Tropical Fish
Goldfish Bacterial Infections
The diagnosis, treatment and cure of goldfish bacterial infections is the subject of a recent post found in AquariumBliss.com dealing with the ways that these problems can be dealt with effectively. Unfortunately in my experience, the treatment of these cool water fish is not easy at all. Actually the treatment regime for these problems bears out my feelings for treating goldfish bacterial infections:
Use Short-term baths for a few hours each day using anti-bacterial products such as potassium permanganate or antibiotics.
Use Topical treatments: For open sores it is recommended to wash them in iodine or hydrogen peroxide solution and apply antibiotic ointment. Topical treatments can use in minor to moderate cases.
Medicated food These are specially prepared foods containing antibiotics. You can prepare your own medicated food by top-dressing ordinary food with an appropriate antibiotic.
Antibiotics (injectable) This usually course of five injections over a ten-day period in combination with topical treatments. The positive side of this method is a high cure rate (over 90% cure).
These methods are used for a number of goldfish bacterial infections including fin rot, bacterial body ulcers, bacterial gill disease and systemic bacterial infections.
Treating Goldfish Bacterial Infections is difficult
As you can see by the four treatment methods, there is a lot of hands-on style work to be done. While the injection of the fish with antibiotics offer a 90% cure rate, it is rare that a hobbyist is will to provide actual injections to a fish. Access to an effective antibiotic is getting harder and harder to come by, so this method, even if the aquarists is willing to use it, could be illegal in his area. For the most part it is extremely difficult to get medicated food. Again the rules and regulations for treating with antibiotics prevents the common fish hobbyist the ability to use medicated food for treating goldfish bacterial infections.
Most aquarists are able to provide baths and dips as their only treatment course. In many cases using a strong brine dip will help the fish, bt finding an antibiotic cream to be put directly on the goldfish is again a real problem. Often the only recourse is to use a dip and house in a quarantine tank.
About
Steve Pond, of Tropical Fish Aquarist, has kept fish both personally and professionally for over 50 years. He writes regularly on the wide range of current topics that are important to people who keep tropical fish tanks as a passion and a hobby.
Tagged brine drip, goldfish bacterial infections, injections, treatment options
