Would you pay more for QT'd fish?

Kworker · Jun 29, 2014

Would you?
If someone was selling fish that were pre-quarantined in your area would you pay a premium?

Would you trust them? What would cause you not to trust them?

What would you find questionable and what necessary for a proper QT process?

Like to hear some of your thoughts.

saltyhog · Jun 29, 2014

If I absolutely trusted their QT protocol I would be happy to pay more. No one is offering this service except Nice Wrasse and with him you are basically buying the fish and paying him to QT it for you. I'll have to read his protocol again.

mfief · Jun 29, 2014

Some LFS will let you buy the fish and pick it up another. I have done this for two reasons. If they just received the fish they haven't completed the treatment cycle. The other is if I am bringing other fish home already. My tank that is up and running is only a 55 so I do not like adding the biology of mre Than one fish at at time ( other than paired fish obviosly) it is always worth asking when you go somewhere

mfief · Jun 29, 2014

mfief said:
Some LFS will let you buy the fish and pick it up another. I have done this for two reasons. If they just received the fish they haven't completed the treatment cycle. The other is if I am bringing other fish home already. My tank that is up and running is only a 55 so I do not like adding the biology of mre Than one fish at at time ( other than paired fish obviosly) it is always worth asking when you go somewhere

Sorry buy it one day and pick it up on another day

retiredsailor · Jun 29, 2014

I think I would need to have a good relationship with the person and an advanced level of trust. Something going wrong can ruin that relationship/friendship as "blame" is cast back and forth.
While I don't have any fish in my tank yet, (except damsels for cycling) my plan is to have my LFS order the fish I want and hold them for 5 to 7 days. The owner has agreed to this but we haven't come to an agreement on when payment will be made. I understand I will still have to QT but I will hopefully not have to worry about very weak/sick stock.

Mr. Limpid · Jun 30, 2014

It would be hard for me to let someone else QT fish for me. I Have 8 fish and 1 is over 8 years old and other worth hundreds of dollars. All I need is 1 ick egg to knock out the entire tank. I rather QT them my self and have me to blame.

skinz78 · Jun 30, 2014

I would, if the fish look healthy and has minimal stress in a move.

rworegon · Jun 30, 2014

A lfs does but have the resources to properly qt fish for you. The fish needs to be isolated from incoming stock and in an isolated system to avoid cross contamination. much safer to do it yourself.

Daniel@R2R · Jun 30, 2014

Yep! Definitely! There's actually a sponsor on here who does qt fish for 30 days in isolated systems. It's a lot of work, but I'd pay extra for a fish I know is eating and been under observation. I'm not saying I'd use that as an alternative to my own qt, but it does mean that I'm ahead of the curve when I get it.

milonedp · Jun 30, 2014

Absolutely, I have even tried to arrange that with some local lfs but it has never worked out.

Aqua fire/medic · Jun 30, 2014

I would absolutely pay a premium for QT'd fish.... As long as the person is experienced with the Qt and treatment of illnesses I would be all about it :)

Russellaqua · Jun 30, 2014

I would if it were from a reputable source. Bringing home fish to qt yourself means acclimating to the qt tank (which may be somewhat undersized, adding stress) and then eventually acclimating to the display tank. If a retailer receives a fish and immediately places it in a qt tank, runs the appropriate protocol, and then sells it to you, you have removed an acclimation and source of stress. If I were purchasing an expensive fish, this would be my preferred route.

Brian fischer · Jun 30, 2014

I am the lead aquarist at Living Color AMS and we specialize in supplying retail stores with quarantined fish. All fish are medicated through various means for 4 weeks and transitioned to readily available captive foods prior to sale. We have found that many retailers appreciate the extra attention and notice the difference in quality upon arrival.

-Brian

mfief · Jun 30, 2014

Brian fischer said:
I am the lead aquarist at Living Color AMS and we specialize in supplying retail stores with quarantined fish. All fish are medicated through various means for 4 weeks and transitioned to readily available captive foods prior to sale. We have found that many retailers appreciate the extra attention and notice the difference in quality upon arrival.

-Brian

I wish this was the standard across the board

Mgoc · Jun 30, 2014

If I trusted the LFS and knew that they are actually doing what they say they are I would pay more.

kandymann · Jun 30, 2014

LiveAquaria DiversDen is hands down the best IMO. I don't think they are too expensive.

specvjeff · Jul 1, 2014

Yes I would. However, I'm just going to quarantine them again. Trust no one!

reeffirstaid · Jul 1, 2014

If it's a trusted vendor with good quarantine procedures, yes. In fact, I won't buy fish from vendors that don't pre-qt their fish. This means, giving them a couple of weeks after initial arrival, before offering them for sale. So many vendors sell fish as soon as they roll in the door, and that is a terrible practice.

jltyler42 · Jul 1, 2014

My LFS Qt's all of his fish before he puts them on display. 1 week for Freshwater and 2 weeks for saltwater. I haven't had a problem yet and I have 3 tanks.