A goldfish can be a great pet so for his best care, you'll want to educate yourself about the different goldfish diseases that can make your fish sick. Recognizing these diseases allows you to be able to take quick action so that your fish remains healthy.

One problem that isn't really a disease but can make your goldfish miserable is constipation. If you don't soak their pellet food or if your goldfish doesn't get any fiber his digestive system will not work properly. To avoid constipation, presoak their pellet food. Feeding your goldfish peas that are cut in half is a tried and true remedy for goldfish.

If your goldfish is swimming funny and floating to the top he could have one of two problems - constipation or swim bladder disease. Goldfish have a swim bladder which can, at times, become inflated causing them to float upwards. Since this can be caused by poor water quality or constipation be sure you do proper aquarium maintenance and get some fiber into your goldfishes diet. Fin rot is a common fish tank disease. As you might have guessed from the name, this is when the fins rot looking white and ragged on the edges. This is more likely to happen in stressed fish - they get a fin injury and bacteria takes hold with infection setting in. Your fish will be less likely to get this if he his in good health, so make sure you keep pristine water quality in the tank.

When it comes to goldfish diseases, no discussion would be complete without mentioning Ich. If you see tiny specs of salt on your fish, then it might be Ich. You should keep a keen eye out for this as the parasites can rapidly multiply once they take hold. Ich usually only affects fish that are stressed so, once again, clean water is a must for healthy goldfish.

Another disease that affects goldfish is called Dropsy. This bacteria works from the inside out. It can cause the fishes scales to stick out. Usually by the time you can notice it, it's past the point of treatment. However, if you notice your fishes eyes sticking out this might be an early sign and you can try to treat him with medication. Hole in the head disease can be a problem for aquarium fish. This starts as tiny holes in your fishes head. You will notice that your fish doesn't eat or swim much. Another parasite that might use your goldfish as a host is called anchor worm. If your fish has this, he'll be rubbing himself like crazy trying to get rid of it. On your goldfish, it will appear as a white stick.

Early recognition of any one of these goldfish diseases could be the difference between your fish living or not, so keep a close eye on your scaly friend. Doing regular water changes and keeping the tank clean by vacuuming and not overfeeding your fish will insure a healthy immune system and less susceptibility to any of these parasites or diseases.