[baobao]

What is the treatment for Vibrio? I've been told that treatment is good antibiotic. My tank runs cupramine, so I have to be careful about which antibiotic to use(if this is the prescribed solution).

Would FW dips w/ MB help alleviate fish?

[leebca]

The vibrio group of bacteria are the tumor-causing bacteria. One of them is known as Mycobacterium and in this group there are a species or two that are dangerous to humans. It is one of the very few fish diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Vibrio infections are best identified before you attempt a medical treatment.

They are acid-fast bacteria and under a high-power light microscope, they can be seen to 'vibrate' or 'shake' which is the meaning of their name from Latin.

Curing diseases caused by these bacteria are becoming more and more difficult. Collectors, exporters and even some importers/wholesalers are using antibiotics indiscriminately. These bacteria are hard to kill even with some of the most effective of antibiotics, but now they are coming through, resistant to even this group of antibiotics.

My recommendations is to identify the bacteria. Take an infected fish to a vet, university, college, or such and have the infection identified and tested for antibiotic response. If you don't do this, you cannot effectively treat this disease.

Not doing the above, my second recommendation would be to put down all livestock, sterilize the equipment and tanks (those that can't be sterilized should be discarded) and start again.

In the meantime, no one must put their hands or any part of their body into that tank water, for any reason, for any length of time (even a millisecond).

[baobao]

I have some gloves but they are not very comfortable and as a result I dont use them that often. What gloves do you use/recommend?

Also, to confirm vibrio, could I analyze the water under microscope?

Could I identify bacteria after fish dies?

[leebca]

Skin scrapings of a living fish is what gives the best information. If you have a light microscope of about 1500X or so and you are proficient in its use, and experienced with what this group looks like, you can visually identify this group of bacteria. Once visually confirmed, then you isolate the organism on sheep's blood agar plates. Then you'd perform an acid-fast test on the isolates. If you are not able to keep aseptic conditions, you could be 'playing with fire' since a mistake and you will infect yourself and possibly spread the disease around. Even after identification, how will you be able to tell what antibiotic will work? Even an identification doesn't provide this information.

Disks of antibiotics (starting with about 15 or so) are placed in the isolate plates and incubated to determine which antibiotic is effective.

Any water-proof glove will do.