Feeder fish...never again.

[swlover]

Hi guys The lionfish I just got is now dead...I think it was feeder ghost shrimp. When I got him he wouldn't eat frozen, flake or pellet so I got him feeder ghost shrimp. The first batch (only 2 LFS was sold out) was fine he ate them and was real perky, happy and healthy. LFS got new shipment in, I went down got dozen, fed a couple of them to lion and FW angel. Lion died 24 hours later, angel wouldn't eat them so I took them out and noticed they looked funny, real white not seethru..like the others I had gotten, so I threw them out. I'm thinking they had a disease maybe fungus? His one eye turned white and then a few hours later he was sitting on the bottom of tank really pale, then he died. I tested water..everything is within normal range, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 10, temp 78, Sg 1.022, I also have inverts in there and all are accounted for and doing great, so I'm positive it was the feeders. I should have known better..my mom's prize Oscar, raised from a baby to the size of a football, was victom to feeder fish with disease a couple of years ago.

Never again, I'm so glad I didn't feed them to my main tank. Is there away to treat feeder fish before you feed them, sometimes they don't show signs of parasites, disease until it's too late like in my mom's case. I'm watching my angel and he looks a little ragged around the fins, I'm afraid I'm gonna loose him even though he didn't eat them, they were in the tank for about 15 mins before I scooped them out. Any opinions on this? Anyone have this happen before?

 

[beth]

Not likely, swlover. Start looking for another problem. What are your water readings?

 

[swlover]

Why do you say that? It did happen to my Mom..if new fish added to your exsisting tank can infect your tank with ick and other diseases why can't feeder fish? It's the same concept..only exception is they aren't staying in there. And I did post my readings. Everything is ok and the inverts aren't dying..so it's not my tank conditions.

 

[rewd]

I'd say it wasn't likely because most inverts don't carry your common fish diseases. Not to say there wasn't something wrong with your shrimp, but I agree I'd start looking for alternative issues.
Shame about your mom's oscar. My friend had oscars that he used to feed loads of feeders to all the time... not only did they pollute the hell out of his tank, they both ended up with hole in the head. Despite my constant warnings about feeders he still did it. Needless to say, those oscars are no longer with us.
Good luck with your angel, hopefully he'll be ok.

 

[swlover]

Humm, I have 5 tanks. 3 SW and 2 fw the only fish inffected are the 2 that I fed the shrimp to..so I just assumed it had to be feeder fish. All use the same water..I test my tanks regularly, I change my filters and do cleaning on weekends, water changes weekly. If there were ammonia, nitrites ect. present the inverts would be the first to show signs, I have a large brittlestar, 2 hermits, 2 emeralds and about half dozen snails, and had the one lionfish. I don't think it is due to tank conditions, the lion was the only one who died in that tank. I have had my fw angel for 5 years, tank mates are: 2 striped catfish (3 yrs), half dozen FW snails, 1 molly, no new fish other than the feeder shrimp. The angel is doing OK, his fins are a little ragged looking and he didn't eat for a couple of days..although he didn't eat the shrimp he nipped at them, killed them..no one else in the tank is showing signs of stress or disease.. I did do a 40% water change and tested my tank on them, no ammonia, no nitrites, etc..I have ruled out everything else..process of elimination. I have never fed him the shrimp, he gets feeder guppies about once a month and some baby brine shrimp that I hatch myself once a week, other than that he gets flake food. If it's not the shrimp I'm stumped..unless they treated the shrimp with something when they came in that my angel is having a reaction to?? The lionfish I didn't have very long so it could have been stress related, or infected when I got him...it's the angel that has me baffled. He is not out of the woods yet, but he is eating and I'm watching him.
My mom used to get feeders as a treat for the Oscar..not fed on a reg. basis. The LFS admitted that the feeders were bad, they had several customers complain about fish that got infected from the feeders, I suspect it was more than just ick that they had.