Diseases?

[jeb]

Hello All,
I would like some information on diseases Apistos are suscptible to,or prone to have.And what preventive measures you take with new&acclimated Apistos?

 

[Neil]

jeb,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Your question largely depends on whether we are talking about wild or tank-raised fish. Aside from the obvious parasitic infestation inherant in most wild fish, apistos are relatively free from any specific disease problems, especially when kept in soft, acid water. I cannot recall when I have ever had a case of Ick in a softwater apisto tank. I am far from knowledgeable when talking about diseases, but many diseases seem to be associated with environmental problems. In other words, if you keep your water clean and use approriate water for the type of fish that you are keeping (soft water for apistos), then you are far less likely to experience problems with disease.
However, this changes as soon as you start adding wild fish to the mix. Many stores order from wholesalers that order from collectors that sometimes don't effectively deal with the inherant problems with wild fish. Stores are constantly putting new "bugs" into their tanks because of this. If they are not careful with their tanks and you are not careful when buying (and with what you do afterward), this can lead to problems.
There is a "thing" about apistos that is worth mentioning here. Sometimes they die! For no apparent reason. No external symptomology. No affect on any other fish in the tank. It isn't related to age, but could well be related to stress. Sometimes it seems to happen shortly after breeding(which is stressful), but not all the time. I have talked with others who have dealt with these fish extensively and they all seem to have seen this. What it is, I am not sure. How to stop it, I am not sure about this either. But it does happen infrequently enough to not worry about it too much. Keep the water clean and appropriate for your fish, feed them well and be careful with wild fish and you will be way ahead of the curve.
Neil