Acquiring a Gem Tang from TSM corals

[sternicus]

I’m looking to buy a gem tang from TSM. They come quarantined for 45 days and treated for signs of disease and made sure they are eating. I’m nervous about quarantining this pricey of a fish. Do you think it would be a major risk to not QT after they already did? If anyone has seen their setup it’s very professional and they take the upmost care of their livestock so that isn’t a huge worry.

 

[andrewkw]

It depends how much you trust them. I'd only add him directly to my tank if they would cover any and all losses should he bring in disease (no one would ever do this). Maybe a bare 10 gallon tank would make you nervous about this but for a fish that costs roughly $1000 you could buy a 90 gallon tank or whatever size and use established rock / media and simply observe him for however long and if he makes it past that time add him to your tank and not treat him.

Obviously it's a pain to set this up just for one fish but you could probably do it for 1/10th of what the fish costs maybe less and not risk your entire population.

 

[sternicus]

It depends how much you trust them. I'd only add him directly to my tank if they would cover any and all losses should he bring in disease (no one would ever do this). Maybe a bare 10 gallon tank would make you nervous about this but for a fish that costs roughly $1000 you could buy a 90 gallon tank or whatever size and use established rock / media and simply observe him for however long and if he makes it past that time add him to your tank and not treat him.

Obviously it's a pain to set this up just for one fish but you could probably do it for 1/10th of what the fish costs maybe less and not risk your entire population.

That’s the catch 22. Just lost all my fish to ick just about out of the 76 day window so the gem will be the first fish in. I will be doing a prazipro/copper combo will all new fish. Just not sure about a 900$ fish

 

[BradB]

It depends on what else you have. If you have a couple dozen thousand dollar fish, you take a bigger risk than if you have a couple $50 fish. You will probably be fine either way, from what I've seen, these guys aren't any more difficult than yellow tangs. Don't assume you take a bigger risk quarantining yourself. If the fish has disease, health issues, difficulty with tank mates, or is slow to feed, you are better off dealing with these with quarantine setup.

 

[sternicus]

It depends on what else you have. If you have a couple dozen thousand dollar fish, you take a bigger risk than if you have a couple $50 fish. You will probably be fine either way, from what I've seen, these guys aren't any more difficult than yellow tangs. Don't assume you take a bigger risk quarantining yourself. If the fish has disease, health issues, difficulty with tank mates, or is slow to feed, you are better off dealing with these with quarantine setup.

Very true. I’m just new to QT and it’s a 1000$ fish lol. I have no other fish in tank

 

[Friday24]

I got a Gem recently from a very reputable vendor that also quarantines for disease and it still came in with velvet. No signs until about a week in to quarantine. So I would say yes, absolutely quarantine him. Mine is 3-4” and did fine in a bare bottom 20g. I dosed Chloroquine Phosphate for a full 30 days and he’s now in my DT.

 

[sternicus]

I got a Gem recently from a very reputable vendor that also quarantines for disease and it still came in with velvet. No signs until about a week in to quarantine. So I would say yes, absolutely quarantine him. Mine is 3-4” and did fine in a bare bottom 20g. I dosed Chloroquine Phosphate for a full 30 days and he’s now in my DT.

Okay I’ll do that then.

 

[sternicus]

I got a Gem recently from a very reputable vendor that also quarantines for disease and it still came in with velvet. No signs until about a week in to quarantine. So I would say yes, absolutely quarantine him. Mine is 3-4” and did fine in a bare bottom 20g. I dosed Chloroquine Phosphate for a full 30 days and he’s now in my DT.

Who did you get it from if you don’t mind me asking?

