For many pond keepers their fish have become part of their family, growing up alongside their children and developing personality characteristics. However when fish develop health problems, they can’t be taken to a vet like other family pets. It becomes the Pond keeper’s responsibility to diagnose and treat their aquatic friends. We’ve put together this list of symptoms to assist you with diagnosis and treatment suggestions to help you decide on the best course of action.
New pond keepers may find it useful to know that the health of your fish relies greatly on the quality of your pond water. It is advisable to test your water regularly and treat it accordingly. The water can be routinely treated with PondXpert Pond Tonic Salt and Blagdon Stress Away (formerly General Tonic) which will also help to combat any diseases. The salt helps to boost the fishes immune system which allows them to be able to cope with diseases themselves. The level of salt which should be added changes according to the reason for usage. It is important not to put too much salt in the pond in as this can do harm to the fish. A good example would be cold water fish being placed in sea water and the effect it would take. A rough guide can be seen below. Once the salt has been added it will remain in the water indefinitely unless removed via some method of water change.
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Usage
|
Concentration
|
Dosage
|
|
Tonic
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0.1%
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455g per 455 Litres (100 Gallons) or 1tsp per gallon
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|
pH Buffer
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0.1%
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455g per 455 Litres (100 Gallons) or 1tsp per gallon
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|
Anti-Stress
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0.3%
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1.365kg per 455 Litres (100 Gallons) or 1tsp per gallon
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Supportive*
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0.9%*
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4.095kg per 455 Litres (100 Gallons) or 1tsp per gallon*
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We would always recommend testing your water with either the Blagdon Pond Health Test Kit or the Tetra Pond Test 6-in-1. These testing kits will be able to identify any chemical problems in the water; particularly pH, Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates. Further to this, the Blagdon All-in-One Fish Treatment will help to treat problems with parasites, fungal and bacterial infections, white spot and fin rot. We would also recommend that you look at how much Oxygen your pond is getting; our blog post on this can go into the aeration in greater detail, but an aerated pond will help to reduce the levels of infections.
You may also find the image below helpful for being able to identify various symptoms.
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Unexplained Death of a Fish
If you have tested the quality of your water and examined the dead fish for any potential symptoms for the cause of death, but are still searching for answers, there are a number of possibilities that could have caused a sudden death.
- Old age
- Unexpected water pollutants can affect ponds quickly such as pesticides and gardening chemicals.
- De-oxygenation can affect larger fish as they have larger oxygen requirements. Hot weather can affect this
- An Acute systemic bacterial infection can affect a fish so rapidly that symptoms don’t have time to show.
<p>In addition to the above table, we have provided various images of the diseases below.</p>
<p> </p>
<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>Disease</strong></td>
<td><strong>Symptom</strong></td>
<td><strong>Image</strong></td>
<td><strong>Treatment</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>Mouth Fungus</strong></p>
</td>
<td>Cotton wool-like growths on the Mouth</td>
<td><br /><img title="Pond Fish Mouth Fungus" src="http://pondaquariumproblemsolver.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/mouth-rot.jpg" alt="Cotton wool like growth symptoms around the mouth of the pond fish" width="200" height="150" /><strong></strong></td>
