Conditioning Wild Caught Cichlids
Conditioning Wild Caught Cichlids
Written by Friday, 05 April 2002 02:00
So here we are ... the plane is flying back home. While resting on my armchair I can't refrain from thinking about the Lake (Malawi) as I am getting further away from it, about our "scout" (Erling), the boys and their "chief" (Jannadi), the diving equipment, the hot sun, the warm water and ... of course, the cichlids. Those that still remain in the Lake and, finally, the ones in their boxes, hidden in the cargo compartment of the plane, and fighting the hardest "battle" of their life: the trip back home (our home).
I do not know if collecting wild specimens is "correct" or not, neither can I be the "judge" of it. This is definitely beyond the scope of this article and one should always have in mind that there are people who make a living from catching, trading and exporting fish for the aquarium hobby. I simply want to tell you what bringing home "wild caught" cichlids really means, no matter if caught by your or purchased from a local exporter ...(I did both).
First things first then. Once you get the fishes (you're still at the Lake), inspect them carefully. Watch them for signs that will inform you of their "health status": This includes, among others, checking for visible parasites (we found some inside the gills which were as big as a bean - on both sides - and the fish was still showing its best shape), wounds, scratches and so on. Then resist the idea of keeping fishes which are too "big". This actually means that you should return them in the lake. Big fish will need too much "room" in the boxes and will have less chances to survive the trip. Tip: the best is to choose sub-adult specimens old enough to be sexed or simply fry. Finally, put your new pets in pools, in a shaded area, and feed them - sparingly - with the same food you'll feed them once you get back home (they need to get used to "canned" food in order to diminish their stress once arriving in your tank). Stop feeding them two days (one for fry) before their departure. This will allow them to clean themselves (their intestines) and will keep them from releasing decaying matter and wastes in the bags during the trip ...
At this point, for the sake of accuracy, let's have a quick look to the documents needed for exporting them:
- A vet declaration (for fish being free of diseases),
- A bill (you'll need it to certify fishes "value" once at home. At least in Italy),
- Export documents (obtained from local correspondent and / or customs to be shown, once home, to your own customs).
All those documents are needed (in Italy) to get through customs duties which includes a CITES declaration (got after checking in at the airport) for your fish meaning that they are "free for trade" worldwide and a further vet check (health precautions) upon entering their final destination. Enough is enough now; let's go back to fish. On the day of departure fish should be packed as follows:
Bagged in variable number (according to both bag size and their own size) in plastic bags filled to one third with clean fresh water and the rest with PURE oxygen (this is extremely important in order to provide them with as much oxygen as possible for the whole trip). Please bear in mind that the trip home could last 36 or even 48 hours). Resist the desire to overstock. You will only increase the chances of getting no fish at all.
Add Methylene Blue to the water (it disinfects minor wounds and scratches that may occur during the trip) and a tranquilizer (dosage is according to fish size, sorry no suggestion. The only point I am sure about is that you should not add it in bags containing fry ...)
Put bags in the boxes and be sure to use a real thermal insulation. Our flight connection was scheduled at London airport early in an October morning and a few hours of waiting (7!!) was part of the plan. You don't have to be a genius to know it's gonna be cold in wharehouses where these boxes are kept. Close all boxes as firmly as you can.
Air carrier will stick on boxes the classic "idiot" labels: "Live animal"; "Please rush"; "Keep warm" and all the alike. Don't be happy, worry !! Nobody will care about them. Period! So you should be very careful when packing them and only count on the provisions you will take. Then you can fly back home happily.
And finally you (and your cichlids) got back home. Quarantine tanks to hold the new specimens must be ready and correctly cycled. Therefore, this must be done before your departure for the Lake and should include enough room to house the number and size of the fish you are expecting to come back with. BEWARE! Room is never enough! For this trip (1999) I got about 280 liters (about 74 US gals) of extra water prepared and cycled and I still found myself in "cycled water shortage".
First thing to do is unpack fishes, period! Once you have taken care of them and put them in their tanks you'll have plenty of time to say "hello!" to everyone. Open bags gently pouring the whole stuff (I mean fishes with their own water) in plastic buckets (the more the better) and gently stirr it to increase oxigen level, then add - slowly - fresh, clean water (as if you're transferring fishes got at lfs in the tank). This can be a long job but, please be gentle and hurry at the same time. Now the sad part of the story: remove dead specimens (expect to find some!) and watch the others very closely : they should regain, almost immediately, their normal swimming position if they had lost it.
Right now you are ready to move the fish to their quarantine tank(s). Please note: a quarantine tank must be bare, which means: water of the best possible quality, suitable (in chemistry, temp, and so on) for your new pets, correctly filtered and heated with just a thin sand layer at bottom. Clay pots will work as hiding places but, if possible, avoid them. For malawians refer to the table of water chemistry, which I got by myself while at Lake Malawi). Put fish in tanks following the known "general rules": all specimens of the same size should be kept together, and you should not mix M'bunas and Utakas (every clever cichlid keeper should know what I'm talking about ...). It is better to have one more quarantine tank to be on the safe side.
