Post by MADMIKE on Sept 24, 2006 20:01:19 GMT -5
Common Causes of Stress
A build up of Ammonia or Nitrites. The broken down wastes in your tank such as Ammonia which are produced from your fish and decaying food are toxic. Even in low concentrations Ammonia can lead to severely stressed fish. If a build up of Ammonia is not treated, your fish will die so it is important to be aware of the signs your fish can send you about a build up of Ammonia and nitrites.
Aggression It is no secret that a lot of fish don't get on well together. If a fish is constantly being attacked or chased by a tank mate then it will become very stressed and exhausted. It may even be damaged by the other fish and develop an infection or disease.
Tank Size You need to be very aware of the number of fish which you can keep in your tank. Having too many fish in one aquarium can overload your filtration (causing increased levels of Ammonia) and may also lead to aggression and nasty disputes over territory.
Water Conditions Fish have specific preferences for pH, hardness, and some even prefer a level of salinity. Tap water which contains chemicals such as chlorine is dangerous and needs to be treated using water conditioner which is available at any half decent fish shop. Fish can usually tolerate a slight change from their preferred conditions but they will have trouble adjusting to very sudden or frequent changes from their preferred state.
Water Temperature If the temperature of the water in your aquarium is not within the acceptable range for your fish then they will become stressed and the extra work it has to do to stay alive will run it, and it's immune system down.
Medication Always be sure to read the label of any medications which you add to your tank. Some fish such as Clown Loaches may not be able to tolerate a full dose of medication while others may not be able to stand much at all. You should also be aware of medications which could be harmful to the nutrifying bacteria in your tank.
Oxygen Oxygen levels can drop due to overcrowding or inadequate aeration and this will cause stress. Also, if your aquarium has very low levels of oxygen in the water then the beneficial bacteria in the filter will not work as well as they could and this can lead to an increase in Ammonia.
Lonely Fish Fish that school in nature will never feel comfortable unless they are in a group of their own kind. Even non-schooling fish will be lonely if they have no tank mates at all or another member of the same species. However there are exceptions and some species will be particularly aggressive to fish of their own species.
Poor Nutrition A malnourished fish will be a stressed fish. Most cichlids are omnivores and will eat both vegetable (including flake) and meat food. You should make sure that they get a good mix of both. Poor quality flakes can also leave a fish malnourished and they may refuse to eat it at all.
Common Signs of Stress
Most of the signs of stress outlined below can be treated, in part, using the same method. This treatment is outlined at the bottom of the page. If you see any of the following signs in your aquarium, or if you have recently had a couple of deaths in the tank, then you should commence treatment immediately.
These are just a few of the most common signs of stress:
1. Glancing - This is where a fish rubs itself on gravel, rocks or ornaments. Glancing is easy to spot if you are paying attention to the aquarium. You will see the fish swimming around as per usual and then suddenly 'skim' itself along a rock or against the gravel. The fish does this because it is itchy and this is usually the result of a build up of ammonia or minerals in the water. If the tank is not treated, the fish will develop more serious signs of stress and disease and may damage itself along the rocks. If you see your fish glancing, you should treat your aquarium immediately using the treatment described at the bottom of the page.
2. Crashed on the Bottom - When a fish is sitting on the bottom of the tank and does not swim for a long period of time, this is usually a sign that they are exhausted. If this happens then your fish is either being bullied and chased by some of the tank mates, or quite often they have been sick, and have probably showed other signs of stress such as gasping, shimmying, or clamped fins. By this stage, you should have already noticed a problem and treated the tank but if not, it should be done immediately as the fish may still be cured. Once you have treated the tank you should watch to make sure that the fish is not being harassed by anything else. If it is being bullied, you should try to separate the fish from one another using a divider or another tank. If the fish does die, you should look for any signs of disease on the body, as other tank mates may become infected.
