How much risk in getting fish from local stream

[slimecoat]

Where I live in Australia, the local stream is full of rainbow fish, various types of gudgeons, including the lovely emporer or flag gudgeon (love that red belly), and other native fish, plus introduced species such as mosquito fish, guppies, swordtails etc.

The stream is clear, and running, and unpolluted. Full of other wildlife as well, such as turtles, lizards, birds etc. I was wondering what the risk of these fish having a disease is, as compared to what the lfs sells, which as we know, are often far from disease free

 

[bshockstubb]

It should be safe. But I would advise you to check with the local government to see if it is illegal to keep this native fish. I am sure the introduced species will be okay.

 

[slimecoat]

It should be safe. But I would advise you to check with the local government to see if it is illegal to keep this native fish. I am sure the introduced species will be okay.

Oh it's quite legal. In fact, the lfs sell these very same fish. I don't know how they get the prices they ask. Must be people are unaware of where they come from, or else, they like the convenience of the store.

Still, sitting in the park by the stream while the bait trap catches a few fish for you is no great effort

 

[Mr Miagi]

I would love to be able to do that! Sit by the stream and catch fish. Pitty my local stream is only semi annual. And it runs through various farms.....

Ahhwell, where abouts do u come from?

 

[slimecoat]

I would love to be able to do that! Sit by the stream and catch fish. Pitty my local stream is only semi annual. And it runs through various farms.....

Ahhwell, where abouts do u come from?

Queensland, Australia - you might have heard of our tourist attractions, such as the Gold Coast, Fraser Island, The Barrier Reef ?

It's sub-tropical in the Southern half, through to very Tropical in the North. Plenty of fish in the coastal streams.

Other varieties we get (that I haven't mentioned so far) are Glass fish, Barramundi, Scats, Monos, and one I'd love to keep, but don't have a tank big enough, is the Saratoga. Once as a child, I was fishing with an older friend and he caught a very large one of these in a local dam. Spectacular fish !

 

[Fish Buddy]

Where I live in Australia, the local stream is full of rainbow fish, various types of gudgeons, including the lovely emporer or flag gudgeon (love that red belly), and other native fish, plus introduced species such as mosquito fish, guppies, swordtails etc.

Wow! I cannot believe how amazing that is. I would absolutly love to live where you live!
I would try and catch these fish but before adding them to the main aquarium, quarantine them for a while (like you would any new fish). That should do it!
Have fun and boy am I jealous

 

[Dwarfs]

Where I live in Australia, the local stream is full of rainbow fish, various types of gudgeons, including the lovely emporer or flag gudgeon (love that red belly

Gudgeons I'd love to live there, seeing as gudgeons of all shapes and sizes are one of my favorite types of fish

 

[lovebuzz]

Do it but make sure to quarantine the fish for a longer period of time and make their acclimation a lot longer.

 

[slimecoat]

Where I live in Australia, the local stream is full of rainbow fish, various types of gudgeons, including the lovely emporer or flag gudgeon (love that red belly

Gudgeons I'd love to live there, seeing as gudgeons of all shapes and sizes are one of my favorite types of fish

As you like gudgeons, I thought I'd post a link to a picture of one of the locals (called Empire gudgeon not Emperor - my mistake)

http/www.australianrainbowfish.com/austr...1.htm~mainFrame

 

[Rybka]

Ok I live in adelaide....would you know where i could find such a stream ?? or where yours is because my goodness I'm already there....

 

[Ben]

what about setting up a quarintine tank for them?
so catch them and put them in their and treat for any diseases that might come

DD

 

[Gourami Lover88]

Also wild caught fish are often hard to feed untill they get acustom to a aqurium setting, and other fish that readly eat flakes would out compeat the wild fish another reason for quarantine.

 

[RandomWiktor]

I agree with eveyrone about setting up a quarentine due to parasites/illness, though I must say most wild fish I've seen certainly are in better shape than those I see dying in all the stores up here.
However, I do have some concerns. For example, if the fish have lived their entire lives in a certain type of water, with certain plants, bacteria, etc., couldn't suddenly switching them into the aquarium environment prove detrimental? While "wild water" may not seem as safe and clean as aquarium water, these animals have been growing used to it for quite some time now and that drastic of a change could be a system shock. Consider the people who drink the water in mexico every day because it is where they live, yet tourists go there and are terribly ill from it. I'd imagine the same could hold true for fish, but water for a fish is not just a beverage, it is their entire environment.
The diet change might also be considerable. Once more, they have been eating what is available to them in the wild all along, so not only will changing the diet be drastic, but it could also cause digestive upsets I'd imagine.
Aquarium fish are also used to people; wild fish are probably fearful of them, so suddenly being in a glass tank, eye level with humans and surrounded by home activity, could be absolutely terrifying. Frightened animals don't eat well, have lower immunity, and generally aren't too happy or healthy.
But....
I've never tried anything like this personally, however, but as a vet tech and wildlife rehabilitator, I'm just thinking of how major changes in environment and diet, particularly with wild land animals, causes trouble, and assume that the same would be true, though maybe to a lesser extent for fish.
Perhaps you could capture a "test fish" to see how it goes? It would be unpleasant to capture a whole lot of them and have them all pass away because they can't handle the stress of captivity.

 

[Dwarfs]

Where I live in Australia, the local stream is full of rainbow fish,  various types of gudgeons, including the lovely emporer or flag gudgeon (love that red belly

Gudgeons I'd love to live there, seeing as gudgeons of all shapes and sizes are one of my favorite types of fish

As you like gudgeons, I thought I'd post a link to a picture of one of the locals (called Empire gudgeon not Emperor - my mistake)

http/www.australianrainbowfish.com/austr...1.htm~mainFrame

Thanks for that link, they're all awesome

 

[slimecoat]

Ok I live in adelaide....would you know where i could find such a stream ?? or where yours is because my goodness I'm already there....

Check out the page I posted a link to. Go to home then the section on fish habitats. If you have a look at the Queensland sections it has numerous spots listed with pictures and what lives there. Much better than my little stream. I may be going on an excursion to some of these soon