Vet Q&A-Fish

Hello, my betta fish has a small ball like formation on his bottom fin, ive had just noticed it today and i am not sure on what it is.

Thanks for reaching out about Fred and including a picture. It is difficult to identify on the picture, but there is a small spherical red mass not he left lower body wall, that could be a wound, hypertrophic (enlarged) skin cell, or other concern (neoplasia). The recommendation is to monitor the mass for growth and if increases, seek an appointment with a veterinarian with experience in aquatics. Good luck.

I have a freshwater pufferfish and he isn’t eating the fish flakes like the other 6 fish in the tank (red tail shark, clown loach, and tetras). Do they need to be fed live or frozen food? He also butts into the aquarium walls here and there. Is this caused because of stress or anxiety? If so how can I fix that as well.

Most puffers will not eat flakes or pellets. They need live or frozen foods. They also require hard foods to keep their teeth worn down. The local Petco will likely have these foods in stock. If the tank is overstocked, he may be stressed. He may also have an infection (bacterial, fungal or parasites) that are causing his symptoms. Ideally, a new fish should be quarantined for 2-4 weeks before being introduced to the main tank.

How often should I put Tetra dechlorinator into my 2.2 gallon fish tank with three guppies in it? I know the amount, I just need the best time in between please. Thank you!

You should only have to add dechlorinator when you add new water from the tap. Otherwise the treated water should not accumulate chlorine on its own. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi! I’m looking to make my cat absolutely thrive and be the healthiest cat she can be. I’ve read that giving them liquid fish oil can be great for them! She isn’t on any medications, and is normal weight for a 4 year old domestic short hair cat. She gets fed 3 small meals a day of cat food with some dry kibble (what the vet recommended) Should I go ahead and start giving it to her? And if so, how much?

If she is on a high quality, balanced diet I would be cautious about over supplementing her as this can lead to dietary excesses (especially with cod liver oil type supplements as they can be high in certain vitamins also). Plant based supplements such as viacutan may also be an option but 3-5 days a week is likely sufficient

Hi, My fish has white spot which is expanding. It also has something around mouth. Spot looks white with small dots in it. I thought it is an ich outbreak. Currently tank is treated with Sera omnipur (30% of recommended dose). It is big pufferfish. thanks for your help Nikola

That doesn't look like Ich infection. Ich typically presents as multiple salt grain sized dots on a fish. The area in the image may be an abrasion. Infection, fungal or bacterial, is possible. The Sera Omnipur may help if there is fungal infection. Be aware the malachite green in it may stain tank furniture or tank sealant. Consider adding in a broad spectrum antibiotic. You should be able to find one in the aquarium section of the local pet or fish store. Follow label directions carefully and remove the carbon filter insert during treatment if indicated. Maintain pristine water quality during treatment as well as afterwards.

Hello! A week ago I adopted a betta from a local aquarium store. The tank setup I have is a 10gal filtered and heated tank (79f-80f) at 6.8-7ph with a few Marimo moss balls and this single fish. He's very active. I noticed that he has one eye bigger than the other and I'm afraid it is popeye. Does this look like popeye? I believe he looked this way when I got him. There is no cloudiness but his left eye is bigger than the other. I did a 30% water change yesterday. what do I do?

Thanks for reaching out about Cher and including photos. It does appear as if the right eye is enlarged or protruding. Causes of this can be air entrapment behind the eye (usually a result of a faulty pump), retro-bulbar infection/mass or other systemic illnesses. Test and correct water parameters. A veterinary visit for antibiotics is probably the best advise now. Good luck.

For what reason is my fish tank water not clean? Could one of my fish have a disease it's a brand tank and 4 new fish with 1 that we already had.

Thanks for reaching out about your fish. Have your tested the water for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. Correct any concerns. New tank syndrome is a consideration, resulting from a lack of bacterial degradation of waste products. Possibly a disease from the fish. A veterinary visit is recommended if this is a concern. Good luck.

My King Charles cavalier has developed bright red blood parches in the outer area of the brown of both eyes. She has recently been prescribed antibiotics (Therios) for a skin condition, Apoquel (for arthritis) and 500g Paracetamol daily for pain relief of arthritis. She also takes Yumove and fish oil. Could the combination of drugs have caused the blood build up in her eyes? We have stopped all prescribed medications to hope this clears up on it own.

If you can attach a picture of her eyes that might help us. However, none of those medications nor the combination of those meds would explain blood patches in the eyes. I am concerned that she may have a serious issue going on. Has she had any bleeding from her nose or around her teeth? any blood in the water bowl, etc? Bloody urine, blood in stool, any bruising anywhere or little areas that look like bleeding under the skin? (look in her groin area, inside of her earflap, on her gums. If she has signs of bleeding anywhere else, it could be that she is not clotting her blood properly leading to inappropriate bleeding. This can happen in the platelets in the blood are very low or if her liver isn't making clotting factors needed to form a clot. Because this can be a very serious problem, please take her to your vet to be evaluated. If her clotting is normal, it could be that she has inflammation in her eyes, or some other eye issue causing this. Was there any chance she had a "strangulation" episode? Wrapped herself around the neck in her leash, got her collar stuck on something, etc-- when they strangulate one or both eyes can have some bleeding in the sclera (white part of the edge of the cornea) . Again, I thinks unlikely the meds she was on. Thank you for asking PetCoach, I hope Poppy is feeling well.

I have recently used medication in my 50 gal freshwater fish tank with one 22 year old comet goldfish in it . the meds cured my fish but must have killed my beneficial Bacteria as now my established tank has been going through another nitrogen cycle. It's been four weeks now the ammonia us back to zero so is nitrite zero BUT my nitrates are now spiked about 80 and the water is cloudy. Did 2 partial water changes over the last 8 days. Will a UV sterilizer help ?? Please advise. Thanks Lina

Thanks for reaching out about Fishy. A UV sterilizer will only help if a bacterial component is adding to the cloudiness. More intense water changes are the best way to remove nitrates. Monitor feeding to limit excess, vacuum bottom of tank to remove degrading detritus. Good luck.