Certified Quarantined Fish Shipped To Your Door...

[Manose]

I would pay 200$ right now for a simple small one spot foxface quarantined to and at the normal 1.025 salinity.

 

[siggy]

Live aquaria divers den does this already.

It would depend on who "certified" them.

If I was able to be sure it was CLEAN than double or more, a 300 dollar fish for 900? well I set up a QT
As far as Divers Den goes..I lost all but a few to Velvet from them! Happy healthy tank and a week after adding a fish it started with the PB and that was it.
So YES is see a great value and would pay more...Now who and how do I trust someone to deliver a QT fish.

 

[dhuynh]

I would pay 200$ right now for a simple small one spot foxface quarantined to and at the normal 1.025 salinity.

I will also match your alk, ca, and mg level for an extra $190.

 

[lilfish717]

Not paying any more because they all should be this waybb

 

[Salty Lemon]

Should be a standard in the hobby that retailers QT and ensure they are selling healthy pets.

When you buy a puppy or a cat from a breeder or even Petco, it's had at least 1 round of shots, and it's been treated for worms and internal parasites.

Why do we not demand the same standards of retailers for our underwater pets?

Okay, so it costs money. Roll it into the cost and sell me a healthy animal. I don't like the idea of being charged an additional fee to ensure the animal is already healthy.

Medically treating a furry animal for proper health takes five minutes -- they get a shot, a nasal spray, and deworming liquid. Worst case scenario -- they need a flea bath. However, treating fish takes weeks.

 

[bigcheese]

Has anyone considered a flat rate instead of a multiplier? IMO, doesn't matter whether I'm quarantining and treating a $5 chromis or a $500 tang.. the effort required and operational expense (meds, salt for WCs, etc.) is about the same.
Heck, there might even be some sales opportunity there.. "buy 3 and QT for the price of 2. Why pay $60 for this QT'ed chromis when you can get a QT-ed Flasher Wrasse for a few bucks more?"

 

[User1]

Well...look at it this way:

3 x $20 fish = $60
3 x $100 fish = $300
3 x $250 fish = $750
3 x $800 fish = $2,400
3 x $5,000 fish = $15,000

Unless they do the QT program in your home there is still no guarantee that it will live through shipping and introduction to your display tank. Your tank is still an unknown which is why we say do not take aquarium fish / livestock and return it to the ocean thinking you are doing a good thing (not saying this is what anyone is doing - figure of speach). I voted no because the person who is doing the QT does not know my husbandry skills and if they did they probably wouldn't let me buy a fish anyway

 

[Aardvark1134]

Actually the more expensive the fish the more expensive the qt. If you lose a $5 fish trying to get it healthy and eating you are out $5. If you loose a $300 red sea regal you are out $300. So they take a much bigger risk keeping that expensive angel in the store trying to get it healthy and eating vs pushing it out the door.

 

[Salty Lemon]

Has anyone considered a flat rate instead of a multiplier? IMO, doesn't matter whether I'm quarantining and treating a $5 chromis or a $500 tang.. the effort required and operational expense (meds, salt for WCs, etc.) is about the same.
Heck, there might even be some sales opportunity there.. "buy 3 and QT for the price of 2. Why pay $60 for this QT'ed chromis when you can get a QT-ed Flasher Wrasse for a few bucks more?"

I'm liking this. Or...you can purchase the fish, then a bunch of options pop up. External parasite treatment? $25, Internal parasite treatment? $15, two month warranty? $10.

 

[User1]

Actually the more expensive the fish the more expensive the qt. If you lose a $5 fish trying to get it healthy and eating you are out $5. If you loose a $300 red sea regal you are out $300. So they take a much bigger risk keeping that expensive angel in the store trying to get it healthy and eating vs pushing it out the door.

Sponsor here sells gem tanks for $750'ish dollars. Does not add any guarantee although they do with other fish. Reason is the cost. We disagree on this because the Gem tang is not difficult say such as an Achilles tang (expert only) or other known difficult fish. Regals are one of those I could see a higher cost. Gems, I do not. Just putting it into perspective with regards to price. It isn't just price per say but also what is known to be difficult and for what reason it is. Be that eating or being shipped from source to final destination in the form of some wrasses and their nose/mouth area.

 

[TinyTinCans]

I live in an area where the only local source is Petco (DOA-co.) and a store 45 mins away that is only a little better. Here is my take on it from someone who doesn’t have local options.

