number keepers call it plec tinsel

Aquamaid · « **Reply #15 on:** November 08, 2014, 12:29:12 PM »

My Platy is still not doing substantial poos, he is the biggest in tank but his tankmate has been picking on him since i introduced two new little platy's, could this be a factor, him being harassed constantly? (could either put one off, or make you do more i imagine lol) Update, i fed all four a blanched, peeled pea yesterday as someone rightly or wrongly said it aids digestion, and i think it might have done the trick, but still poo watching : )

Resa · « **Reply #16 on:** November 08, 2014, 09:17:18 PM »

Poo Again!!! People....get a telly!

Aquamaid · « **Reply #17 on:** November 08, 2014, 11:19:18 PM »

Haha more poo on telly than anywhere else in my opinion

How Do I Know When They Are Ill?

How Do I Know When They Are Ill?

Author Topic: How do I know when they are ill? (Read 7006 times) 17 replies

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