What would be considered a safe amount of time...

[Carpentersreef]

For a fish caught, by whatever method, to be expected to survive in our aquariums?

What I mean is that how can we tell if a fish that died is due to a problem in our system, or is due to being collected in an unsafe/unhealthy way?
Tangirl's recent Hippo death is a good example.
Do we scratch our heads and wonder what we did wrong, or do we give our new arrivals 4 to 6 weeks to recover from the stress of being collected?
Does it vary by fish?
Do we give net-collected vs cyanide -collected a shorter amount of time?
Should a healthy fish that was safely transported, ideally, only require a couple of days to recover?

If a fish dies unexpectedly, it can be pretty frustrating to look for a problem in your aquarium that isn't there.

Mitch

 

[jmeader]

4 to 6 weeks in your QT tank will answer most of your questions. Cyanide collected fish will usually die within a month but can die of starvation, even though they are eating well, up to 6 weeks later. Cyanide can also be identified by a home autopsy. A 6 week QT is best to avoid introducing problems to the system. Collection methods can affect all fish, even net caught, but particularily deep water fish. The problems range from decompression to holding facilities on the boat and in shipment. Many fish are tranquilized and packed with minimal water to cut shipping charges.

 

[Carpentersreef]

My LFS has told me that overdosing copper in a hospital tank (which I have done

) prevents the fish's digestive system from processing food properly.

Does cyanide have the same effect?
i.e. eating but still dying from starvation.

What's involved in a home autopsy?

Thanks Butch,

Mitch

 

[jmeader]

Yes. It destroys the digestive system and affects the blood.

 

[Anonymous]

Imagine if I let them talk me into a fish only tank. I would have a 75g tank with fake/dead coral, 4 chromis and a hawk.

Since I started in February, I've lost -

a powder blue (they said it was a fine first fish)
2 true percs
an orange bar fairy wrasse
a black capped basslett
the baby hippo

And every one of them looked fantastic and ate great and then just died. No - excuse me - the percs developed some nasty white stuff that formalin took care of - they healed up and then died.

And if you want to put dollar signs on them, the only one under $60 was the baby hippo (I think I paid $60 for the pair of percs - tank raised babies though).

I probably would have given up a long time ago if it was FO - and they say reef tanks are difficult!

 

[afss]

tangirl. were all of the fish bought from the same store?

Scott
_________________
Landlords insurance Forum

 

[JeremyR]

FWIW, if the true percs were really true percs, and they developed white stuff that formalin cured.. I doubt very much they were tank raised.. probably wild caught and unhealthy.

The best way to get healthy fish is to buy tank raised when you can, and avoid indo/phillipine like the plague. If that means you can't have a sixline wrasse.. so be it. If an LFS can't tell you where the fish are from, they are probably not going to be ethically caught.

Quarantine tanks are great. Most people don't do it tho.. I hold fish in store for a minimum of 1 week, longer if the fish doesn't seem robust.. but alot of fish are in the store much longer than that.

 

[Carpentersreef]

Tangirrrrrl,

Are you buying from a LFS that you have a good relationship with? i.e Do they tell you how long they've had the fish?
I find my LFS "promotes" to me how long they have had the fish in stock, and he tells me that he will hold the fish for me long enough to ensure that it will survive. (He wants me to come back for more

), and that's good business, obviously.

Mitch

 

[jmeader]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Carpentersreef:
<strong>

What's involved in a home autopsy?

Mitch</strong><hr></blockquote>
You cut the fish open and examine the blood and liver. I forget what a poisoned liver looks like but the blood will be thin and discolored, kind of orange.

 

[Carpentersreef]

This may be a naive question, but if a fish has died of cyanide poisioning, would there be a smell of almonds from it? I seem to remember something like that from people that commit suicide via cyanide. (Jim Jones/Jamestown)

Mitch

 

[jmeader]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by tangirl:
<strong>
a powder blue (they said it was a fine first fish)
</strong><hr></blockquote>
If anyone ever told me that, it's likely that it would be the last thing I ever heard from them.

 

[Anonymous]

There is one person in each of my 2 LFS that I trust. There is another that I trust somewhat, but I have my doubts on occassion. He takes good care of me though.

I always ask how long they've been around and I always watch them eat. But no, for the most part, they can't tell me where they came from. One guy I like was giving me tips on how to avoid Indo-Pacific varieties, but it is kind of overwhelming when I'm just learning the names, never mind where different variations are from.

And yes, all but the percs were from the same LFS, but both of my LFS's use the same companies.

 

[jmeader]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Carpentersreef:
<strong>This may be a naive question, but if a fish has died of cyanide poisioning, would there be a smell of almonds from it? I seem to remember something like that from people that commit suicide via cyanide. (Jim Jones/Jamestown)

Mitch</strong><hr></blockquote>
I couldn't even guess at an answer for that. I've never encountered or smelled for it.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, people that have died from cyanide poisoning do have an odor of burnt almonds on their breath. But a fish dying in a reef tank would probably have a few other odors to mask it. I know what was left of that basslett encapsulated in bristle worm goo was quite foul, but it definitely was not burnt almonds that I smelled.

Oh, and btw, I did a search just to make sure and I found a lovely page that explains just how much is necessary to kill a man and what happens when you bake with it. People are sick.

[ November 25, 2001: Message edited by: tangirl ]</p>

 

[GarSrtn]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Carpentersreef:
<strong>This may be a naive question, but if a fish has died of cyanide poisioning, would there be a smell of almonds from it? I seem to remember something like that from people that commit suicide via cyanide. (Jim Jones/Jamestown)

Mitch</strong><hr></blockquote>

I don't recall how long cyanide remains in an organism's tissues. I also am unfamiliar with cyanide in a marine setting. I can tell you that the ability to smell cyanide is a genetic trait. Roughly speaking, only 50% of the population in the United States can detect the odor. FWIW, I don't think it smells like almonds.

HTH