treating wild caught ghost shrimp.

[hotelbravo]

i use ghost shrimp in my frozen food blend i make for my fish and bta but i want to start adding live ghost shrimp to the tank and i worry about introducing a pathogen into the system. i got fishing often and on some nights i can fill a gallon back of just shrimp and i just wash them then freeze them then thaw them out and wash them again and then chop up and put into my food blend that consists of squid, oyster, scallops, minnows, and a few other things.
so i can make a holding tank and dose them with something if needed but i am really wanting to start putting quite a few in there every so often to feed my marine betta and my eel that i will be getting soon.

anyone have any comments and/or concerns? i appreciate it.

[ThRoewer]

Back in Germany I've been feeding my fish live shrimp and Mysis for well over 10 years and never any problems with diseases.

Of course there is always a slim chance to introduce some disease with wild collected live foods. Though the risk is more with bacterial, fungal and viral infections. Ich, velvet and the like are kind of unlikely, especially if your live foods come from freshwater.

[hotelbravo]

there is a flesh eating virus in the water all around the gulf right now including the waters i fish in and i usually catch the shrimp in the dirtiest water around

[ThRoewer]

In that case I would rather pass on food organisms collected there.

[hotelbravo]

there is a flesh eating virus in the water all around the gulf right now including the waters i fish in and i usually catch the shrimp in the dirtiest water around

its actually a bacteria not a virus idk if that makes any difference


In that case I would rather pass on food organisms collected there.

ive also caught them in florida when i go home on leave.. that water is cleaner there and i would still feel more comfortable treating them with something to ensure i do not bring anything over into the tank.

[Paul B]

I collect and add those shrimp constantly and I don't worry about pests or anything like that, but if you do, those shrimp will live a long time in fresh water. Just put them in freshwater for 30 minutes or so and put them in your tank. If they have parasites or any salt water malady, that should eliminate it.
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/Project17.png (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/Project17.png.html)

[hotelbravo]

okay ill give that a shot! thank you for the help

[ThRoewer]

I would just make sure not to collect foods anywhere near a fish or shrimp farms - those facilities are breeding sites for all kinds of pestilence.