sera guide - Healthy aquarium fish

3 1 Prevention is better than the cure! Stress affects the immune system and weakens disease resistance. It therefore is – just as in humans – one of the main factors for fish dis- ease outbreaks. Stress is caused by different factors. Maintenance mistakes (too many, in- sufficient or wrong measures taken), a fish stock that does not harmonize, adding too many fish, strongly varying temperatures, overfeeding and correspondingly high organic water pollution along with a large number of pathogens in the water are among the most common ones. Frequently, diseases then break out whose unnoticed corresponding pathogens were already present in the tank (secondary parasites, among others). Other important stress factors include monot- onous or unsuitable nutrition, fear due to being caught, frequent maintenance in the aquarium, transport, toxic substances in the water and unsuitable plant fertilizers. You will find extensive and well founded infor- mation about keeping your aquarium fish stress free in the sera guides “How to set up an aquarium”, “How to feed your tropical fish naturally” and “Aquarium care according to nature”, and on www.sera.de. Your specialized retailer can counsel you in detail which fish are suitable for keeping together, and which spe- cial features and water parameters they re- quire. If you then dedicate one to two hours per week to your aquarium it will provide you plenty of joy for a long time. In case a disease ever actually occurs, this guide and the sera products will provide excellent support for helping your fish quickly and effectively. We want you to enjoy your aquarium and your healthy, lively fish to the fullest. How does stress develop in an aquarium? – Examples • Fish transfers and transports • Varying temperatures • Frightened fish, e.g. due to keeping unsuit- able species together or due to permanent hierarchy fights • Frequent maintenance in the aquarium, e.g. due to permanent decoration changes • Aquariums without places to hide or retreat • Too strong water agitation • Unsuitable water parameters • Improper application of chemical agents (e.g. unsuitable fertilizers, wrong application of treatments) • Poor hygienic conditions, e.g. by insufficient or wrong care • Overfeeding or wrong/deficient nutrition due to feeding poor quality food • Overstocking Avoiding stress = preventing diseases