Why bother medicating?

[viboy]

I am sure I will get flamed for this but do you find much of a point in medicating if the highest fish value you have is a $5.00 fish?

My opinion may not be worth much but it could be due to me not having too many problems with sick fish. In the 2 years that I have gotten back into fish keeping I have only a few fish die and those I believe were due to stress (upgraded to a new tank). To me the loss of a few cheap fish is not worth the hassle or the cost of medicating.

The only recurring problem I have is fin damage on my silver dollars. I have tried to medicate with melafix but find this only half fixes the problem and then the problem is back again. I have never caught the culprit who is nipping fins but I believe that it is between the 4 silver dollars that I have in the tank. They are by far the most aggressive fish in the tank. (that doesn't say much does it!)

 

[aquariumfishguy]

For MOST out there, disregarding the cost of the fish, most of the pleasure or reward comes from being able to keep healthy fish alive successfully so when a fish becomes sick, the first natural reaction that comes is to buy medication to treat the fish. I guess thats what those of us do when we care about our animals. Do you have a price tag that came with you?

 

[anonapersona]

I understand, but...

I do understand the basis for what you are saying, cheap fish, expensive medicine. However, most of us spend far more in time and money than these cheap fish warrant.

Why? Because they are our responsibility.

It would be easy to say, $8 for meds, $2 fish.... No. You could toss out each fish as it came down with anything. I think that pretty soon you would have an empty tank. Because, sometimes what is killing the fish does not leave with the ill fish, even if you remove the fish to a Q tank ASAP.

How do you know? I'm not sure.


I know that I have worked like a demon to save a FREE fish. Why? Because it was big, it had personality, it was going to be an embarassment if the person who gave it to me saw it was missing. Daily water changes, $24 worth of meds, I saved the fish. Economic value? Squat. Personal triumph? Tons.

Why did I do it? Because it was MY FAULT that the fish was near death -- I messed up and it was the fish that was paying the price. So, I tried my best to correct my errors.

If there is a tally of my days at the Pearly Gates, I suspect this darn fish will be on the list.

So, I guess I see it as a Karmic thing.

 

[Leopardess]

Money is not everything...and if it is to some of you, you've got bigger problems to worry about.

If you buy the fish, its your responsibility. If one cannot accept that responsibility - one should not have a pet.

Do you think this way about other animals, too? If you bought a 50 dollar puppy, would you say "oh well, 200 dollars worth of medical care is more than it is worth?"

I medicate my fish because:

* I don't want all the other fish getting sick if its contagious
* I don't feel good about looking in at a tank and seeing a fish in pain, suffering, because I am too money-oriented to spend the 2.50 it would cost to pick up, say, some fungus medicine instead of having my morning latte
* I feel that if I don't want to spend the little it takes to get meds, that I probably shouldn't have invested hundreds of dollars into my tanks in the first place
* It's probably my fault that the fish got sick in the first place
* I'd hope if I were sick/dying, someone would treat me instead of saying "You have no intrinsic value...so I'm just gonna let you die"
* The reason I have fish in the first place is because I think they are beautiful creatures...not some "disposable thing" that I can throw about.


And those are just a few reasons.

 

[Prometheus]

I understand your point.

I've been lucky that in 3 years I've never had to mediate my fish...

But having fish that I've moved from FLA all the way to Indiana... Brings an attachment...

Even with my new fish, I enjoy watching them... The satisfied looks when my cory cats are eating a blood worm, the pleco haning onto the powerhead for dear life trying to get at that tiny spec of algea...

IMO it worth it.

I didn't feel this way when I put my fish set of fish into my first tank... when they died (within 36 hours, I didn't know jack ) I thought "This sucks, now I'm out all that money!"

I had something horrible fall into my tank 2 months ago, I lost all but one fish.... I didn't think "Man, I'm out almost $300 bucks in fish!" I thought "OMG!!!!!! My babies!!!!!"

Now I've got 35 bucks or so worth of fish in the tank, I'm attached to the One original fish (3 y/o Diamond tetra *talk about hardy!*) and the rest of them too...

I donno, maybe you don't spend enuff time with your fish?

 

[cblin]

I buy meds for my fish because I do not want other fish to get infected. However, for most people including myself, it's the connection and the love you have for your fish. Unfortunately, like other pets, the longer you have them, the more you love them, and the tougher it is once they pass away.

My all time favorite is http://www.anchofish.com/basslets/basslet_blackcap.htm. I had this little fellow for 5 years before he succumbed to some type of internal disease. His external appearance looked perfect and only symptom is that he would not eat and would only lay on the bottom of the tank.

 

[ewok]

care to confuse your theory even more?

i recently paid way to much for a sick oscar. it was roughly 2x what i can buy them for at cheaper places and it came complete with bulging eyes and a bacterial infection. why? because i'm a sucker? maybe because i felt bad for it?

it was in a tank with a bunch of other oscars slowly starving and this fish was sitting there with an algae eater hanging out of it's mouth that was probably well dead when it tried to eat it.....

all i could think was "this guys a fighter" and i thought it deserved a chance to live. i actually sort of think it's a girl now, but that's beside the point. i cheerfully paid for maracyn and maracyn2 and it seems to be doing ok now......

soft heart or soft head maybe.... but who knows, maybe some day i'll have a grown and healthy fish and a feeling of accomplishment for doing it......

 

[viboy]

Ah and the hatred begins...

Sorry I did not mean to be that offensive. Truthfully it may be that the reason for my indifference is the fact that in the end I am really unhappy with the fish selection that I have. In the beginning I wanted a cichlid setup but my wife would have nothing to do with it. I refuse to deal with the one and only lfs and therefore will not trade any of the current fish that I have. A death in the tank just gets me one more step towards the fish setup that I really want. Of course by that time I may have been totally swayed towards the saltwater side.

That being said I am not sure what I would do if one of my fish actually showed visible signs of illness (besides the fin nipping on the silver dollars). Consciously I cannot allow my tank to go more than a week without a water change. I always make time for maintenance. I even spend the time of varying their diet. (flakes, shrimp pellets, algae wafers, romaine, zuchinni, and a weekly does of salmon roe) I will not allow fish to die due to poor conditions and feel that any illness is usually caused by lack of respect for your tank inhabitants and there living environment.