I've attempted to raise fishes I've caught while night snorkling, but this seems harder than I had hoped for. Problem is the fish seems to be ok for maybe the first few days, but then they start to get ick, they don't want to eat (which I believe is the reason for my failure), and eventually die. I know I'm not the only one with this problem, if anyone out there has gone through the same situation but somehow has done a successful job at keeping the specimen long enough to enjoy the fruit of their labor, would you please tell me what I'm doing wrong or how to do it right. Mahalo from the "ALOHA" state.
keeping fishes caught in the ocean
- Thread starter stanbyme
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dalbrecht, thank you for your feed back, I've yet another question to ask since you seem familar with my situation. I recently had posed the same question to a marine pet store employee who also catches his own fish in the ocean. His advise to me was to simply give the fish a 2-3 minute "fresh water" bath. He said this should rid the fish of any parasites. After the "bath" he said it was ok to introduce the fish to the main tank. What do you think about this? I've heard about giving a "fresh water" bath before, but didn't know if it really works. I was thinking after the "bath" I could acclaimate the fish to the tank, or do you think it wouldn't matter since he's been stressed out enough. I'd like your advise on this. MAHALO and ALOHA!!!
imbuggin, thank you also for your expert advise on this matter. So should I keep away totally from a "fresh water bath" even for just a few minutes? I will QT the fish I do catch,any advise on hermit crabs with anemones? Copper would kill them. Any way of treating them before introduction into my main tank, or is it ok to just put them in right away? I've heard that I should QT the fish for about 2 weeks with copper, without changing the water. Does this sound about right? The only problem I have with this is that the fish don't seem to live more than a few days. As mentioned before the fish don't want to eat causing them to have a weaker imune system. What can/should I do? Buying fish that I can catch don't make much $ense. What do you think? MAHALO and ALOHA!!!
I've been collecting my own fish for many years. They are almost always disease free. In more than 30 years of collecting marine tropicals, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number that had a disease when captured. Fish that go through a wholesaler's and then a dealer's tanks are very much more likely to pick something up and infect an aquarium. There is no comparison, in my experience. Properly handled fish that go from the ocean straight into my aquariums are extremely healthy.
I would bet dollars to donuts that the problem is developing after you catch the fish. Badly stressed fish, especially fish subjected to sudden drops and fluctuations in temperature, or fish introduced into an aquarium that's already infected, will get sick. Hand collected fish of an appropriate size and species, carefully handled and introduced into a healthy tank, usually thrive.
I would bet dollars to donuts that the problem is developing after you catch the fish. Badly stressed fish, especially fish subjected to sudden drops and fluctuations in temperature, or fish introduced into an aquarium that's already infected, will get sick. Hand collected fish of an appropriate size and species, carefully handled and introduced into a healthy tank, usually thrive.
agilis, Wow thank you for sharing your experiences. I know it can be done properly, please help me out a little bit more. I don't know how you do it , better description is needed. Do you give the fishes you catch a "fresh water" bath? How long do you QT them? With what type of medication do you use? "COPPER" only? How long before you introduce them into your display tank? How soon before you can go out to collect more specimen? Would a smaller (5g)QT tank be better than a lrgr(10g)tank? I'm sorry for so much questions but, I"d rather hear the answers from someone with experience than to read up about it (maybe because it's easier or the books don't tell me about certain situations that I might come across, Know what I mean?!). any more information you can share would greatly be appreciated
MAHALO and ALOHA!!!
MAHALO and ALOHA!!!Some of the things you mention, like how long before adding another fish are really general fish-keeping skills and information, and not easily answered in an email, or even an article. There's a whole lot involved.
I QT for about 10 days, or longer, depending on the fish species, what's in the main aquarium, etc. I don't usually use any medications. Soft bodied fishes like spiny pufferes, faster moving schooling fishes, and a few others have special needs, and are particularly vulnerable. I use ONLY Cupramine copper for "ich" and crypt, and only when a parasitic disease is evident. A copper test kit is a must.
