Call me at 630-408-0587 right this very minute!

Sick fish won’t wait. If you have a dead fish don’t throw it away, place it in a plastic bag and put it on ice in a cooler so I can do a necropsy. Unlike “dead men”, a dead fish can tell a tale.

How can you tell if your fish are sick? Fish behavior is very predictable. If they are not free swimming and eager eaters something is not quite right.

Isolating… not swimming with the rest of the fish, resting on the bottom.

Clamped fins… fins not extended and held close to the body.

Piping… gulping air at the surface or hanging out in the waterfall area for long periods of time.

Flashing… scraping their body across the rocks or bottom of the pond in a sudden darting motion.

Red streaks & spots… white fish often present first because it is so obvious due to color change.

Raised scales… often called “pine coning” because of the similar appearance to a pinecone.

Bloating… swollen body not associated with an egg-laden female about to spawn.

Ulcers… bloody red lesions most often accompanied with flashing.

Cloudy eyes… opaque cover over eyes.

Fin rot & mouth rot… split fins or tattered mouth with bloody edges.

No appetite… refusal of any food.

Breaching… constant jumping out of water.

Excessive slime coat… fish seems to have a white cast over the entire body. Very easy to see on an orange fish.

Missing scales… fish seems to be losing many scales.

Red dots… small, pronounced red areas in between scales.

Hole in head or fin… missing flesh in a fin or on the head.

Fungus… white cottony patches or green areas on body or fins.