That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

“This fish has been known to cause ciguatera poisoning.”

Have you ever seen this warning on books, magazines or other media? It can apply to a few hundred tropical and subtropical reef fish (possibly over 400 according to some references) including some very popular aquarium species. You may even have some of these fish in your aquarium right now.

If you have no idea what ciguatera poisoning is, you aren’t alone. Even some TFP employees that I mentioned this blog topic to had no idea what “ciguatera poisoning” was even though they have seen the term before and we deal with these fish every day. Is it something that, as aquarists, should be worried about? No….and yes. Ciguatera poisoning is food-borne. As long as you don’t make a regular habit of eating fish from your aquarium, you aren’t going to contract it at home. But, if you eat fish regularly, it may a concern and certainly deserves more awareness than it is given. Read More »