 

[andys]

QT it. You have no idea of there husbandry

 

[d-man]

First off I work for TSM. But on west coast sales division. We do have a great QT protocol for Fish such as these. We have multiple large 600g systems to do lg QT protocols without having to add new Fish and “taint” the batch.
That being said, I still do “observe” and make comfortable all Fish prior to introducing into my own DT. This is just good practice anyway. It allows all Fish to fatten and get more used to me being around and if I do some some issue I can treat as needed. But I will tell you that I know we have some of the best, if not the best Quality fish, especially high end, in the country hands down.
We also employ a marine biologist to check on the Fish throughout the process

 

[Dan Snyder]

I would 100% QT him. Lost my whole tank to velvet and bought my gem (1200$) in my 80-ish day follow, he had some spots 5 days into QT. Gem was the first fish I put in my DT as well. Also this is the first set of fish I ever QT, I will never not QT, again. Very strong hardy fish don’t be scared. GET A QT. If you don’t QT, you might be asking for a headache or possibly killing it. Best thing I have ever done in the hobby. Hanna copper checker, it’s easy. Plenty of threads on it here. Learn it now. Do ALL your fish. My 2 cents. Hope u QT

 

[tiggs]

I go to TSM regularly and can vouch for their quarantine procedures. In fact, I'd almost guarantee that their QT protocol for all fish that come through their store is more thorough than 90% of hobbyists on R2R. Their QT/acclimation vats are massive and in addition to observation and medicated periods, they also condition their fish to accept frozen food. They're absolutely anal about making sure every fish they sell has a clean bill of health prior to being offered for sale. I'm always the guy preaching to QT everything no matter what, but TSM is my lone exception to this rule. Whether you decide to QT or not is up to you, but I can say that I fully trust them and that's something I can't about any other vendor I've dealt with in my 19 years in the hobby.

With that being said, an additional observation period never hurts. Personally, I wouldn't proactively treat any fish that I know just went through an entire medicated QT period for two reasons. The chances of them having a disease after a full QT period are very low and the fish was already exposed to an arsenal of meds recently. It's obviously your call on whether to QT or not and I'm literally NEVER the guy saying it's ever ok to skip this phase, but I just had to give my feedback of a great vendor. These guys are definitely one of the rare exceptions in this industry and I'm hoping people continue to support them. Enjoy your new Gem!

 

[Dan Snyder]

Sounds legit @tiggs if you speak that highly of them! Would definitely watch, at minimum.

 

[d-man]

If you guys call in ever and speak with Ray(the owner) or Neil tell them derek sent you. They’ll give you the VIP treatment. Even if you don’t, don’t worry we have the best stuff out there. You’ll see soon from macna and a nice “Tanked” episode regarding the Fish coming in the future.

 

[justingraham]

I go to TSM regularly and can vouch for their quarantine procedures. In fact, I'd almost guarantee that their QT protocol for all fish that come through their store is more thorough than 90% of hobbyists on R2R. Their QT/acclimation vats are massive and in addition to observation and medicated periods, they also condition their fish to accept frozen food. They're absolutely anal about making sure every fish they sell has a clean bill of health prior to being offered for sale. I'm always the guy preaching to QT everything no matter what, but TSM is my lone exception to this rule. Whether you decide to QT or not is up to you, but I can say that I fully trust them and that's something I can't about any other vendor I've dealt with in my 19 years in the hobby.

With that being said, an additional observation period never hurts. Personally, I wouldn't proactively treat any fish that I know just went through an entire medicated QT period for two reasons. The chances of them having a disease after a full QT period are very low and the fish was already exposed to an arsenal of meds recently. It's obviously your call on whether to QT or not and I'm literally NEVER the guy saying it's ever ok to skip this phase, but I just had to give my feedback of a great vendor. These guys are definitely one of the rare exceptions in this industry and I'm hoping people continue to support them. Enjoy your new Gem!

Second this best place ever so happy I’m spoiled With them right down the street

But with the op not knowing what we know about tsm and if I was him I would observe first in a tank before adding can never be to sure

But since I can literally pick out a fish the day it comes in and watch it go thru each step of their Qt I just temp acclimate and let loose never had any problems with my fish for the last two years but all 13 of my fish are from TSM so that helps as well

 

[ca1ore]

Always nerve wracking to buy an expensive fish and wonder where/whether to QT. I keep a full, smaller analog of my display running 24/7 for just this reason. My gem spent six months in it just to be sure it was disease free and at a healthy weight. Then it got the crap beaten out of it by my purple in the display despite the usual distractions.

I ALWAYS quarantine fish, regardless of price and source. Way too much $$$ and time sunk in the existing population to risk.

 

[Jeff Willetts]

TSM Corals is prob the only store I would ever bring a fish home and drop it right in. There legit 110% and there prices reflect it. Get what you pay for!