BEST PLACE to buy a fish online ** Any recommendation? **

[JohnK]

It's a judgement call, but if you don't QT you are very likely to have some parasite or other issues sooner or later. Many reefers don't use a QT, Many others do. I do.

Once you get ick or a worse parasite in a reef tank there isn't much you can do without removing all the fish which can be quite the project. That said, ick specifically can often be "managed" or lived with. It's things like velvet that wipe out tanks.......

 

[scavdog]

HELLO GUYS, DO I HAVE TO quarantine ALWAYS MY FISHES? OR just acclimate?
Thanks

As JohnK said, it's a judgement call. I would say quarentining is a very prudent thing to do. The risk of introducing something bad is enough to ruin the hobby for many people. That being said, it's just as important with corals. Having lost an established 6+ year old reef to Acro-eating flatworms back in the day, I can tell you it's a b****.

The bigger question, is what killed the fish? Were they DOA or did they die after acclimation? Are all your parameters solid? How long has the tank been up and running?

This is a reason I like to deal with and LFS for livestock. A good store can test your water and will most likely stand behind the purchase. Throwing more fish in the tank without figuring out what happened may just be like flushing more money and time down the toilet.

- My 2 cents

Best of luck!

 

[Andy V]

I vote to always QT. I went five years without doing it, and then everything died. But not before I tore apart the entire tank trying to save stuff.

Not QT'ing is simply not worth it at all, unless you have a small tank in an apartment...then maybe you lose a few fish and can easily start over.

A 20 gallon QT does not take up much room or cost much money at all.

Learn to do it right and you will almost never have a problem.

 

[jah-hoeva]

I qt anything wet going in my tank. I don’t care where it’s from. Snails, coral, fish, rock, etc. Once you have partially dismantled your reef to run a 76 day fallow, I don’t take any chances. Just my opinion.

 

[thespsguy]

I vote to always QT. I went five years without doing it, and then everything died. But not before I tore apart the entire tank trying to save stuff.

Not QT'ing is simply not worth it at all, unless you have a small tank in an apartment...then maybe you lose a few fish and can easily start over.

A 20 gallon QT does not take up much room or cost much money at all.

Learn to do it right and you will almost never have a problem.

Man, I really appreciate your time..would you help me by telling me how long I have to QT? I have 20 gallons, filter cascade, I can put a couple of live rocks, but what is the process? Do I keep watching the fish? if they don't die I just transfer it? do I have to acclimate anyway to my tank after I QT? Sorry about many questions but I'm really new on this. I truly appreciate your help.

 

[JohnK]

Personally, for fish I do the standard tank transfer method as a preventative, and that takes two weeks. If the fish looks good after that time I put them inthe display

 

[neptune]

If you order ORA fish or coral, they will be shipped directly from Florida.
Aquacultured fish still have the same chance of getting sick as wild caught fish. Parasite and bacteria are always in the water， it is up to the fish’s immune system to fight them off. Stress is the primary cause of bacteria and parasite infection.


DZ16, Your comment is that stress is the primary cause of bacteria and parasite infection... I don't think is accurate? Stress can't cause ich / brook / velvet they are parasites found in the wild therefore if the fish our aquacultured it could be eliminated in a facility that does not bring fish in from the ocean. I say in theory b/c it depends on how they QT their wild caught stock. I rang ORA and they said the wild caught fish are kept in a separate facility.

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[Collin]

+1 for quarantine, although things like ich can be managed, my friend just got velvet after not qt’ing and lost all of his fish and has to start over. It’s a real pain to start over and it really isn’t that big of a deal to qt. It’s not worth the risk.


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[dz6t]

Isn’t Divers Den only a smaller selection within LiveAquaria? I just tried looking and a small selection of specific things

I ordered from LiveAquaria it arrived today, to be I was unhappy, the box was poorly insulated for all the fish, the water was cold, no polystyrene really, the heat pads were cold, not a bit warm. Two fish dead and I called them and they issue credit, I told them I just want the fish and they said that’s not their policy. Issue is now I’ve to pay overnight shipping to reship replacement fish, and submit photos. I don’t mind that they arrive dead on occasion but not fair to ask me to pay to resend them on overnight which isn’t cheap! Just bad customer service I think
Online I just learned they have bad reviews now

In summer, they use cold packs instead of heat packs.
If the fish were coming from California, it is Quality Marine.


