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View Full Version : Goldfish, diseases, food safety?



Wartooth
06-28-2009, 09:56 PM
I have four comet goldfish in a 10 gallon with filter and 4 sites. This setup is for chard, lettuce and spinach. The goldies are strong and look healthy, (I've had these fish for about a year), but I'm not sure if that is a guarantee that they are not harboring harmful pathogens. How do I safeguard against harmful pathogens? And if there are harmful pathogens, will they permeate into the plant and thus be harmful for consumption?
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jackalope
06-29-2009, 09:44 AM
I would guess that it would be the same with any aquaponics system; if the fish (doesn't matter what species they are) are carrying some sort of disease or as you say, 'pathogen,' that would transfer to humans, or vegetation, then you're in trouble ........ the thing is, you can go through life wondering and worrying about the pollution in the air, water, clothes you wear, the food you eat, the pots and pans you cook with etc., but eventually, you have to step out and go for it. You could just as easily go to a restaurant and buy the blue-plate special and get food poisoning from some other source too.

I, for one,wouldn't worry about it ...... just think of all the manure that is turned into fertilizers for your garden ....... did some of that come from farms that had cows with 'mad cow disease'? Then there's the chemical fertilizers that are used by the giant corporations to grow the foods for the mass market. And we don't even want to get into all the chemicals and radiation that is in the food we get in the grocery store .......... See how it works? you can worry yourself into a corner for no good reason ;) I just do the best I can with what I've got ...... if you're worried about your fish, you can take them to the vet for an annual checkup or something ..... I think you'll find that he'll just bill you a lot of money for telling you that they're OK.

Just my two centavos .........