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Perhaps even more common than fungus is
constipation (coupled with indigestion) ; the
fish will lie on the bottom listless and sick-
looking and will perform queer evolutions
such as standing on its head ; the stomach will
be somewhat swollen. An Epsom Salt bath,
three and a half tablespoonfuls to the gallon
of water, for twenty-four hours, and another
day in clear water without food seems to
be the most satisfactory treatment. If the
first meal is chopped earthworm, so much
the better.
One may find the fish looking tired, and
floating on its side on the surface, for no apparent reason. This is usually due to ' pond
disease' arising from bacteria and can be
compared to anaemia in human beings.
The fish should be placed in running water,
a shallow dish standing in the sink with
water from the tap dripping on it will do.
This is a peculiar disease and can prove fatal.
I have found that if a few drops of iodine are
added to the water and the fish allowed to
be in it for an hour or so before the tap is
turned on, recovery is more certain.
White Spot is another disease that may
prove fatal. The victim is covered with
white patches flush with the skin and not
standing out like fungus. The treatment is
drastic, and consists of wiping the fish all over
with a piece of lint dipped in paraffin ; then
the entire fish is placed in the paraffin itself
for exactly five seconds. Then put the fish
in running water for twenty-four hours and
return to the pond.
Colds are not confined to mankind alone
and if a fish goes ' dull' in both appearance
and movement and has palish patches on the
body one may be certain that it is suffering
from a cold, probably caused by the aquarium
being in a draught. The salt water bath is
the best treatment.
Tail-rot is another disease with a bacterial
origin, at least so far as we know. The
treatment is a drastic one ; the affected fins-
they have a congested, bloodshot look-should
be dipped in paraffin every day for ten days.
After each dipping the fish must have a salt
water bath. As this complaint is likely to be
fatal and as it has an unhappy knack of choosing
the best fancy fishes, it is advisable to disinfect
the aquarium thoroughly before the convalescent returns.
Breeding time brings along its own particular
crop of ills, the principal being ' egg-binding '
in the female. The body is distended and
the fish is off colour generally. The only
remedy is to strip the eggs ; this may be done
by gently inserting a smooth, thinnish instrument, the end of a pen-holder will do,
into the vent parallel with the body and
towards the head. Then, by softly working
with the fingers from the pectoral fins towards
the tail, the eggs may be expressed.
If a fish is at all valuable, it is always advisable, in the absence of an expert and if the
actual complaint cannot be diagnosed, to
resort to the salt water bath, interspersed with
a few hours in running water. This treatment
at least has a general tonic effect.
To keep the fishes healthy is, of course, the
best. This may be assisted by giving them a
small quantity of Epsom Salt and common
salt about every fortnight except during the
Winter. In fact, the best packet foods contain
a little mineral salts
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