IMO, How to set up a tank to be immune where the fish never get a communicable disease

[Paul B]

Antibiotics are probably the worst thing we could add to a fish tank unless we have one sick fish and it is in a hospital tank. Even at that, unless I was sure the fish was going to die, I would not use an antibiotic because as I said our tanks run on bacteria and if we kill the bacteria, we will also kill the fish.

Maybe not right away but it will take quite a while for that fish to recover from the antibiotic if it ever does.
Copper is another one most of us have used. I haven't really used it in decades and that was only on an almost dead fish I got for free. If we keep our fish immune there is never any need for medications as the fishes immune system is perfectly capable of keeping disease organisms from affecting our fish.

Copper kills bacteria along with parasites, but it may not be strong enough to kill all the gut bacteria, but it will disrupt it and may kill certain bacteria strains that may make conditions worse.
Copper is also a poison to the fish so it will definitely cause stress and stress causes diseases or at least allow the fish to get sick due to a suppression of their immune system.

It's all about lowering stress mostly through aqauascaping but also through food with it's associated gut bacteria.

I also think a big problem in tanks is the use of chemicals like "Kick Ich" or "Red Slime Remover" to eliminate cyano or "Vibrant". I feel those things have no place in a healthy tank that we are striving to get immune.

The process of fish being immune is all due to the presence of pathogens such as parasites living along with the fish in our tank just as they do in all oceans. If we are determined to kill or eliminate all parasites, we will never achieve immunity. It just can't happen because the fish, and us depend on regular contact with pathogens to become and keep immunity from them. Thats why we get booster shots as our immunity will also wane in time if we don't keep it up.

 

[Paul B]

WE have to get away from this idea that dirt is bad for fish. We Humans evolved to eat a lot of dirt in our lives, most Neanderthals didn't have that little push thing next to their Delta sink faucet filled with that nice smelling baby blue Anti- Bacterial soap with the Supermodel or Clownfish on the label.

They used to kill a 5 thousand pound Wolly Mammoth by standing behind a door and tripping him as they lumbered by. Then Mr. Ally Oop Neanderthal would take out his pen knife and carve out a quarter pound piece of meat for a hamburger, if he was married he may cut out another piece for his main squeeze, then they may rinse it off in the same puddle their dog sleeps in and scrape off the 15" Mammoth hair with their teeth before eating it whole. The rest of the Mammoth they gave to the dog or put it in the recycle bin.

Remember Neanderthals walked around for about 400,000 years while we have only been here since they invented Malls so they were pretty successful in spite of all the dirt and Wolly Mammoth hair they ate. Dirt may be the secret to keeping us and reef tanks healthy even though I realize most people today feel dirt is bad, but thats because of advertising and probably lawyers. (I blame lawyers for almost everything)

Fish in the sea eat a lot of dirt and fish poop. Fish poop is mostly gut bacteria so fish know what they are doing and as long as we leave them alone and don't medicate them or treat them like our domesticated designer lap dog they will be fine. We make them sick, no one else. Besides fish don't really have a tongue so may be can't tell the difference between poop and a T Bone steak.