Lake fish disease

[305phins]

I live in miami and I have a lake in my backyard. If i catch a fish from the lake could i put him directly into my tank or should i treat him with something first.. Please help me i might want to add a peacock or jewel cichlid.

 

[fisher12889]

You should always quarantine new fish first....never treat a fish unless you know for sure that it is sick.

 

[305phins]

What do you do when you quarantine it just put it in another tank for a little while? How will you know wether it has anything on it that you cant see that might get on your fish once you add him to your main tank.

 

[Kaosu]

keep it quarantined for about a month..(some people do longer) and watch it for any sighs of sickness

 

[305phins]

Thats a long time to keep a fish in another tank, what would you suggest I do if i don't have the means to quarantine him that long.

 

[Kaosu]

cross your fingers and hope you dont lose the rest of your stock to any diseases/parasites.

 

[305phins]

And the chances of a fish having something that will kill the rest of your fish are? lol has it happened to anyone one here before?

 

[Kaosu]

it dose not happen all of the time..might not happen to you but there is a good chance that they could bring in parasites or diseases. You just have to be willing to run the risk of losing your current stock or some of it, make sure you have a full spectrum of meds on hand case something happens.

 

[Tom LoFaro]

It happens, but it's not common. I think the chances will increase because you're taking a fish directly from the wild, so if your current stock is tank raised, they may not be immune to some wild diseases. I would quarantine for a week minimum, if you see them doing something funny, they probably have a disease. Also, if they're very skinny and still eating, they probably have a parasite.

 

[305phins]

Wow thats some good info. What meds should i keep on hand.