Haven't seen this question before

[stephish]

I stopped by the lfs that I don't normally go to because I needed a phosphate test kit (they were 0 btw). They had just gotten in a massive order and hadn't opened any of the boxes yet. I've been hunting a yellow watchman goby and a coco worm and somewhere in the 20+ boxes they have both.
Here's the question...... Would it be better to take the fish before they put it in their tank, with the agreement that if it died in the first 7 days they replace it (this way it doesn't have to acclimate twice) or would it be better to let them acclimate and feed and then take home and put in QT?
Let me say that the reason I haven't purchased fish from them is that their display tanks are always quite rough looking and they have quite the collection of coral skeletons but very few live healthy corals. Right now they have a large powder blue in a 20 gallon with nothing else in it but a fake castle, he hangs out directly in front of the filter return and occasionally scratches up against the castle, makes me sad. I might be being overly picky as they are the largest and busiest lfs and they are definitely the largest.

 

[reefforbrains]

Depends how they acclimate at the LFS, most of the hustle and bustle big shops just float for 20 minutes, then snip open and dump them in.
You mention getting one with a 7 day warranty? I know very few shops that offer ANY warranty. My Experience is if i can see in the bag pretty clearly and it is something I am looking for then I always go for the unopened bag if possible. Something like the Harliquin I had to wait and watch a half a dozen different shipments before making that plunge. I think it all goes back to species and track history with the supplier.

 

[stephish]

Yeah, the 7 day was pretty surprising! I asked how they acclimate and you're right it's pretty much float for awhile, add a little tank water and float and then dump. I decided to let them get everyone unpacked and i'm going back tomorrow for the watchman as long as he looks healthy. I might pick up the coco if it looks good as well.

 

[xdave]

The fewer number of times a fish is acclimated the better. If they are willing to still give you the warranty I'd do it. Make sure you get them home right away, open the bag asap, and do not put any water at all from the bag into your tank.
For people who may read this and don't live in a warm area, feel the bag to make sure it is at least at room temperature.

 

[stephish]

Dang it! I knew I should have gone ahead and brought it home, but I was trying to be patient and not rush it. I'm going tomorrow to get it/check it out and he'll go into my QT for a couple of weeks.

 

[renogaw]

you're always better not rushing things, and asking questions if you don't know the answer. but now you do, and you could always ask the lfs to put your name on it with some sort of deposit, make sure it's eating, and grab it in a couple days.

 

[puffer32]

Originally Posted by renogaw
you're always better not rushing things, and asking questions if you don't know the answer. but now you do, and you could always ask the lfs to put your name on it with some sort of deposit, make sure it's eating, and grab it in a couple days.
He doesn't want the fish to go into the lfs tanks cause they don't look to well cared for. And I agree with you not to rush things, its not good to buy a fish that is acclaimated only hrs or one day, to much stress for the fish.
I know when one of my lfs gets his shipment in and i have grabbed afew while they are still in the bag so they only get acclaimated once. I wait till they are temp floating so i can get a good look at it. Only problem with this is you don't get to see it eat, but i get a 48 hr gurantee, so that is good.

 

[renogaw]

but he also said he waited and was going to go back and see if the fish was good.

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by xDave
The fewer number of times a fish is acclimated the better. If they are willing to still give you the warranty I'd do it. Make sure you get them home right away, open the bag asap, and do not put any water at all from the bag into your tank.
For people who may read this and don't live in a warm area, feel the bag to make sure it is at least at room temperature.
Yep, I agree with Dave on the issue.

 

[stephish]

he's a she btw LOL
I'm going to head over there after lunch if said fish looks and is already in the tank i'll do deposit and pick it up next friday. Their tanks aren't the greatest looking but I haven't seen ich on anything, they normally don't keep the fish long enough for it to show up. The exception is the powder blue that was scratching but it's by itself and I didn't "see" any ich on it, just ich like behavior, poor baby is about 6 inches long and stuck in the little 20 for at least 2 weeks now.
I am going to QT but don't want to have to treat and start the fish out super stressed if I don't have to.
Thanks y'all, I appreciate the help!!

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by stephish

he's a she btw LOL
I'm going to head over there after lunch if said fish looks and is already in the tank i'll do deposit and pick it up next friday. Their tanks aren't the greatest looking but I haven't seen ich on anything, they normally don't keep the fish long enough for it to show up. The exception is the powder blue that was scratching but it's by itself and I didn't "see" any ich on it, just ich like behavior, poor baby is about 6 inches long and stuck in the little 20 for at least 2 weeks now.
I am going to QT but don't want to have to treat and start the fish out super stressed if I don't have to.
Thanks y'all, I appreciate the help!!
Sounds like a perfect plan. Always quarantine everything.

