Fish practice is veterinary medicine for animals that live in water. It covers far more than the goldfish in a home aquarium. In a 5Q4 interview published by AAHA on November 25, 2025, Dr. Esteban Soto, a professor of Aquatic Animal Health at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, explains what drew him to the field and why he thinks more veterinarians should consider it. This article walks through those five questions and adds context on what the specialty includes.
Who is Esteban Soto?
Soto holds an MSc, DVM and PhD. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists and of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Fish Practice, and he holds the CertAqV credential. He teaches and researches at UC Davis. The interview was written by Ben Williams for AAHA’s 5Q4 series, a monthly micro-interview with veterinary professionals in a specialty. The five questions are largely the same each month, and only the answers change.
What does fish practice actually cover?
The American Board of Veterinary Practitioners says fish-practice caseloads can include pet fish, aquaculture production, public aquaria, laboratory animals, natural resources and wild fisheries. Individual practitioners may cover several areas or concentrate on one or two. The American Association of Fish Veterinarians (AAFV) uses a similar grouping: pet fish, food and bait fish, laboratory animals and natural-resource fisheries. It describes its purpose as advancing knowledge, proficiency, professional standards and the viability of fish veterinary medicine.
| Setting | Typical focus |
|---|---|
| Pet (companion) fish | Medicine and surgery for individual animals |
| Aquaculture, food and bait fish | Population health, production and economics |
| Public aquaria | Care of collection animals |
| Laboratory animals | Health of fish used in research |
| Natural resources and wild fisheries | Health of wild and managed populations |
The sources describe these areas but do not rank them. The work can combine individual-fish medicine and surgery with herd-style thinking about population health, production and economics.
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- Fast and Accurate Results: Get accurate results in minutes with just 3 steps: 1) Dip the test strip into water for 2 seconds for pads 1-7; dip pad 8 (Ammonia nitrogen) separately for 5 seconds. 2) Remove the strip without shaking off excess water. Hold horizontally for 30 seconds for pads 1-7, wait 180 seconds to read Pad 8 (Ammonia nitrogen). 3) Compare the colors to the chart for up to 99% accuracy and take necessary action.
- Extended Shelf Life: The test strips are packaged in a well-sealed bottle to ensure they remain effective over time. This protects the strips from moisture and other environmental factors, ensuring you have reliable testing materials on hand when needed.
- Convenient Use: With this kit, you can test your aquarium water at home without the need to send samples to a lab, saving you both time and money. Enjoy peace of mind knowing your aquarium water is balanced and safe without the stress or extra expense.
The five questions
1. What made you choose your specialty area?
Soto traces his path to an early interest in aquatic animals. During veterinary school he saw disease in cultured tilapia, which pulled him toward microbiology and research on aquatic infectious disease. This is his personal route. The interview does not present it as the required way into the field.
2. What is one thing you wish you could tell general practitioners about your specialty?
His message to general practitioners is encouragement. Even if fish medicine got little attention in your veterinary curriculum, he suggests you consider aquatic-animal work. He points to training and certification opportunities. He also notes that fish medicine draws on clinical practice, pathology, microbiology, toxicology, pharmacology, nutrition and welfare, so a vet with a strong grounding in those areas already has useful tools.
Rank #2
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3. What would make the job more satisfying?
The interview format asks this every month. The material available for this summary does not support a detailed account of Soto’s answer, so it is not paraphrased here. Readers who want his exact words should read the original AAHA piece.
4. What is the most rewarding part of being an aquatic species specialist?
Soto names four things: the variety of the work, its challenge, teaching veterinary trainees, and discovery through research.
