What to do when a parrotfish is belly-up? First, look at these signs before death
Many people in everyday life like to keep some brightly colored, beautiful or rather unusual fish at home; looking at beautiful, lively fish lifts your mood. Parrotfish are a very popular ornamental fish, but recently the parrotfish bought and kept at home has been turning belly-up - what should be done? What signs appear before a parrotfish dies?
Signs before a parrotfish dies
No appetite, almost no activity, only the motion of rubbing against the bottom sand or tank walls, and “white fuzz disease” is very itchy. Tankmates are very likely to be infected too. White fuzz disease is actually a fungal infection, caused by mold in the water, and infection is very easy when a fish is injured. The fungal hyphae wrap around and stick to the cells and tissues of the wound, causing tissue necrosis. At the same time the sick fish's appetite declines, and it eventually dies.
How to save a parrotfish that is belly-up
The parrotfish may have swim bladder disorder.
Signs of onset: the fish cannot control its position in the water, sometimes it can only rise from the bottom with its greatest effort; sometimes it cannot leave the water surface, and may even float upside down at the surface. If the problem is not caused by another disease, then the issue may be malfunction of the swim bladder. It may also be insufficient exercise and overfeeding, leading to gastrointestinal disturbance (feces and fat block the air inside the swim bladder so it cannot regulate, and too much air inside makes the fish's belly point upward, so raising the water temperature is meant to help the stomach and intestines move a bit better and make the fish more active, thereby restoring the regulating function); use gastrointestinal medicine (human medicine also works) mixed with food to feed it!
It may also be due to congenital balance disorder, or too much ammonia nitrogen in the water, causing poisoning in the fish.
Recommended treatment: for this condition, there is no effective treatment. Since this disease is triggered by cold water, slightly raising the temperature plus a moderate (1%) saltwater bath often relieves the symptoms. Feeding water fleas or worms to improve digestion helps with treatment.
Increase water changes, keep the water quality stable, and try feeding various antibiotics.
Common diseases of parrotfish
1. Bacterial diseases: roughly, gill ulceration and body surface damage are the most common. Symptoms are reduced activity of the fish, poor appetite, rapid breathing, etc. At this point the gills are actually in serious trouble, but externally it still cannot really be seen; only by lifting the gill cover to check can the ulcerated tissue be seen. For treatment and prevention, antibiotics can be used; generally, medicine for treating rotten gills can provide simple prevention and control.
2. Fungal diseases: this type of disease is mainly caused by mold. Generally, when fish are covered by fungus, it mostly grows on the body surface; at this time the fish will rub against the bottom sand or tank walls. Generally, medicine for treating water mold can provide simple prevention and treatment, but as long as a good environment and suitable temperature are provided, fungal problems can instead be reduced.
3. Parasitic diseases: parasitic diseases occur in aquarium tanks with extremely poor water quality, mainly caused by white spot parasites and flagellates. Once there are too many parasites on the body, the blood parrot will gradually become thin and its body color will fade, but parasitic diseases are generally relatively easy to treat; just give a medicated bath, supplemented with commercially available medicine for treating white spot disease, and the white spot parasites will naturally be cured!
How to prevent and treat bacterial diseases in parrotfish
Roughly, gill ulceration and body surface damage are the most common. Symptoms are reduced activity of the fish, poor appetite, rapid breathing, and the sick fish drifting weakly at the water surface unable to sink. At this point the gills are actually in serious trouble, but externally it still cannot be seen; only by lifting the gill cover to check can the ulcerated tissue be seen. In severe cases the gill filaments lose blood and turn white, the eyeballs bulge out and become cloudy, the abdomen swells with fluid, and the genital pore and nearby skin become congested, red and swollen. The treatment method is to soak in a 15 ml/cubic meter formalin solution for one hour, then completely change the water. After two days, this can be used once more. At the same time, feed the fish medicated food: mix erythromycin into the bait at a dose of 50 mg per kilogram of fish per day, and feed continuously for three weeks.
The above is a summary of treatment methods for parrotfish diseases; we hope it is helpful to everyone. In fact, the parrotfish is a particularly easy ornamental fish to keep, with strong vitality, and if any illness appears, as long as it is treated promptly, there will be no problem.