Choosing to bring a fish home is a delicate task, not only because of how it will adapt to its new environment, but also because of how its inclusion will affect the other tenants in the aquarium.
This concern is due to diseases that the fish may acquire while in the store or hatchery, or during capture and transfer to a new location.
Fish are sensitive animals that can be vulnerable to various pathologies if they are not properly cared for, or if they are under constant stress.
This makes observation, attention and curiosity invaluable tools when buying and keeping fish.
However, it is important to have prior knowledge of how I can know that a fish is healthy before I buy it.
External evidence
The first encounter with the fish can provide a person with many clues about his or her health status.
Although some diseases do not show external symptoms, others do, and even noticeably so.
Puffy eyes, dull color compared to their peers, white spots on the body, labored breathing, frayed or fractured fins are some of the most common evidence of disease in fish.
To detect any physical anomaly easily, the person can compare the external state of the fish with others of the same species, or find out in advance about the physical characteristics of the fish he/she wishes to acquire.
Behavior and interaction with other fish
The interaction and behavior of the fish with everything around it is a vital indication of its state of health.
Each fish has its own personality and behavior pattern according to its species, which is why alarms are raised when it starts to behave in an unusual way.
Social interactions, according to the characteristics of the fish, are a great source of information.
If the fish lives with a school of fish by nature, but in the aquarium it is seen apart from them, there is a problem; the same happens when a fish bumps into other fish or objects, as well as swimming in a vertical direction instead of horizontally.
In addition to being more aggressive, fearful or lethargic to what is happening around them.
Feeding and defecation
Watching the fish eat or defecate is another way to detect health problems.
If the fish is sick or stressed, there is a high probability that this will affect its feeding; in some cases reducing its appetite, while in others the animal becomes very desperate to eat.
Defecation also offers important clues about the care you have been receiving and your health status. If the stool turns out to be light in color or looks too gelatinous, the animal may have intestinal parasites or another condition.
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