Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help red bumps on fish

i have a two acre pond that is stocked with catfish, bream, and bass. once in a while we catch a bream or bass that has red bumps on it could someone tell me what this is.

Here are some thoughts.

Bream and Bass do not usually have significant problems with disease in a good balanced pond. Occassional sores may be evident during spawning season or following an injury. I've not heard of any health concerns from consuming such fish, you could easily cut the spot away I guess. You should probably remove any fish you catch that has these sores/bumps from the pond, as such stress could more easily lead to disease. Sometimes small yellowish or white grubs can be seen embedded in the flesh, these too can be cut away and the remainder of the fish should be safe to eat.

With all of that said, infectious diseases and parasites of channel catfish are much more common. These problems are more likely to occur when a pond is overstocked (More than 100-150 catfish per acre), poor quality of water, or inconsistent feeding.

I was told once it was from a lack of h20 in the water.

I am positive that the red bumps are not caused by ""a lack of h20 in the water"". Stress of some sort causes disease and or parasite problems of fish in the water. Healthy fish typically do not get sick; weaker fish are first to have health problems. Many diseases run their course and remove the weakest most vulnerable fish. The disease often then goes dormant and reappears when fish again get stressed. Some fish health problems such as parasitic infestations are long term especially when all the proper pathways are still in the pond.

Bill I could have swore it was you who told me that about red bump I have tried to locate the forum where I asked the same question but I can not locate it.

I am positive that I did not tell anyone that a lack of h2O in water causes something. h20 (H2O) is water. You have things confused.

See if this helps. ewest

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/VM059

From a discussion on this thread below.

http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=001689

Very good info ewest!

Good post ewest. I didn't conclude it was typical red sore disease because Rowdy1 called them "red bumps". The description from reference stated -
"In its mildest form, the condition is seen as red, raised "sores," or lesions, on the tips of fins, particularly the dorsal fin of bluegill ( Figure 1 ). As the disease progresses, fish may be afflicted with fin erosion, and ulcers on the side of their body."

Maybe his "red bumps" are actually lessions.?

My wife and I went to the new Cabelas North of Fort Worth this afternoon. They have some large aquariums with bass, catfish, etc. The bass have all kinds of afflictions. Kinda hard to believe they would display them.

This is not the same thing I was talking about, I am sorry Cody different fish problem.

You know Dave this doesn't surprise me. Putting fish that are used to being in the wild into an aquarium is really rough on them. You have to wonder about what kind of treatment then get before they get there, and you can bet if they were caught on hook and line they are already severely stressed.

You also have to wonder about the expertise of places like this. Maybe they should actually hire a fish pathologist? Lots of treatments available for fish that are not destined for the table. You just have to know what you're doing.

I'll bet they don't quarantine fish before putting them into the tank, and I doubt if they have a separate tank for treatments which is what they should have. Most folks out there don't have a clue to the effects of stress on a fish's health.

I had the same thoughts/experience on my trip to the new Cabelas south of Austin. Several of the bass looked like they were'nt long for this world. Made me wonder how high the "turnover rate" is for fish, especially bass, in a situation like that. When I was a kid I used to net small bass, cats, and bream out of a creek beside the house to keep in aquariums. The cats and the bream were "easy" to keep...even with live feed, the bass were iffy at best.

ewest,
thanks for the link, I caught a right nice HB about a week ago that had pretty much what the link described. I gotta get a new digital camera so I can post pics of stuff like that when I see it.

I recently visited that Cabelas as well and my jaw dropped when I saw the LMB tank. They should drop a black curtain over that tank and start all over from a different supplier. And they should do some homework as well. Like going to the zoo to watch animals die. This is just what PETA is looking for.