LFS question

[Eric_n_Ga]

Been visiting the area fish stores and looking and learning . Seen some really nice stuff and some questionable things . I don't want to mention any names as not to offend or call anyone out . That's not the purpose of this post , but I have noticed several tanks with what looks like cyano , bubble algae , fish with what looks like early stages of ich , lots of pest anemones and a few other things I would not want to introduce into my system.

Am I over reacting ? Or is this just common place now ?

 

[vols22]

Not all lfs are created equal, as I wont say any names either but I have definitely seen it. I have dialed down my stores for certain things. One store I buy fish and corals and another store I buy all of my supplies. You expect stores to be dialed in but sometime that is not the case. I get the occasional things but if it's overwhelming I tend to not purchase from there.

 

[hzheng33]

i would say you are not overacting but may not have the complete picture. i know some lfs intentionally grow out things like aptasia and bubble algae to feed the various livestock such as peppermint shrimp and foxface , etc. but again, this is me always giving people the benefit of the doubt. regarding fishes not in optimal health conditions, i have also seen some fishes recently move from one tank to another in the lfs where the fishes are laying down on the side and breathing heavily. is it good for the lfs? probably not a good sight to the customer but i'm sure it's just part of doing business.

if in doubt, you can always ask them and see their response.

 

[ashwinv96]

I don't mean to slander them but I have had really bad experiences with ich after purchasing fish from The Fish Store in Chamblee. Definitely make sure you have a solid QT setup but that goes for any introduction of livestock once you have been in the hobby for a while.

 

[popsbjd]

I don't mean to slander them but I have had really bad experiences with ich after purchasing fish from The Fish Store in Chamblee. Definitely make sure you have a solid QT setup but that goes for any introduction of livestock once you have been in the hobby for a while.

Calling them out by name and blaming them for ich in your tank is quite a way not to slander them. I don't have a dog in the fight but I think that is unfair, especially for something like ich. If the fish showed no signs at the store, it is entirely possible the stress of bagging, transport, and introdution into your system weakened it to the point that ich that was present in your system already was able to take hold. Or, it could have been there but not showing signs. Either way, what is the store to do in that situation? LFS are well known vectors for all kinds of diseases and parasites and there is only so much they can do with things coming and going constantly. It is on you, as you said, to quarantine properly or risk the consequences.

 

[ashwinv96]

Calling them out by name and blaming them for ich in your tank is quite a way not to slander them. I don't have a dog in the fight but I think that is unfair, especially for something like ich. If the fish showed no signs at the store, it is entirely possible the stress of bagging, transport, and introdution into your system weakened it to the point that ich that was present in your system already was able to take hold. Or, it could have been there but not showing signs. Either way, what is the store to do in that situation? LFS are well known vectors for all kinds of diseases and parasites and there is only so much they can do with things coming and going constantly. It is on you, as you said, to quarantine properly or risk the consequences.

I've been in the hobby for about 2 years now which I consider to be a pretty short amount of time. This was about 6 months ago when I went there and picked up a damsel to aid in cycling my new tank. He had a couple of small white spots on him at the store and I specifically asked if that was ich. A lady that worked there told me it was probably just a chip on his scales from scraping a rock and that ich was only present in freshwater fish. I naively believed her and brought him into my tank. I have been combating ich ever since and have taken numerous measures to destroy the bacteria at all stages of its life cycle.

I am not posting this to blame them because, at the end of the day, I was not well informed prior to going in there. But, after personally experiencing this, I just want anyone who finds themselves there or at any LFS for that matter to be careful and informed.

 

[Mom2Many]

Inspect, observe, cut off plugs when you can, dip, ask live stock to be fed in your sight, have a QT... dont by anything questionable or if it is in with anything that looks questionable....Its the best we can do and part of the hobby. I to have certian stores I buy only drygoods at and certian stores I frequent for livestock.

 

[jcook54]

Ich is in 99% of tank that have ever had tangs. Man, I had a Hippo that would get ich if I turned on the lights too fast. That's kind of a joke but tangs are very, very susceptible to ich. So much so that I assume I'm going to have to deal with ich whenever I deals with tangs. I think LFS do their best and with the amount of livestock they move, they can't stop pests. I mean, all reef forums are loaded with individuals dealing with algae and pests in their single tank systems. They also deal with fluctuating shipments. Let's say Store A get's fish every Wednesday. On Thursday the tanks look great, lots of happy fish but certainly a few that aren't doing so hot (it happens). All of the good and healthy fish get sold and by Monday, it's the rough one's that are left. Come Tuesday the shop looks "bad" because the majority of fish left are the ill one's. Should they QT them in the back? Sure but that costs and I've never known a fish store owner to be awash in $$$$. In fact, I think owning a reef store is a constant struggle to keep things going.

 

[Nifftiness]

If you treat your fish food in a garlic soak as soon as you suspect Ich it’s easy to treat. It’s a common issue when a fish gets stressed. Education on how to treat your tank and Ich should not be an issue. I have not lost a fish since learning and understanding how garlic works with certain parasites. And if your buying a fish that is commonly susceptible to Ich like a tang, I treat the food with garlic for the first week or two to help boost the fish’s immune system right off the bat. (The fish love it) Sometimes between the stress of the shipments and new tank mates Ich is always a risk at fish stores. Add the new move to your tank and again new tank mates and it’s just something you need to prepare for sometimes.

 

[Nifftiness]

I also wanted to add You can buy the Garlic gaurd from the lfs, it’s cheap for a bottle that will last forever, its made by seachem and came in a white bottle with blue label that has fish and garlic on it. I soaked the food (frosen brine shrimp as well as flake food) and fed often and within two days the ich will fall off the fish, the trick to Garlic is to continue doing this for awhile after the ich has fallen off for two reasons, one the ich isnt dead doing this, the ich parasite doesn’t like garlic so falls off after the fish has started eating it (took about 2 days) and the second reason is that ich hosts on already week or stressed out fish and the garlic will help to strengthen their immune system. So if you stop dipping the food right away the ich will re attach to the weak fish. I like to soak the food for about a week and a half and then just once a week for another 2 weeks and it doesn’t usually come back. i know this came out long but on the bottle it recomends buying two other things in the instuctions, you dont need to do this, just using food and the garlic guard will work on its own i found! and is cheap and reef safe for corals and such!!!

 

[Adam]

I am not a believer in garlic other that getting a fish to eat. It may or may not get a fish to eat that has a suppressed appetite. Getting them to eat is the key to building their strength and in doing so, their immune system.

There are many, many resources online for dealing with all diseases. R2R probably has the best forum on the net for this topic. So I won't go into all the details here. I'll just state the following.

The two best ways for giving fish quick relief from ich is a fresh water dip, that is ph and temp stabilized with the water they come from, and feeding them food treated with Seachem Focus & Metro. Neither are a cure but will kill the parasites that are attached to the the fish. This quick relief doesn't suppress appetite and helps to keep them eating.

It doesn't matter where you get fish. It's a problem we all have to deal with. Bad or fraudulent advice at a LFS on the other hand... that should be unacceptable and reported to the management of that store.

 

[FutureInterest]

I remember getting my first achilles tang... and then having the largest ich outbreak I've ever seen. I tried everything and was even dumping tons of fresh garlic juice in the water daily. The thought that garlic was somehow a panacea appealed to me but it had no effect. Ich cycles and the we think whatever nonsense we dump in the tank is working but its just because they are in the tomont stage...

That achilles is the only fish I've lost to ich. Now that I have a strong UV I'm confident I could try and keep another one. Although my powder blue and other tangs wouldn't stand for it...