 
AQUARIUM DISEASE PREVENTION; basic principles of disease prevention in aquariums |
|
AQUARIUM DISEASE PREVENTION; basic principles of disease prevention in aquariums |
|
Aquarium Disease Prevention; By Carl Strohmeyer This is probably one of the most important aspects (although a generalized statement) of keeping a healthy aquarium. I have kept up many aquariums (marine and freshwater) during my years of aquarium maintenance. It was more of a challenge than my personal aquariums as many of customers overfed or did not tell me fish were sick until it was too late. That is why prevention is the best remedy. Many common diseases such as ich can be limited by good preventive measures, while many diseases such as Dropsy (see this article) that are generally the result of poor water quality management can be outright prevented. My experience in maintaining literally 1000s of aquariums gave me a unique perspective as compared to a pure hobbyist. What I mean is that I (or my employees) were at many clients aquariums only once per week or less, so I did not have the luxury of being able to make sure everything was fine with these fish everyday (kind of like the average hobbyist going away every week for a one or two week vacation and hoping everything would be OK). In fact my largest client (the Bakooka Restaurant) was gained because of an employee of the restaurant had an Arowana that was sick and none of the medications being advised to her by others was working. She heard about me through word of mouth and I recognized that she had tank conditions that were not healthy for the fish’ own natural defenses for her fish to recover, not to mention the medications sold to her were wrong. Her fish got better after correcting these problems and the rest was history (this service account launched many other accounts for us including Disney). Back to the subject, I had to look at EVERY parameter and way to keep a healthy aquarium and I could not rely on the many aquarium keeping myths that still float around in this hobby to keep my customers fish alive. Such as the myth about bio wheels (see this article: “Do Bio Wheels really work” , this is not to say they do not work, just not to the level of hype I have seen), myths about UV Sterilization or about the quality of many popular brands of fish foods. I have performed tests on everything from UV Sterilization, aquarium electrolytes, Redox Potential, fish foods, filtration, cleaning procedures, to aquarium cycling. What I found is that if ALL points of disease prevention are practiced from, good filtration and maintenance, feeding quality fish foods (it still surprises me to this day that Spirulina 20 Flake is not that well known considering the huge differences I have seen feeding this fish food), maintaining the right electrolyte levels, a proper Redox level, and UV Sterilization; I had very few losses and many of my newer customers noticed the difference after switching to my service. This is not to say that these are all essential, however the more aquarium prevention procedures you follow the healthier, more colorful, and longer living your fish will be. I have had many in forums criticize me for trying to scare aquarists into needing equipment such as UV Sterilizers, however I think it is far from that as everyone should know what all the risks are and every possible way to keep the healthiest aquarium possible. To put another way would it be honest to tell someone that their little goldfish they won at a carnival will do just fine in a bowl and not need anything more? I do not think so. My results speak for themselves. I personally have resisted adding disease charts as these proliferate all over the internet, many are very “cookie cutter” in their descriptions and can be misleading in my opinion. I feel first understanding prevention methods followed then by a knowledge of antibiotics, chemical treatments, and organic treatments will go much further in treatment and disease prevention than a disease chart that has a one size fits all approach. I recommend reading this companion article about Medications/Treatments for more information that will help you make an educated choice when treatment of fish is required, rather than a “dart on the wall” approach. “Aquarium Medications/Treatments; How they work” Also I recommend reading some of the specific disease articles such as “Columnaris/ Saprolegnia” and many others founds here: “Aquatic Information, Resouces” or other disease specific articles found on the internet or elsewhere. Please read on! [1] Cleanliness:  Regular quality water changes are extremely important. By quality I mean to not over clean the water by taking fish out and washing the