Advice from a vet - You may find this interesting...?
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 3:44 pm
Following extensive troubles with my filter, my clown loach Eric has suddenly lost weight. Not very much, but enough to cause concern.
I got onto my vet, hoping to get hold of some levasole for the tank. Instead, I got a referral to another vet, who treats fish (this is a rarity in England!). After a few phone calls, I managed to get hold of the man in question, who told me a number of interesting things...
Apparently, it is more important to reduce your nitrite levels than your ammonia - nitrate acts like carbon monoxide when it comes into contact with a fish's haemoglobin, bonding permanently and slowing suffocating the fish. Ammonia is still highly toxic, but it needs a higher concentration over a longer period to kill.
He also said that he has never come across a single case of worms in his career. When I asked him if there was any point in me treating with levasole, however, he could not have been more positive!! Apparently the immune boost that levasole provides allows the fish to fight off their ailments themselves, which is much better for them than dosing the tank with random treatments. It struck me that this might explain the lower success rate for treating skinny with fenbendazole and other de-wormers in comparison?
Apparently, though, he was by law not allowed to prescribe levasole. For some reason, in the UK only farm supply stockists can provide levasole treatments. He suggested that I hit a couple of farm shops masquerading as a sheep owner, and try to score some drugs! (I decided to cop out, and ordered Jungles Anti-Parasite Med Food online instead).
He suggested that I begin treating for an internal bacterial infection, and alternate with levasole if I can get hold of it - so the same answer as LOL, if only for different reasons!
But one warning he did give me was that it's very common for young fish to die. Apparently this has a massive evolutionary benefit to the species (the younger, weaker ones get picked off by predators instead of the rest), and that some species even seem to have designated dudsto protect the rest of the group. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but oh well! I hope you found this as interesting as me!
I got onto my vet, hoping to get hold of some levasole for the tank. Instead, I got a referral to another vet, who treats fish (this is a rarity in England!). After a few phone calls, I managed to get hold of the man in question, who told me a number of interesting things...
Apparently, it is more important to reduce your nitrite levels than your ammonia - nitrate acts like carbon monoxide when it comes into contact with a fish's haemoglobin, bonding permanently and slowing suffocating the fish. Ammonia is still highly toxic, but it needs a higher concentration over a longer period to kill.
He also said that he has never come across a single case of worms in his career. When I asked him if there was any point in me treating with levasole, however, he could not have been more positive!! Apparently the immune boost that levasole provides allows the fish to fight off their ailments themselves, which is much better for them than dosing the tank with random treatments. It struck me that this might explain the lower success rate for treating skinny with fenbendazole and other de-wormers in comparison?
Apparently, though, he was by law not allowed to prescribe levasole. For some reason, in the UK only farm supply stockists can provide levasole treatments. He suggested that I hit a couple of farm shops masquerading as a sheep owner, and try to score some drugs! (I decided to cop out, and ordered Jungles Anti-Parasite Med Food online instead).
He suggested that I begin treating for an internal bacterial infection, and alternate with levasole if I can get hold of it - so the same answer as LOL, if only for different reasons!
But one warning he did give me was that it's very common for young fish to die. Apparently this has a massive evolutionary benefit to the species (the younger, weaker ones get picked off by predators instead of the rest), and that some species even seem to have designated dudsto protect the rest of the group. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but oh well! I hope you found this as interesting as me!
