Wild Fish

[LauraFrog]

I live in a rural part of Australia with a lot of wild fish species. Some of them are quite attractive and I would like to include them in my aquarium. I've gotten pretty strong advice against it and I know that wild fish can carry diseases. I don't want to just chuck them into a fish tank.

But I hear all the time about rarer fish (ie corydoras) being imported from the wild, quarantined and then sold in aquariums. I have never once heard of a case where introducing these fish has resulted in a tank wipeout or even a mild outbreak of disease. So how do they quarantine them so they are safe to put with delicate fish? The species I'm thinking of is known locally as the hardyhead, Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum. I know from experience that they are darn tough. I'd like to include them in my future community tank because they are active, hardy and attractive schooling fish. The tank is going to include some relatively delicate species though, including ornamental guppies, kribensis, a large range of tetras, possibly rainbows, possibly danios or white clouds. I haven't actually finished the stocking list because I don't know how large I can push the tank.

Anybody know what to do? I can set up quarantine facilities quite easily but I'd like to avoid using meds if I can. I have already done some tests on these fish - it's easy to wean them onto fish food.

Thanks!

 

[CFC]

Almost all wild fish will have parasites of some kind or another, commonly its just in the form of fish lice (argulus) which are easily seen with the naked eye and can just be removed with a thumbnail but many may also harbour intestinal worms, anchor worms and flukes so all newly captured fish should be treated with internal and external parasite medications before being introduced to a community tank. Most fish importers will also dose newly received wild caught fish with a broad spectrum anti bacterial/fungal medication such as Waterlife's Myxazin as the handling process can leave them exposed to external bacterial infections where the slime coat has been compromised. Of course you can't hit them with all these medications in one go so you should quarentine the fish for at least 3 months alowing a couple of weeks between each course of treatment before starting the next.

 

[LauraFrog]

Thanks for the help! Apparently only the nutto native-fish enthusiasts have figured out that they are really pretty. Nobody bothers selling them. As far as I know they are impossible to spawn, this is probably why.