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Injuries and Parasites
Injuries and parasites are another problem to be aware of if you are going to keep your goldfish healthy.
In terms of injuries, the most common are eye inflammation and lost scales. Fish with telescopic eyes are more prone to eye injuries and can sometimes cause the whole eye to become inflamed. To treat this, swab the area with boric-acid solution, mixed at the same strength as prescribed for humans. Other cuts and abrasions should be swabbed with kerosene. Also, a salt-water treatment is good for helping healing and promoting new scales to grow when lost.
There are a number of parasites that can affect goldfish:
• Anchor worm
• Flukes
• Ichthyophthirius
• Itch
• Leeches
• White Fungus
• Lice
Insects and Other Enemies
In addition to these problems, you need to look out for insects and other enemies that can hurt your goldfish. Insects such as dragon fly larvae and hydra can be a nuisance to goldfish but are usually dealt with quite easily. However, the worst insects around are definitely the beetles and the giant water bug. The giant water bug is around two inches in length and is hard to catch. It can harm goldfish by biting them and should be handled carefully as it can also deliver a nasty bite to humans.
The most ferocious enemies of goldfish are the Water Scavenger Beetle and the Predacious Diving Beetle. Both the beetles themselves and their larvae will hurt fish many times their size, although both are easy to spot and destroy in even large ponds. If you do see any beetle larvae in the pond it is a good idea to destroy it on site and figure out what it is at a later time.
Of course, you should also look out for obvious threats such as birds, rats and frogs. Also, do not forget the dangers of children and cats causing damage to your fish. If a fish mysteriously disappears, it is much more likely to one of these dangers than an insect.