For aquarists, recognising and acting on fish diseases is generally based on experience combined with a bit of gut instinct. Most aquarists are confident that when they see white spots appearing on fish, they know it's White Spot Disease. But can they be as confident at making a diagnosis when fish present with ulcers or excessive mucus? Can we be sure that it's due to bacteria, or fungi, or worms, or protozoa, or a list of other possibilities within each of these? Can we take care of the fish without making the right diagnosis? Each one demands a different course of treatment. Will a hopeful remedy cure the ailing fish? Or will it be worse, kill your fish and waste your money? How long can you wait before making a decision?

Most aquarists know that prompt action is generally necessary. But clinical signs caused by bacteria, fungi, protozoans, etc. are often confusing and non-specific. Moreso, it is important to get the right diagnosis because control measures can be rather different.

Flipping through a descriptive picture book or researching the internet can be useful, but it's a virtual minefield out there. How do you know that the information you are gathering is true and reliable? Almost any old Joe can upload items onto the internet. Some have simplified the process to a dichotomous key. One wrong step in the process can give you no result, or worse still, give you bizzare diagnoses causing you to do more harm than good for your fish.

It is oversimplifying things to assume that things are so straight forward. Maybe you might be lucky and guess the correct disease. But many diseases come about as a result of several factors such as environment, nutrition and care. To solve these sorts of problems requires a multicisciplinary approach.

Veterinarians have the right training for making an accurate diagnosis and prescribing a specific treatment for each problem. Veterinarians possess relevant background in microbiology, parasitology, anaesthesia, surgery, physiology, anatomy, pathology, pharmacology and toxicology to carry out a wide variety of diagnostic services for a pet owner. Couple this with years of experience with keeping a wide range of fish, TheFishVet can also offer the same full service for the pet fish owner.

So, before a course of treatment is recommended, more questions regarding their tank environment need to be asked; what other fish are in the tank, whether your tank contains plants or corals, or what filtration system you are using. Some treatments may be detrimental to their tank mates.

With the right diagnostician, making decisions then is a process of logical reasoning from all the angles in defining exactly what the problem is and its underlying causes, then formulating possible remedies.

To get it right the first time, call TheFishVet.

PET TIME is VET TIME!

Come prepared!

*Please note that most services offered by Dr Loh will attract a professional fee.