Save the fish!

[dabossinokc]

OK, I have decided to go on a crusade, Eventhough I realize that my efforts will only help a small number of the marine life that dies due to bad acclimation techniques, bad water quality, and just pure negligence. Here is what I am doing at the moment. I went into my LFS on Thursday and I have been going to this particular one since I started since there are only 3 options in my metro area, Most of the time the fish are healthy and ich free and already eating, I have heard the owner of the shop mention that she takes the sick fish home to her quarantine tank until they are well and then brings them back once they are healthy and ready for a new home, but lately, I have to be honest,I have noticed a whole lot of fish that are not doing well and once I poked a round a bit at the LFS, I discovered that the owner has been traveling quite a bit and relying on the staff to take care of the stock in her shop. Well, Needless to say they are not taking care of them and so I asked the owner if I could take some of the fish home that are not doing well because(bottom line they are going to die if someone doesn't do something) So my question is, Whats a good set up for a quarantine tank for a variety of fish( Keep in mind I am probably going to have some non-capatible fish at the same time) I told the owner that I would take them home and get them well as long as she gave me some concessions in the store from time to time. She agreed with me and was very thankful that I even offered. I know she is not negligent her help just isn't pulling their weight.
Any suggestions? Keep in mind I am 90 days new to the SW hobby but have absorbed a lot of information since I began and have been keeping Koi ponds for 10 years. I also realize it will take some time to get the tank cycled but I can get live water and cured rock that can be transfered with very little temp dif. in less than an hour to my home from the LFS. I will factor some cycle time in though.

[leebca]

You'll need to first understand how I feel about what it is you're doing. It stinks!

Trying to save sick fish from an LFS only promotes the LFS to care less and less about the quality of fishes they obtain. If a 'sucker' person goes in and picks up the sick fish, then the LFS has a means to recover a lot of money by buying questionable fish. You'll find that experienced aquarist do not do what you do and smart aquarists understand that helping the LFS by taking sick fish only promotes them getting in more sick fish. The demand for quality and consideration of healthy fish starts with the LFS complaining and demanding quality form their suppliers/wholesalers and goes back up the line to the handlers, exporters, and collectors.

With regards to what you're doing, who will pay for the costs and meds you will spend? If only one fish is diseased, you'll end up having to treat all the fishes for this same disease. Are you sure the 'compensation' will be enough to cover the costs and your efforts?

With regards to the LFS, the action by that 'nice' LFS owner is bogus. By the time she sees a sick fish, that sick fish has infected the rest of the system. Taking that fish home or putting that fish in quarantine has not protected the other fish -- the system is infected. She has either fooled you into believing she is doing the right thing, or she is ignorant of how poor her plan is. Neither speaks well for her. I do know an LFS that takes fish out of the display tanks and puts them into the back room QT, but that's so the customers don't see the sick fish. This is legitimate.

People in the marine aquarium field professionally, and aquarists in the marine fish keeping hobby for decades rarely treat multiple fishes that may have or do have multiple diseases and conditions at the same time in the same system. When they are so treated, the fish are treated in tanks that are partitioned, usually above 70 gallons in volume. But a responsible person doesn't undertake such a project because treating fishes for disease the fish might catch simply by being exposed to a known ill fish is irresponsible and harmful to the already sick fish. And treating a fish with one disease for multiple diseases is unkind to the fish that only has one disease. We, the experts, treat one fish at a time in one QT.

As for your knowledge and experience, unless you're a licensed veterinarian, you are probably at serious risk here. In some states of the USA what you're doing is healing fish for compensation and that requires a veterinary license. In some states, you'll be sued for this 'act of kindness.' Even that 'nice' LFS owner could sue you and own your home, car or whatever it is that you own now and for the next decade. Even if the suit fails/unsuccessful, it will cost you thousands of $ to defend yourself. Then, after the suit will be criminal proceedings for operating without a license. In my state and in most eastern USA states (east of the Mississippi River) even if you do this for free, you are at risk of suit and criminal prosecution. You should get legal counsel before starting this project.

Lastly, where are you going to get all the information you need for curing fish? There are easily over 500 different conditions, ailments, diseases, parasites, etc. of captive marine fishes. How many of them do you, right now, know how to treat successfully (without looking them up)? How many of them have you treated successfully in your 90-days of experience?

Anyway, you know how I feel about this. I hope you can come to some good conclusions from the above.

Holidays

[leebca]

You'll need to first understand how I feel about what it is you're doing. It stinks!

Trying to save sick fish from an LFS only promotes the LFS to care less and less about the quality of fishes they obtain. If a 'sucker' person goes in and picks up the sick fish, then the LFS has a means to recover a lot of money by buying questionable fish. You'll find that experienced aquarist do not do what you do and smart aquarists understand that helping the LFS by taking sick fish only promotes them getting in more sick fish. The demand for quality and consideration of healthy fish starts with the LFS complaining and demanding quality form their suppliers/wholesalers and goes back up the line to the handlers, exporters, and collectors.

With regards to what you're doing, who will pay for the costs and meds you will spend? If only one fish is diseased, you'll end up having to treat all the fishes for this same disease. Are you sure the 'compensation' will be enough to cover the costs and your efforts?

With regards to the LFS, the action by that 'nice' LFS owner is bogus. By the time she sees a sick fish, that sick fish has infected the rest of the system. Taking that fish home or putting that fish in quarantine has not protected the other fish -- the system is infected. She has either fooled you into believing she is doing the right thing, or she is ignorant of how poor her plan is. Neither speaks well for her. I do know an LFS that takes fish out of the display tanks and puts them into the back room QT, but that's so the customers don't see the sick fish. This is legitimate.

People in the marine aquarium field professionally, and aquarists in the marine fish keeping hobby for decades rarely treat multiple fishes that may have or do have multiple diseases and conditions at the same time in the same system. When they are so treated, the fish are treated in tanks that are partitioned, usually above 70 gallons in volume. But a responsible person doesn't undertake such a project because treating fishes for disease the fish might catch simply by being exposed to a known ill fish is irresponsible and harmful to the already sick fish. And treating a fish with one disease for multiple diseases is unkind to the fish that only has one disease. We, the experts, treat one fish at a time in one QT.

As for your knowledge and experience, unless you're a licensed veterinarian, you are probably at serious risk here. In some states of the USA what you're doing is healing fish for compensation and that requires a veterinary license. In some states, you'll be sued for this 'act of kindness.' Even that 'nice' LFS owner could sue you and own your home, car or whatever it is that you own now and for the next decade. Even if the suit fails/unsuccessful, it will cost you thousands of $ to defend yourself. Then, after the suit will be criminal proceedings for operating without a license. In my state and in most eastern USA states (east of the Mississippi River) even if you do this for free, you are at risk of suit and criminal prosecution. You should get legal counsel before starting this project.

Lastly, where are you going to get all the information you need for curing fish? There are easily over 500 different conditions, ailments, diseases, parasites, etc. of captive marine fishes. How many of them do you, right now, know how to treat successfully (without looking them up)? How many of them have you treated successfully in your 90-days of experience?

Anyway, you know how I feel about this. I hope you can come to some good conclusions from the above.