How many of you buy pre-quarantined fish? I'm a fan!

[Daniel@R2R]

How many of you guys buy fish from a vendor who quarantines the fish for you? I've gotten multiple orders from @Dr. Reef, and I love knowing that someone who is an expert at this process and has a track record of providing healthy fish is doing the work that normally stresses me out. LOL It's helpful in so many ways IMO to work with vendors who are providing fish that have already been prophylactically treated for disease and have been acclimated well to aquarium life. How about you guys? How many of you are purchasing quarantined fish from vendors? Why or why not?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I know when I start to buy fish? I'll end up getting pre quarantined fish just for the extra safety measure.

 

[JGT]

I do not. Only trust myself to QT properly and somewhat paranoid about it. If I bought QT fish and paid the extra money for them, I'd probably QT myself anyway.

 

[exnisstech]

I do not. Only trust myself to QT properly and somewhat paranoid about it. If I bought QT fish and paid the extra money for them, I'd probably QT myself anyway.

^^ This.

 

[JGT]

^^ This.

Glad I'm not the only weirdo .

 

[Sharkbait19]

I would given the option - I don’t necessarily mind paying extra at a store but the shipping price (same for any live animal) just isn’t worth it to me. Maybe if I was dealing with more expensive fish, but I don’t have any at the moment.
I would still quarantine any fish I buy, but it would be a nice safety net (especially for something hard to qt like a dragonet).

 

[Goaway]

I dunno. I don't trust anyone after seeing quarantined fish die to illnesses they were supposed to be treated for already.

I'll do it myself, so i can only blame myself.

 

[Waters]

I only buy QT fish anymore.....I seem to have better luck that route rather than QTing myself. Since my tank is fully stocked anyways, it is rare that I add any new fish so it doesn't make sense to me to have another tank set up which will hardly get used.

 

[edd59]

I would given the option - I don’t necessarily mind paying extra at a store but the shipping price (same for any live animal) just isn’t worth it to me. Maybe if I was dealing with more expensive fish, but I don’t have any at the moment.
I would still quarantine any fish I buy, but it would be a nice safety net (especially for something hard to qt like a dragonet).

tsm aquatics shipping in nj is $30. i just got a blue hippo, one spot blenny and fire fish. havent had good luck QTING myself. there doing great, would buy from them again.

 

[Reefer Matt]

There is a LFS by me that will only sell fish after they are initially quarantined for a few weeks. I have gotten a few fish from there. I like the idea of tank raised fish as well, as they may not have been exposed to certain ailments.

 

[Paul B]

I have only bought maybe 5 fish on line and I will pay more for "Un-Quarantined" fish. I like fish right from the sea as much as possible and when I get them from an LFS, I like to get them right from the bag from the wholesaler.

But thats just me

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I think the reason a lot of people experience better luck with pre-QTd fish is simply because they've survived for a certain amount of time in captivity already and therefore the shipping stress is reduced. Also, they've probably been treated better (the ones who survive to be sold i mean).

 

[jda]

I also like them with less captive stress. Who knows what kind of tanks that they were in. I have had better success with rocks, sand, etc. that sterile tanks with PVC tubes, hypo, etc. I am capable of doing this myself, though.

I would buy a QT'd fish and even pay more if it were rare and I really wanted it. Otherwise, just from the diver to me is preferred. A short stop in LA is best after that, but I like to get them out of the wholesaler bag.

Honest question... do people actually QT all of their inverts, corals, etc. and expect their tanks to be disease free when buying these fish, or do they just buy QT'd fish since they have shown some ability to survive and eat in captivity already and know that their tanks are not likely disease free?

 

[blecki]

I'm pretty much a convert. Though there are a few species I am seeing a lot in the LFS but never see online.

I've just lost too many fish from an LFS in quarantine. The cost saving over my LFS vs, say, DrReef, just wasn't worth it because in the long run a $100 live fish costs a lot less than an $80 dead one. Not to mention I probably paid more than the difference in medications and equipment for the QT. With a pre-quarantined fish the seller has taken on almost all of the risk - if the fish is sick, and dies in QT, they're the ones that lost. I don't know of any that don't offer a live arrival guarantee and many guarantee the fish for several days afterwards as well. Since they have the fish for a month or more before shipping they've taken most of the risk of loss from disease, cyanide fishing, poor wholesaler conditions, poor shipping, inability to adapt to tank life, etc, onto themselves. It's the exact opposite of the LFS model where most get fish from the wholesaler and are just trying to keep them alive long enough to sell them.

I don't want to just turn this into an advertisement for DrReef but I'm honestly shocked by his prices. His price for a fully quarantined fish is often lower than the LFSs around here.

 

[blazn]

After a tank wipe-out from marine velvet over a decade ago, I never add a fish to my DT that hasn't been prophylactically treated, as I never want to go thru that again! I've made 3 separate purchases of quarantined fish from Dr. Reef over the last 2 years and I've been very pleased with each of those purchases. I've also obtained fish from fellow local hobbyists and my favorite LFS and quarantined/prophylactically treated those myself. It's definitely easier to purchase pre-quarantined fish, but I do find it more satisfying to complete the QT process myself.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I Used to for convenience even though Im perfectly capable of doing it myself and have two permanent qt tanks running.

After being let down way too many times by the good Doctors shady business practices, that won't be happening again, ever.

 

[blecki]

For the record the good Dr's shady business practices include giving me store credit for a fish that died outside the guarantee period because it was mortally wounded in a fight.

 

[kdx7214]

I get mine from an LFS in St. Louis. They QT them in hyposalinity conditions with copper. It's a PITA to adjust them and swap the water out, but I've never lost a fish from them.

 

[GlassMunky]

do they just buy QT'd fish since they have shown some ability to survive and eat in captivity already and know that their tanks are not likely disease free?

this^

at least for me. I know that disease can come in on anything, but buying pre-qted and conditioned fish, i know that they have been held for a while and are healthy and are eating prepared foods, which for me is nice since i really don't have the time or space to be conditioning my fish.

I think going into it with the idea of being super sterile with everything is a recipe for a bad time reefing. Were aiming for healthy, not sterile and sometimes forget that.

 

[blecki]

A lot (maybe all?) of the online ones ship in lower salinity water too. Often with methalyne blue in the water. As long as they are just low (1.20-1.21) and not in real hyposalinity (1.009) is only takes an hour and a half or so acclimate them to a reef.