Battling white spot disease in marine tanks (aka marine Ich)?

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

Some aquarists have been told that keeping fish (the host of the Cryptocaryon irritans parasite) out of the main tank is curative. It makes sense and it does work. The reason for this is that these are obligate parasites, meaning that without the host, they will perish. The only problem is… how long do you leave your aquarium fish-less? Research has shown that some tomonts (the asexually reproducing stage of the parasite that occurs on the tank floor) can prolong release of their tomites (the infective stages) for up to 10 weeks. Any duration shorter than this will be inadequate. And where would you keep your fish for 10 whole weeks?

There just might be a treatment out there that might work on these critters and at the same time is allegedly safe for corals. I’m just waiting for the right client who will be willing to take the risk. Or at least put some sacrificial corals in their hospital tank and we can use the medication in that tank.

For more detailed information about their biology, read the scientific paper by Colorni & Burgess (1997) Cryptocaryon irritans Brown 1951, the cause of `white spot disease’ in marine fish: an update.

Abstract: Cryptocaryon irritans Brown 1951, a holotrichous ciliate parasite of marine fishes, causes`marine white spot disease’. In aquaria, C. irritans can cause acute damage and heavy mortalities to marine teleosts. Although first described 60 years ago, only within the last decade has detailed information emerged concerning its life cycle, transmission and pathogenesis. An update of our knowledge of this important aquarium fish parasite is presented here.
Keywords: Cryptocaryon irritans, white spot disease, ciliate, Colpodida, parasitic protozoa

Teaching with formula.

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

I taught the aquatic health segment of Murdoch University’s Masters in Wildlife Health this evening. The postgraduate students were all from Libya. Some of them did not live near water and had little to do with fish. But I reassured them that everything they had learnt during their undergraduate years in veterinary school is definitely transferable to working with fish.

We spent a good two hours on water chemistry. Language was no barrier, not with a trustee white board and marker as I scribbled away one chemical equation after another. We did a practical with water testing to help solidify all the learnings.

The students interpreted the results, identified where the problems were and made recommendations.

The other part of the lesson involved drawing parallels between diagnosing skin conditions in a dog compared to diagnosing skin conditions in fish. We briefly covered some of the common diseases seen in fish and their treatments.

How to become a fish veterinarian?

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

I just had a query on how would someone become a fish vet.

My response below:

The first is to learn about fish and the best way is by keeping fish. Volunteering or working at a fish shop and at the public aquarium are other ways of gaining more experience.

Then, you’ll have to study hard and get into vet school. Just to let you know that 99% of vet school is not about fish, but all the learnings during the 5-7 year course are 100% transferable. Keep an open mind and be ready for opportunities. After vet school, there are lots of post-graduate courses, research degrees, training opportunities, examinations (e.g. Australian & New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists) and groups you can join (e.g. World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association).

The sorts of fish vets include –

  • veterinary fish pathologist
  • pet fish veterinarian
  • aquaculture veterinarian
  • veterinary researcher
  • policy writing
  • wildlife veterinarian

There are not a lot of openings for fish vets at the current time, so you must be willing to travel to where the job is. Alternatively, it will help if you’re entrepreneurial
and that way, you can create your own jobs and attract your own clients.

You can follow me on the various social networking sites (see below) and read “Fish Vetting Essentials“.

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Now on: Twitter – Blog – Facebook – Linkedin – YouTube —
Yours sincerely,

Dr Richmond Loh
BSc BVMS MPhil (Vet Path) MANZCVS (Aquatics & Pathobiology) DipPMVeterinarian / Adjunct Lecturer Murdoch University / Secretary Aquatic Animal Health Chapter ANZCVS
The Fish Vet, Perth, Western Australia. Mobile Veterinary Service for fish and other aquatic creatures.
http://www.thefishvet.com.au
Ph: +61 (0)421 822 383

Looking for books? Check out this site.

Do you eat fish?

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

This is one of the most questions I get asked when I tell people what I do as a fish vet.

“You love fish?”
“Yes.”
“Do you eat fish?”
“Yes.”
They reply with a puzzled look,”But I thought you look after them. Why do you still eat fish?”

I could reply,”Do you keep mammals?… Then you still eat cow?”

But instead, I likened it to a person who keeps a pet parrot would still eat chicken.

Now they realise that a fish is not just a fish, just like a bird is not just a bird, and a mammal is not just a mammal.

Having said that I eat fish, my friend once exclaimed that the pig is the tastiest animal on the planet.

So, bacon and eggs for tomorrow morning might be the go.

Still battling high water temperatures?

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

How about constructing your own evaporative cooling tower?

Some above-ground ponds may be over heating during Perth’s hot summer weather, particularly if there is not sufficient shade supplied.

High water temperatures can be very stressful for fish. Combine this with ectoparasitism and bacterial infection, no amount of medication would ever be the magic bullet cure unless you can address the issue of high water temperatures.

I discussed a case with Mr Chris Rout, my colleague at Boronia Aquarium, and he came up with an innovative solution – why not construct an evaporative water cooler out of polypipe? I wish I could have said that I thought of this on my own!

I hope my hand drawn picture below of his idea does him justice. This contraption would sit in the middle of the pond. A fan may be place on the side of the pond to blow air across the wet cloth (hessian bag or shade cloth) to improve its efficiency. Make sure the fan is secure and is situated well away from the water’s edge.

The best fish book for beginners.

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

One of my students asked me what is the best fishkeeping book for beginners.

This was my very first fish book I was given as a present from my eldest brother for my tenth birthday.

It became my fish bible (or fish bubble!) and I read it from cover to cover, memorising all the fish names and their biological requirements. I learnt about fish diseases and fish husbandry and breeding. It gave me hours of pleasure just looking at the beautiful pictures of fishes. My quest was to collect as many of those fishes as I could.

Today it still takes pride of place on my bookshelf, next to my Fish Vetting Essentials.

Peter Sandoe’s lecture on animal welfare & ethics.

Posted on by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

What did we learn from the lecture?

Different people have different ideas about what constitutes good welfare. These assumptions will influence how we interpret experimental results to form conclusions that can vary.

Animal welfare is a series of double, triple or even quadruple standards where the context of it makes all the difference. For the same animal, the standards will vary greatly depending on whether it is a pet, an experimental animal, farmed, in the wild or is seen as vermin. Mice, rats and rabbits are the best examples of quadruple standards. At one end of the scale, people would spend hundreds of dollars on veterinary bills on a pet rabbit; then people would allow it to be experimented on provided that pain and suffering is minimised as a university experiment; kill them for meat and fur as a farmed animal; allow them to their own devices to fend for themselves in the wild; and trap, poison or even use biological control agents against them to die a slow agonising death as vermin. Same animal type, same human making the call, different standards.

These were just some of the points that Peter Sandoe drew to our attention in the very thought provoking lecture.