joeysgreen

Surgery is done on an as needed basis. That is, if it is decided the benefits of the procedure outweigh the risks or invasiveness. I admittedly had to google what you're talking about; it is unfortunate that the fish community has gone so long without veterinary help and the videos of people cutting their fish at home is a perfect example. You can call Park to inquire about your fish, or as I see you are in Calgary, you may want to try the Avian and Exotic Clinic there, or another if there is one that will see fish. Ian ps, I have moved to the Boren Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at Oklahoma State University, so no longer am a representative of Park Veterinary Centre. Dr. Bousquet is still there and is the DVM that sees fish

Why not run it as a stream tank. Water in one side, out the other. Drill it through the sides; run a pump in addition to the filter. I've seen a really fantastic version of this done by a biologist here in Edmonton; I think he did a talk about it for the EAC at one point too. Ian

Is 8 your target pH? That's pretty basic and I would suggest lowering it unless you have something specialized for basic conditions. You may also be imbalanced towards algae growth because while your tank is nice and green, the plants are still quite small and of minimal total biomass. Ian Kanda AHT

There is a medication that affects the cyst stage on the fish but I wouldn't recommend it as a first line of attack. Save it for the stubborn strains that are resistant to traditional methods of treatment.

I'm glad this turned out well for you. It does appear that salt is both safe and effective. There are other treatments available that may be helpful if you run into a more resistant strain or have a fragile species that doesn't tolerate salt well. A range of 1-5 ppt is recommended in our Fish Diseases text. This can be measured with your refractometer as 1.001-1.004. If you have a heavily affected fish, it may succumb to infection after treatment as it's skin is traumatized and injured after all the trophonts have left. Antibiotics may be indicated. Ian Kanda AHT Park Veterinary Centre (780) 417 1119

I think in this tank I have enough buffering capacity that pH swings won't be a concern, but I have a pH meter to monitor it closely and adjust my CO2 if necessary. My filter is placed well enough where I think there is enough water flow to distribute the dissolved gasses. Jason, I had to google solenoid to see what you're talking about; it's simply an electronic timer for turning the gas supply on/off, is that correct? Ian Kanda AHT Park Veterinary Centre (780) 417-1119

It just hit me that we already use Vitalaire for our medical oxygen so I'm going to see if they can hook me up with a CO2 setup. Once the air is down to I/v tubing sized supply what do you guys use to add it to the water? Is it fine to just use an airstone? I've heard about bubblecounter's and upside down cups etc... Is it better to have it running 24/7 or just during the day? Ian Kanda AHT Park Veterinary Centre (780) 417-1119

Hello everyone, I am looking to add CO2 to my planted tank as I'm adding more vegetation. Originally I was going to go low-tech and use yeast cultures but via our distributor I can get UP-Aqua pierce CO2 systems (7pc) for a very reasonable price. Does anyone have any experience with this brand? It seems rather small and cheap compared to the fancy systems I was looking at before ($200+ price range), but perhaps it's good enough for our single tank; dimensions approx. 48 x 12 x 18tall. Thank you, Ian Kanda AHT Park Veterinary Centre 780-417-1119

52 drops, that's crazy! I know it's a costly pain, but if not an RO machine, you can bring in bottled water, get a storage tank for city water which can be trucked in etc. I have a friend that lives near Calmar and the well water smells and tastes like petroleum. She uses it for washing but all the animals get bottled water. Ian

Converted basements make pretty cool massive enclosures. I'd love to see some pictures of these monsters and their aquariums if you are keeping them. Ian

Yes, those fish get big! It at first appears to be trauma from running into the glass but could also be scar tissue, abscess, tumor... Focusing on husbandry perfection is half the battle. This might be a case, and a patient with enough size, where a veterinarian can make a big difference. Diagnostics can help find out what the mass is (if not more apparent after an examination), and a treatment plan developed. Ian

I agree that this isn't anything to worry about. Water is a great heat reservoir, thus the temperature drop was a slow one. If you dumped a bunch of cold water into the tank, I might be a little more worried. Healthy fish will be able to tolerate sub-par conditions for short periods of time; it is chronic cool conditions that will see them predisposed to illness. And with the note on breeding is a reminder that while we aim to achieve perfection within a small window, in the wild these animals do live in a dynamic world that does see many variables. Ian

In such tiny little fish it can be difficult to do anything but guess, but it is quite a large leap from stroke to spinal curve. The spine is held straight and in place by tendons, muscles, cartilaginous disks etc. Strokes cause paralysis, paresis, impaired mental and/or motor control etc. It all depends on what area of the body is affected. Many times death is in short order. Further, strokes more often than not are unpredictable. There are no preliminary symptoms like weight loss. However with that said, some conditions can put an animal at a higher risk of stroke... and yes, it is possible that the body system that is affected is the musculature affecting body posture, but... see how it becomes a bit of a stretch.

Panacur is a prescription drug and is only available without prescription because of it's history with the aquatic industry predating a lot of the pharmacy laws.. Veterinarians are bound by a strict code of conduct to maintain a high minimum standard of care. One of these is that a vet client patient relationship must be created prior to prescribing medication (VCR or VCPR). In short, the vet needs to examine the animal, assess a need, and meet this need by prescribing said medication. The same thing with human medicine, except we have to add in client and patient because animals don't have Alberta Health Cards Is this a freshwater tank? Is hydra not a water quality issue? Ian

Medications will be as per prescribed. They can be dispensed at the clinic, or you can take the prescription to any pharmacy that carries the appropriate drug.