Quarantine service

tang daddy · #1 10-25-2010, 01:07 AM

Here is my feed back, paddyob has some good points....

On top of what he has suggested I would definately like to buy anthias that survive and eat. We all know this is not an easy fish to keep and even if you are able to keep it, it wont be long term.

I think there might be interest from a few reefers in this service but as mentioned before, no one likes paying premium price including myself.

Most of the fish we pick from the stores are what we believe to be healthy specimens, (not many people will buy sick fish that have open wounds or filled with ich) with that said why would You subject the fish to a copper bath or any other medication if it does not need one?

IMO this would stress the fish out more and cause it to be weaker. I believe even after you treat these fish when they enter a new system they may be stressed and get ich again.

Through my experience and Im not claiming to know everything, I have found the best way to keep fish alive is to have good compatibility in your system. I have had my tank stocked perfectly in the past and with a wrong addition lost 3-4 other fish. When I first started I never thought about compatibility and this is some of the reasons why fish dont live for long, the other is probably because they are cyanide caught...

I do see fish in stores with ich and sometimes it's a number of reasons. Some fish are more prone to ich like the powder tangs or even hippo tangs...
other fish have had a long plane ride in a bag only to be put into small tanks with other sick fish. Or perhaps like mentioned above they were possibly cyanide caught!

What I am getting at is you can Qt other peoples fish but it may be more work for you with a small pay off. And what was suggested earlier best to let people buy the fish and then you qt them for a price...

QT Service price(not cost of fish)

damsels $5
tangs $10-15
angels$10-30 depending on size
....

Just my suggestions good luck!

vaporize · #2 10-25-2010, 04:28 AM

I actually do that on my side of the country

But most people do not appreciate it and rather pay $10 ocellaris clownfish than a $30 one; so they rather replace livestock and take chances.

It is same as asking how many people actually have a proper quarantine tank setup.

Unfortunately, most have to learn it the hard way to watch un-quarantined fish kill the pets that lived with them for 3, 5, 10 years before they appreciate such. And alot of them never learn either.

Unless you are really good with disease ID and medication, you are going to be lucky if you even break even. Throwing bi-furan and curpamine into a QT is not really quarantine

plutoniumJoe · #3 10-25-2010, 04:47 AM

I have often thought that this might be a value added service that some LFS might provide. I.E. holding back some fish for a few weeks then selling them at a premium. I think however that some LFS medicate some fish especially the Ich magnets to 1. help the fish and 2. encourage purchases. The longer a fish stays at the store the less return on their investment.

If you look at the forums people are often selling fish at 50-70% of the LFS prices. Fish bought from a local reefer have been in a stable environment for anywhere from 1 week to several years and they are already discounted compared to a fish that has been snatched from its local habitat, bagged and shipped for 18hrs, introduced into a LFS tank, bagged and shipped to a consumer and introduced into another tank all in a week or so.

I think it is a great idea but I think it might be a tough go.

-Joe

piusma · #4 10-25-2010, 06:14 AM

I see how most people don't want to pay a premium for their fish. I guess to each of their own, everyone of us handles our fish differently. I personally see paying the premium would save me the time and the money/space for a QT setup. I guess it is not as important to everyone else. I guess I'll be tearing this setup down after getting my last batch of fish. Regardless It's some fun discussion everyone! Happy reefing.

Steven