How much is the fish store accountable if they sell me a fish and I don't quarantine?

[FrostyWriter021]

The Fish Store has zero accountability. If you were there, saw the fish in "good health", and made the decision to purchase it, the liability of the fish store ends the minute you walk out the door. Some stores give guarantees, while others don't. Very few stores quarantine or condition their fish.....it's just not cost effective...You can purchase from a vendor that does, or do it yourself. Learning how to best QT a fish is part of the beauty of the hobby imo, and there are a lot of resources online to guide you through the process, depending on what type of fish you have. Sorry about your challenges....we all have and still go through them.

What is the best way to quarantine a fish from the fish store. I have a 10 gallon tank sitting around with no filter or anything just the tank. what should I do?

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

What is the best way to quarantine a fish from the fish store. I have a 10 gallon tank sitting around with no filter or anything just the tank. what should I do?

Watch Elliot's video on BRS QT series. It is his business QT fish. This is how I do it also...

 

[spsick]

Do you believe more fish die in the time between capture in the ocean and getting to your LFS, OR while sitting at your LFS, to you?

Giving a complete lack of evidence here, I would essentially guarantee more fish die from the time of capture to being delivered to the LFS, then die at the LFS into our tanks.

So far, the discussion has been all about once it's delivered to the LFS. What if that's only 10-20 of the overall loss?

The responsible care and husbandry, Once on deck is one thing in my opinion. I believe that MANY times more fish die from capture, to delivery which has Nothing to do with how LFS care for, and prep fish for final resale.

I guess I am pointing more to the wholesalers/importers/distributors than the LFS as that’s where fish are picking up flukes, velvet, etc not in the LFS tank for a couple days.

 

[FrostyWriter021]

Watch Elliot's video on BRS QT series. It is his business QT fish. This is how I do it also...

what's the exact yt channel name

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

what's the exact yt channel name

BRStv

 

[davidcalgary29]

There are some great online vendors that quarantine their fish but it will cost a bit more but greatly worth it if you want a clean healthy fish or don’t want to go through the quarantine process yourself.

It really doesn't in many cases, though. Case in point: Ethical Aquatics, my local pre-quarantined source, recently had a gem tang for sale for $449 CAD. That's about half the cost of what other vendors were charging for their non-quarantined gem tangs during the course of the past year.

 

[Eric Cohen]

Glad you're not giving up!! May i suggest an observational QT as a possible solution if a traditional QT is going to be an issue? Personally i don't think treatment with all those chemicals is healthy for the fish for one thing and while an observational QT certainly isn't foolproof, it can reduce the chances of an infected fish getting in your tank. If you do wanna do the full QT protocol though, go right ahead!

Here is an important part of the deal between you and your LFS. You need good advice and to build that relationship with the LFS so you can have all your choices known up front. Had you know you were taking a risk and it bit ya, then ok...but if you are a newbie and the store who sold you fish never mentioned quarantine to you, then that's bad on them. Most good stores know you, know your tank and will make sure you're making the right choices. Fortunately you are new to the hobby and have learned some great lessons early on. Quarantine is still not as mainstream as I would like to see it.......and I've been doing this since I was a kid in the early 70's.......still playing with fish and love it.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Here is an important part of the deal between you and your LFS. You need good advice and to build that relationship with the LFS so you can have all your choices known up front. Had you know you were taking a risk and it bit ya, then ok...but if you are a newbie and the store who sold you fish never mentioned quarantine to you, then that's bad on them. Most good stores know you, know your tank and will make sure you're making the right choices. Fortunately you are new to the hobby and have learned some great lessons early on. Quarantine is still not as mainstream as I would like to see it.......and I've been doing this since I was a kid in the early 70's.......still playing with fish and love it.

I agree do you personally prefer a full traditional QT protocol or an observational QT?

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I agree do you personally prefer a full traditional QT protocol or an observational QT?

It was @Eric Cohen recent business to provide customers with the best possible preconditioned fish. That included a full traditional QT service.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

It was @Eric Cohen recent business to provide customers with the best possible preconditioned fish. That included a full traditional QT service.

I see...i was just aware he was the go to guy for Australian live rock (of which I'd be a customer if i were on that side of the world and had the money on hand...here we're lucky enough to have similar options though)

 

[AydenLincoln]

0! As soon as you walk out the door no safety net or any guarantee applies. Unless of course they state a certain police but most fish store don’t have these policies.

 

[Tamberav]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum so apologies for the newbie question. I have a 90-gal tank that I've had for 2 years now. Twice in the last two years, my tank has crashed after putting a new fish in from the local fish store. It is a fish only tank -- pretty straight forward. Here's the thing -- I've never quarantined my fish when buying them, although I will be from now on. What are your thoughts on any level of responsibility of the local store that sold me the fish that killed my others? Last year, the infected fish wiped all of my others out with a velvet infection. This year, it was ich. I'm clearly learning a lot about what not to do, but I don't what, if anything, to say to the local store owner. They are really good guys -- love the help I normally get from them, but the reality is that a fish from their store has killed off a lot of my existing fish. Thoughts?

