wild fish smell

Some people from CAC know that I regularly scour the fish markets in Mexico city in search of new and interesting wild livebearers for Gary.
Now I have noticed that these fish during the first days in my tank make the tank smell horribly, somewhat like sewage water. It doesn't come from the water in which they were transported as this is not being transferred to the tank.

My only guess is that it comes from the food that they consume in their natural habitat. Especially the mollies make the water smell, although all the fish do it to a varying degree. I know that food has a large influence on the way we smell; I remember that after having been in Ivory Coast for several months and having eaten local food only close family told me that I smelled like an African. It took me several weeks of Dutch food to get that smell out of my body. The fact that the smell disappears after having been in my tank and eating commercial foods seems to confirm this idea.

I wonder though what ingredient makes the fish smell this way. Anybody that has experienced this too and has an idea of what it could be?

Woah, that is an interesting phenomenon. But it makes sense I suppose! And explains the different smells people have based on their diets!

Can not wait to here what interesting stuff you brought back for GaryE this time. It is great because as he breeds them others get a chance to enjoy these treasures as well

Even without any tranquilizers in the water, there is a different odour when you open an importation from South America, Western Africa, Asia or a fish farm. When I used to go fishing for Canadian minnows, the ones behind beaver dams, in the blackwater ponds up in the pine forest had a different smell than the ones from the Saint Laurent, with its soft but clear water. It always went away after a few days.
I have always taken it to be diet - different algae, mud, crustaceans etc.
I am willing to accept money to go sniff streams all around the world...

GaryE wrote:
I have always taken it to be diet - different algae, mud, crustaceans etc.
I am willing to accept money to go sniff streams all around the world...

LOL

Let's start a collection to send Gary around the world to smell fish water...

Who's with me?

I will start, I got $.05

Steve

Sbenson11 wrote:Let's start a collection to send Gary around the world to smell fish water...

Who's with me?

I will start, I got $.05

Steve

Hahaha! That will get him far.... I offer board and room in my house in Mexico; an in kind contribution as we say in my area of work....

Biulu wrote:

Sbenson11 wrote:Let's start a collection to send Gary around the world to smell fish water...

Who's with me?

I will start, I got $.05

Steve

Hahaha! That will get him far.... I offer board and room in my house in Mexico; an in kind contribution as we say in my area of work....

Well I'm not going to offer him to stay at my place in Orlando, because I know he will actually take it.

Steve

He actually might! If I could only get him to take up my offer, then the place might be clean for a change when I come! Maybe, I should throw in some fishing gear and functioning fish tanks to make the deal more attractive?!