3. Clamped Fins - The fish has its fins held close to its body. If you notice some of your fish have clamped fins then you should treat them immediately by following the directions at the bottom of the page. This is usually curable and this treatment will help to avoid more serious problems.
4. Shimmying - This is when the fish looks like it is swimming quite fast, but is actually not moving around. This is a very obvious sign of stress but may be confused with a mating display which some cichlids perform. If you notice that your fish are shimmying then keep an eye on them. If you have a pair of the same species of cichlid, check to see whether they are male and female (click here to open our page on 'sexing') and if so, look for some of the other signs of mating such as cleaning rocks, or digging a hole. If they don't appear to be mating, follow the recommended treatment for stress at the bottom of the page.
5. Sores - Red and white sores can be caused by many thing such as fighting, scratching on rocks (possibly from Glancing), infected wounds, or disease. It is important to take a good look at your fish every couple of days to check for these sores as they are usually curable when they are still small. If the fish is left, the sores may become worse and the chance of treatment is heavily reduced. Don't panic if you notice a couple of scales have been dislodged on one of your fish, just make sure that you keep a good eye on it for the next couple of days (which is all it should take to heal provided nothing goes wrong). Sores are usually recognizable as a slight, discolored depression in the side of the fish but may also be slightly raised. If you do notice a sore on one of your fish, or are just concerned about something that 'looks a little off', check out the diseases section on this site, do a search on the internet, follow the treatment procedure at the bottom of this page, and speak to someone at your local fish shop who knows what they are talking about.
6. Gasping at the surface of the water - This gasping is caused by a lack of oxygen in the water, or an inability of the fish to properly draw the oxygen from it. Check your airline and filter and make sure that everything is working as it should. It might not hurt to add an air stone for a while to see if it makes any difference. You should also check the temperature of the tank to make sure that it is within a suitable range for that type of fish.
If the surface of the water is covered with scum then try scooping out a couple of inches of water from the top and replace this with fresh or treated water. I have read that you could also try adding aquarium salt at a dosage of 1 tablesthingy of aquarium salt for every 5 gallons of water in the tank. Check out the treatment at the bottom of this page.
7. Loss of Appetite - If you notice that some of your fish are not eating or are taking food in their mouth and then spitting it out a few moments later, then you should check whether the fish is showing any of the other signs of stress, has any signs of disease, or whether any of the other fish are making this fish miserable. As with the other signs of stress, you should follow the treatment below. A few cichlids such as Oscars and Severums will become very fussy if they are fed too much live or frozen foods such as bloodworm and may begin ignoring flake. If you have been giving them quite a bit of these types of meaty foods, you might just have a fussy fish to deal with.
8. Fish stays hidden - If one of your fish seems to be unusually timid then they are probably being bullied, or it could be that there is not enough cover such as caves and rocks available. A lot of fish need to have these hiding places available for them to feel secure so try adding a few things which they can hide under.
The Treatment
This treatment is fairly straight forward and basically involves a thorough clean of your aquarium and a few extra water changes. This will help to remove any toxins which have built up in your aquarium.
1. Scrub the inside of the glass of the aquarium to remove any algae or scum which has built up. Try to do all walls of the aquarium and give the glass lid a good scrub in a wash basin to remove any algae which may have built up near the filter where the water laps up onto the lid. Make sure that you only use a brand new cloth or sponge which has been thoroughly rinsed out to remove any chemicals. You can actually buy aquarium safe sponges from many pet shops. You should never use any kind of soap or bleach to clean your aquarium or anything that goes in it. You should also scrub any rocks or ornaments in the aquarium, and if you have an internal filter, give that a good wipe over as well. You don't need to pull everything out of your aquarium, just give it a good wipe over.