Neomycin is a good general SW medication for bacteria. I have used short ( two minutes) fw dips for fish heavily infested with Crypt, but only after the fw is adjusted for temp and pH, and only when moving the fish from one tank to another. I believe that parasites and pathogens are usually present, but are not a problem until the fish becomes vulnerable. A weakened fish, or one in a tank where another fish is creating a superinfestation because of the enclosed nature of an aquarioum, is at extreme risk. My two QT tank are a 20H and a 29. No sand, no carbonate rock, lots of plastic plants. Most medications stress fish, so I don't medicate unless the fish shows disease problem. Medication is a vast topic on its own.
The fish I sometimes have had probems with were usually from a dealers tank, not the ocean.
Don't collect big fish, and don't collect species that are known ich magnets. A large fish, or one that is an active free swimmer, like most Jacks, is not a suitable aquarium fish in your situation. If you have had disease problems in your aquarium, make sure you strip it down and leave it fishless for at least a couple of months. Better yet, let it dry out, rinse with fresh water, and start again.
Care in capture, making certain you collect only small, suitable specimens of hardy fishes, no crowding on the way home, maintaining a stable temp during transport (and afterward), careful acclimation, and a clean, properly set up tank that provides for the fish's needs, with hiding places, etc., are all necessary. As I said, this is a topic which really is more fish keeping than fish catching, and success requires a good book or two (NOT just the internet) much thought, and patience.
I QT for about 10 days, or longer, depending on the fish species, what's in the main aquarium, etc. I don't usually use any medications. Soft bodied fishes like spiny pufferes, faster moving schooling fishes, and a few others have special needs, and are particularly vulnerable. I use ONLY Cupramine copper for "ich" and crypt, and only when a parasitic disease is evident. A copper test kit is a must.
Neomycin is a good general SW medication for bacteria. I have used short ( two minutes) fw dips for fish heavily infested with Crypt, but only after the fw is adjusted for temp and pH, and only when moving the fish from one tank to another. I believe that parasites and pathogens are usually present, but are not a problem until the fish becomes vulnerable. A weakened fish, or one in a tank where another fish is creating a superinfestation because of the enclosed nature of an aquarioum, is at extreme risk. My two QT tank are a 20H and a 29. No sand, no carbonate rock, lots of plastic plants. Most medications stress fish, so I don't medicate unless the fish shows disease problem. Medication is a vast topic on its own.
The fish I sometimes have had probems with were usually from a dealers tank, not the ocean.
Don't collect big fish, and don't collect species that are known ich magnets. A large fish, or one that is an active free swimmer, like most Jacks, is not a suitable aquarium fish in your situation. If you have had disease problems in your aquarium, make sure you strip it down and leave it fishless for at least a couple of months. Better yet, let it dry out, rinse with fresh water, and start again.
Care in capture, making certain you collect only small, suitable specimens of hardy fishes, no crowding on the way home, maintaining a stable temp during transport (and afterward), careful acclimation, and a clean, properly set up tank that provides for the fish's needs, with hiding places, etc., are all necessary. As I said, this is a topic which really is more fish keeping than fish catching, and success requires a good book or two (NOT just the internet) much thought, and patience.
agilis, once again, thank you for your helpful advise. You have been very informative with this matter. I will apply all that you've mentioned to make sure that I am properly trained to introduce fishes caught. I believe that in time, practice, and more reading I'll get it right. MAHALO(thanks) and ALOHA(hi, bye, love)!!!
Hi,
Not much help as far as advice as I've never caught any fish to bring home. However, if you contact MargaritaMan here on RC, he may be able to help as he's done this before on his trips to the Islands. I currently have a 11" Naso tang that I got from him that came from the Islands and he's doing great.
I do agree with agilis that unless you see a problem, then there's no reason to medicate. I am a belieber that if teh fish is healthy and stress free, he can overcome some problems on his own without QT or medicen. I don't QT any inhabitants, just provide them a stress free enviroment. I've yet to loose a fish to Ich.
Good luck and Aloha.
Not much help as far as advice as I've never caught any fish to bring home. However, if you contact MargaritaMan here on RC, he may be able to help as he's done this before on his trips to the Islands. I currently have a 11" Naso tang that I got from him that came from the Islands and he's doing great.
I do agree with agilis that unless you see a problem, then there's no reason to medicate. I am a belieber that if teh fish is healthy and stress free, he can overcome some problems on his own without QT or medicen. I don't QT any inhabitants, just provide them a stress free enviroment. I've yet to loose a fish to Ich.
Good luck and Aloha.
