Preventing Stress In Fish

Let's discuss about preventing stress in fish. If you've experienced stress before then you know that it can affect your health causing headaches, neck pain, and many other issues. Well, stress in fish is similar. Stress greatly affects the health of fish and it's important to prevent it if you want all of your fish to remain healthy.

In order to prevent your fish from becoming stressed you need to know what causes stress in fish. Various things can, but the most common stress inducers include the following: handling, aggressive fish in the same tank, overcrowding, inappropriate water temperatures, and dirty environment. There are other stressors too. Very simple things can stress fish, fish like to have a very stable environment.

So, how can you prevent stress? Try to avoid handling fish unless absolutely necessary and then be very gentle and careful about catching them in a net. Try to do it slowly so you don't scare them too much, however if you do it too slowly you are just causing the stress to last longer. If you notice one of your fish is aggressive toward the other ones then you should put it in a separate tank, take it back to the pet store if you just purchased it, or find it a new home with a friend. Preventing overcrowding is simple. Don't have too many fish in one tank. If you want to have a lot of fish then make sure you have a very large tank. Most pet stores can tell you what size tank different types of fish require.

Probably the most common stressor to fish is an improper environment. Some people want fish, but don't want to pay money for all the things needed. Think your fish can go without a heater or a filter? While some fish may be able to, most can't. If you want a low maintenance fish try a betta. If you want a nice aquarium full of healthy happy fish then you need a heater to keep the water at the appropriate temperature and you will also need a filter to keep the water clean. You can also put sucker fish or snails in your fish tank to help decrease the algae that forms. However, don't expect a filter to do all the work. You will have to clean your aquarium and put in fresh water every so often.

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.