Quarantine
Symptoms: Round or oval skin ulcers with a reddish border; sometimes deep necrosis Cause: Aeromonas in poor-quality water, stress due to low temperatures Treatment: Systemic antibiotic (oxytetracycline, amoxicillin in feed), cleaning the ulcer with an antiseptic (chloramine-T), improving water quality.
High-Temperature Columnaris Disease (Flavobacterium columnare, dry strain)
Differential diagnosis: The "chronic" form (temperature < 20°C) progresses slowly. The "acute" form (> 25°C) can be fatal within hours. Diagnosis: A powdery/cottony appearance different from Saprolegnia (drier, less filamentous). Treatment: See 11.3. The acute form requires immediate treatment.
QUICK DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE
By visual symptom
| Symptom | Initial suspicion | Second Suspicion |
|---|---|---|
| Small, round, white grains like salt | Ich (Ichthyophthirius / Cryptocaryon) | Oodinium (finer) |
| Very fine gold powder | Velvet (Oodinium / Amyloodinium) | — |
| Cotton-like white veils | Saprolegnia (fungus) | Columnaris |
| Red worms poking out of the anus | Camallanus | — |
| Clouded eye/cataract | Diplostomum (parasitic) or bacterial | Physical Trauma |
| Raised scales (pineapple) | Edema / Ascites (bacterial) | — |
| Bloated Abdomen | Hydrops, Ascites, Hexamita | Constipation, swimming bladder |
| Fins that may be / frayed | Columnaris / Aeromonas | Wound + Fungal Infection |
| White nodules on the florets (cauliflower) | Lymphocystis (viral) | — |
| Red sores on the skin of a marine animal | Uronema / Aeromonas | Traumatic injury |
| Excessive mucus + sea water | Brooklynella / Monogamous | Ich Marino |
| Whitish spot on marine skin | Ich marino or Benedenia | Brooklynella |
| Flatworms in Corals | Polyclad Flatworms | — |
| Whitish feces in freshwater fish | Hexamita / intestinal parasite | Constipation |
| Swimming in a spiral/circles | Neurological bacterial infection | Bladder Torsion |
| Color loss + curvature | Neon Syndrome (Pleistophora) | Microsporidiosis |
By Aquarium Type
Freshwater only: Ich, Velvet, Saprolegnia, Camallanus, Diplostomum, Planaria Found only in seawater: Marine Ich, Marine Velvet, Brooklynella, Uronema, Benedenia/Neobenedenia, Parasitic Dinos In both types of water: Columnaris, Aeromonas, Monogeneans (various genera), Hexamita, Mycobacteriosis, Lymphocystis
COMMON MEDICATIONS AND THEIR USES
| Medication | Type | For | Invertebrates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malachite green | Antiseptic | Ich, velvet, fungi | TOXIC |
| Rock salt (NaCl) | Osmotic | I, nitrites, external bacteria | TOXIC to shrimp |
| Seachem Prime | Detoxifying | NH3/NO2 Emergencies | ✅ Safe |
| Kanamycin | Antibiotic | Systemic bacterial infection | Damages the biofilter |
| Metronidazole | Antiparasitic/antibacterial | Hexamita, anaerobic organisms | ⚠️ Caution |
| Praziquantel | Antiparasitic | Trematodes, Diplostomum | ✅ Relatively safe |
| Fenbendazole | Anthelmintic | Planarians, nematodes | It can affect shrimp |
| Chelated copper | Antiparasitic | Ich marino, velvet | ❌ LETHAL to invertebrates |
| Levamisole | Anthelmintic | Camallanus (red worms) | ⚠️ Caution: Shrimp |
QUARANTINE AQUARIUM
Why It's Essential
- Observe new fish for 2–4 weeks before introducing them to the main aquarium
- Treating diseases without affecting the main aquarium (biofilter, invertebrates, corals)
- Detect parasites before they contaminate everything
Minimum Quarantine Setup
- 40–80-Liter Aquarium
- Mature sponge filter (or main filter media)
- Heater
- Without a substrate (for the drugs to be effective)
- Hide-and-Seek (PVC pipe, flowerpot)
- Basic Lighting
- Cover
Marine Quarantine Protocol (Two-Container Method)
Divide the quarantine tank into two 40-liter containers. Move the fish from one container to the other every 48 hours, using clean water. The parasites fall into the empty bucket → they die without a host. Copper treatment in parallel tanks.