How to Identify and Treat Fish Health Problems

Video Transcript:

Hi I’m Chris from Aqua Gardening. In this Frequently Asked Questions Video for Thriving Aquaponic Gardens – we are going to look at the challenges in growing healthy fish for your family. Not many of us have experience in raising fish on a large scale. My own experience was only keeping a few goldfish before I bought 20 Jade Perch and released them into a small tank. Unfortunately, even for an aquaculture expert there is a chance that a bacterial infection or environmental conditions will cause the loss of fish in your tank. But don’t worry, we have tried and tested aquaponics systems for years and we have discovered the tricks and tips to getting your fish to thrive - that is why we are Australia’s leading Expert on these systems.

In this video I will discuss the most common problems faced by our customers, and how to avoid them or fix a problem when it occurs.

The most common issue our customers face is a lack of oxygen. Often, with rising water temperatures in the lead up to summer and fish gaining weight strongly, there reaches a point when systems without air pumps do not have enough dissolved oxygen in the water. This results in fish rising to close to the surface where there is the most air, and opening their mouths like they are sucking and blowing. They are actually gasping for oxygen! To prevent this happening, always run an air pump and at least one air stone for every 10 fish inside your fish tank. The plants and good bacteria also benefit from more aeration. You can find links to these air pumps below.

Now in winter as the water temperatures drops, you will notice the fish move much slower and smaller fish can die if the temperature falls below their comfortable level. Another low temperature problem is seen in Barramundi, which can be prone to fungus if the temperature of the water is too low.

The solution to both of problems is insulating your tank in the ground, or wrapping it in insulation, which will help conserve the heat in your tank to stop high temperature swings in the water. However you may need a heating source like an aquarium water heater to boost the water temperature to the minimum recommended for your type of fish.

These come with their own temperature control system so it allows you to set and forget. You can find links to these products below.

Over feeding fish is the next most common issue we come across. If the fish don’t eat the sinking fish food, it accumulates at the bottom of the tank. This attracts small water parasites which look like worms and if it gets out of hand they will start growing on the fish and cause them to die. Keeping a clean, well oxygenated tank goes a long way to prevent this, by installing an air pump. Also stick to the guidelines we have for feeding fish so you don’t over feed them.

Over stocking a fish tank with too many fish can result on larger fish bullying on the smaller ones, by chasing them around and nipping on their fins. This does depend on the type of fish too, and we don’t normally notice this in Jade Perch, however it is prevalent with silver perch.

The result of nipped fins is a fin rot. Affected fish will need to be treated with our fish first aid kit.

Finally, the last issue we come across regularly is white spot – a parasitical growth on the fish’s skin. This is caused by stressed fish and can be caused by bullying and water temperatures.

If you notice white growths that look like Mealy Bugs on your fish, they will also require to be treated with the fish first aid kit. You can find a link to this product below.

Keeping fish healthy is a science, but checking on their behaviour regularly and paying attention to how they are feeding are the practical methods to check on them. With the purchase of an aquaponics kit from Aqua Gardening, you will gain access to our members only video training library so you will know how to avoid and prevent these issues.

I’m Chris From Aqua gardening - Safe, healthy food that grows itself.