Reply To: Help!!! diseases in the community tank
Hi Atlantis,
I would like to offer my views on fish disease (and coincidentally, human health as well). There are 2 approaches :
1. kill as many germs/microbes as possible to prevent disease
2. cultivate a strong immune system by encouraging friendly bacteria, plus also focusing on a balanced ecosystem that naturally weeds out the bad guys
It’s impossible to do (1) because germs are everywhere.
The trend these days is to treat fish diseases with “probiotics” — solutions containing friendly bacteria that actually crowd out the bad bugs. The good bacteria will do lots of helpful little tasks for you, including cleaning your tank and protecting the fish. They can also help in such an emergency that you are currently experiencing. One such product is Nutrafin Cycle.
IMHO, prevention is always better than cure, so if the conditions are right, there should be no reason for fish diseases to happen at all. This is why I am a strong proponent for a complete ecosystem including plants and full-spectrum lighting (on a timed day/night cycle).
And on the topic of human health — same idea. Prevention better than health. Natural remedies better than brute force treatments. Probiotics, not antibiotics.
Sorry to hear about the mass deaths!!