gravel. You want to use a gravel vacuum and do partial water changes that disrupt the fish as little as possible. The purpose of this is to remove organic debris before it can fully go through the Nitrogen cycle, eventually increasing your Nitrates and lowering your ph. You also want to de-chlorinate the water so as to not stress out the fish or environment. There are many good products for this: Prime , Start Right, Stress Coat, just to name a few. Regular small incremental water changes are IMO one of the best maintenance procedures you can perform (if not over done). These will cut pollutants, often add necessary minerals (depending on the water source), and improve the aquariums ORP (Redox) . Another note to regular water changes; these are also important WHEN your fish are sick as well, performed before each treatment. These water changes should also include a thorough “wiping down” of the glass (on ALL sides) to dislodge algae that can harbor disease pathogens. For more information about the Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle, please read this article: “NITROGEN CYCLE AND AQUARIUM CYCLING; How the Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle Works” , [2] Good filtration: I recommend two filters for redundancy, and I never totally throw out all media, rather I rinse part of the filter media in used aquarium water so as to preserve beneficial (aerobic) bacteria for proper biological filtration (ammonia and nitrite removal). Sponge Pre filters are a great addition to HOB filters in particular they improve bio filtration, especially during filter media changes. Keep in mind that the primary function of filters is to remove waste mechanically and biologically. If your filter is not performing these basic tasks, you need to change or improve your filters. For more information about filters, please see this article: “AQUARIUM FILTRATION (Filters)”  If you have a bowl, this task is more difficult, so regular water changes (in a bowl I recommend approximately a 2/3 water change) and the addition of products such as Wonder Shells to aid in water quality in between water changes is important.  [3] Use ultra violet sterilization: UV sterilizers prevent many bacterial, fungal, and protozoa diseases. In addition they help with oxidation properties (Redox Potential) of the water and in so doing, water clarity. This is NOT essential however UV Sterilization is one more piece of the disease prevention puzzle. I would also state that some of the statements that UV Sterilizers are not necessary are false and not based on any real scientific evidence, as they DO help for all fish (in fact studies of mine with goldfish showed marked health improvement). For more information about UV Sterilization, please see this article: “ULTRAVIOLET STERILIZATION (How UV sterilization works)” [4] Do not overfeed! Also feed QUALITY fish foods (not the over hyped brands that dominate the market):  Use quality, aquatic based foods, not foods high in cereal, beef proteins and fats, and soy proteins. Also foods high in unusable amino acids (which make up proteins) add to your nitrogenous wastes which in turn eventually add up to higher nitrates, which although are note a major problem, prolonged exposure to high nitrates will weaken fish and lower disease resistance. Some good brands: HBH, Ocean Nutrition, Blue Lagoon, Sanyu, Hikari, Spirulina 20, and Omega. Some brands to avoid: Tetra, Hartz (BTW, many have fed Tetra Foods and raised generations of fish on it, however that is NOT scientific proof that it is quality food, the label and side to side tests are a more accurate measure! Often the fish could have done better yet with another food). For more information about Proper Fish Nutrition, please see this article: “Quality Fish Food; what ingredients are needed for proper fish nutrition, growth and health” [5] Watch water chemistry:  Important parameters include: PH (stability is what is most important), ammonia (0), nitrites (0), nitrates (below 40-50 ppm for FW, below 15-20 ppm for SW), hardness, KH (50 ppm or higher, depending on the fish, much higher in SW), ECT. Note that ammonia is more toxic at a higher ph! A GH of 100+ ppm (depending on the fish kept) provides the needed calcium for proper osmotic processes and healing from infections and wounds. Calcium, Magnesium and electrolytes are an often forgotten component of proper aquarium health, however they are ESSENTIAL! I have little incidence of Dropsy and Swim Bladder infections when these elements were present (along with good feeding practices and regular cleanings). This is an area I cannot stress enough and there is so much research to prove this For more information about this, please