Is There Anyway To Find Out If There's Any Diseases In My Tank?

[GuyFawkes]

I was just wondering if there was some way to test an aquarium for diseases? Maybe something like a water testing kit, except for diseases?

 

[Tizer]

i cant quite think how to answer this one

 

[Fintastic!]

Now now Tizer, the only silly questions are the ones we don't ask! (I should know!)
I'm no pro Guyfawkes but I'm guessing no.

 

[B Rolls]

Not really tests for that. You just have to keep an eye on the nitrites and ammonia. Mostly ammonia, Anything that is readable on a scale above 0ppm could be harmful if not treated. Look for signs of sickness. Scratching on the bottom, not eating, less active, laying on the bottom or floating at the top are all signs of fish illness. Most illnesses can be treated with water changes because most, if not all come from bad water quality. If you suspect illness, Your best to do a 25% water change to try to catch it in its first stages. Hope this helped.

 

[snake007]

Well not really, just keep testing your water normally, you can look at the fish and see if there any signs... I dunno really.
You can tell between a happy thriving tank and one with diseases and such.

 

[GuyFawkes]

Oh, haha, guys, my tank is doing great. I'm just considering mixing store bought minnows with my current minnows, which are wild. Any recommendations? I was thinking I could first test my tank's water, make sure there's no disease, and then get the store minnows. After that, I'd put the store minnows in an alternate tank with no fish in it, and then test that water. After all of this I'd put the store bought minnows in my tank with wild minnows. (By the way, these minnows are not for bait; they are solely pets.)

In case that was too confusing: test both types of minnows' water before mixing the minnows together.

What do you think?

 

[soybean]

Yes, but test for what? Even if such a test kit existed, which it doesn't, I dont think it would tell you much. If there is disease, it's on the fish, and they show signs of them.

If you're worried, just keep the wild minnows in a separate tank for a number of weeks as a quarantine measure, then take your chances mixing them.

 

[GuyFawkes]

If you're worried, just keep the wild minnows in a separate tank for a number of weeks as a quarantine measure, then take your chances mixing them.

What I'm worried about is the wild minnows being immune to a disease the store bought minnows aren't and vice versa. What should I do in that case? (Oh yeah, this isn't important, but the minnows I have right now are the wild minnows and the ones that I'm planning to add are the store minnows.)

 

[Dieses Madchen]

It's not really like a hospital where we can test for certain diseases. All you can really do is monitor for signs..

 

[soybean]

If you're worried, just keep the wild minnows in a separate tank for a number of weeks as a quarantine measure, then take your chances mixing them.

What I'm worried about is the wild minnows being immune to a disease the store bought minnows aren't and vice versa. What should I do in that case? (Oh yeah, this isn't important, but the minnows I have right now are the wild minnows and the ones that I'm planning to add are the store minnows.)

I don't think theres a thing you can do. It's not like you can vaccinate them. It's no different from adding any fish from any source, you don't know what they're immune to, wild or otherwise.

 

[GuyFawkes]

It's not really like a hospital where we can test for certain diseases. All you can really do is monitor for signs..

I wish. That would be awesome

I don't think theres a thing you can do. It's not like you can vaccinate them. It's no different from adding any fish from any source, you don't know what they're immune to, wild or otherwise.

Alright, thanks. I've come to the conclusion that I'll buy the store minnows, keep them in a quarantine tank (I suppose that's what it would be called) for the first couple days. After that, if they look okay, I'll go ahead and add them in with the tank.

Thanks to everyone for helping me out with this question.

 

[CezzaXV]

tbh, I would imagine water is much like air is to us. There are all sorts of nasty germs and diseases in the air we're all breathing right now. It's only when our immune systems falter that they're able to infect us. Same goes for fish, and their immune systems are very much dependent on good water quality.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Why not just get some more wild minnows?

 

[Bignose]

I imagine such a kit could be made. Using the same kind of 'nano-nose' technology that soldiers carry in warzones to test the air for chemical or biological weapons. But, the ultimate question is cost: There is going to be a ton of R&D costs, for just a hobby. Considering that my bet is that a large number of aquarium owners do NOT own a test kit for ammonia et cetera, I am not sure how much demand there would be for an aquarium fish disease tester. Especially at a price point that would start off pretty high (several hundred dollars at least).

No, I think that you're going to have to do this the old fashioned way -- observing your fish. Really, their behavior is your indicator that something is wrong.

 

[Man of fish]

Why not just get some more wild minnows?

That's what I was thinking the whole time lol.