Drawing up a treatment plan

After a proper diagnosis has been made ( diagnosis (or having it diagnosed) ), it sometimes becomes necessary to initiate treatment. If this is indeed the case, think carefully and, if necessary, consult a specialist for help. Many mistakes are made in treatment and the choices made. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease, and you make the problem worse. That, of course, can never be the intention.

Addressing the root cause of the problem

First of all, identifying the cause and solving it is at least as important as proper treatment. If you don't do this, the problem will most likely return.

Choices

Once the decision has been made to treat, you are faced with a number of challenging choices;

Which fish(es) am I going to treat?
Where will I be treated ?
How am I going to treat?
With which what remedy am I going to treat?
What dosage do I use?
How often do I administer the drug?
How often should I administer the drug?
What escapes do I have if something goes wrong?

General Affairs

There's a lot to be said for each of the points above. I'll explore them in more detail in future articles. I also want to offer some additional tips to help you make the right choices and not act rashly.

Panic and time

Panic is a bad advisor. It can lead you to make hasty and ill-considered decisions and take the wrong actions. It all starts with observing your fish. The sooner you detect a problem, the more time you have to take well-considered measures. Sometimes, when I ask for help, I see photos of fish with huge holes in them. Holes like that don't develop overnight. A timely observation could have prevented action (much) earlier. Therefore, make a good plan and think about it carefully, or have someone else make a good plan if you doubt your skills. "Stick to the plan"—don't suddenly change things during implementation. Describe in your plan step by step when you'll do what, where, and with which equipment. Even if you're capable of making a good plan yourself, it's best to involve another expert to avoid making errors or approaching the problem from a tunnel vision. Be open to alternatives and embrace them if they prove better than your original plan. Take the first day of treatment off, or schedule it (if you can wait until then) for the weekend. Many remedies are most potent at the beginning of the treatment, and by sticking with it during that period, you have the opportunity to intervene if it goes wrong. Too often, I've heard stories of people throwing a remedy into their pond before going to bed, only to find the fish dead the next morning.

Example of a treatment plan by Joop van Tol