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Additional Resources

Selecting A Beautiful Flower Horn Fish

The Flower Horn fish is considered by the Chinese as the most auspicious fish that is developed by aquarists to date (much to the frowns of many Western purists). Its every characteristic is somehow related to prosperity, health and wealth, to the owners of the fish, of course! The nuchal hump, the color, the aggression, the so-called “pearls”, etc is much sought after. For the bigger, the brighter or more active fish believes to tell directly on the owner’s level of abundance. So, how do you select the best fish?

Forehead:
The forehead or “Nuchal Hump” of the Flower Horn fish is the main focus of attraction of the Flower Horn fish and is much sought after. After all, the main reason (among others) that this fish is so popular is because of its unique feature: the head!

A fully developed forehead, which is round and tender, is a symbol of luck, prosperity, longevity and happiness. It enhances the glory of its owner. A huge and beautiful forehead that harmonizes with its body qualifies it to be a fish of choice.

Some even believe that as the head grows bigger and bigger, so does the level of prosperity to the owner! A fully developed forehead decorated with evenly spread red spots is more preferred. Such a forehead is called “li-zhi” forehead resembling the auspiscious Chinese fruit : Lychee!

Flowerhorn Diseases And How To Cure Them

Common Flowerhorn Diseases and Treatment

Caring for your Flower Horn is not just about feeding it, it’s also about watching for potentially serious health conditions. Below are some of the problems your Flower horn might experience.

White Spot Disease

Cause and Symptoms

• The cause of this condition is Ichthyophithirius multifilis (ICH ) , a ciliated protozoan .
• Bad water quality can increase the likelihood that your fish will be victim to this parasite.
• Low water temperatures (< 25°C) are ideal breeding grounds for ICH.
• The most common way Flower horns get ICH is when they are fed live or frozen food that has already been contaminated with the parasite.
• The most prominent symptom of this condition are the pure white spots that will appear all over your fish. You may also notice the fins are clumped together, and they act a bit more lethargic than usual. Moreover, it’s common for them to lose interest in food when ICH infects.

Treatment

The parasites resides under the skin of the fish, hence it is not affected by water treatment or direct treatment applied to the fish . Break the breeding cycle of Ich by washing the tank thoroughly to remove the cysts of the parasite. Keep in mind that this is a highly contagious condition, so your entire aquarium must be treated.

To cure white spots:

• Place Kordon Ich inhibitor in your tank.
• Add aquarium salt at 3g/l of water every 3 days together with the medication.
• After 3rd day, tank must be washed thoroughly to eliminate the causative agent.
• Add Kordon Malachite Green treatment to your tank.

Preventive measures:

• Add Kordon Prevent Ich Fish Disease Inhibitor and Preventative to your tank.
• Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks.
• Avoid cross-tank contamination.

Hole-In-The-Head Disease

Cause and Symptoms

• The cause of this condition is Hexamita Protozoa , parasitic organisms that are highly contagious.
• These parasites thrive with poor water quality management.
• If your fish has this condition, you will notice the appearance of small pits and pimples mainly on the fish’s head. These pits will simply grow and form bigger pits.
• The pits are white in color, and sometimes mucous are visible around them.
• In addition to losing weight, becoming lethargic, and losing their appetites, the fish will produce white, stringy feces.

Treatment

• Add Dimetrydazole (5mg/l) or Metronidazole (7mg/l).
• Repeat treatment once every 3 days.
• Do a 20%-30% water change.
• It is sometimes necessary to inject Metronidazole, but injections near the affected area should be attempt only by qualified personnel.

Preventive measures :

• Change your water regularly.
• Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks.
• Avoid cross-tank contamination.

Mouth, body and tail fungus

Causes & Symptoms

• This condition is caused by Saproglenia and other related bacteria.
• Bad water quality only causes these kinds of bacteria to thrive.
• Sudden changes in the water condition can also cause this condition in your fish.
• If your fish has this condition, you will notice cotton like tufts at the mouth, body, fin and tail.
• You may also notice your fish losing weight.

Treatment

• Add Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Aquarium Salt to your tank.
• Adding Jungle Labs Fungus Eliminator will also help.
• Be sure to treat the whole tank, but quarantine the most seriously ill fish.

Preventive measures :

• Change your water regularly.
• Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks.
• Avoid cross-tank contamination.

Dropsy

Causes & Symptoms

• This condition is caused by a bacterial infection.
• Poor water quality, overcrowding, and stress can make your fish more susceptible to this condition.
• If your fish is affected, he may appear bloated and stop eating

Treatment

· Do not add aquarium salt to your tank.

· Use a commercially prepared treatment available at your local pet shop.

Preventive measures :

• Change your water regularly.
• Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks to avoid the introduction of new, dangerous bacteria.
• Avoid cross-tank contamination.

Fin & Tail Rot Disease

Causes & Symptoms

• This condition is caused by Pseudomonas and other related bacteria.
• Poor water quality causes these bacteria to thrive in your tank.
• If your fish is affected, the fin and tail appeared eaten away and white edged. You may even notice the fin or tail beginning to literally dissolve.
• The color of the fish may dull, and the fins may clump together.
• This bacteria is highly contagious.

Treatment

• Treat the whole tank, but quarantine and treat the heavily infected fish.
• Tetracycline should be added.

Preventive measures :

• Change your water regularly.
• Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks.
• Avoid cross-tank contamination.

Air Bladder Disease

Causes & Symptoms

• This condition is caused by a number of things, but the most likely problems are a virus or a bacterial infection.
• If your fish has this condition, you may notice they have trouble swimming correctly, or they tend to swim upside down.

Treatment

• Because it can be hard to determine the cause of this problem, it can also be difficult to treat it, but in general, an antibiotic agent should take care of the problem.

Preventive measures :

• Change your water regularly.
• Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks.
• Avoid cross-tank contamination.

Velvet Disease

Causes & Symptoms

• This condition is caused by a fungus living in your tank.
• Poor water quality causes this fungus to thrive in your tank.
• If your fish is affected, he may stop swimming, and he may begin to look ill.

Treatment

· Add Copper Sulfate (Blue Crystal) to your tank. Be sure to use the ratio of 1 g Copper Sulfate and 0.25g Citric Acid to 1 litre of distilled water. Dosage instructions: 12.5 ml to 10 litres of aquarium water for 10 days. Administer half of this on days three, five and seven.

Preventive measures :

• Change your water regularly.
• Quarantine new fish for three to four weeks.
• Avoid cross-tank contamination.