Over the years it has been my pleasure to learn and lecture about all the nasty bits of aquarium keeping: fish and invertebrate diseases, toxins and poisons you can find in your tank, the tremendously varied ways we find to injure ourselves using our tanks :), and marine microbiology. I'm pleased and honored that MASNA has given me the opportunity to start a forum to discuss all of the above--after all, what's toxic to one fish is yummy to another, and what infects your fishes might be infecting you as well! Forget Swine Flu, there are WAY more interesting things available to make you sick right in your own livingroom
So topics of interest:
Anything is fair game if it wiggles, squirms, shoots venom, bites, stings, and lives in the water. Dogs and cats need not apply.
Human aquatic zoonosis: this is the really novel part of the forum :) There are plenty of anecdotal threads here and there on the internet about people's experiences being stung, accidentally electrocuting themselves, licking zoanthinds and living to tell the tale... Here's where aquarists can put all of that information together, along with information we receive from medical professionals treating divers and coastal people who are exposed to the same dangers. Have a question about whether a particular animal is toxic? Here's where you can find out. Did your friend get sick from his tank and you want more info on how to stay healthy? Got some urchin spines in your hand and want to know what people usually do? yeah, we've got that :)
Fish/invert diseases: while there are multiple fish disease forums available with great information, what I'd like to offer is a very hands-on, practical sort of "Fish ER" mentality: it's all well and good to discuss at length the possible causes of an ailing animal, consider the ramifications of treatment vs no treatment, phone a friend...but fishes are not usually very good about letting us know there is a problem early in the disease. If you're seeing problems, it's typically late stage and you need to do something fast. So yes, I'd love to discuss diseases at length (did you know the marine ich parasite spins to grind up tissue it then eats?), but what I'd like to offer as well is some advice on quick treatment options to get your fish well now, and then we can later talk about the whys and hows (and better yet--how to prevent).
Bugs! Not the multicellular ones, the little guys--bacteria, fungi, microalgae--all the invisible players in your aquarium that keep it running smoothly (most of the time). Nitrifying/denitrifying bacteria, Anammox organisms, nutrient cycles, why your skimmate is stinky...all fair
Now of course, the medical disclaimer: I am not a doctor, I don't play one on TV and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn. I have, however, spent a good part of my career working in animal and human hospitals and am an obsessive collector of medical information I'd be pleased to share.
IF YOU ARE INJURED OR SICK AND IT IS AN EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY. IF NOT, SPEAK TO YOUR OWN PHYSICIAN FOR TREATMENT. This information will be given in the spirit of education only and is no substitute for the care of a medical professional. It is my hope that we can collect information to share so that when an emergency arises, each aquarist is prepared, knows what to look for and what to expect, and what to do.
A little about me: I've been keeping aquariums for about 5 years now, typically keeping small systems relatively technology-free (skimmerless even!). I have a BS in biochemistry, did some graduate work in medicine and molecular biology, and am currently a grad student at Stony Brook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. I also work full time as the head of R&D Microbiology/Marine Science for BASF on Long Island, developing new active ingredients for skin care products from aquacultured marine sources. I've had the pleasure of giving talks about all of the above for the past several years, and am fortunate enough to have a job I love, a hobby which keeps me busy, and a very sweet first grade son who does all my water testing for me. :)
So let the games begin!