Checking the fish

You should check your fish EVERYDAY for signs of stress and disease. An observant
aquarist will be able to spot abnormal behavior in his fish in the earlier stages. Speed is
definitely an important factor here. The faster you are able to spot any undesirable signs
in your aquarium, the faster you can start rectifying matters. Any infection needs to be
stopped in its initial stages to limit the damages. Here are some obvious signs of stress
that will help you to help your fish:
�� Clamped Fins is a very bad sign. In this case, the fish holds
its fins very close to its body, not letting it move away from the
body. You need to treat these fish immediately.
�� The fish seems to be swimming very fast, but it stays at the
same place. This is called Shimmying. Shimmying is easy to spot
and if treated quickly, you can cure the fish completely.
�� Sores on the body of a fish can usually be spotted with the
naked eye. Fish develop sores for many reasons, e.g. when fighting
with other fish, scraping against the obstacles in the aquarium and
when affected by disease. Many a time, the sores get curedautomatically. If the conditions in your aquarium are not optimal,
or if the fish is already much stressed, the sores will instead
become bigger. In that case they have to be treated, not only to
save that fish, but also to prevent spread of infection. The
underlying factors must naturally also be corrected.
�� White spots on the body of the fish are called "Ich Spots".
This is a very common disease of the fish, and if treated early it
can be controlled and cured.
�� Fish that have crashed at the bottom of the aquarium are
usually down due to sheer exhaustion. Quite often, this fish has
shown other signs of sickness like sores or shimmying, and these
have been ignored. Now the fish are too stressed out and tired. The
chances of curing these fish are more remote.
�� When a fish rubs itself on the sides of the aquarium, or on
the rocks, this is called "Glancing". It does this because it is itchy.
Itching can be caused by a wide range of problems, including Ich.
�� Lack or loss of appetite is another bad sign. If the fish does
not eat properly, or throws out the food immediately after it takes it
inside its mouth, there is something to watch out for.
�� If the fish seems to be hovering at the top of the aquarium
and "gasping" for breath, there is a lack of oxygen in its aquarium
These are the common symptoms that indicate the start of a disease or extreme stress.
Ignoring these symptoms will lead to more serious symptoms. Once the initial stages
have been crossed, it is very difficult to bring the fish back into good health