How to prevent Stress In Fish

Let's discuss how to prevent stress in fish. If you have fish then you have probably heard about stress in fish. Stress greatly affects fish and it is important to know what can cause stress in fish.

While knowing how to cure stress can be helpful, it's best to prevent it to begin with. Some things that can cause stress in fish include handling, overcrowding, poor living conditions, and other aggressive fish. Fish like to live in a stable environment.

One thing that many people should know is that water temperature can cause stress. If you purchase a fish from the pet store and bring it home and put it in a tank that is full of colder water than the fish is used to it may become stressed and even die.

Another example of stress in fish is if you have an aggressive fish going after a smaller fish. The smaller fish will feel stressed. When a fish is stressed it's body releases cortisol to give it a quick burst of energy to flee from whatever is triggering stress. This is actually trading long-term health for a short-term reaction. Cortisol reduces the effectiveness of the immune system. The adrenalin actually disturbs the natural balance of salt and water in the fish's body. Which is why stress is actually dangerous and unhealthy for fish. It can take hours or possibly even days for a fish's natural balance to be restored even if the stress was on for a couple minutes.

So, what can you do? Try to prevent fish from becoming stressed. Use an aquarium thermometer or buy a heater if required to make sure your fish are in water of the proper temperature. You should also have a filter and clean the aquarium when needed. Dirty water creates stress, plus algae and other unhealthy things for your fish. Make sure you don't have too many fish in your tank and if one fish is aggressive you should think about removing it from the aquarium for the health of the rest of the fish.

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your veterinarian or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment.