Fish pathology/necropsy kit

Teeran88 · Jul 18, 2017

I think I've decided that I would really like to put together a kit to be able to do my own gill and skin scraping on my fish for qt/treatment purposes. As well as learning the ins and outs of necropsy. I see so often (and have first-hand experience) where the hobbyist struggles to treat a sick fish because it can be so difficult to get a positive ID on the pathogen.

So, my question to everyone is: do you have a kit and/or knowledge in this field? What would I need to be most successful?

I've been looking at various microscopes and would like to purchase a quality one, anyone have a good recommendation? And what about fish pathology and necropsy literature? Are there any good books/sites out there with info on how to do it and what to look for?

TIA!

Humblefish · Jul 18, 2017

Two good books to get you started are:

Fish Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment by Dr. Edward J Noga.

Captive Seawater Fishes: Science and Technology by Dr. Stephen Spotte

Although I have a much better guide on my desktop in storage, this one provides the basics on how to perform a skin scrape: http://www.aquariadise.com/checking-aquarium-fish-parasites/

There are some good necropsy techniques available here: http://necropsymanual.net/en/

Some microscope pictorial guides are available here: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/department_fisheries_and_aquatic_sciences

And this is the microscope I've been using for the past 4-5 years (I plan on buying a new one soon): https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-LCD-Deluxe-Digital-Microscope/dp/B00369V2E0/

Also, check out this thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/microscope-suggestions-for-algae-bacteria-parasites.312923/

I'll try to find you more info as time permits. One challenge is navigating around Google Scholar, where I'm used to finding most of my info. However, they typically only list publications/journals which charge for access (unless you have login credentials.)

Teeran88 · Jul 18, 2017

Humblefish said:
Two good books to get you started are:

Fish Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment by Dr. Edward J Noga.

Captive Seawater Fishes: Science and Technology by Dr. Stephen Spotte

Although I have a much better guide on my desktop in storage, this one provides the basics on how to perform a skin scrape: http://www.aquariadise.com/checking-aquarium-fish-parasites/

There are some good necropsy techniques available here: http://necropsymanual.net/en/

Some microscope pictorial guides are available here: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/department_fisheries_and_aquatic_sciences

And this is the microscope I've been using for the past 4-5 years (I plan on buying a new one soon): https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-LCD-Deluxe-Digital-Microscope/dp/B00369V2E0/

Also, check out this thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/microscope-suggestions-for-algae-bacteria-parasites.312923/

I'll try to find you more info as time permits. One challenge is navigating around Google Scholar, where I'm used to finding most of my info. However, they typically only list publications/journals which charge for access (unless you have login credentials.)