Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Curing Cichlid Fish Diseases

Taking care of cichlids is a pretty simple task
provided you adhere to some simple guidelines.
Cichlids like you and I also suffer from sickness
and diseases, and as their owner it is your
responsibility to keep them at optimal health,
meaning its good to keep an eye out for any signs
of disease or sickness. If you neglect your fish
then they will surely peril.

Diseases in cichlid fish can be caused by
parasites in the body, fungi on their exterior
and also bad bacteria in the tank water.

Things that you want to look out for are cloudy
or puffy eyes, sores on their bodies, loss of
color, restricted movement, bloating of stomach
or internal organs. Any of these symptoms are
usually caused by some sort of bacterial
infection.

If you observe any strange looking growth around
the face area or sporadic behavior in the tank
like darting about in a crazy manner you may be
looking at some sort of fungal infection.

If you see any weak breathing, impaired movement,
mucus growth on the skin, loss of appetite,
spots, intense scratching. These are generally
the sign of parasite infection which may include
leeches, worms or lice.

Just about the most common cichlid disease is
Hole in the head disease. Hexamita, usually
results in rapid weight loss and a major loss of
appetite, and you will also notice little
indentations on and around the head area.

Ich or Ichtyophthirius is also another common
cichlid disease. With this particular ailment
whitened crystal marks show up on the head first,
and then propagate over the entire body. Inhaling
and exhaling is fast, the fish scrapes a great
deal, and also the eye balls and fins all become
cloudy.

When the belly is enlarged, and you find reddish
scales encircling this area, it is possible that
the cichlid is actually struggling with Dropsy.
This may be because of germs, parasites, or even
cancer. The best way to deal with this is
saltwater treatment.

If you neglect their water conditions then your
fish may end up with Fish Pox, Fin Rot or even
Ammonia poisoning.

Columnaris or Cotton Wool Disease is one you must
be very wary of as it is very contagious.
Symptoms will be a grey/white layer on the skin,
fin damage, ulcers and sores, loss of color in
the gills. You must treat this immediately with a
good antibiotic type treatment, and u will have
to treat the whole tank. The same goes for Fish
Tuberculosis which too is extremely contagious.

Another parasite type infection is Slime Disease
which causes a white coating of the skin,
sporadic movement, reddening around the gills and
even folded fins. You must treat this straight
away with a good parasitic medication and also by
raising the water temperature a degree or two.

Cichlids can also suffer from constipation which
will cause a swelling of the stomach, loss of
appetite, and erratic swimming. The fish may even
have feces hanging off of them. The best way to
fix this is to starve them for two days then
start them on a different diet.

On the subject of diet if you over feed your fish
they may end up with Swim Bladder disease which
will cause difficulty in swimming, swimming
upside down, floating. These symptoms also can
mean Flip over disease.

One popular way of dealing with diseases is salt
treatment, but this should ideally only be done
in a quarantine tank as other fish may be
negatively affected. Plus it will not guarantee a
cure for all diseases.

Fish tanks with heated water can become an
incubator for disease if not monitored correctly.
Regular cleaning of your tank and water will be
your best weapon against disease in your aquarium.

It is best to spot these things as early as
possible so as to implement a cure strategy
before it is too late....Good Luck

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More cures and treatments for Cichlid Diseases on
my website http://www.cichlidssite.com which also
covers cichlid breeding, species, care, tank
setup, buying and much much more.

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