1. Rocky Creek
2. Claustral
3. To Be Decided

Resolution No. 2

I will catch the following game fish in 2006

1. Bonito
2. Mulloway
3. Yellowtail Kingfish
4. Tuna
5. Brown Trout
   
    

Fish-Keeping Notes

1. White Spot
    
2. Commonsense Precautions

Hard Learned Lesson 1 - From "Trev" the Australian Bass
The hard-won lesson Trev has taught us is if you suspect your fish has Ich, commence treatment RIGHT NOW.  Poor Trev suffered a great deal because of my ignorance.  I thought that he'd come good on his own pretty quickly, as he'd always been plucky, active and fit.  I could not believe just how quickly the infection progressed from a couple of blister-like cysts to being almost covered with them in two days. 

I was ASHAMED at the pain and suffering my ignorance caused poor Trev.  When I eventually treated him with an Aqua Master tri-sulphur tablet, he started recovering immediately.  He went from looking like he was on death's door to apparently full recovery in the space of a week.  Fortunately, though he looked shocking, he behaved normally throughout the whole period.  


 Hard Learned Lesson 2 - From Trev the Australian Bass
 I very nearly killed Trev tonight (7th July 2006).  Since I have been aware of his susceptibility to Ich, I very carefully inspect Trev for signs of Ich every single day.  I noticed him "flashing" a fortnight ago, and when he started rubbing himself on the gravel and rocks I decided that was in the initial stages of another bout of Ich.  I treated him with tri-sulphur twice, three days apart as directed.

He immediately recovered.  Yesterday morning I noticed a single Ich cyst on Trev's side.  I thought that maybe he'd bumped something sharp in the tank.  When I got home from work, the blister was larger.  Mmmmm. 

This morning I checked him carefully and was aghast to see three or four blisters.  DAMN IT - BLOODY ICH AGAIN.  So taking my own advice, I treated him as soon as I got home from work tonight with an Aqua Master Tri-sulphur tablet same as every time before.  30 seconds later, he was "unconscious", floating upside down in the tank and his gills were not moving. 

Lesson Two - as the books all say, if you treat your fish with anything, STAY NEARBY just in case.

Thank goodness I was watching him when it happened.  I had been looking at the cysts around his mouth a few seconds before he had his reaction. 

Hard Learned Lesson 3 - From Trev the Australian Bass
Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, I should have set aside a container of tank water before I added the drug.  When Trev reacted badly I had no option but to put him into a jar of water straight from the tap.  Unfortunately this may complicate his recovery.  

Strangely enough, nothing else appears to be affected by the Tri-sulphur treatment.  The tri-sulphur is an antibiotic, and apparently likely to be very detrimental to the good bacterial flora in the tank.  I have now started a carefully controlled salt treatment regime which seems to be controlling the problem - thanks to the advice I received from Dr Ben Diggles (www.digsfish.com.au), and Paul & Tracey Lawrance from Tank Aquariums  (www.tankaquariums.com.au).    
 

Note
"White Spot" or "Ich" - properly know as Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.  Stick it in google and see how much is written about it.  This little bastard is extremely common, like bacteria, and fortunately fairly easily controlled through interrupting it's lifecycle.  Rapid action is critical to controlling an outbreak and a positive outcome for the infected fish.