Infections show up all the time. These are wounds / defects in the skin and fins, even mouths and eyes that are eroding and “getting bigger and wider.” Practically speaking, the fish is rotting away. So terms like “finrot, tailrot, mouthrot, body sores, ulcer disease” are all used for what they’re seeing.
Infections can indicate MANY THINGS.
Appearance of infections can say the temperature IS, or HAS been “all wrong” for this species of fish. Too cold, or too hot. Even if it was for a day or two. It can set up infections. Make sure the temperature is right for the species you’re keeping. MOST often it’s when pond fish have over wintered and it’s been cold. In the spring as the water warms up the infections (sores and rotten bits) start to show up.
Infections say “There may be parasites going on.” because the fish experience considerable stress and loss of condition PLUS – every place the parasites damage the skin: Infections can get in.
Infections say “These fish were over-handled and abused.” which isn’t really always somebody’s fault. Handling from warehouse to pet shop, then pet shop to your house is handling stress and “abuse” even if we don’t mean it.
Infections say “These fish may have been ‘burned’ by bad water”. Sometimes it’s high ammonia and super-low pH in a shipping bag. They call that “Bag Burn”. Other times it’s just the tank at your house has high ammonia or super low pH or some other water quality issue wrecking the fishes’ skin.
Why does this matter? Because if any of the above “causes” or “contributors” continues in the case, you WILL NOT SAVE THE INFECTED FISH.
For example, if the fish remain “too cold” or “too hot” they will not be able to fight the infection.
If the fish remain parasitized they will never survive. And if the fish remain in water quality that is inadequate or even TOXIC, they cannot make it.
So people get all mad at the remedy, say, Life Guard medicine, because the fish still died. Except the reason the fish died was because the fish keeper didn’t check the water and it was a super-low, CRASHED pH the whole time. No amount of antibiotics will save infected fish if their water is terrible.
This is why I set up the book to be a ‘comprehensive step-by-step’ document that holds you by the hand and tells you IN ORDER what things to check. Temperature, crowding, handling, pH, and on and on.
Once you realize the fish are infected, getting them a “cure” is only possible when you fix the ACTUAL cause of the infection.
There are bunches and bunches of ways to fight infections, but medicated food and baths, in antibiotics as well as hypodermic injections of antibiotics are all effective. They are also beyond the scope of this website and should be better supported in the book as well as conserved resources from the book.
Infections: Much Deeper (Videos and Further Resources)
