Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations LMB Temp?

Or a bathtub ... the misses will love to not bathe while your minnows enjoy Club Fatih

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fathead_minnow

Scroll down where the article talks about breeding. They have some interesting competitive breeding habits among the males. Kind of a "musical chairs' thing when it comes to the breeding site.

Good news guys. No dead FHM for 3 days.

pictures please......

Good news!

Good!!

Fatih, what are you using for filtration systems on the tanks?

I can share a picture tomorrow Bobby.

I use an external filter for my large tank and internal filters for smaller ones.

Here is a picture of diseased fish.



Picture from the tank.

How was it diagnosed?

Dave i was always little suspicious about them being "ammonia poisoned" because even when i checked Turkish forums there wasn't a case where tap water had ammonia to kill fish and i had been using water conditioners to remove ammonia from the beginning. Even when i did partial water changes everyday and there were very few fish to cause ammonia they showed the same symptoms.

Plus the symptom of ammonia poisoning was only red gills. Not red fins or tail. When i shared the photo on a Turkish forum, the guy knew it was septicemia. And the photos of the disease matches exactly with mine.

Fatih,

I'm extremely skeptical.

1. You can't diagnose a disease visually by a picture on a forum. No professional fish pathologist would even think of it. Sure you can guesstimate, but it's just that, a WAG. Testing for VHS involves culturing the kidney and spleen of the fish.

2. There are numerous common bacterial pathogens that exhibit the clinical signs you are describing. I've routinely seen those clinical symtoms on stressed fatheads from baitstores. It was bacterial.

3. VHS has never been found on a U.S. fish farm. Ever.

4. Fathead minnows have never tested positive for VHS. The reason they are on the susceptible species list is their widespread use as bait would make them a potential vector.

4. Fish Farms are routinely tested for VHS if they sell fish interstate. If the fish farm you got the fish from tested positive for VHS it would be shut down.

5. Most fathead minnows sold in the U.S. originally come from Arkansas. I'm not aware of any VHS positive down there of any species.

What about Bacterial Hemorrhagic Septicemia Cecil? This is a much more common disease, even for aquarium fish.

That's more likely but could be lots of things. Without actual testing you're just guessing.

The thing to keep in mind is many of the baterial pathogens are almost always present in the water, detritus, and even in the gut of the fish. It's when the fish is stressed, and consequently its immune system is compromised, that the fish is suscepible to the pathogens.

FHM are not on the VHS susceptible list. One of the few baitfish species you can buy and use anywhere in the State of Michigan.

My bad. You are correct!

I seem to remember VHS testing was required regardless, at least at first, due to their potential as a vector when used as a baitfish in numerous waters.

Or am I wrong on that too?

What are you suggesting Cecil? Take them to a fish laboratory and get biologists do autopsy on them? There is no option other then getting them diagnosed on an aquarium forum or let them die.

Actually a diagnosis at this point would probably not make any difference. The pics you are showing don't look very good. The ones that will die will die and the episode will probably end with healthy survivors. You can try some aquarium remedies that your fellow aquarists suggests, but it will probably be a waste of time.

Well Cecil. All there is left is 7-8 survivors and they seem to be healthy as you said. They might slow down and die all of a sudden though. We'll see.


Guys, can you kill a LMB feeding it too much? My LMB are the fattest little LMB you have ever seen. I never let their stomach be empty. Whenever they accept food, i feed them.

I think i will never feed them live mosquito fish from the local lake because i find it little very risky. They seem to be happy with pellets.

Fatih, I PERSONALLY don't think you need to feed them that often.

I've always read that fish that are a little hungry are healthier than over fed fish

Very true especially in closed systems.

Yeah I would not overfeed in a small system such as an aquarium. You would need to make certain the filtration system can handle the excess waste produced. Additionally if you're preparing the fish to be released into the wild you might consider preparing them for that release with frequency of feedings and what you're feeding them.

I see your point guys , and i agree that overfeeding is going to harm an enclosed system. And Basslover , this is a good idea. But i don't think i will be releasing these fish anyways. These are going to be my breeding machines .

But my question is more about if LMB knows when they should stop eating or not. You know you can kill a goldfish overfeeding it. I wonder if you can do that to a LMB as well.

I have had plenty of AQ's in my time and dumped a lot of feeder fish in them to feed my bass and I have never killed one from it eating to much. Oh they will stuff there mouth to the gills but I think they know when to stop.


Not to mention bass are fricken eating machines......

RC