external symptoms
- Skin ulcers, usually with a red border
- red and inflamed parts of the body
- Bleeding of skin, gills and fins
- reddened fins
- frayed fins
- protruding scales
- pop eyes
- swollen stomach
- emaciation
- black body parts
Behave
internal symptoms
- Bloody fluid in abdomen
- Wounds on internal organs
- Bleeding in internal organs and muscles
photos
Photo: Ina Grieser
Chela dadyburjori (Dadyburjor’s keelbellied rasbora) with severe redness indicating possible bacterial infection.
Photo: Ina Grieser
Rio red with red spots on abdomen indicating internal bacterial infection. Fin rot and goggle eyes occurred as side effects.
Photos: Klaus Bauerfeld
Photos: Klaus Bauerfeld
Cichlid with bacterial infection
Photos: Iris Genrich
Blue gourami with an inflamed fin
Photo: Steve Kas
Schlieren catfish with fungus and bacterial infection on the feeler. The sensor turned white. The transition between the white-colored and normal-colored part was inflamed red. A ball of mushrooms formed around the feeler. The discolored part of the probe fell off shortly after the photo was taken.
Photo: André Hamscher
Labidachromis Yellow with bacterial inflammation or pitting disease
Photos: Frank Staudenmaier
Sumatran mullet with inflamed gills, possibly caused by parasites or gill worms.
Photo: Lizzy T
White Black Molly with inflamed goggle eye. The cause is probably an injury.
Photo: Reinhold Weinberger
Carbuncle tetra with swim bladder infection.
Photo: Matthew Beck
Death due to severe bacterial infection
Photos: Marcus W.
Apistogramma agassizii with bacterial infection. The fish died shortly after recording.
Photo: Kerstin
Loach with bacterial infection. Next to the open area there is another swelling or bump under the skin, which is hardly visible in the picture.
Photo: Klaus Dreymann
Apistogramma macmasteri females with thyroid tumor or internal bacterial infection.
The female died from the disease.
Photo: Jiro
Pelviachromis pulcher with thyroid tumor or internal bacterial infection
Photos: Alex
Corydoras trilineatus with red belly and fin rot due to bacterial infection
Photo: Sabine Fröhlich
Puffer fish with internal bacterial infection
Photo: Simon
A gourami with a bacterial infection. Corresponding symptoms also frequently occur with the dwarf gouramis disease.
Photo: Simon
At the same time, a white coating appeared on the side of a fin eel in the same aquarium. Possibly also caused by a bacterial infection.
Photo: Peter Stock
Goldfish with bacterial infection
Photo: Christian R.
Goldfish with severe bacterial infections
Photos: Mandy
Photos: Mandy
Puffer fish showing various symptoms of bacterial infection. The hind fin is frayed like fin rot. The supposed fungus on the eye could be columnaris.
The discoloration on the abdomen could indicate an internal bacterial infection. The infection may have been triggered because the fish was commercially kept in fresh water, although it required brackish water. The puffer fish died shortly after the recordings.
Photos: Gyelt
Corydoras trilineatus with bacterial infection. After treatment with nifurpirinol, the red spots of inflammation decreased in four out of five affected animals.
Originally, an animal had become conspicuous because it pinched its tail fin. A magnifying glass revealed a few irregular red dots beneath the scales. These were about 0.5mm in size and acted like increased blood flow or small inflammation. The skin and scales looked normal and unharmed.
Photos: Viola (Forum)
Harlequin rasbora with bacterial infection, recognizable by the red spots. After treatment with antibacterial agents, the fish became healthy within a few days.
Photos: Sonja (Forum)
Copper tetra with bacterial infection, recognizable by the slightly red bump. A second copper tetra got a popping eye and a small, white and fluffy covering in one place. The coating also became reddish shortly afterwards. The tetras were treated with furanol according to the package insert. The bump receded. The spot was only slightly grey. The other tetra died.
Photos: Heinz Gaugenrieder
Pinnate catfish with a whitish mouth. The animal had small holes on both sides of its body. At least in the pictures, the area in front of the tail root seems reddened. The symptoms indicate a bacterial infection, possibly columnaris.
Photos: Manadis (Forum)
Starspot tetra with internal bacterial infection. Tetras in the affected aquarium became paler and almost milky, got swollen bellies, goggle eyes. The innards of the star spot tetras shimmered through red. Gradually, the animals ate less and less, isolated themselves and died about 2 days later.
