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Related FAQs: Tank Troubleshooting1, FAQs2,
FAQs 3, FAQs 4, FAQs
5, FAQs
6, FAQs 7,
FAQs 8, FAQs 9,
Treating Disease, Puffer Disease,
Related Articles: The Three Sets of Factors
that Determine Livestock Health, Toxic Tank Conditions, Environmental
Disease (incl. Lymphocystis), Nutritional
Disease, Infectious Diseases, Parasitic
Diseases, Wound Management (/aquarists), A Livestock Treatment System,
/The Conscientious Aquarist Series:
Tank Troubleshooting: Livestock, Part
2 of 2
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By Bob Fenner |
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Back to Part 1 of 2 of Tank Troubleshooting
| The third and final category of factors includes three
aspects of pathogenic presence. Yes/no; are they there and in what numbers
of species, individuals on the hosts, and their state of
infectiveness... |
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| Now, let's "turn the tables" and consider these
three sets of factors that determine livestock health in the way of what
you can do to prevent and control loss of health.
It bears repeating that we should aim for accomplishing what we can in
each of the three categories.... though if two are optimized, the equation
of health/disease is generally tilted in favor of health. |
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| Though not always easily done, we strive to select for the
best species and the best individuals of those species for our use.
How to know what these species are... what they should look like?
Books, the Net, hobbyist gatherings (clubs, conferences), a guru/fellow
fish hobbyist with more experience with the species... and some techniques
even though you know what you know, are seeing what you're seeing... |
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| Don't buy poorly colored or overly colorful livestock...
Know the natural and captive behavior to expect from the species, size,
sex individuals you're observing.
Example of Basses (family Serranidae) that typically hide when first
placed in captivity, one that doesn't. Liopropoma and Variola spp.
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| There are numerous examples of the same or related species
from different locales displaying widely varying survivability,
behavior and tolerance to wide and varying environmental conditions.
Ex.s Indo-Red Sea Pygoplites vs. western Pacific. Odonus niger triggers
in the Red Sea versus elsewhere... |
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| If the intended livestock doesn't eat, don't buy it... if it
stops eating at home... is this to be expected? Some species do only eat
occasionally (mainly larger, predaceous species like Sharks, some LPS...). |
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| Very important... as cold-blooded animals have very
"delayed" reactions to different types of environmental
insults/challenges.
Ex. of Holacanthus clarionensis years back... thermally doomed. |
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| All legitimate dealers can and will identify the geographic
origination of their stocks, how long they've had them on hand, what, if
anything they have done to acclimate, condition them.
When/where in doubt with "new" livestock, leave a deposit and
come back in a few days... |
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| Is this obvious? |
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| Just as with your own health, you need to know what the
common infectious and parasitic complaints the particular livestock you
keep may suffer, and how to prevent, react to their presence.
There is a scale of escalation in attending to these diseases... with
chemical treatments ranking last. |
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| Self explanatory: How would you know Health w/o an
understanding of disease? |
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| Don't count on anyone else to properly prepare your
livestock for placement... Unless you are assured of the resoluteness of
their operations, do observe, restrict and "harden" most all new
livestock before mixing in with established main/display systems. |
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| Should be similarly outfitted as any live-holding system...
with a cover, decor/hiding spaces, heater, possibly lighting (for
photosynthetic species)... regularly monitored (at least daily) for
chemical integrity... and not coppered for more than a two week
interval... |
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Back to Part 1 of 2 of Tank Troubleshooting
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