We have all heard the term "fish stress", but how many know what it is?

Behavioral Stress:

• Tank over crowding
• Aggression from tank mates
• Lack of hiding places
• Too small of a tank

Capture Stress:

• Shipping
• Struggling during capture
• Too much handling

Hypoxia Stress:

• Exposing fish to water with low oxygen levels
• Removing fish from Water

Salinity Stress:

• Transferring fish to lower or higher salinity

Temperature Stress:

• Transfer fish to lower or higher water temperature
• Adding warmer or colder water to the tank during water changes

Toxicity Stress:

• Exposure to high levels of ammonia, nitrates, and/or nitrites
• Exposure to chlorine, chloramines, and cooper

Symptoms: Stress can lead to a loss of appetite, cause clamped fins, and a loss of other abnormal behavior including; resting on the bottom of the tank, hiding, erratic swimming, and hanging in the corners.

Treatment: Reduce stress. Keep the water in pristine condition, do not over crowd your tank, do not chase your fish with a net, etc. In general, just practice good fish keeping.