read these articles (which include links to many research articles to support my claim): “CALCIUM, KH, AND MAGNESIUM IN AQUARIUMS; How to maintain a Proper KH, why calcium and electrolytes are important.” AND How Fish Drink; Proper Osmotic Function As to pH, many aquarists will spend too much time chasing a “perfect” pH when a STABLE pH is more important (which I can speak to in the 1000s of aquariums I have maintained at different pH and other parameters). I have seen Discus (a fish which comes from waters often under 6.5) breed in aquariums with a pH above 7.5. What is stressful is a pH that is not stable therefore a good KH or acid buffer is important. What I have found FAR MORE IMPORTANT is electrolytes and calcium (which will also affect a good Redox Potential) present than a so called perfect pH. The discus under my care were much more healthy with a KH of around 50 ppm, a GH around 100 ppm and a Redox Potential around -300 mV than with a pH under 6.5 (please note that these numbers just given are for discus, for many fish such as livebearers I kept a much higher KH and GH). High ammonia and nitrite levels make fish extremely susceptible to infection and will eventually kill the fish outright. Prolonged nitrate levels above 50 ppm will stunt fish growth and lower fish immunity. Nitrates (along with Redox) are not a problems for fish health in the short term as ammonia is, however the statement that nitrates are not poisonous is another aquarium keeping myth. Nitrates over 30 ppm have been shown to kill cephalopods and nitrates over 20 ppm (some studies show even lower) have been shown to cause blue baby syndrome in humans, so why would long term exposure to higher nitrates not be detrimental to fish? Although not essential, the Aquarium Redox Potential is another tool for keeping disease free aquarium. The simplest way to look at this is if you have the proper reduction (around -300 mV), your aquarium water would be like having anti oxidant vitamins in it. I should be noted that if correct cleaning procedures are met, proper KH and GH, and UV Sterilization, your Aquarium Redox is most likely to be fine. Bottom line, you should just be aware of this and what factors we maintain a proper Redox and you will be fine. For more, please read this article: “THE REDOX POTENTIAL IN AQUARIUMS (& PONDS) AND HOW IT RELATES TO PROPER AQUATIC HEALTH” [6] When you do treat for disease:  Do not over medicate or under medicate, then change water. Medicated wonder shells work well for ich and are buffered, which makes one of the active ingredients; malachite green, safer (malachite green is more toxic at lower ph). There are many other excellent treatments such as Pimafix (a great Natural remedy for fungus and flexibacter. Also note that all the medication in the world will not help if you have not followed the above steps and keep good water conditions. Here are a few that should be kept on hand BEFORE you need them in an emergency: • Methylene Bluefor a medicated bath (see link below for instructions) • Pimafix; an excellent herbal gram negative anti bacterial and anti fungal. Melafix is the cousin treatment to Pimafix which is more gram positive and generally less effective, however it is still useful to have on hand to combine with Pimafix or to treat just by itself usually in the case of fish injuries or ulcers, especially in pond fish • Medicated Wonder Shells; excellent for prevention of many external parasites such as ich and velvet (especially when introducing new fish), also useful for fungus. These also come in bowl size • Quick Cure; one of the strongest anti parasitic treatments available ( ParaGuard makes an excellent substitute for more sensitive fish). • Kanamycin ( Kanaplex); a very effective gram negative antibiotic, can be combined with Nitrofurazone or Metronidazole • Metronidazole; unique anti parasite (including internal) and bacterial properties. • Nirofurazone; excellent for lower ph applications and more gram positive bacteria application. • Sodium Chloride (plain salt) and Epsom Salts; Sodium chloride will help with osmotic function in your display aquarium and Epsom salts (best used in a hospital tank) are also helpful for improving osmotic function (in diseases such as Dropsy. See this article: Proper Osmotic Function For more information about Aquarium Medications, please see this article: “AQUARIUM MEDICATIONS, treatments, how they work, and which ones to use and not to use.” [7] When you purchase fish (Quarantine, baths, dips); New Arrivals/Acclimation First make sure all the fish in the aquarium are healthy (if the fish store has a centralized system [which I do not recommend, but most do nowadays], check ALL the