New disease-free fish were added to an established aquarium, almost doubling the stocking rate in a tank with water volume that could easily hold four times the number of fish. Within 3 days, the tank started going a little cloudy and fish started dying. Deaths ceased after a 50% water change and ammonia absorbing product was added to the tank.

A picture of the aquarium and setup was provided. I noticed that the biofilter portion of the filter constituted only 15% of the entire volume and the remaining space was instead, occupied by old activated charcoal (6 months old) and filter wool.

I investigated for ‘new tank syndrome’ as a cause. So I ran tests for the minimum data set. Ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm and pH 7.0. Puzzled, I asked,”When was this water sampled?”

“After the water change and adding AmmoLock.”

Ah! No wonder!

Make sure you take a water sample for testing prior to making water changes.

All too often, people are misled by products that aren’t properly designed. The owner had understood that the filter was suitably assembled because that’s what it said on the box.

Did you know that there is a way to upgrade your filtration without having to buy a new filter? This can be done by substituting the filter media with high quality ceramic filter media.

This client was asked to increase the biofiltration capacity by substituting the carbon, for ceramic filter media.

Here there is the tried and true method of histology and new PCR technology competing for the same sample to make a diagnosis. Histology allows the veterinary pathologist to examine the organs visually down to the level of the cells with the ability of seeing things in context, rather than in isolation. This means that if there’s a pathogen or damage, there should also be host reaction to it. PCR technology is a good ancillary test to confirm what is seen, down to the DNA/RNA level. It can be used to identify the species of pathogen.

For the purpose of research on AGD in Atlantic salmon gills, they report that seawater Davidson’s and PAXgene®appear to be the best.

Journal of Fish Diseases
Volume 36, Number 10 (October 2013)
	Evaluation of fixation methods for demonstration of Neoparamoeba peruransinfection in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salarL., gills
	Authors:	K Cadoret, A R Bridle, M J Leef, B F Nowak
	Author Affiliations:	no affiliations available
	Source:	Journal of Fish Diseases, Volume 36, Number 10 (October 2013)
	Page Numbers:	831 – 839
	Available Full Text:	Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text Format: PDF Size: unknown Location: Publisher’s Site Authentication: EBSCOhost EJS
	Abstract:	Formaldehyde-based fixatives are generally employed in histopathology despite some significant disadvantages associated with their usage. Formaldehyde fixes tissue by covalently cross-linking proteins, a process known to mask epitopes which in turn can reduce the intensity of immunohistochemical stains widely used in disease diagnostics. Additionally, formaldehyde fixation greatly limits the ability to recover DNAand mRNAfrom fixed specimens to the detriment of further downstream molecular analyses. Amoebic gill disease (AGD) has been reliably diagnosed from histological examination of gills although complementary methods such as in situhybridization (ISH) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are required to confirm the presence of Neoparamoeba perurans, the causative agent of AGD. As molecular techniques are becoming more prevalent for pathogen identification, there is a need to adapt specimen collection and preservation so that both histology and molecular biology can be used to diagnose the same sample. This study used a general approach to evaluate five different fixatives for Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., gills. Neutral-buffered formalin and seawater Davidson’s, formaldehyde-based fixatives commonly used in fish histopathology, were compared to formalin-free commercial fixatives PAXgene®, HistoChoice™MB* and RNAlater™. Each fixative was assessed by a suite of analyses used to demonstrate AGDincluding routine histochemical stains, immunohistochemical stains, ISHand DNAextraction followed by PCR. All five fixatives were suitable for histological examination of Atlantic salmon gills, with seawater Davidson’s providing the best quality histopathology results. Of the fixatives evaluated seawater Davidson’s and PAXgene®were shown to be the most compatible with molecular biology techniques. They both provided good DNArecovery, quantity and integrity, from fixed and embedded specimens. The capacity to preserve tissue and cellular morphology in addition to allowing molecular analyses of the same specimens makes seawater Davidson’s and PAXgene®appear to be the best fixation methods for diagnosis and research on AGD in Atlantic salmon gills.
	Citation:	K Cadoret, A R Bridle, M J Leef, B F Nowak . Evaluation of fixation methods for demonstration of Neoparamoeba peruransinfection in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salarL., gills. Journal of Fish Diseases, Volume 36, Number 10 (October 2013), pp. 831-839, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=4A2A81BD0F8FD70E9BF0&gt;
	URL:	http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=4A2A81BD0F8FD70E9BF0

To introduce veterinary students to the world of aquatic veterinary medicine, the WAVMA Executive Board encourages students and faculty at nationally recognised veterinary schools to consider forming a new Student Chapter.