Once the fish are in their tank leave them in peace (no lights!) carefully checking them to detect any abnormal behavior, swimming position, breathing and so on. As a matter of fact those fishes are ill (from an aquarist's point of view). In wild, it's pretty normal to see them scratching against rocks and so on ... Those parasites are much more potent (really!) than those that can develop in a tank and that's why they need to be kept separate, in the beginning ...
Now let's review how to work with them (please note: the day after arrival feeding begins again, but really sparingly!) At least that has been my experience. I have followed the same procedures once in 1997 when I returned from the Tanzanian coast of Lake Malawi and this year (1999) once back from the southern part of the same Lake. In detail:
DAY ONE (ARRIVAL)
Add Methylene Blue in the tank(s). As far as I know there's no risk of overdose but be conservative!
Add salt (either table salt - NaCl - or, better, marine salt for aquarium use) in the ratio of 5 to 10 grams for each liter of gross capacity. Dissolve it in plenty of water and add it to tank(s) really slowly. Salt will boost electric conductivity. I use a tubing commonly used for air stones for this purpose even if it takes about two hours to let 30 liters of water flow through it (be patient!). Another gross measure unit is a full tablespoon in 10 liters of water.
Lights "OFF".
DAY TWO
Change water (respect the salt ratio).
Add malachite green (respect dosage suggested on "drug" package).
Carefully look at fish to check their temper (if things are going better fishes should be feeding at this point).
Lights "OFF".
DAY THREE
Nothing to do, just watch them.
Lights "OFF"
DAY FOUR
Change water (respect the salt ratio).
Add malachite green (respect dosage suggested on "drug" package) for the second time.
Carefully look at fishes to check their temper.
Lights "OFF"
DAY FIVE
Nothing to do, just watch them.
Lights "OFF"
DAY SIX
Change water (respect the salt ratio).
Add an antibacterial product (respect dosage suggested on "drug" package).
Carefully look at fishes to check their temper.
Lights "OFF"
DAY SEVEN
Nothing to do, but watching them.
Lights "OFF".
DAY EIGHT
Change water (respect the salt ratio).
Add an antibacterial product (respect dosage suggested on "drug" package) for the second time
Carefully look at fishes to check their temper
Lights "OFF".
DAY NINE
Nothing to do, just watch them.
Lights "OFF"
DAY TEN
Start filtering (for at leats three days) through activated charcoal to remove traces of all the drugs still remaining in the tank(s).
Lights "ON".
At this point the first stage of conditioning is over. Keep fish separated from others, in their "salted" water for a month or so, then begin to decrease the salt ratio. Always keep in mind that you should avoid to decrease the salt concentration too quickly because this will cause severe vatiations of the electric conductivity. Once your fishes are swimming in "plain" fresh water again, you can move them to their final destination (either your show tank or the breeding tank(s) in your fish room if you happen to have one). Daily checking of the health status of each specimen (that's why aquascaping has to be kept to a minimum) is, of course, a must (still better twice a day). While your fish return to their normal health it is time to increase the amount of food supplied (also introduce new foods). You may also start to supply them with two (or even more) different foods per day!
In case of badly "infected" fishes it's possible to follow an alternative, and more "scientific", approach. You can either follow the above mentioned steps or act as reported in the following lines. My 1999 fishes have, by the way, undergone both procedures:
DAY ONE (ARRIVAL):
Metronidazole: pour it in the tank. Should be used at a ratio of 500 mg for 200 liters of water (dissolve it in 1 liter of water and the pour it in the tank(s) according to size(s).
Copper sulfate (CuSO4): pour it in the tank in the ratio of 65 mg for 200 liter of water (dissolve it in 1 liter of water and the pour it in the tank(s) according to size(s).
Lights "OFF".
DAY TWO:
"Rest" and watch your pets to detect how they are reacting.
Lights "OFF".
DAY THREE:
Metronidazole: pour it in the tank in the ratio of 500 mg for 200 liters of water (dissolve it in 1 liter of water and the pour it in the tank(s) according to size(s).
Lights "OFF".
DAY FOUR:
"Rest" and watch your pets to detect how they are reacting.
Lights "OFF".
DAY FIVE:
Heavy water change (about 50% of tank gross capacity).
Lights "OFF".
DAY SIX:
Start filtering (for at least three days) through activated charcoal to remove any traces of remaining drugs from the tank.
Lights "OFF".
Once the treatment(s) is over (no matter which procedure you have followed), while the quarantine is still running, it's wise to let your new kids get used to (usual) lighting period of your tanks. This should also be done stepwise. Remember: when a drug is in use keeping fishes the dark will diminish their stress level (and also there are medicines - mostly antibiotics - which are light sensitive). Again maintain fishes in "salted" water for a month, then begin to gradually decrease the salt content, to arrive again to a "plain" fresh water condition. By stating "plain" freshwater, I refer to the water in your main tanks. If this water already contains salt then you should keep that concentration stable in your quarantine tanks, too. This procedure now allows you to move your fishes to their final destination. Finally you're done. It has been a long, painstaking, sometimes bitter (whenever you face a "gone" fellow) job but is worth doing it. I feel that healthy, wild caught cichlids happily swimming in their tank(s) is a satisfaction beyond all prizes.
NB: The second procedure (the one using antibiotics) has been suggested by George J. Reclos relying on his own experience as a pharmacist and immunologist. I'd like to thank him for those - precious - suggestions!
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