New regulations for medicating fish

[Andre]

So at our last meeting it was brought to everyone's attention (to those present) that their was new regulations starting Dec. 1 that fish store's would no longer be carrying fish medication and selling to the public. Fish owners would now have to go to a vet to get whatever treatment they needed to treat their sick fish. Fish stores themselves could no longer self medicate their fish they are trying to sell as well and would need on site visits from a vet to treat their tanks.

Well reading over the regulation and having some time to ponder this over, I have come to a conclusion that this will negatively effect this hobby.
I'm not just coming across this as a "person not for change" as i always welcome change but i also feel that when government puts their hands into something it's bound to be a bad thing in the end.

Here's a link to the regulation :- Responsible use of Medically Important Antimicrobials in Animals

A few thoughts as to why i feel this will be bad and have a negative effect:-

1. Fish are not treated like other pets in the hobby, talk to people that don't have fish and they will say "it's just a fish", thus the specialty of vets that specialize in fish care is minimal or non existent at best and that's why for years it has been left in the hands of hobbyist to figure out and treat their fish.

2. Vets are not gonna unknowingly just hand out medication without seeing your sick fish, thus you will be required to bring your fish in to get treated and we know that stress on a fish is detrimental to the well being of a fish, so thus taking your sick fish, adding more stress of putting it into an environment it is not comfortable with and adding more stress.

3. Pricing of meds are likely to go up, so factor in that you will have to pay a fee to just see a vet, now add the cost of over priced medication.

4. With fish stores now having to get a vet to treat their fish, where do you think those cost will go if the LFS decides to treat them? but then the questions arises will any of them decide to go that route and treat their fish and will it just become a buyer beware situation thus driving new people to the hobby away from it when they buy fish and they die after they bring them home.

5. I think the hobby will become more of a hobby between hobbyist and less through LFS. Hobbyist in the know will approach LFS and looking for fish with caution and will now look towards other hobbyist for their fish needs and less on LFS.

Just some of my thoughts and i might be over thinking some of these points but thought i would put it out for others to chime in on.

[freshwater]

Excellent write up and some very valid points about the fish care and medication. I think with out the meds. available to the public and the shop owners a lot more fish will just be disposed of. I can't see a pet shop owner calling in a vet for a tank full of Danios with ick, (ich) , they will just get flushed

[lesfromlakeshore]

So you would think the LFS would be more willing to buy our healthy locally raised fish . Time will tell but I’m not to optimistic.

[Andre]

Nov 23, 2018 15:58:11 GMT -5 lesfromlakeshore said:

So you would think the LFS would be more willing to buy our healthy locally raised fish . Time will tell but I’m not to optimistic.

I think this will possibly allow LFS to get to know locally hobbyist who are breeding fish but at the same time I'm not optimistic that anything will change on that aspect either.

I can see some stores just being done with fish period!

[Xander]

Honestly, I don't speak for anyone else, but I've never treated a tank with an antimicrobial before.

I've used antiprotozoans and antifungals, which, as far as I can tell, should not be affected under these regulations?

The majority of the diseases I've come across in my tanks were parasite-based. The occasional fungus. Dropsy might be the exception, but I've never caught a case of dropsy before it was fatal anyhow.

The real big killer is going to be columnaris I think, if anyone is unfortunate enough to catch a case. Fin rot can often be cured just by isolating the fish and improving water quality.

Water changes are going to be every sick fish's best friend.

[Xander]

Additionally: I am super pro-responsible-usage of antibiotics, in all walks of life. This regulation means good things in agriculture in regards to watching what we put into our own bodies, of that I am certain.

When we use antibiotics in our tanks and then do a water change, those antibiotic absolutely end up in our water systems, and eventually back to us and our tanks. In tremendously small doses, certainly, but all it takes is a small dose for a bacteria to become resistant.

I can't speak for how the veterinarians will expect us to handle our fish in the case that we need an antibiotic. I am certain it will cause costs of medicines to inflate; I've never seen prices go down in the hands of the government before.

Do I think this will change the LFS's closest to us? Probably not. Most of the hauls around here go straight into the sale tanks, and fish who are visibly sick are often 'taken care of' in the back if they don't die in the displays.

Do I think this will affect how a proper LFS thatactually gives a damn about the health of their livestock might operate? It's probable, and I would personally hope that they choose to turn to more old school methods of treatment, such as salt, and slime coat, and water changes, and aquarium-safe essential oils, and whatever else promotes good health.

As far as the hobby itself... I don't really see much changes coming from your average person who stocks their tank via PetSmart instructions. This probably won't affect the Big Box advice in any way shape or form.

Concerning us more in-depth, knowledgeable hobbyists, on the other hand, I hope to see a lot more discussion on treating fish in more holistic ways, a term I generally abhor, particularly when snake oils are talked up with no good research behind them. This could be a very good thing, to that effect; it could trigger that research we more desperately need.

[gabor129]

Great writeup Xander!