Rank #3
- Professional Quality Testing Kit: The AAwipes Aquarium test kit (25 strips) is developed by experts for fish enthusiasts. It offers 8-in-1 testing capabilities, made with high-quality fiber paper and non-bleeding colors. The kit measures key parameters like Free Chlorine, Nitrate, Nitrite, Hardness, Sodium Chloride, Total Alkalinity, pH and Ammonia nitrogen
- Versatile Use for Freshwater and Ponds: This aquarium water test kit is versatile and suitable for both freshwater and saltwater environments. It can be used in various aquariums, fish tanks, ponds, pools, and shrimp tanks, making it easy to monitor water quality and ensure your filter functions properly. Experts recommend testing your aquarium water at least twice a week to maintain optimal water quality
- Fast and Accurate Results: Get accurate results in minutes with just 3 steps: 1) Dip the test strip into water for 2 seconds for pads 1-7; dip pad 8 (Ammonia nitrogen) separately for 5 seconds. 2) Remove the strip without shaking off excess water. Hold horizontally for 30 seconds for pads 1-7, wait 180 seconds to read Pad 8 (Ammonia nitrogen). 3) Compare the colors to the chart for up to 99% accuracy and take necessary action
- Extended Shelf Life: The test strips are packaged in a well-sealed bottle to ensure they remain effective over time. This protects the strips from moisture and other environmental factors, ensuring you have reliable testing materials on hand when needed
- Convenient Use: With this kit, you can test your aquarium water at home without the need to send samples to a lab, saving you both time and money. Enjoy peace of mind knowing your aquarium water is balanced and safe without the stress or extra expense. By identifying potential issues, our fish tank testing kit helps prevent hidden water problems and ensures the safety and well-being of your fish
5. What advice would you give someone considering the specialty?
His central message is that fish medicine offers demanding, varied work across clinical practice, industry, government, academia and research, and that veterinarians can build expertise through experience and further training. His short, direct advice is: “Don’t be afraid of giving this a shot.”
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Professional Quality Testing Kit: The AAwipes Aquarium test kit (100 strips) is developed by experts for fish enthusiasts. It offers 8-in-1 testing capabilities, made with high-quality fiber paper and non-bleeding colors. The kit measures key parameters like Free Chlorine, Nitrate, Nitrite, Hardness, Sodium Chloride, Total Alkalinity, pH and Ammonia nitrogen.
- Versatile Use for Freshwater and Ponds: This aquarium water test kit is versatile and suitable for both freshwater and saltwater environments. It can be used in various aquariums, fish tanks, ponds, pools, and shrimp tanks, making it easy to monitor water quality and ensure your filter functions properly. Experts recommend testing your aquarium water at least twice a week to maintain optimal water quality.
- Fast and Accurate Results: Get accurate results in minutes with just 3 steps: 1) Dip the test strip into water for 2 seconds for pads 1-7; dip pad 8 (Ammonia nitrogen) separately for 5 seconds. 2) Remove the strip without shaking off excess water. Hold horizontally for 30 seconds for pads 1-7, wait 180 seconds to read Pad 8 (Ammonia nitrogen). 3) Compare the colors to the chart for up to 99% accuracy and take necessary action.
- Extended Shelf Life: The test strips are packaged in a well-sealed bottle to ensure they remain effective over time. This protects the strips from moisture and other environmental factors, ensuring you have reliable testing materials on hand when needed.
- Convenient Use: With this kit, you can test your aquarium water at home without the need to send samples to a lab, saving you both time and money. Enjoy peace of mind knowing your aquarium water is balanced and safe without the stress or extra expense. By identifying potential issues, our fish tank testing kit helps prevent hidden water problems and ensures the safety and well-being of your fish.
Rank #4
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- Regular Testing: Complete with 265 measurements across all parameters – pH (100), nitrite (45), nitrate (50), ammonia (30), phosphate (40). This fish tank water testing kit supports months of consistent monitoring to keep your aquarium perfectly balanced
- Essential Fish Care: Your trusted solution to prevent fish loss from fatal ammonia, nitrite buildup, or pH imbalances! Proper water quality maintenance ensures your aquatic pets stay healthy and your plants thrive in optimal conditions
What the interview does not tell you
- It is a career profile, not a guide to caring for your own aquarium fish.
- It does not promise job availability or income.
- It does not lay out a complete training roadmap or current eligibility rules for board certification. For those, check the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners’ fish-practice pages and AAFV directly.
- Soto makes some numerical claims about fish and veterinary education. They are his assertions in an interview, not independently sourced statistics, so they are not repeated here.
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