Fish diseases

Question 1

What fish diseases are there?

Answer 1

Commensals
Many parasites
Viruses, bacteria, fungi
Few outright pathogens
Tumours (carp pox ‘candlewax’)
Pollutants
Predators (trauma)
Sunburn (benign SCC)

Question 2

Basic therapeutics for fish

Answer 2

Salt: 1g/L/day for 3 days -> 3g/L total

1/3 water change -> 50% ‘badstuff’ dilution at acceptable stress. NB: heat stress, salinity stress, and chloring mitigation

Uniprim/trimediazole. 1/5 sachet/kg pelleted food + 20/30ml of veg oil as binder

Amikin (Amikacin) injectable

Gentamycin (Care)? Nephrotoxic so don’t inject into caudal peduncle

Iodine

Orabase - used for cold sores in humans

Question 3

Basic anaesthesia for fish

Answer 3

MS222 (or Benzocaine in acetone) - use as ‘inhalation’ anaesthetic in water. Note progressive deepening of anaesthesia with time. Caution re fish that need active flow of water (rare in pet fish)

Clove oil (eugenol) - Koi Calm. Useful sedative for transport stress/light anaesthesia

2-phenoxyethanol - AquaSed. Mildly irritant.