The Fish Vet's Blog

Over the years, I had read up about this and also met quite a few Oscar breeders. The short answer is that it’s virtually impossible to tell, without using an endoscope.

The long answer is, that there are many theories.
Males :
– have longer dorsal fins that over lap with the tail.
– have three dark spots at the base of their dorsal fin.
– have more red colouration.
– have longer vent that does not protrude as much.
– have longer faces/head.
– exhibit greater aggression.

All this really relies on you having several fish, with one of each gender, for comparison.

Some swear by these methodical and some say they’re fallacy.

I think sometimes even the oscars get it wrong because it’s quite common for females to pair up with other females! Unless it’s because there’s a high incidence of homosexuality in this species.

For me, I won’t actually know until I see them lay eggs.

Recently, I was at a client’s to diagnose the reason for unusual faeces produced by their fish. Generally speaking, normal faeces should have a uniform, thick, sausage-like appearance. But when fish develop enteritis, faeces may be empty casts, appear thin, or contain bubbles.

Most fish keepers would instantly jump to needing metronidazole because they suspect Hexamita ( intestinal protozoal parasitism) infection. But did you know that there are more than reason for this.

With proper microscopic exams of faeces, I managed to find the reason was in fact due to the Capillaria worm, evidenced by the presence of worm eggs! The treatment for this is a course of levamisole; and metronidazole or dimetridazole would have been a waste of effort, money and time.

The take home message is, don’t guess, ask a vet.

Q: What do you call a really good fisherman?

A: A Master Baiter!

Check this one out in today’s papers.

Check out some of my recently uploaded pictures at this link – http://tinyurl.com/k8x5nlv

I received this from my colleague, Rob Oz Ossiboff, via Facebook.

• For friends both in exotic veterinary medicine and amphibian conservation – please see the announcement below regarding amphibian medicine online tutorials produced by some of the clinical veterinarians here at the Wildlife Conservation Society. Videos are available in English, French and Spanish on YouTube. Please share with anyone who might find this helpful.—————————————————————————————-
  Dear Colleague,I am pleased to announce the availability of on-line amphibian medicine tutorials recently uploaded to YouTube. Each short 10-15 min video is designed to provide basic background information in various topics of amphibian medicine. The tutorials are available in 3 languages- English, Spanish, and French. The material is generally designed for use by veterinarians, but the information will be helpful to anyone involved in ex situ amphibian conservation programs. The tutorials are designed as an introduction, rather than a complete summary of all topics regarding amphibian medicine, and additional resources are listed in each tutorial. Tutorials can be viewed as a stand-alone course, but will also be helpful for reviewing concepts taught at various amphibian husbandry and medicine workshops given around the world by organizations such as the AZA and the Amphibian Ark.

  Please help me in getting the word out about this resource. If you know of anyone working with amphibians that would benefit from these tutorials, please send them the links and information.

  Link to the Amphibian Tutorial You Tube Channel:
  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaOhxmTP7asO5zyZQwYzh-A/videos

  Easy to use playlists:
  English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz64nOs452I&feature=share&list=PLVDi5N401GbHJe_8gfER06P6AfM1uRWU3

  Español: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBmfllzu4cw&list=PLVDi5N401GbFbEQHocZRjnhW7utsjiOEN&feature=share

  Français: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPQe6Ghnp3w&feature=share&list=PLVDi5N401GbEVEEqzMqqvJiL-3Tm_fP_o

  If you find errors, or have problems viewing the videos, please let me know at jsykes@wcs.org

  Thanks for helping me spread the word about these videos.

  John M. Sykes IV, DVM, DACZM
  Senior Veterinarian
  Zoological Health Program
  Wildlife Conservation Society
  2300 Southern Blvd
  Bronx, NY 10460

AquaVetMed e-News: Veterinary (Fish) Pathologist Position Available (Abbotsford, BC Canada)

Dr. David Scarfe	3:47 AM (3 hours ago)
to

British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture Fish Pathologist Position

The Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal Health Centre in Abbotsford Canada, provides veterinary diagnostic laboratory services for the livestock, poultry and fin-fish production industries in the Province of British Columbia. Under agreement with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, we support the Federal Fish Health Program.

If you are a skilled veterinarian seeking a new challenge and a position where you can make a difference, we look forward to your application. The Fish Pathologist provides veterinary expertise and leadership in the specialized field of veterinary fish diagnostic pathology. You will work collaboratively with the current Fish Pathologist to accurately diagnose the cause of death, disease, or poor production in submitted fish specimens, prepare reports, and provide recommendations. For a candidate early in their career, this position offers an opportunity to work with a senior fish pathologist as a mentor and colleague.

This is an excellent opportunity for a pathologist interested in fish to see a large and diverse case load and to work with a group of highly skilled and experienced veterinarians and scientists in an AAVLD (American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians) accredited laboratory. If you’re looking to live and work in a location that’s equally close to the amenities of Vancouver and the coastal mountain range, please consider this exciting opportunity to live and work in Abbotsford – right in the middle of the scenic Fraser Valley.

For more information and to apply by March 7, 2014, visit:https://search.employment.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/a/highlightjob.cgi?jobid=18185. NOTE: Only applications submitted through the BC Public Service’s employment website will be accepted.

I’ve had many clients tell me their tales of their fish jumping out and they were able to rescue them.

Depending on the humidity, air temperature, surface temperature of the material they land on, wind and a few other factors (including fish size and species), I’d say fish may be able to survive for up to 30 minutes, out of water. A recent client told me he had a fish that jumped out not once, but twice! He was subsequently named “Houdini”.

How do you revive them when they’ve been out and parched? My client says he swished them around the water for about 15 minutes. He was about to give it mouth to mouth! An alternative way is to use a water pump that pumps around 200L per hour to gently pump water past their gills.

Using koi and goldfish as examples, you can raise the salinity of the water with pool salt at a rate of 2-5g/L to reduce osmoregulatory stress.

Additional aeration will help and make sure the pond is clean of dirt and the water quality is optimal.

If they’re not responding, antibiotics may be necessary to fend off secondary bacterial infection. You’ll need to make an appointment with your aquatic veterinarian because the majority of useful antibiotics are by prescription-only.

I’ll get straight to the point here:
– raise the water pump off the pond floor by sitting it on bricks or similar, so it won’t drain the pond should there be a leak in the pipes,
– ensure your water filter has an overflow outlet that leads to the pond,
– provide adequate shade to prevent excessive evaporation,
– install a float valve to automatically replenish any water losses,
– use an internal filter instead of an external filter so that all water movements stay within the pond.

If you’ve any more suggestions, please share… because sharing is caring 🙂