2. Vacuum your gravel and change some of the water. These two jobs can usually be performed at once using a gravel siphon. Siphon the gravel until you have removed 20% of the water. If you have not cleaned all of the gravel in this time, wait until tomorrow and then do it again. You should never remove more than 20% of the water in one go. Uneaten food and solid wastes will often become trapped in the gravel and when they break down they will produce Ammonia. This is why it is very important to vacuum your gravel and change some water on a regular basis. You should do this every day until you have cleaned out all of the gravel in your aquarium. If you suspect that a build up of Ammonia is the cause of stress in your fish, you should continue to change 20% of the water every day until your fish stop showing signs of stress.
3. Adjust the temperature of your aquarium. Increasing the temperature slightly (around 4 degrees to a maximum of 82 degrees F) in your aquarium will help to combat disease and infection. Obviously, if the water temperature in your aquarium is already too high then this may be the cause of the stress and you will need to reduce it. In most cases however you should increase the temperature a little for around four days and then drop it back by 4 degrees. You may need to do this a couple of times.
4. Pay more attention to how much you feed your fish. If you are putting too much food into the tank then the uneaten particles will sink to the bottom and begin to break down in the gravel. Keep an eye on how much food is left in the tank 5 minutes after feeding. If there is any excess particles, remove them using a net and feed your fish a little less next time.
5. Medicate. Following the first 4 steps will bring the levels of toxins in the water back to a safe level and help your fish to stay healthy. However, if your fish have a disease or infection then you will need to add a dose of medication to the tank. You should always be cautious when using medication and it would be best to have a chat with someone in your local fish shop to find out what is most suitable for you. There are a number of products available such as 'Quick Cure' which combat both fungal and bacterial diseases in your tank. The directions for use are on the label.
You may also want to add a dose of aquarium salt (you cannot use normal table salt!). Aquarium salt should only be added once and you need to be careful with your dosage. Have a chat with someone who knows what they are talking about. Aquarium salt can be very good at combating disease so it is worth your while to go over to your local fish shop and talk to someone about it. When adding aquarium salt to your tank you will need to make sure that you dilute it in some water before it is added as a high concentration will burn your fish if it comes in contact with them. See the bottom of our page about disease for more detailed information about salt treatment.
A build up of Ammonia or Nitrites. The broken down wastes in your tank such as Ammonia which are produced from your fish and decaying food are toxic. Even in low concentrations Ammonia can lead to severely stressed fish. If a build up of Ammonia is not treated, your fish will die so it is important to be aware of the signs your fish can send you about a build up of Ammonia and nitrites.
Aggression It is no secret that a lot of fish don't get on well together. If a fish is constantly being attacked or chased by a tank mate then it will become very stressed and exhausted. It may even be damaged by the other fish and develop an infection or disease.
Tank Size You need to be very aware of the number of fish which you can keep in your tank. Having too many fish in one aquarium can overload your filtration (causing increased levels of Ammonia) and may also lead to aggression and nasty disputes over territory.
Water Conditions Fish have specific preferences for pH, hardness, and some even prefer a level of salinity. Tap water which contains chemicals such as chlorine is dangerous and needs to be treated using water conditioner which is available at any half decent fish shop. Fish can usually tolerate a slight change from their preferred conditions but they will have trouble adjusting to very sudden or frequent changes from their preferred state.
Water Temperature If the temperature of the water in your aquarium is not within the acceptable range for your fish then they will become stressed and the extra work it has to do to stay alive will run it, and it's immune system down.
Medication Always be sure to read the label of any medications which you add to your tank. Some fish such as Clown Loaches may not be able to tolerate a full dose of medication while others may not be able to stand much at all. You should also be aware of medications which could be harmful to the nutrifying bacteria in your tank.
Oxygen Oxygen levels can drop due to overcrowding or inadequate aeration and this will cause stress. Also, if your aquarium has very low levels of oxygen in the water then the beneficial bacteria in the filter will not work as well as they could and this can lead to an increase in Ammonia.
Lonely Fish Fish that school in nature will never feel comfortable unless they are in a group of their own kind. Even non-schooling fish will be lonely if they have no tank mates at all or another member of the same species. However there are exceptions and some species will be particularly aggressive to fish of their own species.
