For the last few days I have had to watch my beloved Copperband Butterfly slowly succumb to a bacterial infection. I tried what I could but felt quite helpless overall.
As many who have been in the hobby for awhile know, the biggest obstacle to owning a fish tank is trying to find good information. There is a wealth of information on many topics but there seems to be a big lack of information on fish disease diagnosis and treatment. What little is known is mostly from first hand experience from other hobbyists.
There is so much misinformation and useless products on the market. I still remember my first experience treating Cryptocaryon irritans (marine ich). I tried multiple treatments including lowering the SG, medicated freshwater dips, etc., all a bit haphazardly. Looking back, I wonder if my "treatments" did more harm than good.
It seems that much of what we know in this hobby comes from the experience of others and I think we could make great strides if we could find a way to compile information from other peoples' experiences. This could show others what people have tried, what worked and what didn't, and provide a stepping stone to try new treatments.
I was thinking of compiling a thread with links to threads of other ARC hobbyists who had to try and diagnose and treat fish disease. People could also add in their own experiences including symptoms, pictures (if available), treatment, outcome, and what they would do different the next time. Overtime, this thread could be broadened to include other popular fish forums for an easy to use database on various fish diseases.
Do you think this would be beneficial? I just want to get some opinions before I start putting it together since this could be a bit time consuming.
As many who have been in the hobby for awhile know, the biggest obstacle to owning a fish tank is trying to find good information. There is a wealth of information on many topics but there seems to be a big lack of information on fish disease diagnosis and treatment. What little is known is mostly from first hand experience from other hobbyists.
There is so much misinformation and useless products on the market. I still remember my first experience treating Cryptocaryon irritans (marine ich). I tried multiple treatments including lowering the SG, medicated freshwater dips, etc., all a bit haphazardly. Looking back, I wonder if my "treatments" did more harm than good.
It seems that much of what we know in this hobby comes from the experience of others and I think we could make great strides if we could find a way to compile information from other peoples' experiences. This could show others what people have tried, what worked and what didn't, and provide a stepping stone to try new treatments.
I was thinking of compiling a thread with links to threads of other ARC hobbyists who had to try and diagnose and treat fish disease. People could also add in their own experiences including symptoms, pictures (if available), treatment, outcome, and what they would do different the next time. Overtime, this thread could be broadened to include other popular fish forums for an easy to use database on various fish diseases.
Do you think this would be beneficial? I just want to get some opinions before I start putting it together since this could be a bit time consuming.
