So there is a special kind of fish that I can't get at my local pet store. And they can only be obtained by the local bait shop, FYI its tadpole madtom or stonecat either of the two. And I want to add them to my fish tank. And I already know that aquatic fish and wild fishes should not be added together. So I have the madtoms in a control tank for now, and I am not sure at the moment if the madtoms have any parasites or diseases on them. Since madtoms and stonecats are schooling catfishes, it should show that there healthy if they school. And at the moment after settling into their control tank, bucket, they are already showing signs of schooling which should provide that they're healthy and there coloring is not to far off from each other so they seem pretty healthy from my standpoint. Any tips on how to remove any further pathogens or parasite that could be floating in the water that can't breach the little cat's skin but onto other fishes? All thoughts would be helpful, thank you for your time.
Removing Parasites tips
- Thread starter Fishowner
- Start date
1) most wild fish have diseases or parasites. IIRC, it's around 90%. I think just assume they do and you'll be almost certainly correct.
2) I've never heard that fish that school together are not sick. I'm skeptical. Also, large numbers of fish carry organisms which they are immune too, so they would never be considered sick, but they can infect other fish.
3) Parasites and pathogens don't just live on the skin. (Fish can be killed by bacteria just as dead as by parasites.) There's internal organs, gils, etc.
Beyond providing a long quarantine (up to 8 weeks), I'd try some prophylactic measures. If you look through the forum on illnesses and disease, I think you'll find several great suggestions. Otherwise, you might post the basic question: what medications can I use to reduce the risk of my wild catfish infecting my tropical fish?
2) I've never heard that fish that school together are not sick. I'm skeptical. Also, large numbers of fish carry organisms which they are immune too, so they would never be considered sick, but they can infect other fish.
3) Parasites and pathogens don't just live on the skin. (Fish can be killed by bacteria just as dead as by parasites.) There's internal organs, gils, etc.
Beyond providing a long quarantine (up to 8 weeks), I'd try some prophylactic measures. If you look through the forum on illnesses and disease, I think you'll find several great suggestions. Otherwise, you might post the basic question: what medications can I use to reduce the risk of my wild catfish infecting my tropical fish?