disease – The Goldfish Tank

API Melafix antibacterial fish remedy

2021-01-132015-07-19 by The Goldfish Tank

Goldfish illnesses, fungus, fin rot and damaged tissue are problems that most goldfish owners will end up facing at some point. And they are problems that can quickly cause significant harm to the health of your fish.

For this reason, it is important to keep a basic goldfish first aid kit of remedies that can help to address common problems. Keeping a supply of medications means that you can treat any illnesses quickly.

API has produced a product called Melafix, which is an antibacterial tank remedy to help treat a whole range of goldfish diseases. In this article, we take a look at API Melafix in detail.

Congested fins in goldfish

2021-01-132014-09-02 by The Goldfish Tank

The condition known as congested fins is easy to confuse with fin rot, and can be particularly hard to correctly identify in fish who have red fins.

Congested fins lead to the tail and fins taking on a torn and ragged appearance, without any external trauma having occurred to cause the tearing.

While any of the fins or the tail of the fish can be affected with the condition, it is most commonly seen in the caudal fin before progressing to other areas of the body if left unchecked.

In serious or protracted cases of the condition, the fins will begin to split vertically, and are highly likely to fall prey to a secondary attack via fungal infection.

In advanced cases of congested fins, the Cyclochaeta parasite may also be present, but it is not thought that parasitic infection causes congested fins to occur in the first place.

Goldfish and Costia

2021-01-132014-07-06 by The Goldfish Tank

Of all of the parasitic infections that can affect goldfish, Costia is one of the hardest to identify. It can only be seen under a microscope and – even then – can be hard to spot.

But despite its small size, Costia can have a serious effect on goldfish if left untreated.

If you are worried that your goldfish may be suffering from this infection, or you want to know the warning signs to look out for, read on to learn more.

Goldfish and leeches

2021-01-082014-06-18 by The Goldfish Tank

Leeches are not among the most common of goldfish parasites, but nevertheless, they are rather nasty, and easily introduced into an existing tank.

Leeches live by latching onto a living host (such as a goldfish) and feasting on the blood of the host, before detaching and dropping away when they are full, and then repeating the process every time that they are hungry.

Understandably, leeches can pose a health hazard to goldfish, both through blood loss and through the risk of infection to the abrasions left behind after they detach from the skin.

Fish pox (or carp pox) in goldfish

2021-01-162014-06-11 by The Goldfish Tank

Fish pox, also sometimes known as carp pox, most commonly affects domestically kept koi carp.

However, goldfish and many other species of fish are also prone to contracting the condition, particularly if they are kept together with koi carp in ponds.

Goldfish and constipation

2021-01-162014-05-28 by The Goldfish Tank

All fish can potentially suffer from constipation, regardless of the type of diet they are fed, and goldfish are no exception. As goldfish are prolific eaters, constipation is one of the more common problems they face.

So, if you’re wondering how to tell if your goldfish is constipated – and what you should do about it if so – then read on to learn more about constipation in goldfish.

Goldfish and ulcers

2021-01-082014-05-21 by The Goldfish Tank

Ulcers in goldfish can be caused by a range of different diseases, but they are almost exclusively bacterial in nature.

The two most common types of bacterial goldfish ulcers are Aeronores and Pseudomonas. However, as the treatment of bacterial goldfish ulcers are the same regardless of the bacterial strain responsible, in this article we will simply refer to them as “ulcers” rather than drawing the distinction between different strains.