Poor Nutrition A malnourished fish will be a stressed fish. Most cichlids are omnivores and will eat both vegetable (including flake) and meat food. You should make sure that they get a good mix of both. Poor quality flakes can also leave a fish malnourished and they may refuse to eat it at all.
Common Signs of Stress
Most of the signs of stress outlined below can be treated, in part, using the same method. This treatment is outlined at the bottom of the page. If you see any of the following signs in your aquarium, or if you have recently had a couple of deaths in the tank, then you should commence treatment immediately.
These are just a few of the most common signs of stress:
1. Glancing - This is where a fish rubs itself on gravel, rocks or ornaments. Glancing is easy to spot if you are paying attention to the aquarium. You will see the fish swimming around as per usual and then suddenly 'skim' itself along a rock or against the gravel. The fish does this because it is itchy and this is usually the result of a build up of ammonia or minerals in the water. If the tank is not treated, the fish will develop more serious signs of stress and disease and may damage itself along the rocks. If you see your fish glancing, you should treat your aquarium immediately using the treatment described at the bottom of the page.
2. Crashed on the Bottom - When a fish is sitting on the bottom of the tank and does not swim for a long period of time, this is usually a sign that they are exhausted. If this happens then your fish is either being bullied and chased by some of the tank mates, or quite often they have been sick, and have probably showed other signs of stress such as gasping, shimmying, or clamped fins. By this stage, you should have already noticed a problem and treated the tank but if not, it should be done immediately as the fish may still be cured. Once you have treated the tank you should watch to make sure that the fish is not being harassed by anything else. If it is being bullied, you should try to separate the fish from one another using a divider or another tank. If the fish does die, you should look for any signs of disease on the body, as other tank mates may become infected.
3. Clamped Fins - The fish has its fins held close to its body. If you notice some of your fish have clamped fins then you should treat them immediately by following the directions at the bottom of the page. This is usually curable and this treatment will help to avoid more serious problems.
4. Shimmying - This is when the fish looks like it is swimming quite fast, but is actually not moving around. This is a very obvious sign of stress but may be confused with a mating display which some cichlids perform. If you notice that your fish are shimmying then keep an eye on them. If you have a pair of the same species of cichlid, check to see whether they are male and female (click here to open our page on 'sexing') and if so, look for some of the other signs of mating such as cleaning rocks, or digging a hole. If they don't appear to be mating, follow the recommended treatment for stress at the bottom of the page.
5. Sores - Red and white sores can be caused by many thing such as fighting, scratching on rocks (possibly from Glancing), infected wounds, or disease. It is important to take a good look at your fish every couple of days to check for these sores as they are usually curable when they are still small. If the fish is left, the sores may become worse and the chance of treatment is heavily reduced. Don't panic if you notice a couple of scales have been dislodged on one of your fish, just make sure that you keep a good eye on it for the next couple of days (which is all it should take to heal provided nothing goes wrong). Sores are usually recognizable as a slight, discolored depression in the side of the fish but may also be slightly raised. If you do notice a sore on one of your fish, or are just concerned about something that 'looks a little off', check out the diseases section on this site, do a search on the internet, follow the treatment procedure at the bottom of this page, and speak to someone at your local fish shop who knows what they are talking about.
6. Gasping at the surface of the water - This gasping is caused by a lack of oxygen in the water, or an inability of the fish to properly draw the oxygen from it. Check your airline and filter and make sure that everything is working as it should. It might not hurt to add an air stone for a while to see if it makes any difference. You should also check the temperature of the tank to make sure that it is within a suitable range for that type of fish.
If the surface of the water is covered with scum then try scooping out a couple of inches of water from the top and replace this with fresh or treated water. I have read that you could also try adding aquarium salt at a dosage of 1 tablesthingy of aquarium salt for every 5 gallons of water in the tank. Check out the treatment at the bottom of this page.
