Even a novice aquarist heard, and sometimes contained, fish such as swordsmen. Not surprising, because these are really beautiful fish that do not require special care. Therefore, even a beginner can easily cope with them. But he should know about some diseases of the swordsmen, which can cause a lot of trouble. It is equally important to learn how to prevent their occurrence: usually it is easier than subsequently getting rid of them.
Do not forget about quarantine
Very often, diseases of swordfish fish are carried by individuals recently purchased from an unverified seller. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase pets either in serious stores or from well-known breeders.
But even in this case, do not run the fish into the main aquarium immediately. It will be useful to keep them for some time in a separate container - follow the behavior for about a week and only then launch them to the other fish. If you noticed external signs of the disease in a swordsman, it will be easier to cure several separate individuals than the entire population.
Remember the preparation of live food
Both experienced aquarists and beginners are well aware that fish feel good only if they have high-quality food - especially live food. But here you need to exercise some caution. For example, many experts recommend pre-freezing bloodworms and tubule in the freezer. A few days of freezing can destroy or sharply weaken many infections, or just parasite eggs, which can cause a lot of problems.
You can also disinfect the food with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or methylene blue.
These simple rules can significantly reduce the risk of introducing infectious diseases into the aquarium.
The correct conditions of detention
Many diseases cause problems only when the fish are weakened by improper living conditions, while healthy individuals easily resist them. Therefore, the creation of optimal conditions is an important factor in the prevention of diseases.
Start at least with feed. It’s not worth all your life to keep the swordsmen on dried gammarus and daphnia alone. It is very important to add additional food to the diet - ideally live (tubule, bloodworm). In extreme cases, you can feed them cool boiled egg yolk or beef heart chopped with a blade - this is a good help if you can not get live food.
Also do not forget about the temperature regime. For the swordsman, the most suitable is the range from +23 ° C to +25 ° C. At the same time, the fish feel best, although they can live at temperatures from +18 ° C to +28 ° C - the main thing is that there are no sudden changes that can become a source of stress and cause serious harm to the health of the swordsmen.
Finally, do not forget about cleaning. After each feeding, if there are no catfish in the aquarium collecting food that has fallen on the ground, remove the rest of the meal so that the water does not deteriorate. Also, once a week, try to replace part of the water - about one quarter of the total volume.
Thanks to this, the risk of the appearance and development of diseases is significantly reduced, and we will now talk about them.
Fin rot
Very unpleasant disease of the swordsmen, a photo of the symptoms of which is given in the article. In general, fin rot can affect various viviparous animals - guppies, pecilia, and mollies.
The disease is bacteriological, that is, it is introduced into the aquarium with fish that have not been quarantined, or untreated food.
It is quite easy to notice external signs in this disease of the swordsmen. A narrow rim of gray color appears on the caudal and dorsal fin, which gradually “devours” the fin, moving ever closer to the body. In advanced cases, the fish loses its ability to swim, and rot affects the nervous system.
Fortunately, if you take action in time, then treating it is relatively easy. In most cases, an ordinary methylene blue solution helps. All infected fish need to be transplanted into a quarantine aquarium and lightly tint the water - until a pale turquoise color. This does not hurt the fish - they seem to not notice the difference.
You can also use ordinary salt - at the rate of one tablespoon per ten liters of water.
If the rot continues to grow, then it is worth taking more serious measures - use chloramphenicol. One tablet is enough for 20 liters of water.
After the disappearance of the rot, the fish need to be quarantined for another 3-5 days.
Chylodonellosis
Speaking about the diseases of the swordsmen and the treatment, one cannot fail to mention this disease. As experienced aquarists have long noticed, it is the swordsmen who are most susceptible to it. It often happens that other fish living with them in the same aquarium, including related mollies and pecilia, do not suffer from the disease. Therefore, lovers of swordsmen should definitely know about this ailment.
Chylodonellosis is a parasitic disease. Infected fish immediately stand out from the general mass - they lose their appetite, and the dorsal fin, usually fervently raised, falls and almost presses itself to the back. In addition, a grayish-blue coating appears on the back, directly under the fin.
Treatment of cholonellosis is carried out using antiprotozoal drugs. Of course, before treatment, infected fish need to be transplanted into a separate aquarium. And the sooner you start treatment, the greater the likelihood of a successful outcome.
Ichthyophthyroidism
Another unpleasant disease, the appearance of which is usually associated with improper conditions of detention. The most common cause is the too low temperature of the water in the aquarium - less than +20 ° C. Also, sudden changes in temperature can provoke it.
The fish begins to itch on the ground and any other hard objects in the aquarium. In addition, it compresses the fins, which can also be called a very alarming symptom.
The causative agent is the equiociliary infusoria - it is found in many aquariums, but does not pose the slightest danger to healthy fish. But those living in constant cold or stress may well become its victims.
Unfortunately, a truly reliable method of treatment still does not exist. The only way to improve the condition of the fish is to raise the temperature of the water in the aquarium to +26 ° C. And you need to do this gradually, within 2-3 days. Sometimes this improves the well-being of the fish, helping them fight the disease.
Mycobacteriosis
The disease is dangerous for all viviparous fish, which include the swordsman, as well as for gourami and labyrinths. The behavior of sick fish immediately changes - they lose their appetite, become lethargic and lethargic. In advanced cases, orientation may be lost - the fish are not able to swim normally, even keep their body level.
They may have ulcers and abscesses on the body. In some cases, the disease is accompanied by black dots covering the body. Due to the refusal of food, the fish lose weight, their bones protrude, and this further exacerbates the disease.
You can get rid of the disease only in the early stages. For this, monocycline, tripoflavin or copper sulfate is used. Unfortunately, if the disease was not detected on time, then the fish will not be able to save.
Chlorine poisoning
Swordfish are very active fish that swim without stopping through the aquarium all day. Therefore, their oxygen demand is greater than that of most other inhabitants. They breathe more actively and more often than other fish get chlorine poisoning.
Identifying symptoms is fairly easy. Mucus appears on the gills, the fish become very lethargic, but at the same time twitchy. The gills, which usually have a deep pink color, brighten. The swordsmen even try to jump out of the aquarium.
Very often this is the cause of chlorine poisoning. It is no secret that tap water is disinfected with this very harmful chemical. Therefore, before pouring it, it is very important to let the liquid settle for one day, or better, two.
Ideally, an aquarist should acquire a special chlorometer and make sure that the chlorine content in the water does not exceed 0.03-0.05 milligrams per liter. However, such a device is quite expensive, so most lovers prefer to use the proven method of sludge - over time, chlorine evaporates from the water and does no harm to the fish.
If you recently changed the water in the aquarium and after a few hours noticed signs of poisoning, you need to transfer the fish to clean water as soon as possible - the only way they can be saved.
Conclusion
On this our article comes to an end. Now you know enough about the disease of the swordsmen, external signs and treatment. So, if necessary, you can easily take the necessary measures to save the inhabitants of the aquarium.