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Posted by Ozdude on March 10, 2005, 9:08 pm
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> Ok, I just spent the last two days arguing the point that there is a
> correct time and place to use antibiotics, and I still firmly hold onto
> that belief, but heck, this is a great thread so I will play devil's
> advocate for a second and pose another question.
>
> What happens when we introduce anti-bacterially resistant "bugs" back
> into our environment? For instance, suppose we our beloved betta (or
> other fish) gets a nasty case of columnaris. Not the treatable kind
> that would takes days or weeks to kill him, but the mutated version
> that kills our fish in under 24 hours. So in a desperate act of grief
> we flush our pet. After-all, we couldn't bear to think of him in a
> dumpster somewhere.
>
> Are we potentially exposing indigenous fish to mutated bacteria that
> they otherwise would never have been exposed to? Most aquarists know
> they aren't supposed to flush dead fish but how many people either do
> it anyway or don't know better? I know I flushed several fish back in
> the day before I understood the consequences. Actually, I'm still not
> certain of the consequences. Can these bacteria even exist in the cold
> salty waters off Massachusetts or other parts of the world?
Well I never flush fish for a start. It's one of the things I was aware of
right at the recommencement of this hobby.
I bury all of my dead fish in the garden or in plant pots where they can
break down and be used as terrestrial fertilizer.
It doesn't take much effort really.
Oz
--
My Aquatic web Blog is at http://members.optusnet.com.au/ivan.smith
>
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> correct time and place to use antibiotics, and I still firmly hold onto
> that belief, but heck, this is a great thread so I will play devil's
> advocate for a second and pose another question.
>
> What happens when we introduce anti-bacterially resistant "bugs" back
> into our environment? For instance, suppose we our beloved betta (or
> other fish) gets a nasty case of columnaris. Not the treatable kind
> that would takes days or weeks to kill him, but the mutated version
> that kills our fish in under 24 hours. So in a desperate act of grief
> we flush our pet. After-all, we couldn't bear to think of him in a
> dumpster somewhere.
>
> Are we potentially exposing indigenous fish to mutated bacteria that
> they otherwise would never have been exposed to? Most aquarists know
> they aren't supposed to flush dead fish but how many people either do
> it anyway or don't know better? I know I flushed several fish back in
> the day before I understood the consequences. Actually, I'm still not
> certain of the consequences. Can these bacteria even exist in the cold
> salty waters off Massachusetts or other parts of the world?