Let’s start with something I hope you will find fun.

About 15 years ago I attended a program called AQUAVET at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. This was an intensive program in Aquatic Animal Medicine. Dr. Bob Bullis, one of the instructors and the MBL veterinarian at the time, gave a lecture entitled Principles of Health Management For Marine Laboratory Animals. From his lecture and notes came some some important considerations for keeping healthy fish an invertebrates. This gave me the idea to develop some “rules of thumb” for the aquarist or budding aquatic veterinarian. Often it is these little tips and pearls of wisdom that aren’t covered in the books or formal classes. Over the years through my own and others experiences (good and bad) I have modified these into some general rules of thumb for the freshwater and marine aquarium keeping. This is certainly not the final word on this matter, I’m constantly tinkering with the list and, as always, open to suggestions. Without further ado here in slightly modified and expanded form are the sage words of Dr. Bob Bullis, MS, DVM.

Now comes the interactive portion. I imagine you have also have developed your own rules of thumb for keeping your animals healthy. Send them to me or post them in the comments section and include your name and state or country. If I add them to the list you will get full credit. TMM

THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

• Water quality is almost always the central or contributing factor in disease outbreaks.
• Bacterial and parasitic diseases account for the vast majority of ornamental fish disease problems.
• Prevention is ALWAYS cheaper than treatment.

WARNING SIGNS OF IMPENDING DOOM

• Excessive accumulation of debris, uneaten food, feces, and other muck in the aquarium or pond.
• Sudden changes in water quality parameters (ammonia, nitrite, pH, turbidity, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, cloudy water, unusual amount of foam in system, etc.)
• A dead animal or an unusual amount of deaths among animals that traditionally do very well in aquariums or pond environments.
• Distressed animals in the system. This is usually indicated by unusual amounts of activity, inactivity, or unusual behavior. More on specific signs in fish and invertebrates in the next issue.
• It’s 4:30 on a Friday afternoon and you are planning on going away for the weekend.

COMMON ERRORS, MISTAKES AND MISCONCEPTIONS

• Failure to know your animal (its biology and husbandry requirements).
• Failure to quarantine new animals.
• Failure to allow your aquarium or pond to cycle before adding all your fish an/or invertebrates.
• Overcrowding the system. This will tax the oxygen supply and the filtration systems, increase traumatic injury, territorialism, and cannibalism.
• Overfeeding
• Failure to adequately rinse recently cleaned and disinfected tanks, totes and equipment.
• Failure to quarantine newly arrived animals or to isolate those undergoing treatment.
• Initiating a disease treatment without a proper diagnosis.
• Failure to rinse the dust from activated carbon, dolomite or crushed shell before adding it to filters.
• Failure to provide large aquariums with well supported stands.
• Failure to build in bypass and overflow pipes and screened drains.
• Use of copper, brass, or bronze valves and/or pipes. These can corrode, slough or leach toxic copper salts. Copper is especially toxic to invertebrates. Zinc is also quite toxic.
• Failure to provide proper substrates, shelter, or life support for commensal invertebrates.
• Failure to provide proper water flow and current for sessile invertebrates.
• Using plastics or sealers impregnated with insecticides or fungicides. Always read the label and when in doubt use food grade containers.
• Using toxins or solvents in or around aquariums and ponds (insecticides, herbicides, floor strippers, cleaners, even smoke)
• Failure to keep certain species separate (predators with prey species, aggressive species with timid species, introducing parasites with host species).
• Failure to identify the individuals responsible for care and maintenance of the animals and systems. Miscommunication can leave important husbandry tasks undone.
• Failure to check the water quality parameters regularly.
• Failure to observe and respond to declining water quality conditions.
• Inadequate nutrition do to underfeeding or an unbalanced or inappropriate diet. varied diet is always best. Monodiets are never balanced.
• Failure to keep adequate husbandry records (water quality, feeding, mortalities, disease, and other significant events) and failure to review those records on a regular basis.
• Failure to recognize or anticipate the onset or duration of reproductive activity. Misinterpreting reproductive activity as abnormal behavior.
• Improperly installed/maintained electrical equipment and outlets not protected by ground fault interruption.
• Failure to check pipes, fittings and equipment on the suction side of pumps for air leaks. Air supersaturated water can kill animals quickly.
• Believing that antibiotics will solve all your problems.