I would pay 2x more just to start with a fish that isn’t currently having an issue. (So all the fish 2x more) then I would pay $50 more if I had an option to purchase a Quarantine and treatment to ensure that the fish arrived free of pest. I would also wait up to 30+days after purchasing for the fish to ship. In my mind this is how I would expect it to work, I pay for the fish the seller pulls the fish and adds to the quarantine process. They could start a new group every Monday, date the tanks and work through the process. As someone who has been purchasing livestock through the mail I would only expect the fish to arrive alive and live the exception is I would also expect it to stay pest free during my QT process.

I think the “add straight to the DT” is the issue that will always be impossible because there are to many variables. Seller should require the fish be placed in QT for at least 14days before being added to the DT if something happens during that time it’s on the seller to replace/refund/store credit whatever. I get for most people this won’t be practical. But, in my dream world with unicorns and purple and green clown fish I would pay for it.

 

[bigcheese]

Just putting it into perspective with regards to price. It isn't just price per say but also what is known to be difficult and for what reason it is.

Ahhhh... but we're not exactly in disagreement here. Flat rate could be a sliding scale based on amount of effort. There is a tenable financial model here, and I think yous guys that own LFSes might have a better idea of what it takes to be profitable and us consumers know what we're willing to pay for QT. Now it's just haggling on price.

2x for a $10 fish? I'll take it all day long, the LFS owner would lose their shirt.
3x for a $300 fish? I'll do it myself, removing both a potential source of income for the LFS and minimizing that value-add.
Yes, I assume the $300 risk... but risk is not cost. Under the current state of affairs, I'd be assuming that anyway, as well as the LFS that sold me the fish before I bought it (albeit for a short amount of time). Getting it into QT and treatment ASAP is a great hedge against that.

 

[User1]

Real world example.

Live Aquaria
Achilles Tang Adult 299.99

Divers Den (some form of QT process)
Achilles Tang Adult 399.99

What is that - 33% markup?

 

[dhuynh]

Real world example.

Live Aquaria
Achilles Tang Adult 299.99

Divers Den (some form of QT process)
Achilles Tang Adult 399.99

What is that - 33% markup?

Or..

Moorish idol
Dussumiere tang
Achilles Tang

$385

Treated with furan2, copper and metro.
Eating pellets and mysis.

You just have to find the right seller.

 

[User1]

Or..

Moorish idol
Dussumiere tang
Achilles Tang

$385

Treated with furan2, copper and metro.
Eating pellets and mysis.

You just have to find the right seller.

Of course, without a doubt. Side note - would be interested in the idol. I really like that fish. A lot. Never owned one and may never but they always pull me in. I've been on a few dives coming out of a small rock or cave formation and being swarmed with them. Or while in the cave pass through watching them swim along the sides and top eating things. Surreal.

 

[Salty Lemon]

Real world example.

Live Aquaria
Achilles Tang Adult 299.99

Divers Den (some form of QT process)
Achilles Tang Adult 399.99

What is that - 33% markup?

It would be worth it to me to pay extra. While I have a display tank that could hold an Achilles Tang -- I have nothing close to big enough (tank or room size) to store a qt set up large enough for it to live for a few weeks. It would be too stressed out in my 20L qt tank. My qt tank sits on the top of the dryer in my laundry room. I do not have a basement and all the rooms are taken by family stuff. If I wanted a fish room with larger qt tanks, I would have to remodel. (My husband already said no to that idea -- but I'll convince him eventually. ) So the extra $$ for the big QTed fish would be worth it to me.

 

[bigcheese]

What is that - 33% markup?

That, sir, is the deal of the century*.
I question whether our LFS owners could pay the bills on that, though.

*Assuming it's free of every parasite and disease. And properly shipped to arrive alive and in good condition.

 

[Aardvark1134]

divers den also is the exact fish in the pic not a fish that is somewhat remotely like the one in the pic.

 

[DarthSimon]

I would pay 25% more for a fully QT Fish...

 

[User1]

The LA/DD thing was just an example and the only one I could think of to give anything real I guess. Sorry if it came across has a complaint.

If you have a chance to get a better product and their methodology of quarantine is consistent and reliable then I'm all for it. We the hobbyist get to choose what makes the most sense. 33% if my math was correct isn't too bad based on the extra effort, time, etc.