Whites and fish

[Leefrogs]

I hear pinkies are bad for frogs, allot of fat. And i dont think i could bear it. But I want to give mine a boost of protien. Feeder fish at petshops are full of parasites and disease. So I thaught my local bait shop might be a better option. So I got 3 crappie minnows, 1" long and a bigger one from same tank. I figure I will disect the larger one to check meat for parasites. They should show up like black spots in meat. I assume there are more regulations for bait fish than pet shops. Any thaughts from anyone?

[Leefrogs]

I thaught I'd bump this up, there's gotta be someone.

[Greg M]

I'm not sure that you can really inspect for all possible parasites (intestinal parasites, for example). Bacteria and fungi are also possible issues. Some experts seem in favor of fish as feeders, and argue that most frogs carry some parasite load anyway, which is not an issue under normal circumstances. In addition, many parasites are host-specific. Personally, I think that Dubia and nightcrawlers are a reasonable alternative to fish. Breeding your own fish might also be safer...

[Leefrogs]

Thanks Greg, but I think the DNR has more regulations on baitfish than the state has on petshops. The DNR doesn't want disease passed to wild populations of fish right? Is this a safe assumption. Also, I have to wait fir spring for nightcrawlers. For next year I'm just going to stock up on crawlers.

[Greg M]

I think it is Frank Indiviglio who has recommended feeder fish as safe for large frogs, so its hard to argue with that... As I commented earlier, all wild frogs (and probably many captives) carry a parasite load. For healthy frogs, in unstressed conditions, this is not an issue.

However, for me, fungi such as chytrid are far more of a concern than intestinal parasites. Some studies suggest that fish from chytrid-carrying ponds/hatcheries/lakes should be considered contaminated (and likely carriers of chytrid). Hatcheries do not test for chytrid because it does not affect fish and amphibians are regular inhabitants of hatchery ponds.

I would be cautious...

[Leefrogs]

k now u scared me, but only truth is scarey. K forget it.