What is “dropsy?” Well, to start off, “dropsy” is NOT a disease. “Dropsy” describes a condition where a fish’s body balloons outward and their scales start to stick out, looking like a pinecone. This syndrome is caused by excess water in the body cavity or coelom. Excess water collects in the skin between the scales …
Alright, we’ve cleared up the internet’s favorite fish diagnoses: swim bladder, dropsy, constipation and mystical green peas, but what about that “white fish poop?” Somehow, many internet diagnoses involve this mysterious phenomenon in fish and have linked it to internal parasites. Well, let us set the record straight… White fish poop is a poop with …
How can you tell if your fish is sick? Here are the physical signs of disease in fish you should keep an eye out for if you owner fish. Behavioral signs of disease will be addressed in the next post. Trauma Most trauma events in fish present as open wounds. The fish above was in …
One of the internets favorite fish “diagnoses” is a “constipated goldfish.” What is “constipation?” It is the inability to pass fecal material usually due to dehydration or lack of fiber in the diet. Thankfully, goldfish are physiologically built to never be constipated. Freshwater fish physiology prevents constipated goldfish Why is my goldfish NOT constipated? Imagine …
** This page contains affiliate links where we get a small percentage of your purchase for our recommendations. ** Salt is a normal component of many fish systems. Saltwater and brackish systems require salt on a continual basis. But what about freshwater systems? Some internet pages recommend an occasional salt treatment or a low salinity …
We’ve already established that fish get sick, so what are the signs of sick fish you should be on the lookout for? Signs of illness can be broken down into two categories: physical and behavioral. Physical Signs of Sick Fish These indicators of illness can be very easy to spot. Physical signs of disease include: …
The internet is a wonderful, magical place offering multiple sources of free fish help. Because if it’s published on the internet, it must be true, right? Sorry to tell you, but Dr. Google does not have any sort of medical degree. Have you read all about the magic of tiny green peas and the dreaded …
Goldfish are the most common pet fish we see at aquatic veterinary services. Be they comets or fancy, they have their own sets of unique issues. Does your goldfish live in a bowl? If your goldfish currently resides in a fish bowl, an upgrade to a tank with a filter is the best thing you …
One of the most common questions our veterinary gets asked is, “what does the typical day of the aquatic veterinarian look like?” Even in the traditional small animal practice, cases and patients vary daily, but for a traveling all-fish veterinarian, the variety increases exponentially. Our chief veterinarian’s day varies widely, taking into account different species, …
Over the last few months, our office has seen several cases of mycobacteria in pet fish, also commonly known as fish tuberculosis. Never heard of it before? Well, here’s everything you need to know: Mycobacteria spp. aka Fish Tuberculosis Depending on your fish experience, you may have heard a lot or very little about the …
Here’s a list of the most common mistakes fish owners that cause health issues. Keeping fish couldn’t be simpler! Get tank, add water and then add fish, right? Well, I’m sorry to say it just isn’t that easy. Here are the 10 top mistakes that all new fish owners make. Not Learning About Fish Prior …
Greetings blog readers and fish enthusiasts! Hope you were able to catch my radio show yesterday. In my first broadcast, I focused on the path to becoming a veterinarian, from my younger years all the way up to the present. We were able to see a contrasting opinion, that of the human medicine side, from …