Buying Fish

[Peter Pan]

I have 2 LFS in my area, one is a "mom and pop" owned and the other is a
chain store. After buying fish from both places, I noticed the chain store,
the fish after a short period would die and the M&P store lived. I asked the
Chain store if they use RO water to which they replied no.. just tap and we
condition it. My question is this.. ( I think I already know the answer but
her it goes)

If I were to buy fish from the chain store, is there anything I need to do
before I admit them into my tank? ( this is the tap water store) or should
I just stay away from them because they do not use RO water. Past experience
is telling me to stay away but I would like some input

thanks

Pete

[Pszemol]

Tap water or RO water - it is not important for fish...
Marine aquarists used to use tap water for fish for years.
RO filters are used mostly in reef tanks, not in FO tanks.
The choice of water could affect the problems with niusance
algae if the tap water source is reach in nitrates...
RO water will have nitrates removed so it is easier to
control nitrates and phosphates in the tank and control algae.

The biggest reason for fish deaths is wrong acclimatization,
internal or external parasites, usage of cyanide to capture
fish from the ocean and mishandling fish in the shipment...

The rule you need to follow is NEVER PUT NEW FISH
INTO YOUR DISPLAY TANK dirrectly from the fish store...
Always put new fish in the quarantine tank for a couple of
weeks. This way you will give fish the chance to recover
after the shipment. Feed well and provide hiding places.
Simple biological filtration with sponge filter will do.
You will have a chance to observe fish if it is healthy
or sick, does it have any parasites, etc... If the new fish
is sick or has parasites it will be easy to cure it there:
most parasite medicines are not safe for reef tanks so
you cannot cure the fish when in the display tank...
Also, if the new fish has parasites and you put it in
a display tank, the parasite infest all other fish there.

After you do your part in helping fish recover after
the shipment from the reef then you can judge which store
is better for you... It is possible the store you call mom
and pop is acclimating fish before they sell them, maybe
the reason for stronger is different, or it is just accidental.

[Billy]

"Peter Pan" > wrote in message
...
>I have 2 LFS in my area, one is a "mom and pop" owned and the other
>is a chain store. After buying fish from both places, I noticed the
>chain store, the fish after a short period would die and the M&P
>store lived. I asked the Chain store if they use RO water to which
>they replied no.. just tap and we condition it. My question is
>this.. ( I think I already know the answer but her it goes)
>
> If I were to buy fish from the chain store, is there anything I
> need to do before I admit them into my tank? ( this is the tap
> water store) or should I just stay away from them because they do
> not use RO water. Past experience is telling me to stay away but I
> would like some input
>

I use a case-by-case basis in choosing where to get stock. If you've
had poor luck from this un-named chain store, then I'd shy away from
it. Many fishkeepers have fine luck with tapwater, and think those
that use RO\DI are wasting time and money. Many chain stores suffer
from a lack of employees with enough knowledge and experience to care
for the stock. YMMV, as always in this obsess....erm, "hobby". I've
found chain shops that do not suffer from this at all. :)
If there is a specimen at the chain store you MUST have, go ahead
and get it. Any issues with it should become apparent during the
quarantine period. If you do not Quarantine your stock before
introducing them to your display tank, then I wouldn't take the risk
of adding things from a store you don't trust. That said, you SHOULD
quarantine anything you acquire before exposing it to the rest of
your stock.

billy

[George Patterson]

Peter Pan wrote:

> If I were to buy fish from the chain store, is there anything I need to do
> before I admit them into my tank? ( this is the tap water store) or should
> I just stay away from them because they do not use RO water.

Whether they use RO water or not is unimportant. You should stay away from they
because their fish die.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.

[[email protected]]

Wow....I'm surprised someone else stated the same thing that I find
apparent around my area. I have 3 sal****er fish stores in my area; 2
from the same chain, and one locally owned by two local people. I have
ONE fish (sailfin tang) to show for from these chains (from 5 different
fish purchased over 4.5 year period) and all my twenty-two (some small,
some large and some in schools) but one (copperband butterfly died
within 2 months - probably staved as they're finicky eaters) from
the locally owned store....coincidence - I think not! I acclimate
the fish properly into the 90 gal quarantine tank and they usually
don't last past the second week, even before I even move them to the
display tank (350 gal). I bought a fish (Naso tang with streamers -
beautiful fish - lasted 7 days in the quarantine tank) from the
chain. I tested their water that the fish came in and wasn't too
surprised by the results. The salinity was quite low (even for a fish
only tank), phosphates were through the roof (couldn't get a reading
but the green/red slime on the bottom of their tanks should have been a
good indicator), and the nitrates were between 40-70 on my Fastest kit.
I approached them with this information and they said that they did
monthly service on the tanks. I tested the water from the locally
owned store and the results were very comparable to my
tank....therefore less stress on introducing the fish, I presume. So I
used this information when I purchased my last fish (Powder Blue Tang
- I know, a tough one to introduce) from the chain (in May). I got
four extra bucket of their water (in my used salt buckets - that's
all they would give me) to put in my quarantine tank for a 30:60 split
in favour of my water to try to mimic their conditions and slowly
introduce the fish to my display tank conditions by taking a bit out
everyday and replacing it with my display water. I was going to do
this over a month but after 4 days, the fish died. I think the initial
shock to the chain's water caused the irreversible damage. I will
not buy another fish from either chain but still do buy an occasional
coral since I haven't had a problem with them yet (probably because a
coral can heal itself and re-grow over time and a fish can't).
I'm sure not all chains are like this but this is just my
experience.......

[Wayne Sallee]

LOL you sound like a customer that asked me "If I set up a
quarentine tank, and add the chemicals to it, then could I
buy Wall Mart fish?"

If you find a store that does not sell healthy fish, then
don't buy from them.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Peter Pan wrote on 10/30/2005 3:03 PM:
> I have 2 LFS in my area, one is a "mom and pop" owned and the other is a
> chain store. After buying fish from both places, I noticed the chain store,
> the fish after a short period would die and the M&P store lived. I asked the
> Chain store if they use RO water to which they replied no.. just tap and we
> condition it. My question is this.. ( I think I already know the answer but
> her it goes)
>
> If I were to buy fish from the chain store, is there anything I need to do
> before I admit them into my tank? ( this is the tap water store) or should
> I just stay away from them because they do not use RO water. Past experience
> is telling me to stay away but I would like some input
>
> thanks
>
> Pete
>
>