Whether or not loss of appetite in fish should be a cause for concern depends on the specific circumstances.

• It is perfectly normal for fish that have just been introduced into an aquarium to not show interest in food for some time (several hours or days) due to the stress of transport and adjusting to a new environment. Such fish may refuse to eat even if the food is unfamiliar to them. The same can apply to fish that have been living in an aquarium for a long time, if you offer them unusual food. This problem is solved when the fish begins to experience hunger. But before that, all uneaten food must be carefully removed from the aquarium to avoid water pollution.
• Some fish require special foods and will refuse any alternative food. For example, some predatory fish will sometimes refuse anything but live fish, at least initially.
• Fish that incubate eggs in their mouths usually stop feeding during the spawning season.
• In a fish that has been living in an aquarium for a long time, the reluctance to eat may be a sign of some kind of health problem. You need to do water tests, fix any problems, and then watch the fish and see if they show any additional signs of illness.
• If a fish takes food it normally eats into its mouth but then spit it out, then the problem may be a foreign body lodged in the throat (it could be pieces of food, gravel, pieces of equipment, or a tumor). In this case, the fish must be caught with a net and its throat examined. Soft and smooth objects can sometimes be removed by yourself using long tweezers. However, veterinary attention may be required and should be sought if the foreign body is sharp (eg, some types of gravel) or protruding (eg, an air valve).
• Sudden loss of appetite and lack of feces may indicate constipation. A few days without food usually do no harm to the fish, except for the fry, which can quickly starve to death.

Advice

Both acute and chronic stress can lead to loss of appetite. For example, affected fish have recently become the object of aggression (acute stress) or are characterized by increased nervousness and unwillingness to compete with other fish for food during feeding (chronic stress). Chronic stress should not be allowed to arise, and acute stress should be dealt with immediately.

Video

crucian does not eat corn but eats bread)

How does a cockerel fish eat and sleep?

The reasons for this phenomenon are usually the same as in paragraph 19. If the victim has just been released into an aquarium where territorial fish live, the reason for such an attack may be that each new fish is seen as an invader encroaching on someone else's territory. If many new fish are introduced into the aquarium at the same time, then the likelihood of serious harm is usually minimized. In this case, it is useful to turn off the aquarium lighting and make sure that the light from the room does not get there either. Other solutions are also possible: move aquarium decorations to disturb existing territories, divide the aquarium into parts, or keep the aggressor in another aquarium until the new fish settle down properly.

24. What to do if a fish rushes around another fish and disturbs it

Some fish rush around the aquarium, and this manner of movement often disturbs fish that swim slowly. The solution to the problem is that such fish should not be kept in the same aquarium. Books about aquarium fish usually indicate which fish can disturb their neighbors in this way and which fish are too susceptible to this.

25. What to do if the fish is blowing bubbles

Many labyrinth fish build a bubble nest in which they store their eggs.

Some fish that are able to inhale atmospheric air can release air bubbles from their gills after inhalation. This phenomenon can often be observed in the corridor catfish.

Some fish with large mouths, which usually do not feed on the surface of the water, sometimes swallow air along with food floating on the surface and then begin to "blow" air bubbles out of their mouths and gills. It is not known if this does them any harm, but it is probably best not to feed floating food to fish that have this tendency.

26. What to do if the fish bites the owner

Many fish will bite or pinch the owner's fingers if the owner puts them in the water during feeding or even during aquarium care procedures, as soon as the hand first appears in the water. The fact is that fish are accustomed to associate the appearance of human fingers with food. This biting is like tickling, it is completely harmless, and most aquarists even enjoy it. Some specially teach their fish, especially large ones, to take pieces of food from their hands. They believe that this habit makes the fish more like real pets.

However, some large predatory fish, especially piranhas, may mistake fingers for food and cause serious injury. If the aquarist has such fish, then you should keep your hands away from the aquarium. Guests should be strictly warned about the possible dire consequences, and if there are children in the family, the lid of the aquarium should be locked. In fact, we strongly advise against keeping piranhas and other dangerous fish in families with children, and is it even worth keeping them at all?

Territorial fish also sometimes attack an approaching hand, and if they are protecting their fry in doing so, they can attack with almost suicidal vehemence and fury. True, usually the result of these attacks is only surprise and nothing more, but some fish, even small ones, have sharp teeth and do not hesitate to use them, regardless of the size of the creature that threatens their offspring. Obviously, fish should not be blamed for following their fundamental parental instincts.

