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GoldfishSanc   

The Goldfish Sanctuary

Tuberculosis

Symptoms: ulcerous wounds on body, faded colors, fins clamped shut, weight loss or wasting, pop-eye

Tuberculosis is becoming a more common occurrence in recent years, and is an especially serious disease. By the time symptoms appear, the fish has already been harbouring this internal infection for some time. It is very contageous, and in some cases, it is also transmittable and dangerous to humans. Vetrinary advice is an absolute must if you suspect that you have a tubercular fish.

A fish may exhibit wasting or other loss of weight for no apparent reason. A tubercular fish has a normal appetite, but as internal organs become damaged by the disease, the fish slowly loses weight to the point where the fish's head will appear too big for her body.

If a nodule forms under the fish's eye, it may protrude, causing pop-eye. These nodules on other parts of the body develop into ulcers.

The utmost care must be given to prevent the spread of this disease to humans or other fish. Unfortunately, tuberculosis is very difficult to treat, and is most often fatal.

remedy:
The first thing to do is to contact your vet or petstore for further instruction. Place the afflicted fish into a quarantine tank immediately to prevent its spread to other fish. If a tubercular fish dies and remains in the main tank, the chance of transmission to other fish rises drastically. Any materials that have come into contact with the diseased fish should be treated. If all fish in the tank die of tuberculosis, the entire tank should be disassembled and cleaned completely before any new fish are introduced. The euthenization of tubercular fish is common, and disposal of such a fish should be done in a safe way. A post-mortem is the only way to determine for certain that your fish is suffering from tuberculosis, and this should be done for your sake and for the sake of the survivors. Contact your vet for additional information and instructions.