Will Nightcrawlers make my fish sick?

Question

I have recently fed my Red Devil, Tiretrack Eel, and Jack Dempsey some nightcrawlers. The red devil is now acting very funny and wont eat food. All of the other fish seem to be doing fine. The reason i got these was to feed the eel, and the other fish would take them before i could get it down to him. The devil is very sluggish and not exactly swimming right. he is usually highly aggressive as well, but not at this moment. Is there anything i can do? Is it the night crawlers that made him sick or could it possibly be something else?

Answer 1

If this happened within the last day or so, odds are good your devil has just stuffed himself on night crawlers. All of the symptoms you describe easily fit into a slightly over fed fish. Give him 2-3 days and odds are good he will be just fine.

I would suggest you collect your crawlers from a safe place, or better yet buy them from a bait store.

If I can help further or if your fish doesn't get better in a day or two, feel free to email me and we'll figure out the problem and how to correct it.

MM

Answer 2

GET A PAIR TO LONG TONGS OR SOMETHING TO PUT TO WORM DOWN CLOSER TO THE EEL SO THE OTHER FISH DONT HAVE TIME TO EAT IT ON THE WAY DOWN

Answer 3

Where did you get your nightcrawlers? Did they come from an area where fertilizers or pesticides are used? I don't think I need to explain the problem if this is the case. But, then, it could be difficult to say if the other fish don't display the same symptoms. It may just be coincidental that he was contracting another disease at the same time you fed the worms. But, then again, he just may be more susceptible to adverse conditions than the other fish too. It's difficult to say. Just watch him very closely for additional signs. You may need to remove him to a hospital tank for treatment if he gets worse.