Finally- Back Online

[TwoTankAmin]

Over the July 4th weekend health issues wound me up in the E.R. on the morning of Sunday the 6th. I was discharged about an hour ago and am still a bit wobbly. I will need some time to get caught up with the forum but should be posting again very soon. Since I only use a single device, my PC, if I am not home I am not online.

Old age sucks, but we should all be so lucky as to learn that by getting to be old. The alternative is not so great

 

[Back in the fold]

Glad you’re okay Man .

 

[jaylach]

Welcome back!

LOL! I have to disagree about old age being bad. When you stop getting older they plant you 6 feet in the ground.

 

[emeraldking]

Well, get better soon...

 

[FranciscoB]

Indeed, nice to hear you are back and better!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Leading up to my hospital stay I was having COPD issues which is what wound me up in the people's H. tank. So, after keeping fish for close to 25 years and doing weekly maint. and water changes almost religiously, I had slacked way off due to health issues. I had finally begun to catch up gradually and had improved my tank time in terms of this care. July 4th was my best day, The the you-know-what hit the fan on the 5th and the morning of the 6th I was in the hospital.

So in the recent past couple of months I have been going two or three weeks between tank care. I can home to some nasty looking tanks but mostly the fish and inverts seemed OK as do the plants. I am still not close to normal but did manage to clean up a couple of the smaller tanks yesterday by doing minor vacuuming.

My brother, with whom I live, was kind enough to feed the tanks using written instructions. But I had him counting sticks etc. which is not the best way since these are not uniform. For the flakes it is also had to describe how many. But he is not a fish person and cannot help with all the other things.

I am really unhappy about not having been able to give my fish the care they deserve. But, for now my health and getting back to normal activity levels or at least close is more important than tank work. One of my tanks contains fish that are sold as part of an order and the buyer needs to get them. This was supposed to have happened a while ago. I have no idea if all the fish are still alive in this tank. They are plecos and spend most of their time hiding.

I think I needed to post this just to make me feel a bit less guilty about neglecting the fish.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

And Now a Possible Warning?

AI Overview

Pseudomonas species are common bacteria in freshwater environments and can be found in aquariums. While they are often harmless, they can become pathogenic and cause disease in fish, especially when fish are stressed or immunocompromised. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a particularly notable species known for causing serious illnesses like hemorrhagic septicemia and gill necrosis in fish.

The root cause of my stay in the human H Tank was pnemonia caused by, wait for it,

Key Pseudomonas species and their roles in human illness:

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa:
  .

This is the most well-known and studied species in human medicine, causing a wide range of infections including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, ear and eye infections, skin infections, and bloodstream infections. It is a major cause of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections, accounting for a significant percentage of such infections worldwide, according to some medical resources.

I set up my firt tank at the nrad of Jan. 2001. Since then and now I have had as man as 30 tanks running with fish in them all, Tje averag ewas more like 20 full time and up to 10 more on a temporary basis. I have had my hands and arms in tanks for many years. When I saw that I was being given an antibiotic based on their culturing what ailed me.. On the ever updating medical info board on a wall in my room my IV anti-biotic was listed for treating "pseudomonas."

I discussed the fact that fish in tanks can be infected by pseudomonas and I had multiple aquariums. They agree it could be the cause but these specific bacteria were very common all over our environment- in the water, in the air and on almost any hard surface around one. So here were a lot more ways I might have contracted the bacteria than in a tank. Plus I have been way less active in tanks for the last year and a few months.

However, my above conclusions/diagnosis cannot exclude some level of possibility that I might have gotten the infection from a tank. I figured it was worth posting this for whatever it might be worth.

 

[GaryE]

Pseudomonas are everywhere.
I used get the flu every winter, an occupational hazard for teachers, but because of lifelong upper respiratory issues, it generally became pneumonia. The predisposition was (is) there, just as it would be for you with COPD. I had flu going to pneumonia six times in maybe 8 years, including one bout that resisted antibiotics for a while, but since I went with annual flu shots, I've had 20 years clear.

I actually have a point, in that when you have a pre-existing respiratory condition, and as you age, you have to be careful. I've never heard of inhaling pseudomonas as a cause of pneumonia, but if your immune system is run down, you have to watch it. You're still far more likely to become ill from a cat or dog (or other people) than a fishtank, but if you suspect a possible connection, extra hand washing etc might be in order. I know I get a little cavalier about being cautious when I work with my fish.

Take care and give yourself time. Pneumonia knocks the stuffing out of you, and it takes weeks to get back to 100%, even if you're young. From reading you, you're a strong character, but an illness like that has to be respected. You can't just push its results away. I'll say get well soon, but what I mean is accept you'll get well slowly and steadily if you give yourself time to recover.