View Full Version : I have a cold, will this hurt the fish?
ClimbAZ527
11-08-2003, 7:03 PM
I caught a cold yesterday and I just did a water change. Will my cold hurt the fish?
ClimbAZ527
11-08-2003, 7:25 PM
even if my hands came in contact with the water?
aquariumfishguy
11-08-2003, 9:24 PM
NO, not under ANY circumstances will your cold hurt your fish.
125gJoe
11-08-2003, 10:11 PM
Have you seen those plexi-glass sheilds at salad bars? :D
Just don't cough anything in the tank --- to be on the safe side.. LOL :eek:
Slappy*McFish
11-09-2003, 3:40 PM
It's impossible for a fish to catch the common cold.
tanker
11-16-2003, 10:28 PM
If your fish catch a cold just pour some cough medicine in at 1/2 dose. :p LOL
JUSK KIDDING!!! Fish cannot catch our illnesses of any kind.
papaboy
11-17-2003, 9:33 PM
Actually, I thought it was a good question, though.
Yeah I never thought about that before-interesting. Think we can catch anything from the fish??...
aquariumfishguy
11-18-2003, 3:32 PM
Yes, you can. TB comes to mind. I know someone who caught TB from their fish tanks. I never caught it but I had TB in my tanks back in the mid-90's and it was a big issue for me.
OrionGirl
11-18-2003, 3:45 PM
Bacteria can cross over, but few parasites can do so. Virii are another story--mutations aren't unheard of, but are certainly uncommon. Most transmissions revolve around open wounds in the water and ingestion. Mycobacterium and TB are the 2 most commonly discussed ones. Mycobacterium are everywhere, and seldom cause a problem, but the infections from them are very nasty and hard to cure. Infections of this sort are always the result of an open wound in the tank. While I have heard often that TB is transmissable, I have not heard of anyone who actually contracted it, so do not no the mechanism.
Overall, you're still safer playing in your aquarium than driving your car.
aquariumfishguy
11-18-2003, 4:04 PM
You've never heard of anyone catching TB from the aquarium? :eek:
I just did a search on it and found countless URL's discussing the contracting of TB. Hmmmm....:)
I do know of a case, the individual was on chemo, so immuno-suppressed. There was a fresh deep scratch for entry. Nasty.
OrionGirl
11-18-2003, 4:16 PM
Sorry--phrased that wrong. They are one in the same-- Fish TB is Mycobacterium marinum , the aquatic equivalent of Mycobacterium tuberculosis , which is only found in humans. I have not heard of anyone contracting Fish TB from other than a tank, so don't know if there is a secondary transmission. Basically--I don't know if humans can transmit the Fish TB to others, or not. Human TB is easily transmissable.