can fw feeders tranfer parasites to sw fish?
- Thread starter arlo
- Start date
take this into consideration before you feed freshwater fish to saltwater
freshwater fish have a higher concentration of salt in there bodies,
saltwater fish must try to fight osmosis as the salt in the water is alway trying to draw the water out of the cells in the fishes body, so saltwater fish must constantly drink saltwater to keep the fluids balanced in the fishes body.
now when you feed freshwater fish to saltwater fish you introduce excess salt and possibly stress the fishs osmotic system.
im not saying dont feed freshwater fish to your saltwater, but just keep that in mind
freshwater fish have a higher concentration of salt in there bodies,
saltwater fish must try to fight osmosis as the salt in the water is alway trying to draw the water out of the cells in the fishes body, so saltwater fish must constantly drink saltwater to keep the fluids balanced in the fishes body.
now when you feed freshwater fish to saltwater fish you introduce excess salt and possibly stress the fishs osmotic system.
im not saying dont feed freshwater fish to your saltwater, but just keep that in mind
wow i never knew that. i will definetly keep that in mind. don't what to pickle my fish 
i find out so much information about fish keeping on this forum it feels like i should be paying someone.
i find out so much information about fish keeping on this forum it feels like i should be paying someone.Delgado, that is not quite right.
The internal saline levels of both fresh and salt water fish are pretty much identical. the osmatic regulation they go through is to keep them that way. The SW fish have a lower salt content than the water around them, and vice versa for the fresh water fish, but that is in comparison to the water they are in, not to each other.
Some parasites and diseases can be transfered between SW and FW environments but they are not common at all.
Some cyprinids do contain high levels of thiaminase and can cause thiamin defficiencies but that is true when fed as a large percentage of the diet to freshwater fish as well.
I have not kept any large SW fish but have often used live sardines and herring as feeders for FW fish and have never had a problem doing so.
The internal saline levels of both fresh and salt water fish are pretty much identical. the osmatic regulation they go through is to keep them that way. The SW fish have a lower salt content than the water around them, and vice versa for the fresh water fish, but that is in comparison to the water they are in, not to each other.
Some parasites and diseases can be transfered between SW and FW environments but they are not common at all.
Some cyprinids do contain high levels of thiaminase and can cause thiamin defficiencies but that is true when fed as a large percentage of the diet to freshwater fish as well.
I have not kept any large SW fish but have often used live sardines and herring as feeders for FW fish and have never had a problem doing so.