Why do LFSs have diseases in their systems

[francoisj]

Hello, thanks for the <Welcome>

I have another question.
Last week was the second fish in a row that I buy from my LFS having MV. This time it is a totally positive ID since my Green Cromis turned golden all over. But he may live thru it: copper treated, color is back to green, breating ok, still not eating, still not swimming that much.

Anyway, my question is how can LFS store can keep from being infested with MV or MI. They mostly have a central water system for all their tanks ( at least both LFS here do ). So all the water ( and all parasites ) are speaded across the system... They never flush their water system, they don't treat with copper or anything else ( as far as I know ). My LFS almost refuse to sell copper and always try to sell garlic instead.

They always have fish in their system so the parasite always have a host. I don't see how they can get away without selling almost all their fishes with MV once it's in their water.

In fact, what I see is that they don't stock that many fishes. They get new shipments every 1 or 2 weeks. I wonder if they just silently scoop the dead one in the morning and "sells garlic" with their fishes.

Am I being too hard on my LFS ?
Still I don't really see how they could do differently except being honest about it.


Francois

[weez1959]

Salut Francois,
My LFS is the same, but they quarantine for a WHOLE 2 DAYS in copper!
But all the display tanks in front have rock and sand in them so no copper, therefore ICK all the time. You need to order meds form J&L aquatics in BC cuz garlic is just good with butter

[leebca]

I moved your posts to a new thread. It is a subject unto itself.

Louise has replied with the majority of the cause.

Many LFSs only have fish for a few days before people purchase them. They quite often run copper in their fish only systems and no copper in their invertebrate systems. I've known some to not only run copper, but put in other medicines in addition to copper. Are their fish diseased or carrying disease -- most likely. The shipping and crowded conditions since the fish was captured most likely transferred diseases to all the other fishes in the shipment.

The goal of the LFS is to provide you fish that are alive at time of delivery. Their goal is not to provide you healthy fish. If the goal were to provide healthy fish, the whole industry would have a major shift in emphasis. I think it rather humorous when posters and people write to me and tell my how their LFS 'quarantines' their fish -- for two weeks. That is not a quarantine. That is just the time between shipments! If marine life enters the system during this time, then it isn't a quarantine at all. What some new hobbyists think is that a quarantine means the same as 'holding the fish' and it isn't the same at all.

So the LFS does what they have to do to keep the fish alive long enough for you to buy it. It is a buyer beware situation. That is why what to look for in acquiring a new fish is so important. I wrote it out here: Is The Fish Healthy?

Don't forget that, although you paid $$$ for that fish, the LFS only paid $ for the fish and in their eyes, it is not life, but a commodity that can be fairly easily replaced.

After you have bought your equipment from them, the only thing the LFS has to sell is salt mix, food, medications/water treatments, and marine life. They make a lot of money off of marine life, so if yours dies, they sell you more.

[Cas]

There is an LFS near Chicago that has emptied out its fish displays to clean them, and if you ask the fish are in back. Everyone in the area has been complianing about the fish dying within a week of purchase from this store for a while. Guess they finally got the message when they got a bad rap on another forum.