At the same time, false neon disease, also a bacterial infection, presumably appeared in another aquarium.
Other fish species were not affected.
The trigger was probably an increased susceptibility of the tetras due to hard aquarium water with 13°gH and 8°kH after a move.
Photos: Detlef Beyer
Armored catfish with suspected bacterial infection. The blisters are probably filled with fluid from the bacterial infection. Similar blisters can be caused by sporozoa or worms. The exact cause can only be determined by cutting open the blisters and, if necessary, examining the contents under a microscope. Clues are given by the origin and how long the infested fish were kept. In the case of bred fish that have been kept in your own aquarium for a long time, a bacterial infection is very likely and sporozoa or worms very unlikely.
Photos: Michael Einar Reynis
Fish with blisters on the head. The white coating on the middle blister could be caused by a fungus. The photo does not show whether it is longer fungal threads or a bacterial coating. In connection with the blisters, it can be assumed that it is a bacterial infection. The blisters are probably filled with fluid from the bacterial infection. Similar blisters can be caused by sporozoa or worms. The exact cause can only be determined by cutting open the blisters and, if necessary, examining the contents under a microscope. Clues are given by the origin and how long the infested fish were kept. In bred fish that have been kept in your own aquarium for a long time, a bacterial infection is very likely and sporozoa or worms very unlikely.
Photo: Thomas Boening
Red neon with white dots. Such sharply defined, white dots are probably harmless bacterial colonies that form on slightly damaged skin areas. Strong water changes are usually enough to make the spots disappear. In addition, antibacterial agents can easily be used, such as sea almond leaves, alder cones, etc.
Photos: Lisa Schellauf
Two neon tetras in a group of neon tetras looked as shown in the photo after accommodation in a transitional tank. Other fish were not affected.
The affected animals ate normally and were normally integrated into the swarm. The tetras easily coped with a two-hour transport in the car. The symptoms had been visible for several months when the photo was taken.
White plaque is often caused by bacteria from the columnar area. The white nodes could also be bacterial colonies. The white nodules also resemble symptoms on red tetras classified under bubonic disease.
Photos: Lisa Schellauf
Photos: Lisa Schellauf
The spines of the affected neons were kinked just before the caudal fin. Later, another neon also had such a kink, but not yet the other symptoms. Furthermore, the animals ate and swam obediently in swarms.
No fungal threads were noticed. However, the bump on a neon got bigger and looked a bit bluish.
Photos: July
Ancistrus sp. Albino with severe bacterial infection. In the first picture he is healthy, in the second picture he appears to be blistered and bleeding internally. The blisters may be fluid-filled cysts from the infection.
Photos: D. Hagedorn
Blue orfe with severe bacterial infection. The animal was found dead in a large swimming pond with a bloodshot spot on the front abdomen. After about an hour, other abdominal areas were reddened. The initially red spot was actually bleeding, as was bleeding in the anus area. The picture on the left shows this condition. The gills in the right picture appeared to be healthy.
Photos: Iris Küspert
Veiltail goldfish with bacterial infection that was having severe difficulty swimming. This was indicated, among other things, by the red spot on the body. The assumption is supported by the thick belly and the protruding scales. This is usually caused by fluid buildup in the body. Since many fish swim in a normal position despite their fat bellies and protruding scales, the suspicion arises that the swim bladder is also affected in this case. The fish mostly lay on its back and breathed very quickly.
Whether you call it dropsy, swim bladder infection or bacterial infection is actually secondary. This could only be determined by cutting open, looking at the affected organs and determining the exact pathogen by means of a bacterial culture.
Treatment attempts with Baktopur and eSHa 2000 were unsuccessful. It may be possible to try to support the release of fluid from the cells by adding salt to the water, as described under ascites. In general, however, it is very unlikely that fish that are so seriously ill can be saved.
Photo: Stefan Schmid
Harlequin barb with bacterial infection, recognizable by the very red fins.
Photos: Ulrich Rüffer
Blue gourami with bacterial infection. Threadfish with such symptoms are suspected to have EUS.
Photos: Christina (Forum)
Red neon with bacteria colony.
Photos: coy (forum)
Otocinclus with bacterial infection. In…