What are leading causes of mortality in holding facilities?
- Thread starter Len
- Start date
I'm ashamed to say my biggest loss of fish (when I get healthy ones that is) is jumpers. Sometimes it slips my mind and I forget to replace the eggcrate after feeding and sometimes I do it and they manage to get out.
Corals I sometimes lose cause renegade snails knock them around or into each other. With my schedule it can be tough to catch things right away.
Corals I sometimes lose cause renegade snails knock them around or into each other. With my schedule it can be tough to catch things right away.
I would say that the stress involved from shipping. Holding facilities are filled with stressed animals, sometimes crowded and not the optimum environment physically or chemically. Throw some disease into this lowered immunity and you have animals dying.
From the exporter side, I'd say that the leading cause of mortality for us is when we have grazers that sit too long. Even though we feed the tangs heavily with all the macro they can eat 3 days out of 7, these fish that need to graze all day eventually get weak and thin. I've been trying to stop collecting these "ugly" tangs (read: scopas) but we still have some left from a couple of weeks ago and they're getting thin. They'll go back to the ocean Monday but we did lose 4 out of 50 this week.-Jim
Len,
This is a good question.
In the Philippines and possibly in Indonesia:1) At community level hundreds of (net collected or juiced ) fish die because ammonia in plastic bags. Fish are kept in plastic bags for extended periods of time, this, without changing water. 2) Wipe outs are "frequent" at exporters facilities, buckets full of dead fish are the result of bad water quality control and/or fish overloads in their systems. 3) Many fish jump out of the holding systems at exporters level, I saw people "crushing' fish on the floor, they didn't care to put fish back in the tanks.
This is a good question.
In the Philippines and possibly in Indonesia:1) At community level hundreds of (net collected or juiced ) fish die because ammonia in plastic bags. Fish are kept in plastic bags for extended periods of time, this, without changing water. 2) Wipe outs are "frequent" at exporters facilities, buckets full of dead fish are the result of bad water quality control and/or fish overloads in their systems. 3) Many fish jump out of the holding systems at exporters level, I saw people "crushing' fish on the floor, they didn't care to put fish back in the tanks.
As a collection station, the only mortalities that we have are the ones that bail. Fish who are startled at night (very rarely) such as the wrasses, triggers or the tobaccofish. We use ponds without covers.
The livestock is collected to order and stay no longer than 1 week. When there is a threat of a hurricane or tropical storm, we ship asap or don't collect and go surfing. Generator is on always ready for power outages.
The livestock is collected to order and stay no longer than 1 week. When there is a threat of a hurricane or tropical storm, we ship asap or don't collect and go surfing. Generator is on always ready for power outages.
I'm jealous, we have so much bad weather that we can't realistically collect to order. I find that fish usually only jump excessively in the first 2-3 days, then it's relatively safe to uncover them. But we've certainly had jumpers here.
On the retail side I would add that mortality has alot to do with under educated (with regaurds to marine life only in specific species) employees, and some owners. People who order fish that look "pretty" and dont fully understand thier needs ( or only think in dollar sings?).
Not all are like that, and I am not trying to bunch them up into the same group by that statement.
I would also like to add I AM GIULTY OF CHANGING THE SUBJECT! YIKES!
Mental note: Read the thread tittle carefully! LOL!
Not all are like that, and I am not trying to bunch them up into the same group by that statement.
I would also like to add I AM GIULTY OF CHANGING THE SUBJECT! YIKES!
Mental note: Read the thread tittle carefully! LOL!
clarionreef
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- San Francisco
A significant cause of death in a wholesale faciltiy can be customers mishandling of the livestock.
Picking up puffers, anglers and sponges and exposing them to air.... :?
turning over corals while rooting thru them and leaving them upside down, :x
ruining fishes by scooping up dozens and dozens to pick out 2 or three....[ especially true with damsels ]
picking out 5 maroons and keeping them in the same bucket until they bring them to the packing table :roll:
stuffing 12 fish in a single bucket forcing them against each others skin, spines, scales etc.
Oh yes....
The majority of customers at the wholesale level are not fish people anymore....they are just lookin to turn and burn a buck by the weekend and it shows in the manner and the handling in which they give fishes that were never abused until that point.
Steve
Picking up puffers, anglers and sponges and exposing them to air.... :?
turning over corals while rooting thru them and leaving them upside down, :x
ruining fishes by scooping up dozens and dozens to pick out 2 or three....[ especially true with damsels ]
picking out 5 maroons and keeping them in the same bucket until they bring them to the packing table :roll:
stuffing 12 fish in a single bucket forcing them against each others skin, spines, scales etc.
Oh yes....
The majority of customers at the wholesale level are not fish people anymore....they are just lookin to turn and burn a buck by the weekend and it shows in the manner and the handling in which they give fishes that were never abused until that point.
Steve
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
