Marine Fish Disease Guide: What to Look For and How to Treat It

At some time or another, you may experience a fish in your aquarium that has some type of illness, or may just be acting strange. Try not to panic if it happens, but do take precautionary measures to make sure that you do what is right for the fish, and be prepared to have proper treatments on the ready in case the worst happens. From experience, I can tell you that if you have a saltwater aquarium, then always have a quarantine tank set up to act as a hospital for any sick or injured fish. This will not only prevent the disease from spreading to your other fish, but it will also help out the sick or injured fish quicker than trying to treat your entire tank. I have created a guide below to help you navigate through the most common types of diseases, what to look for, and how to properly treat each disease. I have personally handled most of these diseases at one time or another just from how long I have been handling marine life, and I am listing the best possible ways on how to cure/treat your fish if unfortunate events fall upon your aquarium friends.

Please keep in mind that the following guide does not have every disease listed. Also, just because a fish may have one of the following symptoms, does not mean it automatically has the specific disease I have linked it to. This is more of a guide to go off of in case you think your fish may have a more severe underlying problem, or if you just want to play it safe. I may add more minor diseases to this guide later on, if I get enough requests.



Quick Guide:

Sources:

https://www.amc.edu/patient/services/infectious_disease/images/infdis_bacteria2.jpg

http://static.parade.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/is-it-bacteria-ftr.jpg