aquariums). Second, float your fish in the bag for 30-60 minutes for temperature and osmotic stabilization, then open the bag and SLOWLY add your aquarium water to the bag, a little at a time during this time period. I also like to add a drop or tow of Methylene Blue at this time. Third, dispose of the water in the bag to avoid contamination. Fourth, add a shock preventative that adds electrolytes like Start Right, etc. For fish shipped over longer time periods (such as fish purchased on line or from overseas breeders, etc.) you need to be even more careful in the acclimation process. Depending on the care given to the fish you are receiving (whether fresh or saltwater), this can take up to a few hours. The usual problems for fish that have spent more than 4 hours in shipping is ammonia/nitrite toxicity and CO2 buildup which results in much lower pH than the water originally shipped in. Once the shipping bag is opened there will be “gassing out” of CO2 resulting in rapid increases in pH which can stress or even kill fish that are already stressed very quickly. To address this, the shipping bag should only be opened just enough to allow a drip tube so as to slowly drip water from the display (or whatever aquarium will be receiving the new fish) at a rate of a drop every few seconds. I usually place the bag in a tub of aquarium water so as to slowly temperature adjust and allow for gravity dripping of the water (I use an airline valve to adjust the drip). I will also add a dose of Methylene Blue as per water volume for ammonia/nitrite toxicity (brown blood syndrome) to the water during this slow acclimation time. Obviously time in shipment, amount of food in the fish’ gut at time of shipment, amount of fish and air in the bag will all affect how stressed the fish will be upon arrival especially as per CO2, ammonia/nitrites. I should note that Kordon makes a “breathable” shipping bag that has quite an internet “buzz” going, however my interviews with several international shippers gives a mostly thumbs down to this product. Here are a few points (+ or -) about this bag: + The bags allow oxygen and CO2 exchange which also lowers pH shock upon arrival. + Lowers size of shipping container as NO air needs to be added to the bag. - The bags rupture easily; many shippers have told me that bag ruptures are triple normal. - They still do not aid with ammonia/nitrites - If bags come in contact with each other, they do not work well and packing them for the inevitable rough handling of shipping is nearly impossible or at least very time consuming. - The bags do poorly with multiple fish per bag, in part because the bags are designed to hold small amounts of water so that fish can come close to the sides of the bags which multiple fish per bags usually does not allow. - Higher cost. - The bottom line is that the shippers I asked reported HIGHER losses with these bags. Do not get me wrong, I think these are a unique idea, especially for smaller individual shipments, however based on my discussions with real world shippers that do not work well. Baths/Quarantine If possible a quarantine or bath are good disease transfer preventative steps. For a quarantine tank I recommend as large and aquarium as space allows for this, generally at least a 10 gallon. Having this tank running constantly or at least adding aged filter media is very important so as to not have ammonia spikes that will defeat the purpose of quarantine. I recommend a bare tank with a seasoned Sponge Filter . For treatment I recommend a Medicated Wonder Shell or Methylene Blue combined with a Malachite Green products such as ParaGuard . Monitor ammonia and other parameters (make sure there are no pH swings) while the fish are in quarantine. Generally if your fish come from a good source 48 hours is enough, however up to a week may be needed. Often a quarantine tank is not possible or practical (as in my aquarium maintenance business). This is where a 30 minute bath is very useful for BOTH freshwater and saltwater. I would make sure to adjust pH so that there is no pH shock, especially for saltwater fish. For freshwater I would add Methylene Blue at double normal tank treatment strength then add salt (NaCl) at about 1 teaspoon per gallon. For saltwater I would add Methylene Blue at double normal tank treatment strength the Dilute the saltwater to 1.015 (making sure your pH stays up by adding any buffers necessary before adding fish). The purpose of adding or lowering salt (whether SW or FW) is to change osmotic pressure which is an aid to parasite removal as most parasites such as ich or Cryptocaryon cannot tolerate these changes as well as fish. For known problems a 5 minute dip is even more effective (albeit more stressful to the fish, so this is for KNOWN problems). In a dip, I again adjust pH and add Methylene Blue, however in the case of the salt, I will use a specific gravity of 1.001 for the saltwater fish and a specific gravity of 1.015 for the freshwater fish. This dip should be no less than 3 minutes and no more than 5 minutes to be effective. [8] Aquarium Sterilization; Sometimes it becomes necessary to sterilize an aquarium after a disease or storage. Assuming you have not stored any chemicals nearby (especially with acrylic tanks which tend to absorb more). All you need to do to sterilize an aquarium for use is to clean it with a saltwater solution (about 1.035 specific gravity). You can let it sit for a few days or just rinse out your tank after about 30 minutes with freshwater. For marine tanks, let the tank sit for about 30 minutes with freshwater first. This is effective for cases of restarting an aquarium after a major disease outbreak. In cases where parasites, bacteria, or other unknown pathogens have ravaged your aquarium, the above salt method may not be enough and use of chlorine/bleach sterilization (usually at an approximate ratio of 20/1; water/bleach). Many disease pathogens capable of encasing themselves in a hard shell which is capable of withstanding changes in temperature, drying, high or low salt (which is why the salt method is NOT 100%), acids, bases, and other conditions that occur in nature, for which chlorine/bleach is the only sure way of ridding your aquarium of these bugs. When you use bleach, make sure to use a de-chlorinator such as Start Right and rinse VERY well chlorine breaks down rapidly and the sun can also be employed for bleach removal) You can also use chlorine bleach (no perfumes) to clean rocks, ornaments prior to introduction to your aquarium or simply to disinfect or clean. Contrary to some online urban myths, this is perfectly safe as long as you leave it either in the sun for a few days or what I and my other Professional Aquarium Maintenance colleagues do; soak them in rinse water that contains a de-chlorinator that contains Sodium Thiosulfate or complexed hydrosulfite salts (such as Prime). For more information about the truths of water conditioners/de-chlorinators, please read this article: “Aquarium & Pond Water Conditioners” , or for more information about chlorine (bleach) and more, this article is helpful: “What should I know about tap water for my aquarium? From Chlorine and Chloramines to Phosphates” (this includes a table with information about the amount of de-chlorinator to remove a given amount of chlorine/bleach). NEVER use detergents for cleaning an aquarium. SUMMARY: Without trying to sound too modest, I rarely had outbreaks of even common diseases such as ich in the 100s of aquariums in my care (discounting my LFS quarantine system), as I was VERY careful to take EVERY step in preventative care which includes the right water parameters for the fish kept (such as a KH of 50 + and GH of 100+ for general aquariums and 240 + for livebearers), regular and PROPER water changes (proper meaning good vacuuming procedures even in “live sand” of reef tanks that many say should not be performed, the key is the correct way), good feeding practices with a varied and healthy diet, and finally the use of properly installed well made UV Sterilizers (not the cheap UVs sold by many internet retailers for $40). Keep in mind that just because someone states that they have raised many fish in a certain way using a certain procedure that is not scientifically based, does not make it so, especially if this aquarist performs most other aquatic husbandry procedures to the best known scientific standards, these will often over ride the one or two poor procedures. Water changes is an area where I have observed most aquarists doing this well, and being a very important procedure, this can help cover the poor or left out procedures such as poor diet, lack of proper mineralization or even non-essential procedures that are still very useful such as UV Sterilization. But why leave out other good procedures, especially when they are within your budget?  For some pictures of fish anatomy that may be useful in disease recognition, please visit this article: “Aquarium Answers; Fish Anatomy”For more aquarium information and articles (pond too), please visit this site:   
| Basic_Aquarium_Principles | Basic_Saltwater | Aquarium_Disease | Aquarium_Lighting | Goldfish_disease | Aquarium_cleaning | Nitrogen_Cycle | Redox_Potential | Clear-Pond | Aquarium_Filtration | Articles | Testimonials | | Return Home | Downloads | Shipping and Return Policy | Contact Us | Great Links | Aquarium_Information | |
||