What's the Deal with Disease?

[smokinstarfish]

Where do all these crazy rampant diseases come from? Before our tanks, these nasty little viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc., originate obviously at the LFS you just bought them from.
So if these ailments originate there, to what extent “should” retailers step up to the plate and guarantee their livestock?
The two times I go out and buy marine fish, it appears I get a disease each time; the first brooklynella of an ocellaris, and the second, probably ick, of a humbug damsel. In both cases, the symptoms were obvious within six to 10 hours of getting them home.
Should fish stores exchange these fish? Obviously, these inflictions didn’t just evolve from scratch in my tank, especially within hours. Clearly the blame would bum up one to the LFS to at least take an exchange, right?
And if they don’t want to exchange the fish, what then are they saying as to what I then must have done to the fish myself the hours or weeks it’s in my care, to make it unworthy to accept back? Since these LFS’ have all said inflictions burdening them as well, it couldn’t be too much off their back to exchange the fish into their own treatment or quarantine tanks, right?
Is it really worth it anyway to introduce ick to your tank because of a six dollar specimen? Or to pay $12 in medication to save it?

 

[smokinstarfish]

I just thought the least the lfs could do is administer 3 weeks of hypo on new arrivals. It would save a lot of hassle. Would it be that much more expensive anyway? How much does it cost for us to do it? Maybe I'm just to used to freshwater.

 

[beth]

Originally posted by smokinstarfish
It would save a lot of hassle. Would it be that much more expensive anyway? How much does it cost for us to do it? Maybe I'm just to used to freshwater.
If you want to save yourself some hassel, never get involved with taking care of living animals.
Fish stores need to sell their fish, not take care of them for us. We need to address fish disease and fish health once they get to our home. And the best way is to quarantine all new fish and address fish disease if they arise. Fish shops can not do all that for us. It just is not cost effective. As it is, some do use copper or formalin in their systems to try and deal with parasites, and many stores do FW dips. If it were my choice, I'd say spare my fish these random "treatments" and just let me handle it.
This hobby is not for slackers!

 

[lopeyc]

But some of the lfs in my area do claim to quarantine.
Also, some will allow you to pick your fish and then pick it up in two weeks.
Not to say you shouldn't then quarantine it at that point...

 

[smokinstarfish]

I have since found out the closest store to my house keeps most their fish in hypo conditions, or at least new arrivals. The catch is that if a person buys the fish before hypo's had a chance to work, or anything else strikes, it's buyer beware... no guarantee on marine fish.
I'd rather pay more for a fish that I know is less likely to have parasites or disease. Just something to consider when stocking your tank.
Beth, when I said that maybe I'm just used to freshwater, I was not referring to myself expecting not to have any extra hassles with marine. That's expected... I've put in untold hours of work into my tank set-ups thus far and loved almost every minute of it.
I was referring to the guarantees most places have for their FW fish. All LFS' in my area have some kind of no-questions-asked 7-or 14-day return policy on FW. It’s always been that way.