You suddenly discovered that a fish has died in your aquarium and you don’t know what to do now? We have compiled five tips for you to deal with the death of fish and what to do if this does happen.

But, remember that even in the most ideal conditions, they still die. Often suddenly, for no apparent reason, and very annoying for the owner. Especially if it is a large and beautiful fish, such as cichlids.

Often aquarium fish die due to the fact that the parameters of the water have changed.

The most detrimental effect on them is the low level of oxygen in the water. A characteristic behavior in this case is that most of the fish stand on the surface of the water and swallow air from it. If the situation is not corrected, then after a while they begin to die.

At the same time, such situations can occur even for experienced aquarists! The oxygen content in water depends on the temperature of the water (the higher it is, the less oxygen is dissolved), the chemical composition of the water, the bacterial film on the surface of the water, the outbreak of algae or ciliates.

You can help with partial water changes, turning on aeration or directing the flow from the filter close to the surface of the water. The fact is that during gas exchange, it is the vibrations of the water surface that play a decisive role.

Check and count your fish daily while feeding. Are they all alive? Is everyone healthy? Does everyone have a good appetite? Six and three, is everything in place?
If someone is missing, check the corners of the aquarium and lift the lid, maybe it is somewhere upstairs in the plants?

But you may not find the fish, it is quite possible that she died. In this case, stop searching. As a rule, a dead fish still becomes visible, it either floats to the surface, or lies on the bottom, the floor is covered with snags, stones, or even gets into the filter. Every day, inspect the aquarium, has a dead fish appeared? If found, then ....

Remove dead fish

Any dead fish, as well as large snails (such as or) should be removed from the aquarium. They rot very quickly in warm water and create a breeding ground for the development of bacteria, the water becomes cloudier, it starts to stink. All this poisons other fish and leads to their death.

If the fish has not yet decomposed too much, then do not hesitate to examine it. It's annoying, but necessary. Are her fins and scales intact? Maybe she was beaten to death by neighbors? Are the eyes in place and are they cloudy? Is your belly bloated like in the picture? Maybe she has an internal infection or something poisoned her.

Check the water

Every time you find a dead fish in your aquarium, you need to check the quality of the water with the help of tests. Very often the reason for the death of fish is an increase in the content of harmful substances in the water - ammonia and nitrates. To test them, purchase water tests in advance, preferably drip tests.

Analyze

The test results will show two results, either everything is fine in your aquarium and you have to look for the cause in another, or the water is already quite polluted and you need to change it. But, remember that it is better to change no more than 20-25% of the volume of the aquarium, so as not to change the conditions of keeping the fish too drastically.

If everything is in order with the water, then you need to try to determine the cause of the death of the fish. Of the most common: illness, hunger, overfeeding (especially with dry food and bloodworms), long stress due to improper conditions, age, attack by other fish. And a very common reason - and who knows why ...

Believe me, any aquarist, even those who have kept complex fish for many years, experience sudden deaths of their favorite fish.

If this is an isolated incident, then do not worry - just make sure that new fish do not die. If this happens all the time, then obviously something is wrong. Be sure to contact an experienced aquarist, it is not difficult to find now, since there are forums and the Internet.

The biggest problem for beginner aquarists is overfeeding the fish. And the smaller the fish in size, the faster the problem begins. So, let's figure it out.

Why can't you overfeed your fish?

The main reason why you should not overfeed the fish is harm to health. When overfeeding, it is very easy to damage any internal organs of the fish and the fish may die. This is due to the fact that a large amount of food enters the body and, literally, the organs of the fish can burst.

Most aquarium fish do not feel full and will only eat as much as they are given.

Especially, it concerns viviparous fishes. Personally, in my practice, there were cases when the stomach of a fish burst right before our eyes and the fish died.

How to understand that the fish has overeaten?

Understanding that the fish has overeaten is quite simple. Regardless of the type of fish, it has a number of signs:

• Bloating
• Floats strangely;
• Begins to actively consume air.

Below is an example of overeating fish in the photo.

Why are fish always hungry?

It may seem to a novice aquarist that his fish are always hungry and ask for food. This usually happens when someone mimics feeding or just brings their hand to the lid of the aquarium. The fish immediately soar up and ask for food. You don't need to pay attention to this. The inhabitants of your aquarium simply have a conditioned reflex. Remember, fish are better underfed than overfed.

What to do if the fish has overeaten?

