The aquarium – A bouillabaisse of contagion

An aquarium is a controlled aquatic environment intended to house and display aquatic organisms, primarily fish, along with plants and other aquatic life. Aquariums can vary in size and complexity, from small desktop tanks to large public aquariums. They provide a way for people to observe and appreciate aquatic life in a confined and controlled setting.

A living room, bedroom, or recreational room is a common venue for the aquarium.  They are found in many homes and sport a wide variety of occupants.  There are several different types of aquariums:

• Freshwater Aquariums: House freshwater fish, plants, and invertebrates. These are popular choices for beginners due to the lower complexity of maintaining freshwater ecosystems.
• Saltwater Aquariums: Contain marine fish, corals, and other marine life. They can be more challenging to maintain due to the specific requirements of marine organisms.
• Planted Aquariums: Focus on aquatic plants, which play a central role in the ecosystem. These tanks require appropriate lighting and nutrient supplementation.
• Reef Aquariums: Specialized marine tanks that house corals and other reef inhabitants. They require precise water parameters and advanced equipment.
• Community Aquariums: House a mix of compatible fish species and possibly some plants. The goal is to create a balanced and harmonious community.
• Species-Specific Aquariums: Dedicated to a single species of fish or a specific type of aquatic life.

Each type of aquarium has its own challenges and its’ own biome teeming with pathogens some beneficial and some to be avoided.

Each type of aquarium is a snapshot of the outdoors.  It needs to contain as many elements found in natural settings as possible.  Without a healthy balance of natural elements (microscopic and visable) the aquarium biome will become  unbalanced with one or more elements over-populating, affecting other aquarium occupants in an unplanned manner.

It is the responsibility of the aquarist (owner of the aquarium) to facilitate an environment in which the occupants (seen and unseen) live in a symbiotic manner.  The aquarist must be knowledgeable on the species that are introduced and have a working knowledge of the rest of the biome particularly the microscopic inhabitants.

It is the realm of the microscopic that gives way to zoonotic infections potentially causing great discomfort to the human body.

The water of an established aquarium is teeming with life.  The many organisms found in the water come from a varied number of sources.

Some of these sources are the fish or other occupants introduced to the aquarium, the water in the bag from the pet store, the aquatic plants placed in the aquarium, and untold bacteria on the hands and other objects that occasionally find their way into the aquarium.

The human body is teeming with bacteria.  We are discovering the great benefits of having a healthy series of bacterial colonies living inside and out of our bodies.  There is a natural balance to the numbers  and types of bacteria that infest us.

The same principles at work in the human body are at work in the aquarium biome.  Our health depends on bacteria pushing back at other bacteria, keeping their numbers  in check.

When the balance changes and there is an overabundance of one type of bacteria over another, we become ill and develop symptoms until the correct numbers of bacteria are restored.

This balancing process of one organism affecting and offsetting another is essential for the human body biome to function correctly.

In the open biome outside of the aquarium, there are any number of different bacteria, fungi, virus’, and protozoans.  All living in balance with one another keeping each other in check so as to not allow one to become dominant over the others.

Many of the aquatic bacteria, fungi, virus, and protozoans are benign to us and our immune systems have great success fighting and eliminating them.  However, some aquatic pathogens found in aquatic creatures and in the water of the aquarium are either not known to our immune systems, or are presented to our immune systems in such great numbers that we have difficulty eliminating them.

When this happens we develop an infection and it often requires medical intervention to assist our natural ability to eliminate the foreign pathogen, or at least to knock down the numbers of foreign pathogens so that our immune system has a fighting chance.

The ability of a naturally occurring pathogen in an aquarium occupant to attack our bodies and cause an infection is called a zoonotic infection.  All zoonotic infections caused by pathogens in aquarium settings require a vector through which the pathogen is introduced to the body.

To learn more about zoonotic infections and how to prevent them explore the guide on Can a Person get Sick from Aquarium Water.

The vector of transmission is the aquarium water.  Without the aquarium water the pathogen would not be able on its’ own to come into contact with the body.

To prevent a zoonotic infection from aquarium water, the vector has to be eliminated that transmits the pathogen.  In the situation where water is the vector, the person coming into contact with the water needs to provide a barrier through which the water can not penetrate and carry any pathogens.

This is problematic when considering the aquarium maintenance tasks which require close contact with aquarium water.  The solution is to garnish protective gloves.  Regular examination rubber gloves won’t work because of their length.

The glove best suited to provide protection is a vetrinary examination glove that covers the entire arm up to the shoulder.  Typically these gloves are durable and easy to put on.

Remember the goal is to keep any open would or hand blemish from coming into contact with aquarium water.  The secondary goal is to prevent any splashes of water to come into contact with any mucous membrane like the eyes, nose, or mouth.  An inexpensive facial shield should provide sufficient protection.