Page 7 - TBAS-October-2020

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thinner until they die. Capillaria is a round worm that is hair-like, and up to an
inch long. It is diagnosed by worm eggs in the feces. The worm egg is oval with a
cork-like plug in each end. Severe capillaria infections are almost always
accompanied with outbreaks of hexamita in the infected angelfish. This makes
diagnosis and treatment even more difficult. For gill flukes, capillaria, or nematodes,
treat with a medicated flake designed to deworm.
Angelfish Medicine Cabinet: If you need to order medications after your
angelfish have a problem, it may be too late. It’s a good idea to have the basic
medications on hand. Keep them stored cool, dry and dark and they will last long
past the normal expiration dates. This is what we recommend that you have in
your angelfish care arsenal.
• Disease Dip - Disinfectant for wounds, scrapes & abrasions.
• Broad spectrum Antibiotic - A couple to cover a wider range
• Internal parasite eliminator - Metronidazole, Praziquantel and Fenbendazole
are the main medications.
• Metronidazole - To combat hexamita and spironucleus, two protozoans that
are common problems.
• Ich Control - use No-Para-Ich.
• Medicated Foods designed to treat bacteria, worms and flagellates.
• Although there are many other valuable medications, these will cover most of
the more common angelfish problems. The medicated foods are especially
important.
Aquarium Temperature for Fish Disease Treatment: As stated above,
high temperatures are useful when treating parasite problems. Be careful, for
there are many people who recommend heat for bacterial or viral infections. Their
poor advice will most likely kill your angelfish. Bacteria and viruses thrive at higher
temperatures and multiply at much faster rates. If you suspect an external bacterial
problem, treatment is the application of the proper antibiotic. This can only be
determined by culturing the bacteria in an incubator, identifying it, and then
testing to see what antibiotic will kill it. If you can’t do that, then start with broad
spectrum antibiotics such as Kanamycin Sulfate or Bifuran. Sometimes, combinations
of antibiotics are good choices to broaden the treatment even further. If it’s an
internal bacteria, identification of the bacteria will require an angelfish to be sacrificed
to get a fresh sample of the internal bacteria. Treatment for internal bacteria must
be by intramuscular injection or by feeding a medicated fish food with the proper
antibiotic in it. In some cases a skin-adsorbing antibiotic such as Kanamycin will
work, but it is no going to be as effective as getting the antibiotic into the fish’s
body. Of course, the angelfish must be eating well for a medicated fish food to
work.
Angelfish Diseases References: A few of the better books for learning
more about tropical fish care are The Manual of Fish Health and Aquariology,
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