7. Loss of Appetite - If you notice that some of your fish are not eating or are taking food in their mouth and then spitting it out a few moments later, then you should check whether the fish is showing any of the other signs of stress, has any signs of disease, or whether any of the other fish are making this fish miserable. As with the other signs of stress, you should follow the treatment below. A few cichlids such as Oscars and Severums will become very fussy if they are fed too much live or frozen foods such as bloodworm and may begin ignoring flake. If you have been giving them quite a bit of these types of meaty foods, you might just have a fussy fish to deal with.
8. Fish stays hidden - If one of your fish seems to be unusually timid then they are probably being bullied, or it could be that there is not enough cover such as caves and rocks available. A lot of fish need to have these hiding places available for them to feel secure so try adding a few things which they can hide under.
The Treatment
This treatment is fairly straight forward and basically involves a thorough clean of your aquarium and a few extra water changes. This will help to remove any toxins which have built up in your aquarium.
1. Scrub the inside of the glass of the aquarium to remove any algae or scum which has built up. Try to do all walls of the aquarium and give the glass lid a good scrub in a wash basin to remove any algae which may have built up near the filter where the water laps up onto the lid. Make sure that you only use a brand new cloth or sponge which has been thoroughly rinsed out to remove any chemicals. You can actually buy aquarium safe sponges from many pet shops. You should never use any kind of soap or bleach to clean your aquarium or anything that goes in it. You should also scrub any rocks or ornaments in the aquarium, and if you have an internal filter, give that a good wipe over as well. You don't need to pull everything out of your aquarium, just give it a good wipe over.
2. Vacuum your gravel and change some of the water. These two jobs can usually be performed at once using a gravel siphon. Siphon the gravel until you have removed 20% of the water. If you have not cleaned all of the gravel in this time, wait until tomorrow and then do it again. You should never remove more than 20% of the water in one go. Uneaten food and solid wastes will often become trapped in the gravel and when they break down they will produce Ammonia. This is why it is very important to vacuum your gravel and change some water on a regular basis. You should do this every day until you have cleaned out all of the gravel in your aquarium. If you suspect that a build up of Ammonia is the cause of stress in your fish, you should continue to change 20% of the water every day until your fish stop showing signs of stress.
3. Adjust the temperature of your aquarium. Increasing the temperature slightly (around 4 degrees to a maximum of 82 degrees F) in your aquarium will help to combat disease and infection. Obviously, if the water temperature in your aquarium is already too high then this may be the cause of the stress and you will need to reduce it. In most cases however you should increase the temperature a little for around four days and then drop it back by 4 degrees. You may need to do this a couple of times.
4. Pay more attention to how much you feed your fish. If you are putting too much food into the tank then the uneaten particles will sink to the bottom and begin to break down in the gravel. Keep an eye on how much food is left in the tank 5 minutes after feeding. If there is any excess particles, remove them using a net and feed your fish a little less next time.
5. Medicate. Following the first 4 steps will bring the levels of toxins in the water back to a safe level and help your fish to stay healthy. However, if your fish have a disease or infection then you will need to add a dose of medication to the tank. You should always be cautious when using medication and it would be best to have a chat with someone in your local fish shop to find out what is most suitable for you. There are a number of products available such as 'Quick Cure' which combat both fungal and bacterial diseases in your tank. The directions for use are on the label.
You may also want to add a dose of aquarium salt (you cannot use normal table salt!). Aquarium salt should only be added once and you need to be careful with your dosage. Have a chat with someone who knows what they are talking about. Aquarium salt can be very good at combating disease so it is worth your while to go over to your local fish shop and talk to someone about it. When adding aquarium salt to your tank you will need to make sure that you dilute it in some water before it is added as a high concentration will burn your fish if it comes in contact with them. See the bottom of our page about disease for more detailed information about salt treatment.