Hello fellow Aquarium Addicts!

Who, what, when, where, and why? These are the questions any good news article includes so that we can understand what has happened and this same method can, and IMHO, should be applied to any of our discussions on Aquarium Addicts; especially when it comes to illnesses, diseases, and parasites.

As fellow hobbyists, we completely understand how important it is to come to the most accurate diagnosis as possible and do so in the shortest amount of time. Because of this, we strongly urge everyone to include as much information as you can when seeking information and advice about an ailment you are faced with including, but not limited to:

- background information such as how long you have had this fish, how long the aquarium has been running, what equipment you have, etc...
- past and present water parameters (e.g. ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, water temp, etc...)
- the size and type of your aquarium
- what additive(s)/products do you use in this aquarium
- a list of the other fish in the same tank; even those that are not "sick" at the moment
- how long it has been since you added fish AND what type of livestock did you add
- detailed explanation of symptoms and how they differ from what you have noticed in the past

Again, please keep in mind that you can save yourself A LOT of time by posting as much information about your current emergency as possible, and in many cases, time can be the difference between getting past the situation and losing a fish.