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#1
02-27-2009, 04:19 PM
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Signs of cyanide caught fish
Can anyone tell me the signs to look for in cyanide caught fish or links to articles about it. All i can find are articles telling you not to buy cyanide caught live stock but how would one know.
Also how long does it take to show up are we talking days weeks months? If the fish dies is there a way you can tell for sure it was cyanide poisoning? If in anyone has any good links for anything to do with cyanide poisoning can you post them up please. I am trying to do some research on this so a person knows what to look for. All my fish are healthy but i have lost things in the past and would like to know what to look for so myself and others can maybe avoid this trouble. Thanks Keith 
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#2
02-27-2009, 07:15 PM
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No real signs other than sudden death or rapid deterioration but even then, it could be something else. Only trace amounts of Cyanide stays in the fishes system (organs) and cannot be tested for until the fish is dead. You also will not be able to test at home. The fish needs to be blended up and you need very highly sensitive equipment to pick up the trace amounts of the poison left in the fish. Not something most people can test for and not something labs are going to bother testing for.
I have found that fish I suspect are dying of cyanide get "bruises" which I attribute to internal bleeding or hemoraging of internal organs such as liver. I don't know for sure though. Usually the fish will be fine one day and almost dead by the next. They stop eating, loose weight rapidly and often start to swim erratically or can't swim at all. This is all just from experience though and may not be linked to cyanide. I am pretty sure it is but like I said, I could never be certain. At MACNA last year a speaker (sorry don't remember who but he is well respected in the industry) claimed that 2/3 of the fish in the industry are from the Philippines and that approx. 3/4 of them are cyanide caught. You are much safer going with Aussie fish and in the past Indo fish. But cyanide is starting to catch on in Indonesia now too. Angels, Butterfly, Mandarins, any cryptic wrasses, some gobies, and most hard to catch fish are often cyanide caught. If you have ever been on a dive among these species of fish, you will know that when you get too close, they dart into the coral heads and would be impossible to catch with a net. On the other hand, some triggers, puffers and even tangs I have found to be incredibly friendly and would not take too much effort to net catch...especially if you have some food for them 
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#4
02-27-2009, 07:53 PM
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Quote:
I have found anywhere from a few weeks to 6 months seems to be the time frame for them to go. Could be anytime really though. It one of those things where you just never know. The cyanide often damages the liver, so I think it maybe depends on how long the liver takes to deteriorate. So many variables though, so I don't think your going to get a solid answer to that one.
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#5
02-27-2009, 08:10 PM
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There is a research document that I do not understand that well, but it says the gills brighten and darken in colour due to cyanide poisoning. The link is below... I don't know if this applies to aquarium fish since these fish were exposed in a lab, but I do believe it also speaks of fish that died in the rivers. The tests were also done on salt water fish as well...
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source...q4HXoF-8932drg
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#6
02-27-2009, 08:18 PM
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Another link on treating cyanide poisoning with Methylene blue. Don't know if it will work in the long run or if treating new fish with it befre putting in display works or not... any insight on this?
http://www.novalek.com/kordon/methylene_blue/index.htm
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#7
02-27-2009, 08:13 PM
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Quote:
I believe that there are more fish deaths caused from cyanide then we know of because everyone figures the death is because of something else. Keith
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