Blue water oxygen tablets from LFS?

[Ross Vandegrift]

Today I found the first LFS in the area that I've ever seen to carry
SAEs and Amano shrimp. They had seven lively SAEs in a tank - I took
them all home. They had a planted tank (that looked horrible) with some
Amano shrimp - I spotted four.

The clerk was originally only able to catch one, which she bagged.
After bagging the first, two more came out of hiding. She snagged them
up and bagged them separately.

The SAEs and the first Amano shimp bag had blue water. Bright blue.
When I asked her what was up with that, she said they drop a tablet into
the water to release oxygen for the trip. She said it helps prevent
stress for travel. I remained highly suspicious - personally, I've
never had a problem transporting fish from the LFS to home, but they
were already bagged...

So I get home maybe 30 minutes later. The SAEs look great. The shrimp
in the blue water was totally dead. The shrimp in the regular tank
water were fine. After acclimating, everyone was released. SAEs are
doing well, as are the two living Amano shrimp.

What on earth is this blue stuff they added? Does anyone know what it's
called? Is it remotely legit? I find the whole deal highly dubious,
especially since it seems to have neatly killed a shrimp.

Watch out for the blue tide!


--
Ross Vandegrift

"The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who
make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians
have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine
man in the bonds of Hell."
--St. Augustine, De Genesi ad Litteram, Book II, xviii, 37

[Billy]

"Ross Vandegrift" > wrote in message
...
| What on earth is this blue stuff they added? Does anyone know what
it's
| called? Is it remotely legit? I find the whole deal highly
dubious,
| especially since it seems to have neatly killed a shrimp.
|


It's these:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12092&inm=1&N=2004+112989+2035

or similar. Probably contains some kind of narcotic for that "calming
effect". <bg> My favorite LFS uses them for FW fish, but I've been
told by the reeftank guru that they're likely to sicken or kill most
invertabrates. (like shrimp) Perhaps there's a copper-containing
substance in there?

[Ross Vandegrift]

On 2005-01-15, Billy > wrote:
> It's these:
> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12092&inm=1&N=2004+112989+2035
>
> or similar. Probably contains some kind of narcotic for that "calming
> effect". <bg> My favorite LFS uses them for FW fish, but I've been
> told by the reeftank guru that they're likely to sicken or kill most
> invertabrates. (like shrimp) Perhaps there's a copper-containing
> substance in there?

Makes sense. Most invertebrates are far more sensitive to chemicals,
metals, etc, or so I've heard. At least for sal****er --- which I know
nothing about --- but it makes sense that it would be true for
freshwater inverts as well.

Bummer. I'll give the LFS a call tomorrow and tell them they might want
to avoid dosing that stuff for inverts (they also carry a wide variety
of snails). If I go there again I think I'll just ask them to leave it
out. Now I'm nervous.

--
Ross Vandegrift

"The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who
make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians
have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine
man in the bonds of Hell."
--St. Augustine, De Genesi ad Litteram, Book II, xviii, 37

[Billy]

"Ross Vandegrift" > wrote in message
...
| of snails). If I go there again I think I'll just ask them to
leave it
| out. Now I'm nervous.


I've made that request for a few years now. The only place I got flak
for it was PetSmart, where I don't buy anything that breathes
anymore, anyway.

[Elaine T]

Billy wrote:
> "Ross Vandegrift" > wrote in message
> ...
> | What on earth is this blue stuff they added? Does anyone know what
> it's
> | called? Is it remotely legit? I find the whole deal highly
> dubious,
> | especially since it seems to have neatly killed a shrimp.
> |
>
>
> It's these:
> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12092&inm=1&N=2004+112989+2035
>
> or similar. Probably contains some kind of narcotic for that "calming
> effect". <bg> My favorite LFS uses them for FW fish, but I've been
> told by the reeftank guru that they're likely to sicken or kill most
> invertabrates. (like shrimp) Perhaps there's a copper-containing
> substance in there?
>
>
Ah, Jungle strikes again with another of their not-so-fine aquarium
products. I'll take my fish home in only water and oxygen, please. OMG
- bought a betta from our usually very good LFS the other day and the
girl oxygenated the bag! I had to ask her to let the oxygen out and
replace it with air.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Billy]

"Elaine T" > wrote in message
om...
| - bought a betta from our usually very good LFS the other day and
the
| girl oxygenated the bag! I had to ask her to let the oxygen out and
| replace it with air.


They use compressed oxygen? That sounds needlessly expensive, as well
as dangerous. Are you certain it wasn't just compressed air? Many
LFS's do this.

[Ozdude]

"Ross Vandegrift" > wrote in message
...
> Today I found the first LFS in the area that I've ever seen to carry
> SAEs and Amano shrimp. They had seven lively SAEs in a tank - I took
> them all home. They had a planted tank (that looked horrible) with some
> Amano shrimp - I spotted four.
>
> The clerk was originally only able to catch one, which she bagged.
> After bagging the first, two more came out of hiding. She snagged them
> up and bagged them separately.
>
> The SAEs and the first Amano shimp bag had blue water. Bright blue.
> When I asked her what was up with that, she said they drop a tablet into
> the water to release oxygen for the trip. She said it helps prevent
> stress for travel. I remained highly suspicious - personally, I've
> never had a problem transporting fish from the LFS to home, but they
> were already bagged...
>
> So I get home maybe 30 minutes later. The SAEs look great. The shrimp
> in the blue water was totally dead. The shrimp in the regular tank
> water were fine. After acclimating, everyone was released. SAEs are
> doing well, as are the two living Amano shrimp.
>
> What on earth is this blue stuff they added? Does anyone know what it's
> called? Is it remotely legit? I find the whole deal highly dubious,
> especially since it seems to have neatly killed a shrimp.
>
> Watch out for the blue tide!

They sound like some sort of oxygenating thing. Possibly a combination of
Hydrogen Peroxide and Acrflavin (blue) which as far as I am aware is
practically poison for invertibrates.

Ignorance is Bliss? - I don't think so in this case. Vale Amano Shrimp -
poor critter.

Oz
--
My Aquatic web Blog is at http://members.optusnet.com.au/ivan.smith

[Elaine T]

Billy wrote:
> "Elaine T" > wrote in message
> om...
> | - bought a betta from our usually very good LFS the other day and
> the
> | girl oxygenated the bag! I had to ask her to let the oxygen out and
> | replace it with air.
>
>
> They use compressed oxygen? That sounds needlessly expensive, as well
> as dangerous. Are you certain it wasn't just compressed air? Many
> LFS's do this.
>
>
Oxygen - I asked. This store has great livestock, including SW, and
some people drive a long way to buy fish from them so they use oxygen in
the bags. Oxygen in bags isn't that ususual - The store where I worked
many years ago used it. SW and sensitive fish can get kinda droopy in a
bag if they're in there for many hours, and we had people driving 3-4
regularly. Besides, compressed air is silly. It's easy to knot a fish
bag without having to blow the sucker up like a party balloon.

As far as I know, oxygen is only dangerous if there's a spark and
something combustible along with it. We worried much more about water
and electricity than oxygen on the fish aisle. ;-)

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Mean_Chlorine]

Thusly Elaine T > Spake Unto All:

>- bought a betta from our usually very good LFS the other day and the
>girl oxygenated the bag! I had to ask her to let the oxygen out and
>replace it with air.

Huh? Why remove the oxygen?