Feeders - Eaten In Nature?

[shroob]

Hi,

First off this thread wasn't meant to be a debate on the feeder issue, I just had a question to ask and hopefully others will chip in.

Over the years having seen the odd nature programme, the phrase 'predators will pick out the sick and injured' has pretty much been used alot. Now one of the arguements against using feeders is that they carry diseases and that they will be passed onto other fish. But in nature surely the sickest/weakest fish would be eaten before the healthier fish, so fish would naturally get their diet of ill fish.

I know its common sense not to feed diseased fish to other fish, but my question is are fish in the wild better able to cope with the diseases? Is it the quantity of 'ill' feeder fish that a fish could potentially eat that would cause problems? Are the diseases that mass produced fish could have different from those in the wild?

Thanks, might not have explained it well but its got me thinking.

 

[Colin_T]

There are more varities of fish disease in captivity than there is in the wild. And due to the improper use or misuse of chemicals on fishes over the years, many of the diseases around are a lot tougher and more common than they used to be. Most fish diseases are brought about by stress and poor water quality. It is rare that wild fishes are put under the same stresses due to the large volumes of water they live.
Most diseases carried by feeder fish will already be in the average home aquarium.
Intestinal worms are quite capable of passing on from the prey item to the predator. And some forms of bacteria are also capable of being passed on.

 

[andywg]

Remember that we rarely have a true biotope feeding system. I somehow doubt many Amazonian predatory fish encounter goldfish. As a result, feeders are likely to be carrying a disease that the predator will not naturally encounter and therefore will probably not have built up any resistance to over evolution.

Secondly, for many people feeders=rosy reds/goldfish. See nmonks pin on using live feeders for details on why these should not be a staple diet.

 

[juanveldez]

to add to that also in the wild, the sick/weakest isn't always the one to get picked off. its just a combination of time and place. I remember watching a show where a Dovii in the wild sat in a bunch of drift wood and picked off about 3 or 4 1-2 inch cons but those were the ones that drifted close to his hidaway, the same as any ambush preditor.

 

[shroob]

to add to that also in the wild, the sick/weakest isn't always the one to get picked off. its just a combination of time and place. I remember watching a show where a Dovii in the wild sat in a bunch of drift wood and picked off about 3 or 4 1-2 inch cons but those were the ones that drifted close to his hidaway, the same as any ambush preditor.

I saw that too, it was Nigel Marvins Pirahna Adventure, and if I remember rightly, 41 minutes into the show.