 

[ophiura]

First, when it comes to QTing fish, it shouldn't matter if it was in the LFS tanks or in a bag. They should both be QT'd if you QT in general. There is NO reason to assume that a fish picked up ick at an LFS. It is not foreign to them, and the stress of transport often results in it - regardless of whether they were in the bag or not. Not to mention they were at a wholesaler too, before the LFS. Many fish come into an LFS with ick. Seeing ick in tanks at an LFS, IMO, is not an automatic sign that they are a poor quality store. There are other signs to look for, but I think people need to understand more about ick before blaming it on the quality of the store alone.
I would be very very surprised if the LFS gave you a guarantee on a fish still in the bag. The store where I worked would not (though typically we gave a 7 day guarantee on our other fish). Most mortality on new fish is 48-72 hours after arrival at the store. Shipping is a big stress, not just going into store tanks because of their acclimation.
Most LFS do not acclimate fish for anything more than temperature. There are several reasons for this, which have been covered in other threads. But basically if you consider that in a bag, there is ammonia from the fish in transport. In addition, the pH has also dropped, making the ammonia less toxic. If you start acclimating the fish, the pH will increase, the ammonia becomes much more toxic, and you could be in trouble. Fish don't usually have too much of an issue with little to no acclimation (at least in terms of salinity), IMO....except in terms of major temperature shock or possibly very significant changes in salinity (though the fresh water dip remains a common treatment). Anyway, you can go several ways on it, but fish coming in after long transport may indeed be acclimated differently than after a short drive to your home.
If they give you a warranty on the fish in the bag, then I suppose you can consider it (but you may consider the above depending on how long your acclimation is). I personally like to see fish eating and how they behave - have they started to acclimate to captivity. But that is me personally. I tend to watch fish quite awhile before puchasing.

 

[hatessushi]

the way you describe that LFS it sounds like they don't take care of their tanks. I wouldn't buy from them at all.

 

[acrylic51]

I'd much rather take my chances acclimating them myself insteady of having them dropped in the store tanks, and they yours.....Take 1 step out of the process....

 

[stephish]

Ok so I have the watchman swimming in my QT. He was going in there regardless of where he came from, Sepulation has guided me well on this point, no fish will ever go in my DT without 3-4 weeks QT first.
He looked good at the store and I asked that he be feed and the lfs owner had no problem doing that for me, he ate some brine without hesitation. I took a water sample of the QT with me and they checked it and confirmed all was right on track and did tell me that If the fish died within the next 72 hours they would replace it. No 7 days because it was out of the bag he said.
I drip acclimated all afternoon and put him in the QT about 2 hours ago where he's been sitting on a chunk of lr except for an ocasional forage on the substrate. BTW I think he's a bit displeased with the crushed coral, note to self change to ls after he's put into DT. He ate a few pellets a little while ago so I think he's doing ok.

 

[stephish]

acrylic I don't think it's that they don't care I think they have too much there to keep up with for the number of employees. Plus everytime i've been in there are like 5-6 small children running around keeping them busy as well.

 

[renogaw]

just fyi, you shouldnt have anything in terms of rock or substrate in your QT.

 

[stephish]

Really? oops, I missed that part. I guess I was thinking since there wasn't anything in there I need a bit of rock to keep the bacteria going and for anyone that did need residence to hide behind.
Should I take it out at this point or leave it in, the watchman seems to like perching on it.
BTW he ate some pellets again this morning and isn't shying away when I approach the tank.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by stephish
Really? oops, I missed that part. I guess I was thinking since there wasn't anything in there I need a bit of rock to keep the bacteria going and for anyone that did need residence to hide behind.
Should I take it out at this point or leave it in, the watchman seems to like perching on it.
BTW he ate some pellets again this morning and isn't shying away when I approach the tank.
Cover in a QT tank can be in the form of various PVC fittings. That way if you have to treat the tank for disease you can take it out and throw it away or scrub it thoroughly.

 

[puffer32]

Originally Posted by acrylic51
I'd much rather take my chances acclimating them myself insteady of having them dropped in the store tanks, and they yours.....Take 1 step out of the process....
I agree! Especially if you lfs doesn't give any guarantees. I like the 1 less stressful step. Might as well go into my QT rather then stressing it out going into the lfs tank, then afew days later going through it all over again acclaimating into my tank.