wild fry food?

[atlantis_child]

Well I went to the pond a few days ago, because I thought maybe I could get some duckweed for my aquarium/aquaria so the light wasn’t so bright on my galaxies. Of course I’d clean it off first. But today I look at the jar I collected and was amazed to find many tiny, tiny I don’t know whats of many different kinds swimming about in a jerky sort of way.

Now I ponder the idea that these things could be fry food.

What do you think? You might not know exactly what the things are, but then, there are in all likeliehood tiny little water buggers-things in mynamar too. Then again, going with premade fry food might be safer?

Anybody tried this before?

Please respond

– atlantis_child

[celestialdude]

Well, going with general principles, organic is better! As long as the water is safe from toxins or contaminants, I don’t see why not. Too bad you can’t take microscopic digital photos of them for us to identify these little creatures.

[misterchengmoua]

i would say bad idea. you dont know what those things are. they could be potential parasites. they could be carrying dieases. you never really know. i would say, better to be safe than sorry.

[aquaholic85]

you work at a fish shop right??? why not just use your discount and buy and products that you know are safe and healthy… the only way i would take something outta the pond if it was my own..ie. koi pond for example…you don’t know what is in that pond…ppl. can be dumping oil and other house hold products in there and you wanna feed to your fish???

good luck and feed at your own risk…we’re jus giving you our opinions and a good heads up…but by all means do whatever ya like..

use caution

[L777]

Could be daphnia, or copepods, or a whole bunch of other micro-critters. Last time I got wild food for my fish (some gammarus amphipods I knew would be hiding in a clump of lake plants), I got two years’ worth of parasite nightmare in the bargain.

What I didn’t know also came along was a bunch of copepods. Great fish food in their own right, but they were carrying one of the life cycles of what I now know to be widespread (at least in northern North America) cammalanus roundworms — intestinal parasites. Lucky me I added them to my daughter’s guppy tank . These worms thrive in livebearers. The guppies started falling off one by one, starting with fins clamped, then losing weight, then a few days before dying, a few red threads could be seen hanging from their vents and wiggling. You guessed it – egg sacks of the worms getting ready to pop and re-infest. It took several treatments of diluted pig dewormer powder to finally get rid of the buggers. By the time I figured out what they were, they had spread to my Mbuna African cichlid tanks as well (not to mention my nephew’s tanks, since I had given him some of my fish in the meantime). No cichlid losses, but infected and needed treatment. During the 3-4 day treatment, the fish lose their appetite, and refuse to eat. Oh yeah, and in my paranoia I overtreated a tank of my favorite fancy plecos (healthy, beautiful, and $50+) and lost several.

The only way I’d ever do that again is if I had an isolated tank with local fish who co-evolved with those parasites — and fish that don’t cost $$double-digits at that!

Great idea in theory (lots of people harvest wild daphnia to feed their fish), but very risky, parasite-wise!

I’d suggest treating every tank exposed or possibly cross-contaminated with the wild food as now in quarantine for two to three months while you keep those fish under careful observation, and keep a pail of net dip mixed up in case any nasty hitch-hikers came along for the ride, so they don’t cross-contaminate into other tanks.

[atlantis_child]

Woah…Take about digging up the dead.

Pond’s is froze over and covered in plenty of snow! Rejected the idea a while ago, but you guys are really convincing.

you work at a fish shop right??? why not just use your discount and buy and products that you know are safe and healthy…

Well I didn’t back in May, but yeah, that’s what I do now. And damn do I use that discount a lot! It really helps, espcially since a heater, then one filter after another bust, and I had to replace them. :roll:

– Atlantis

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