Brew12
Electrical Gru
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My Tank Thread
I really didn't write this article to support or condemn one method of receiving fish over another. I touched on it briefly from the perspective that a fish with a parasite can still be healthy. Otherwise, I feel that what I put out in this article are ideals that every reefer should strive to regardless of their QT practices.I don't doubt this can work IF coupled with a tool that eliminates free swimmers. However, fresh seafood can be hard to find in flyover country, and live blackworms costs $60 per 1/8 lb shipped and are subject to ever changing availability. (Most LFS do not carry live blackworms, and most Americans are not going to culture their own worms.)
On the contrary, seafood seemed to be everywhere in Europe when I lived/traveled there. Because it is such an important part of their diet, and you are usually never too far from the coast. Europeans are also typically more patient people, and willing to go that extra mile. Most Americans want everything quick & easy.
So from a practical standpoint, I don't see how this is ever going to work for mainstream American hobbyists. You have to really be dedicated to making it work. I watch public aquariums QT using copper + formalin with a ~ 80% success rate. 5-10 years later the fish are still in their displays (unless cross contamination or some other accident occurs.) No cancer, no destroyed immune system, etc. Of course, not every fish can tolerate that strong of a chemoprophylactic treatment, but it's hard to argue with the overall numbers. Makes me feel like we are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel when they figured it out long ago.
I do think people use prophylactic treatments as a tool to help them stock tanks in ways they otherwise couldn't or feed them in ways they shouldn't, but that is a separate issue.