Enteric Redmouth Disease or (ERM) is a bacterial infection found in both freshwater and marine fish. Redmouth disease was first observed in in the 1950s in Idaho rainbow trout hatcheries. It is caused by the pathogen Yersinia ruckeri which is primarily found in cold water fishes like rainbow trout and other salmonids. Being a cold […]

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Swim Bladder Disease, also called Floating Disorder, is a complication of the swim bladder that interrupts the fish from maintaining buoyancy. Although it can affect any species of tropical fish that has a swim bladder, it is especially prevalent among Bettas and Goldfish. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS: Fish suffering from swim bladder disease will have a distended […]

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Septicemia or Sepsis is a bacterial infection in the bloodstream of the fish that is characterized by sluggishness, lack of appetite, fin damage, reddish discoloration, bulging eyes, and/or clamped fins. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS: Septicemia can be detected initially by redness under the scales of the fish, lesions of hemorrhage, and ulcerations anywhere on the body.  Although […]

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Dropsy also known as Malawi Bloat, is a condition that occurs both in holding ponds and tropical fish keeping aquariums that when not treated promptly, is almost always fatal to the fish.   Dropsy is a bacterial fish disease that targets the internal organs causing the accumulation of water in the belly of the fish which […]

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Rainbow Wolf Fish (Erythrinus erythrinus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as High Fin Wolf Fish or Red Wolf Fish are found in Brazil, French Guiana, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago,  and Venezuela. Rainbow Wolf Fish (Erythrinus erythrinus)  are usually found among surface vegetation in the very shallow waters of small river tributaries, swamps, the margins […]

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Cloudy Eye disease is a condition that occurs in both tropical fish keeping aquariums and pond fish.   In many scenarios is is not actually a disease, but a symptom associated with other diseases.   The eyes of the fish become cloudy to the point of becoming white and without treatment, loss of vision will usually occur.  […]

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Popeye (exophthalmia)  is another one of the most common preventable bacterial diseases that occurs with aquarium and pond fish. Fluid leakage into the area behind the eyeball causes swelling that eventually pushes the eyeball outward.   As the pressure builds up and the amount of fluid increases, the more the eyeball of the fish is forced […]

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Fin Rot (also known as Tail Rot) is one of the most common preventable bacterial diseases that occurs with aquarium and pond fish. Fin rot can be the result of either a bacterial infection (Pseudomonas fluorescens) which causes ragged fin rotting, or a fungal infection that produces a white edge and rots the fin more […]

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The main cause of tropical fish diseases in closed aquarium environments is poor water quality. Healthy water normally means healthy fish, so paying close attention to the conditions in your tank is vital to the well being of it’s inhabitants. In any enclosed environment, disease becomes a problem if regular maintenance is not adhered to.  […]

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The Chocolate Cichlid (Hypselecara temporalis) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Emerald Cichlid is found in the Ucayali, Amazonas, SolimñƒÂ´es, Amapá and Oyapock Rivers in Brazil, Colomiba, Peru, and Venezuela. The Chocolate Cichlid is a peaceful, rarely aggressive species that prefers living in the silt laden, slow flowing rivers and backwaters of their […]

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The Spotted Raphael Catfish (Agamyxis pectinifrons) is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Spotted Talking Catfish, Spotted Raphael, White Spotted Catfish, White Barred Catfish, or Talking Catfish and is found in Brazil, Peru, Columbia, and Bolivia in the Amazon River basin. Spotted Raphael Catfish (Agamyxis pectinifrons) are a gregarious nocturnal species that […]

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The Redeye Tetra (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae) is a peaceful, shoaling species that is found among submerged vegetation in the clear water rivers that flow into the Pantanal wetlands in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The range of the Redeye Tetra extends from the São Francisco, upper Paraná, Paraguay, and Uruguay river basins in central and eastern South […]

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The African Butterfly Peacock Cichlid (Aulonocara jacobfreibergi) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Malawi Butterfly Cichlid, Eureka Cichlid, Fairy Cichlid, Freiberg’s Peacock, Jakes or Jake Cichlid, Mamalela Peacock, and Swalllow Tail Peacock is endemic to Lake Malawi, Africa; Otter Point, Nkudzi, Monkey Bay, Nankumba, and the Domwe Islands. Aulonocara jacobfreibergi is widespread throughout the […]

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The Flowerhorn Cichlid (Cichlasoma X) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts simply as Flowerhorns, was first developed in Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand and except for culled specimens that were intentionally dumped into the ponds and riverine ecosystems of Malaysia and Singapore, does not occur naturally in the wild. The Flowerhorn Cichlid Hybrid originated in Asia […]

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The Ruby Green Cichlid (Haplochromis sp. Ruby Green) is a herbivore known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Ruby Green Hap or Ruby Green, and is found around the heavily vegetated shorelines of Lakes Kyoga and Nawampasa in Uganda. The Ruby Green Cichlid is often mistaken for the Flameback Cichlid (Haplichromis sp. “Flameback”) Male […]

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The Fire Red Uganda (Haplochromis s. “fire”) or (Paralabidochromis sp. “fire”) is known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Fire Red Ugandan, and is found in the Northern section of Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga. The Fire Red Uganda is a rock dwelling cichlid (mbipi) from the Ugandan shores of Lake Victoria that is […]

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The Crimson Tide Cichlid (Pundamilia nyererei) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Nyerere’s Victoria Cichlid, Crimson Tide Flameback, or Flameback is only found along the shallow coast lines of several islands located at the southern end of Lake Victoria, East Africa. All Pundamilia nyererei from Lake Victoria are beautiful and highly aggressive, even more […]

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Aulonocranus dewindti is a species of “featherfin” cichlid that inhabit sandy bottom areas that are littered with rocks and empty shells in Lake Tanganyika, the Rusisi, and the Lukuga rivers. Aulonocranus dewindti is endemic to and widely distributed throughout the Lake Tanganyika basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Aulonocranus dewindti […]

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The Sardine Cichlid (Cyprichromis leptosoma) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Slender Cichlid, Cyprichromis, or Slender Cyprichromis, is a small, colorful, sardine shaped open water species that is found only along the rocky eastern shoreline of Lake Tanganyika, between Kigoma in Tanzania, and Mpulugu in Zambia.   They are prized by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts […]

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The Red Devil Cichlid (Amphilophus labiatus) is a large Central American species that is usually found in submerged rocky areas hiding among the crevices in Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua. Tropical fish keeping enthusiasts will readily attest that the Red Devil Cichlid is one of the most aggressive cichlids around, bar none. Keeping a single […]

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