I have overfed my fish on numerous occasions and have worked out a set of rules for myself that I am happy to share:

• Water changes at short intervals. For example, I change 20 percent, then after 3 hours another 10 percent. And the next day another 15 percent.
• Together with the substitution, I collect the leftover feed.
• Increase aeration.
• Fasting day.

Also consider the right paths for popular fish.

What to do if the cockerel is overfed?

As a rule, bettas live in small aquariums, so when overfeeding, the first thing to do is to collect leftover food.

The second step is to change the water. Ideally, the entire volume, if it is possible to take water from another aquarium. If this is not possible, do changes every 3-4 hours for 20-30 percent until you change the entire volume. If the aquarium is very small (up to 3 liters), then it is better to change 80% of the water and fill it with settled water. You can add aquarium chemicals for water treatment. In general, the amount of replacement depends on how much the fish are overfed. But the above values ​​can be taken as average data.

The third step is a fasting day. After the change, do not feed the betta for a day.

What to do if you overfeed goldfish?

The actions for overfeeding goldfish are the same as for males. The only difference is that for goldfish you need to increase the air supply, as when overfeeding, the fish begin to consume more oxygen to speed up their metabolism.

Infectious diseases are caused by various harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi. It is more difficult to deal with them at home. Only a specialist can make a final and accurate diagnosis. In addition, it is not possible to recognize an infectious disease immediately, since it goes through an “invisible” incubation period.

Still, you can help your pets, although for this you will have to work hard.

First, you need to put the fish with signs of the disease in a quarantine aquarium. It is advisable to transplant all healthy fish, and disinfect the walls, plants and soil in the aquarium. How to do this, you will read below.

For treatment a sick individual needs to prepare three vessels with a capacity of at least 2 liters. The characteristics of the water in them should match those of the quarantine and main aquariums.

When preparing the drug, try to prepare the exact dose for your patient, for juveniles it should be 50-75% of the “adult” portion.

Having planted the fish in the first vessel, in which half of the pre-prepared medicinal preparation has already been dissolved and aeration is turned on, you will slowly add the rest. In this case, you need to monitor the patient's reaction: if the fish rushes about, turns over, stop pouring the drug and add water to lower the concentration of the drug.

After the treatment time (it depends on the medicine you have chosen and on its concentration) has expired, transplant the fish into the second vessel, in which there is ordinary aquarium water, for half an hour.

Then it must be placed in a third vessel with aquarium water and aeration and fed. After the end of the treatment session, the fish is again planted in a quarantine aquarium. Before repeating the procedures, all three vessels must be disinfected and filled with new water.

If the symptoms of the disease are not in one fish, but immediately in the majority, then treatment can be carried out directly in the main aquarium. The medicinal product is poured in three doses, the interval between them should be at least 30 minutes. Aeration should work, the filter should be turned off. In addition, you can purchase special medicated supplements or medicated foods from the pet store.

If you find signs of an infectious disease in your fish, the aquarium must be disinfected. How to do it? It is necessary to prepare a disinfectant solution. Various preparations can be used for its preparation: 0.1% potassium permanganate solution, 3% chloramine solution, 4% formalin solution, 5% bleach solution, 5% hydrochloric or sulfuric acid solution. Choose what you have on hand and pour the solution into the aquarium to the brim for a day. Fish, of course, must first be removed.

The inventory can be processed with the same solution. Nets and sprayers are disinfected by boiling for 10-15 minutes. Thermometer, heater, rubber and plastic equipment (hoses, suction cups, etc.) must not be boiled. The aquarium soil is boiled for 30-60 minutes or replaced with a new one. After disinfection, all items are thoroughly washed several times with warm water. Water is poured into the aquarium for several days.

After that, you can pour it out and draw constant water into the aquarium with all the necessary parameters.

If harmful bacteria have appeared in the aquarium, then the disinfection solution will not help. In this case, ordinary washing powder should be used. Dilute it in the proportion of 0.5 kg of powder per 30 liters of water and wash the aquarium and inventory with the solution.

Disinfection can be carried out using water ozonation or irradiation with a bactericidal lamp (10-20 minutes). As for plants, a penicillin solution can be prepared for them in a proportion of 5 mg per 1 liter. They must stay there for three days.

Sometimes precautions do not lead to the desired results, and the causative agents of some diseases continue to exist in the form of spores. In such cases, the plants, unfortunately, will have to be destroyed.