They have no liability.

Actually there was a judge Judy where someone tried to sue a LFS for the sick fish killing the rest. She lost but did get the refund for the new sick fish she purchased since they had a 7? Or whatever day guarantee. But the LFS was not responsible for her other fish.

Anything wet can bring disease, this means snails, crabs, corals, live rock. Anything. Fish are the most likely culprit though.

 

[Eric Cohen]

I see...i was just aware he was the go to guy for Australian live rock (of which I'd be a customer if i were on that side of the world and had the money on hand...here we're lucky enough to have similar options though)

I did add the liverock to our warehouse and cured it for customers in the hobby wanting a light weight and top quality live rock.....I have passed the torch to Unique Corals on that and they will be offering the same rock as I was working with. The fish quarantine services we were offering were as good as anyone in the industry, arguably the best. The qt services we were providing were the main part of our business...the rock was just a fun project and what I thought the industry was lacking.

Now I just offer partially conditioned fish, but the largest variety and I hope the service I provide to customers will soon be better known around the industry. What I feel is lacking in the industry now is a good partner for hobbyists where to source their livestock and they now have that option with me, through my new website Tankstop.com. Plug over

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

y

I did add the liverock to our warehouse and cured it for customers in the hobby wanting a light weight and top quality live rock.....I have passed the torch to Unique Corals on that and they will be offering the same rock as I was working with. The fish quarantine services we were offering were as good as anyone in the industry, arguably the best. The qt services we were providing were the main part of our business...the rock was just a fun project and what I thought the industry was lacking.

Now I just offer partially conditioned fish, but the largest variety and I hope the service I provide to customers will soon be better known around the industry. What I feel is lacking in the industry now is a good partner for hobbyists where to source their livestock and they now have that option with me, through my new website Tankstop.com. Plug over

you've piqued my curiosity...

 

[Jared Bryant]

How does the LFS know that the disease wasn't in your tank before you put the new fish in.

How do you even know for sure? ICP? Maybe but that is a stretch.

 

[nuxx]

I actually never took anyone up on a guarantee either. Maybe just DOA (honestly don't remember getting any DOA fish), but I felt after they were in my care it was kind of up to me.

 

[Eric Cohen]

How does the LFS know that the disease wasn't in your tank before you put the new fish in.

How do you even know for sure? ICP? Maybe but that is a stretch.

I have a customer who does a test before he puts in any new fish....the test is very extensive and tells him if he has any disease in his system.......let me look it up......got it....its called "AquaBiomics Tank DNA Test". Check this crazy Shhhhhht out at aquabiomics.com So cool and pretty extensive.

 

[PatW]

Unless the fish store made has a policy of stating that fish are completely disease free, which no one does, they have no obligation. Even if they warrant such a thing, they would probably limit it to refunding the money on defective livestock. If your $20 Chromis caused $1000 of fish to die, that is your problem.

There are people who aquaculture corals and they give out the processes that they use to make sure their corals are disease free but as far as I know, no one actually has a warranty that such is the case. It is more, this is what we do to protect ourselves and our customers but the process can fail.

 

[brandon429]

regarding aquabiomics testing

how does sampling 1/10000000th of a tank's surface area or a few drops of water exclude pathogens for the other portions of the tank


utility in reefing though> tbd

I have asked AB this question twice now on Humblefish's site, no response yet. seems like an easy question to clarify for us

here's one of the threads, awaiting response:

Live Reef Sand!

Just posted some more Live Reef Sand! Get is while it's still available. https://aquabiomics.com/product/live-reef-sand

humble.fish

Aquabiomics once told me in a thread that it's not possible to verify a tank is cycled by looking at pictures of it (the implication is that testing is required)

for the last four years I've been back editing proofs into that thread of visually-cycled reef tanks, no testing used before we stocked the tanks. EMeyer is AB>

Instant Tank Cycle

Set up my tank Friday. Placed a sizeable chunk of frozen brine shrimp into the filter sock to stop it messing up the tank. Saturday PM Ammonia is 0 Saturday PM added another chunk of frozen brine shrimp different area of sump. Added seeded live rock from other tanks also. Sunday PM Ammonia...

www.reef2reef.com

I'm skeptical of AB testing due to patterns on file not because I'm a meanie. it's simply fun to take things that are for sale in reefing and see if they're needed or valid at all. reefhackerlife.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I have a customer who does a test before he puts in any new fish....the test is very extensive and tells him if he has any disease in his system.......let me look it up......got it....its called "AquaBiomics Tank DNA Test". Check this crazy Shhhhhht out at aquabiomics.com So cool and pretty extensive.

You just time traveled backwards six months… when BRS brought them up in a best way to start your tank series…
A bit of a Hot Topic…
Lol…