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[neptune]

Man, I really appreciate your time..would you help me by telling me how long I have to QT? I have 20 gallons, filter cascade, I can put a couple of live rocks, but what is the process? Do I keep watching the fish? if they don't die I just transfer it? do I have to acclimate anyway to my tank after I QT? Sorry about many questions but I'm really new on this. I truly appreciate your help.

This topic IMO is very controversial... The best way is to research and then decide your course of action: search this forum on QT process. I would also read a few articles on "ich treatment" and "Velvet treament"

Low End: I would say most reefers at a minimum have a QT tank and place new fish in QT and observe for 21 days. If healthy and eating with no signs of disease they place in DT.

High End: have a QT tank and always treat for Ich and parasites regardless of what you can see b/c you never know.

I personally do a midway program: I put all new fish in QT and do Tank Transfer. I do not treat fish unless I see it is sick. Then I place in my DT. I am sure my 2 reefs do not have any disease... My power went out for 20 hours... my fish were stressed! my blue tang was upside down between two rocks... I restored power... and all my fish survived (minus my pygmy angel). IF I had ich in the tank my blue tang / yellow tang would have been covered as they were STRESSED.

 

[dz6t]

DZ16, Your comment is that stress is the primary cause of bacteria and parasite infection... I don't think is accurate? Stress can't cause ich / brook / velvet they are parasites found in the wild therefore if the fish our aquacultured it could be eliminated in a facility that does not bring fish in from the ocean. I say in theory b/c it depends on how they QT their wild caught stock. I rang ORA and they said the wild caught fish are kept in a separate facility.

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Those virus, parasites and bacteria also in your tank as well. They are actually in less density in the ocean than in your tank.
It is the immune system and healthy slime coat that prevent fish get infection.
Some of the deadly varieties of bacteria and viruses are evolved in captive environment.



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[JohnK]

Virus and bacteria yes. Parasites do have to be introduced somehow.

I do agree that ick is present in most to nearly all systems that don't practice some consistent protocol to keep it out.

 

[jah-hoeva]

Those virus, parasites and bacteria also in your tank as well. They are actually in less density in the ocean than in your tank.
It is the immune system and healthy slime coat that prevent fish get infection.
Some of the deadly varieties of bacteria and viruses are evolved in captive environment.



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These can be eradicated from your tank.

 

[JohnK]

Viruses and bacteria?

 

[dz6t]

Yes, DD is Live Aquaria, but a different facility in WI. I feel it is superior.

How many fish did you order that you didn't hit the $99 free shipping, or do the 2 dead fish not add up to $99 for another shipment?

I hear you though, I just want a healthy fish I can enjoy, not a guarantee!

DD fish are some of the best kept fish in the industry. They are WYSIWYG fish.

 

[dz6t]

These can be eradicated from your tank.

They can not.

 

[jah-hoeva]

They can not.

I disagree. You can starve a parasite by not having a host.

 

[neptune]

Dx6T, as a sponsor and part of a Local Fish Store... I am interested to hear your data? I have read extensively that ich can absolutely be eradicated in a home system. It is a challenge for sure but possible. What data do you have that counters this? Based on the life cycle of the ich doing tank transfer every 3 days for 21 days does eliminate the parasite. I have done this for my tanks... and even in very stressful situation ich did not break out - power outage of 20ish hours fish were laying on the bottom or upside down struggling to breathe. I take this as evidence my tank does not have ich. I QT did TT and then had a stressful event - no ich.

 

[JohnK]

This thread is getting confusing. I see parasites as being a separate conversation from bacteria and viruses.

My understanding is we certainly can prevent and or eradicate ick and other parasites, but that is not the case at all with bacteria and viruses.

 

[dz6t]

Like John said, parasite is difference from bacteria and virus.