Some examples of programs and privileges available to Student Chapters include:

• Assistance in organizing and promoting Chapter programs and activities.
• Low annual WAVMA Student Membership (US$25) – 50% Chapter member’s dues may be available to support Chapter-organized activities.
• Reduced rate (50%) WAVMA Full Membership the year after graduation.
• WAVMA veterinary student/new graduate scholarships.
• Access to the WAVMA quarterly newsletter ("The Aquatic Veterinarian").
• Access to WAVMA member-only webpages & programs.
• Discounted book purchases from select publishers.
• Aquatic veterinary externship, internship and residency programs and job listings.
• WAVMA promotional flyers, brochures and other materials for distribution to other students.
• Free or discounted registration for WAVMA meetings, symposia, conferences or educational webinars.
• Participation in the WAVMA Certified Aquatic Veterinary Practitioner (Cert-AqV) Program.
• Access to WAVMA e-mail listservs, including Members-L, Student-L (all students) and (if requested) a Chapter-dedicated listserv.
• Assistance with Chapter-specific Facebook, LinkedIn, WikiVet, NOVICE and other social media.

For more information, go to:
http://www.wavma.org/WAVMA-Student-Chapters

—
Yours sincerely,

Dr Richmond Loh DipProjMgt, BSc, BVMS, MPhil (Pathology) Murdoch, MANZCVS (Aquatics & Pathobiology), CertAqV.
President WAVMA 2014

Q: what do you call a fish that holds a photographic memory of old information?

A: Microfiche.

They’re ALL running out!

We know we’re rapidly depleting our supply of finite resources such as coal, oil and freshwater, but you’d be surprised at some of the everyday items we’re also running out of.

Read more here – http://mobile.news.com.au/world/seven-things-you-didnt-know-the-world-is-running-out-of/story-fndir2ev-1226777125170

—
Yours sincerely,

Dr Richmond Loh
DipProjMgt, BSc, BVMS, MPhil (Pathology) Murdoch, MANZCVS (Aquatics& Pathobiology), CertAqV WAVMA.
The Fish Vet, Perth, Western Australia.
Veterinary Medicine for fish.
W: http://www.thefishvet.com.au
E: thefishvet
P: +61 (0)421 822 383

From: Deborah Elliott <D.Elliott>
Date: 6 December 2013 14:00:17 AWST
To: Continuing Veterinary education <cve>
Subject: Free Event next Thursday 12th December – Euthanasia, Loss and Grief, Compassion Fatigue

See attachment below for details:

Euthanasia, Loss and Grief, Compassion Fatigue.pdf

I received this post in my inbox and thought I’d share.

http://wavmaatwork.org/2013/12/05/how-much-does-an-aquatic-veterinarian-earn/

Follow me on: Facebook "Fin Page" – YouTube – Blog – Linkedin – Twitter

—
Yours sincerely,

Dr Richmond Loh DipProjMgt, BSc, BVMS, MPhil (Pathology) Murdoch, MANZCVS (Aquatics & Pathobiology), CertAqV.
Aquatic Veterinarian | Adjunct Lecturer Murdoch University | President-elect WAVMA |
Secretary Aquatic Animal Health Chapter – ANZCVS.
The Fish Vet, Perth, Western Australia, AUSTRALIA. Mobile Veterinary Medical & Diagnostic Services for fish and other aquatic creatures.
http://www.thefishvet.com.au
Ph: +61 (0)421 822 383

Looking for more books? Check out this site.

The discovery, detailed in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature, challenges well established ideas about the separation of cartilaginous fish (such as sharks) and bony fish (which became four-legged creatures).

Read more here.

Who would have thought that these little tiny speedy fishes could hold answers to so many human conditions?

Here’s another that research using such fish is helping us with.

Read more here.

I found this article to be quite enlightening.

 

Effect of dietary protein level on the reproductive performance of female swordtails Xiphophorus helleri (Poeciliidae)

• Alexander S.C Chong
• Saraitul Dahlianis Ishak,
• Zulfaizuddin Osman,
• Roshada Hashim

• Laboratory of Fish Biology, Aquaculture Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia

---

Keywords

• Broodstock nutrition;
• Protein;
• Swordtails;
• Live bearers

 
You may access this article by clicking here.