Even if you’re the best at taking care of fish, there will still be issues. Problems will happen, often at the least convenient times.
Nature doesn’t always go by our schedule. The best thing to do when a problem arises is to already have a solution ready.
This article lists the most common problems you may face with your fish. It will help you and your fish handle any situation.
Even if you don’t currently have a problem, it’s a good idea to read through the article. It will prepare you for any potential issues.
1. Physical Fish Problems
It’s important to closely monitor your fish daily to quickly spot any health issues, aggression, equipment problems, or feeding issues.
Some common physical problems you should look for are damaged fins, lost scales, cloudy eyes, or unusual white spots or fungus on the body.
If you see any of these signs, you should take immediate action. Move the sick fish to a separate tank, called a hospital tank, for treatment.
If you don’t have any special chemicals for treatment, you can turn off the lights in the hospital tank to help reduce the fish’s stress.
Once you’re ready to put your fish back into the main tank, you should first ensure that they have been free of any diseases for at least two weeks after their treatment.
There may be other issues that arise, and you should be prepared to address them.
How to Resolve Fish Fighting Problem?
You can’t always be sure two fish will get along until they’re in the same tank. Sometimes, they might fight.
If this happens a lot, you need to take out the fish that starts the fights.
You can do this by putting food in the tank to make it swim to the top, then catch it with a net.
Or, you could use a clear plastic divider to split the tank in two, keeping the fish apart until you can catch one with a net.
4 Ideas to Solve the Fish Aggression Problem
Sometimes, like people, fish also have trouble getting along. Here’s how you can handle this:
- If you can, move the troublesome fish to a different tank permanently.
- Change the layout of your aquarium. Move around the rocks, plants, and other decorations. The goal here is to disrupt any territories that the fish may have established. Building caves using rocks can provide hiding spots for all fish.
- Make sure your fish are well-fed. Fish that are always hungry due to inadequate nutrition tend to fight more.
- Aggression can also happen during mating. If you can, move the mating pair to a separate tank. You can think of it as their private space for mating.
How to Comfort Injured Fish?
If you notice any fish with ripped fins or other types of injuries like lost scales, probably from a fight, you need to act.
Take the hurt fish and put them in a separate, calm tank that has medication in it to help relieve their stress.
This gives them space to get better. Also, remember to keep an eye out for any sickness that might come from their injuries.
How to Deal with A Trapped Fish?
If your fish gets trapped on the tank decorations, carefully move the decoration. This will allow the fish to swim away on its own.
If your fish gets caught in a suction tube, switch off the machine. This will give the fish a chance to get out.
2. Fish Feeding Problems
Sometimes, fish don’t eat because they are stressed. This stress can come from their journey to your home or issues with other fish in their tank.
To solve these feeding problems, you can try a few different solutions.
2 Ideas to Make Your Fish Eat
If your fish isn’t eating, there are a couple of things you can try.
- You could offer them frozen brine shrimp or similar fish-friendly treats. Fish in the wild eat lots of different things, so this might get them interested in food again.
- You could change the layout of the tank. Sometimes, fish can become territorial and stop others from eating.
By changing the scenery, you might help to break up these territories and ensure all fish get to eat.
How to Resolve Food Hog Problem?
When you have a fish that’s eating all the food, try feeding your fish in different parts of the tank at the same time.
Also, make a habit of changing where you put the food in the tank. This makes sure all fish get their fair share of food.
How to Remove Items Eaten by Your Fish?
If your fish has eaten something it shouldn’t have, you can help it by adding Epsom salt to the water in the tank.
For every 10 gallons of water in your tank, add a teaspoon of Epsom salt. This will help to dislodge the item eaten by the fish.
How to Clean up The Aftermath?
After something goes wrong with your tank, you need to pay close attention to it and keep track of any issues.
Once you’ve fixed these issues, aim to get back to your normal routine.
