The Fish Vet's Blog

Fish need oxygen dissolved in the water in order to breathe. This can be done by two methods. Aerate the tank by using an air pump to pump atmospheric air into the water; alternatively, this can be done by injecting oxygen into the water. During transport, fish are held at higher densities for economic reasons. Supplemental oxygen would therefore need to be provided. This paper provides good evidence that it is better to oxygenate tanks rather than aerate them.

I’ll explain why this is so. When transporting fish in water, they continually excrete ammonia. When this enters the water, it is found in two forms, ammonium and ammonia, depending on the water pH. Ammonia is toxic to fish when in high concentrations. There is a greater proportion of ammonia when the pH is high (under more alkaline conditions). What saves the fish from ammonia build up is that they also produce carbon dioxide. When carbon dioxide enters the water, it will lower the pH (make the water more acidic). This effect actually reduces the proportion of ammonia that is in the water. Heavy aeration can cause the carbon dioxide to escape, leading to elevation of pH and in turn, increase the proportion of toxic ammonia and fish losses can result. Thus, it is better to keep the carbon dioxide in the water to maintain the lower pH in order to have a greater proportion of the ammonia in the ammonium form. This means you need to provide oxygen to the water with less turbulence. This means injecting oxygen.

This same suite of chemical reactions also occur in bagged fish. Keeping the carbon dioxide in (and maintaining the low pH) is the reason for NOT opening the bag while you’re floating the bag for temperature equalisation.

Aquacultural Engineering
Volume 55, Number 3 (July 2013)
	Impact of aeration and alkalinity on the water quality and product quality of transported tilapia—A simulation study
	Authors:	John Colt, Eric Kroeger
	Author Affiliations:	no affiliations available
	Source:	Aquacultural Engineering, Volume 55, Number 3 (July 2013)
	Page Numbers:	46 – 58
	Available Full Text:	Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text Format: PDF Size: Unknown Location: Publisher’s Site Authentication: Publisher’s Site
	Abstract:	•Air aeration resulted in lowest CO2, highest pH, and highest NH3concentrations.•At high alkalinities, the “Air” treatment was unable to maintain adequate DO levels.•Oxygen aeration resulted the highest DO, highest CO2, lowest pH, and lowest NH3.•NH3was higher in the “High Alkalinity” treatments because of higher pH.•Increased mortality was observed in the air aeration treatments.
	Citation:	John Colt, Eric Kroeger . Impact of aeration and alkalinity on the water quality and product quality of transported tilapia—A simulation study. Aquacultural Engineering, Volume 55, Number 3 (July 2013), pp. 46-58, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=490884D54065027B9A66&gt;
	URL:	http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=490884D54065027B9A66

One dolphin hits the target with a splash of water… The second dolphin congratulated him saying,”Great shot!” To which the first dolphin relied,”That was a ‘fluke’!”

Also, don’t forget that in exactly 24 hours, we have the free webinar on: Common ornamental fishes and their diseases.

Read more here on how to register:
https://thefishvet.com/2013/07/31/free-webinar-common-ornamental-fishes-and-their-diseases/

I really love it when we can put nature to work. This article provides the scientific data to show that biological control of lice by the addition of cleaner fish works on salmon farms. I wonder if there’s a freshwater equivalent for the treatment of fish lice in koi ponds.

Aquaculture
Volume 403, Number 1-4 (July 2013)
	Delousing of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) by cultured vs. wild ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta)
	Authors:	Anne Berit Skiftesvik, Reidun M. Bjelland, Caroline M.F. Durif, Inger S. Johansen, Howard I. Browman
	Author Affiliations:	no affiliations available
	Source:	Aquaculture, Volume 403, Number 1-4 (July 2013)
	Page Numbers:	113 – 118
	Available Full Text:	Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text Format: PDF Size: Unknown Location: Publisher’s Site Authentication: Publisher’s Site
	Abstract:	The ectoparasitic salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) is a serious problem in salmon aquaculture (Salmo salarand rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss). These parasitic copepods attach to fish and feed on their mucus and tissue, reducing feed conversion efficiency and causing sores, thereby increasing farming costs and reducing the value of the product. Many non-pharmaceutical approaches to controlling sea lice are being developed. One such is to use cleaner fish (in this case, wrasse) in co-culture with salmon to remove salmon lice. The objectives of this study were to assess the efficiency of wrasse as delousing agents and to compare the relative efficiency of wild vs. cultured individuals. Wrasse were extremely efficient in delousing salmon. At a ratio of 5% wrasse to salmon, the mean number of mobile lice life history stages on salmon was maintained at a level of less than one per fish. Intensively cultured wrasse were as efficient as wild wrasse at removing lice. The presence of wrasse did not affect the growth of salmon. This study demonstrates that wrasse, including intensively cultured ballan wrasse naïve of either salmon or salmon lice, can be introduced into sea cages on salmon farms and keep salmon lice loads at very low levels.
	Citation:	Anne Berit Skiftesvik, Reidun M. Bjelland, Caroline M.F. Durif, Inger S. Johansen, Howard I. Browman . Delousing of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) by cultured vs. wild ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta). Aquaculture, Volume 403, Numbers 1-4 (July 2013), pp. 113-118, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=44109582E5A3CB3C93B9&gt;
	URL:	http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=44109582E5A3CB3C93B9

These are some fantastic marine turtle resources shared by Dr Greg Lewbart:

You might find these sites of value:

http://www.seaturtlehospital.org

http://www.turtlehospital.org/

http://www.seaturtlesociety.org/

And these books:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/listing/2688902959084?r=1&cm_mmca2=pla&cm_mmc=GooglePLA-_-Book_45Up-_-Q000000633-_-2688902959084

I’ve uploaded some pictures from Seavet Clinical Medicine to my Facebook Fanpage just to make you jealous 🙂

Follow this link – http://www.tinyurl.com/seavet

It’s pretty much, aquatic veterinary medicine dealing with display and wild, bony fish, rays, sharks, sea turtles, penguins, pinnipeds, cetaceans and manatees; their behaviour, husbandry, diseases, diagnosis, medicine, rehabilitation and strandings.

This fact-finding trip was made possible through the George Alexander Foundation International Fellowship awarded by the International Specialised Skills Institute.

Check out the list of links accumulated by the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association here

http://www.wavma.org/Links-of-interest-to-aquatic-veterinarians

Checkout what you can grow just on your bench top!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/arielknutson/vegetables-that-magically-regrow-themselves?s=mobile

Like it? Would you like to stock some in your aquarium store? Email thefishvet@gmail.com with your address.

This job opportunity was shared by my colleague, Dr Rob Ossiboff.

JOB SUMMARY:
The Vice President of Animal Care provides overall leadership for the Aquarium’s husbandry and animal care programs (Fishes, Mammals, Animal Health, Rescue, Husbandry), and serves as an advocate for animal care across the institution. This includes developing a vision for animal care within the context of the Aquarium’s mission, overseeing collection planning and regulatory compliance, coordinating efforts across program areas, and providing oversight for relevant departments. The VP reports to the COO for operations and the CEO for animal welfare issues."

QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Training and Experience
• Bachelor’s degree in marine sciences, biology, zoology or related fields.
• Masters Degree in related field or Veterinary Degree desirable.
• 8-10 years experience in staff and operations management at a senior level.
• 5-8 years hands-on and/or direct supervisory experience working with aquatic animals.
• Driver’s License and SCUBA Certification desirable

Visit NEAQ.org for more info/apply

1 Central Wharf
Boston, MA 02110

USA

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—
Yours sincerely,

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