What is Ulcer Disease and How to Prevent Them on Goldfish

For many of us ulcer disease on goldfish is probably the worst thing you will come across in your new hobby. The first thing you need to know is what is ulcers. Ulcers are red sores that appear on the body of goldfish, koi and other types of fish. They are usually circular red sores that appear usually due to poor water quality. What happens when the water quality turns for the worse there ends up being an abundance of aeromonas and pseudomonas present in the water which are known to result in ulcer disease found on fish. If left untreated these red sores will eventually eat away right inside the goldfish till it reaches it's internal organs until the fish dies. That's why it is very important to make sure water quality and proper maintenance is kept up to date to prevent ulcer disease from happening or other types of goldfish diseases as well.

What people can do to prevent ulcer disease from happening in the first place is to perform regular water changes to keep water safe and healthy for fish. People should also clean there aquarium filters regularly as well. One of the biggest things is not to overcrowd your goldfish bowl, aquarium or fish pond. Follow proper stocking requirements to prevent goldfish diseases and ulcers from happening. Another thing people should do as well is observe your fish, make sure no fish has died in the tank. When a fish dies it causes bad bacteria, fungus and parasites to happen which then cause the water quality to foul. This is when ulcers may appear due to a fish that has died that you were unaware of.

Something I always hear is people overfeeding their fish. Overfeeding causes so many problems, diseases and illness. What happens is that people end up feeding their fish but end up polluting their water at the same time. When you overfeed your fish it causes more ammonia to happen due to fish waste. Then your nitrite level can go up as well and if you don't test your water quality regularly your fish go into stress due to poor water quality. When this happens ulcers can happen and all kinds of other fish diseases as well. You can tell when a fish is stresses as one of the easiest ways to recognize signs of a potential problem is clamped fins. That's why it is very important not to overfeed your fish and perform regular maintenance.

These are simple things that people can do to help prevent ulcer disease from happening. If they do appear it is highly recommended to begin treatment right away as it's much easier to treat at the early stages and you will have better luck with treatment. Ulcer disease is treatable but the best way to keep it away is from preventive measures and maintenance.

Jamie Boyle is an online author who writes and maintains his Goldfish Care Information (http://www.GoldfishCareInformation.com) blog to help people answer questions involving goldfish. If you need more information on goldfish and want to know how to treat various goldfish diseases please visit http://www.GoldfishCareInformation.com