Local Reef Store selling sick fish?

[shadynate]

I set up a reef tank in 2022 and tried getting livestock, all dying within weeks of purchase. I let the tank run 6 months with no livestock other than snails. Try to get fish again, no luck. All from the same fish store. We did an ICP test and it came back very high in aluminum and some other metals. We had been using just RO water from a water store.

We got a 7-stage ro-di unit and have tested that water mixed with salt. It came back perfect other than Iron being high I believe 41 ng/ml. I am afraid to buy another fish at the fish store in case that was the cause of fish death all along. Are there safe vendors online to buy fish from?

 

[Stevorino]

I would need a lot more information to be able to support the notion that your LFS sells only bad fish.

You can absolutely try online, but in my limited experience the fish come in MUCH more stressed/prone to death than when you are short drive away.

With the information provided so far, I would say give your LFS another shot with some clowns and see how it goes.