How to Treat Sick Fish

[Carl]

I've updated this important article from Aquarium Answers

HOW TO TREAT SICK FISH

Here is an excerpt:
"I cannot emphasize more that many if not most fish diseases, especially bacterial or fungal in nature (including secondary infections to parasitic infestations) have a background issue. Failure to eliminate this background issue will often result in failure of treatment.
Often the "background issue" is more than half the problem, so a good part of the treatment plan is REMOVING this background issue!!
A good analogy I like to use as to why it is so important to eliminate these issues is this:
"Not correcting causes or background issues is akin to standing in a burning building asking for a treatment for burns, while not leaving the burning building"

Unfortunately in my dealing with questions of what one should treat for a given set of symptoms, I have found that for the majority of these questions, the person asking the question either only addresses underlying issues in part or not at all.
Often this is not because the person does not want to, but they simply do not have the means or the availability for whatever reason to do so.
I would also point out, and while this may seem a bit harsh, it is still the reality, and that is this is still not a valid excuse to continue to ask for alternative treatments or complain to persons such as myself that the treatment failed when proper procedures have not been completely followed. "

[Carl]

I've again updated this important article from the Aquarium/Pond Answers library

www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2016/09/how-to-treat-sick-fish.html

Here is an excerpt:
"When you are asking others for help, whether it be online or at your local fish store, make sure you ALWAYS provide background first; including ALL water parameters (mineral Cations too), filtration, maintenance, feeding, & fish kept. Past fish treatment history is important too.
I cannot tell readers how many times people have asked for my help and told me that their water parameters were OK/good, but when pressed to provide actual COMPLETE numbers or I went out personally and checked, the water parameters were anything but OK/good.

As an analogy; your personal Doctor always has your history, takes your vital statistics, etc., so why should we expect those we are asking to help us with our sick fish to guess, especially when one considers we often are asking others to help us sight unseen and with far less tools at our disposal than a Doctor would have?"



Carl