<td>
<p><a title="Anti Fungus and Bacteria Pond Fish Treatment " href="../pondxpert-fungus-and-bacteria-1000ml/p3441" target="_blank"><strong>Anti-Fungus & Bacteria</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><a title="Anti-Parasite Pond fish treatment " href="../pondxpert-antiulcer-and-parasite-1000ml/p3718" target="_blank">Anti-Parasite</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a title="All in 1 Goldfish Treatment " href="../blagdon-all-in-one-treatment-1-litre-previously-goldfish-treatment/p951" target="_blank">All-in-One Fish Treatment</a></strong>.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>Pop Eye</strong></p>
</td>
<td>Cloudy eyes / Bulging eyes</td>
<td><img src="https://thegoldfishtank.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/fish_eye-1.png" alt="Pop eye in goldfish: Why your goldfish has big swollen eyes" width="200" height="200" /><br /><strong></strong></td>
<td>
<p><strong><strong><a title="Anti-Parasite Pond Fish Treatment " href="../pondxpert-antiulcer-and-parasite-1000ml/p3718" target="_blank">Anti-Parasite</a></strong></strong></p>
<p><strong><strong><a title="Anti-Fungus and Bacteria Pond treatment " href="../pondxpert-fungus-and-bacteria-1000ml/p3441" target="_blank">Anti-Fungus & Bacteria</a></strong></strong></p>
<p><strong><strong><a title="All-in-One Pond Goldfish Treatment " href="../blagdon-all-in-one-treatment-1-litre-previously-goldfish-treatment/p951" target="_blank">All-in-One Fish Treatment</a></strong></strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Carp Pox</strong></td>
<td>Shiny cotton wool growth</td>
<td><img title="Carp Pox Pond Fish Disease" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LIzmTP9Ktag/Tfzvmzx_wuI/AAAAAAAAAIo/lKa4k3xobWw/s1600/carp+pox.jpg" alt="Shiny Growth on Ponf Fish displaying Carp Pox" width="250" height="188" /></td>
<td>
<p>Ensure good water quality.</p>
<p>Test the pond water with the <strong><a title="Tetra Pond Test 6-in-1" href="../tetra-pond-test-6in1/p1734" target="_blank">Tetra Pond Test 6-in-1</a></strong> or <strong><a title="Blagdon Pond Health Test Kit" href="../blagdon-pond-health-test-kit/p3265">Blagdon Pond Health Test Kit</a></strong>.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Anchor Worm</strong></td>
<td>Sharp spines sticking out of the Fish</td>
<td><img title="Pond Fish Anchor Worm " src="https://www.aquaticsworld.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/anchor-worms.png" alt="Sharp Spines sticking out of fish fins" width="200" height="200" /></td>
<td><strong><a title="Anti-Parasite Pond Fish Treatment " href="../pondxpert-antiulcer-and-parasite-1000ml/p3718" target="_blank">Anti-Parasite</a></strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Costia</strong></td>
<td>Grey sheen on body - Cotton wool-like strands</td>
<td><img title="Pond Fish Fungus Disease" src="http://pondaquariumproblemsolver.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Pond_fungus_bacteria_3.jpg" alt="Grey Sheen on body with cotton wool like strands on Fish" width="225" height="169" /></td>
<td><strong><a title="Anti Fungus and Bacteria Treatment " href="../pondxpert-fungus-and-bacteria-1000ml/p3441" target="_blank">Anti-Fungus & Bacteria</a></strong>. Difficult to Treat Effectively</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>White-Spot</strong></td>
<td>
<p>Tiny white spots all over the fish. </p>
<p>Caused by poor water quality; fish are also suceptible to this when stressed</p>
</td>
<td><img title="Fish White Spot" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fxnYnYdViL4/TRr5YN8OekI/AAAAAAAAAck/6zJJQ-HcZOw/s1600/white-spot-" alt="Tiny white spots all over fish " width="225" height="169" /></td>
<td>
<p><strong><strong><a title="Anti-Parasite Pond Fish Treatment " href="../pondxpert-antiulcer-and-parasite-1000ml/p3718" target="_blank">Anti-Parasite</a></strong></strong></p>
<p><strong><strong><a title="All-in-One Pond Goldfish Treatment " href="../blagdon-all-in-one-treatment-1-litre-previously-goldfish-treatment/p951" target="_blank">All-in-One Fish Treatment</a></strong></strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Fish Lice</strong></td>
<td>Small disk shaped creatures crawling all over the Fish's body.</td>
<td><img title="Pond Fish Lice" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FnzhZ67C5K4/S-pDoPnouoI/AAAAAAAABb0/UR6NcloHdf0/s1600/fish_lice.jpg" alt="Small disk shaped creatures crawling on the fish" width="196" height="177" /></td>
<td><strong><a title="Anti-Parasite Pond Fish Treatment " href="../pondxpert-antiulcer-and-parasite-1000ml/p3718" target="_blank">Anti-Parasite</a></strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Flukes</strong></td>
<td>
<p>Skin/Gill irritability</p>
<p>Fish scratching, scraping or flicking against things</p>
<p>Red sore patches on body</p>
</td>
<td><img src="https://www.tropicalfishsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/body-flukes.jpg" alt="Body Flukes Fish Disease – Tropical Fish Site" width="200" height="120" /></td>
<td>
<p><strong><a title="Anti-Parasite Pond Fish Treatment " href="../pondxpert-antiulcer-and-parasite-1000ml/p3718" target="_blank">Anti-Ulcer and Parasite</a></strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Dropsy</strong></td>
<td>
<p>Bloated body</p>
<p>Scales sticking out</p>
</td>
<td><img title="Dropsy Fish Disease" src="https://neuyasha.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/dropsy.jpg" alt="Pond fish with bloated body and scales sticking out" width="250" height="128" /></td>
<td>
<p><strong><a title="Anti-Fungus and Bacteria Treatment " href="../pondxpert-fungus-and-bacteria-1000ml/p3441" target="_blank">Anti-Fungus & Bacteria</a></strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><strong><a title="Anti Ulcer Treatment " href="../pondxpert-antiulcer-and-parasite-1000ml/p3718" target="_blank">Anti-Ulcer</a></strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Leeches</strong></td>
<td>Elongated brown/black worm protruding from the Fish</td>
<td><img title="Pond Fish Leech" src="http://thegoldfishtank.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/goldfish_leeches-1.png" alt="Elongated brown or black worms on fish" width="200" height="200" /></td>
<td>
<p><strong><a title="Anti-Parasite Pond fish treatment " href="../pondxpert-antiulcer-and-parasite-1000ml/p3718" target="_blank">Anti–Parasite</a></strong></p>
<p><strong></strong>Clean out pond to eliminate leech</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Intestinal Worms</strong></td>
<td>White skin lesions (rot)</td>
<td><img title="Intestinal Worms " src="http://www.plecoplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/photos/articles/calworm.jpg" alt="" width="169" height="225" /></td>
<td>
<p><strong><strong><a title="Anti-Parasite Pond fish treatment " href="../pondxpert-antiulcer-and-parasite-1000ml/p3718" target="_blank">Anti–Fungus & Bacteria</a></strong></strong></p>
<p>Stop feeding until cured</p>
<p><strong><a title="Benefits of Aerating your Pond" href="../blog/benefits-of-aerating-your-pond" target="_blank">Add Oxygen to the pond</a></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Velvet</strong></td>
<td>
<p>Gold/grey spots</p>
<p>Increased respiratory rate</p>
</td>
<td><img src="https://www.nano-reef.com/applications/core/interface/imageproxy/imageproxy.php?img=https://humble.fish/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/hqdefault.jpg&key=10ce5e2fe196ce8f9eeea13488c11058d5ddd05d7e0dc3574d7e0b09a12aaae6" alt="Marine Velvet - Fish Disease Information - Algae, Disease, & Pest ..." width="250" /></td>
<td><strong><a title="Anti-Parasite Pond Fish Treatment " href="../pondxpert-antiulcer-and-parasite-1000ml/p3718" target="_blank">Anti-Parasite</a></strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Fish Ulcer</strong></td>
<td>Ulcers / open wounds</td>
<td><img src="http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/uploads/newbb/4979_46e4586de4892.jpg" alt="Bacterial infection of fish with ulcers/ open wounds" width="252" height="207" /></td>
<td><strong><a title="Anti-Ulcer Treatment " href="../pondxpert-antiulcer-and-parasite-1000ml/p3718" target="_blank">Anti-Ulcer</a></strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><strong>As always if you require any further assistance then please <a title="Contact Details" href="../contact/" target="_blank">contact us</a>.</strong></p>
