Common for Fish Store to keep Fish in low Salinity?

sde1500 · Apr 7, 2019

Kasey Grohowski said:
Does everyone do this same QT method with inverts as well?

Copper will kill most inverts very quickly so LFS that run low copper in their tanks have separate systems for inverts and some sensitive fish.

Mariette · Apr 7, 2019

Sde1500 is right. Inverts and copper = quick death

Captain Quint · Apr 7, 2019

Kasey Grohowski said:
Well with all due respect, I feel like it would be much easier to acclimate the fish to the tank isntead of the other eay around

Guess I read it wrong.

touchstone88 · Apr 7, 2019

Kasey Grohowski said:
Hmm so basically they do it to make them get to you alive and then its your problem?

Also- can't forget the bottom line, it's cheaper using less salt

Mariette · Apr 7, 2019

Yup. Keep em alive until they get to the customer then it’s not their problem. You also have to imagine with the number of fish that go through their system, if just 1 parasite gets in, it contaminated the whole system. Fast. And every fish that comes after.

Kasey Grohowski · Apr 7, 2019

Mariette said:
Yup. Keep em alive until they get to the customer then it’s not their problem. You also have to imagine with the number of fish that go through their system, if just 1 parasite gets in, it contaminated the whole system. Fast. And every fish that comes after.

Hm yeah, I would think they have a ton of different tanks and are always dosing something to kill parasites.

Mariette · Apr 7, 2019

Kasey Grohowski said:
Hm yeah, I would think they have a ton of different tanks and are always dosing something to kill parasites.

I had my LFS guy explain it like this: they keep a low dose of copper at all times in the fish only tanks to keep illness in check and also try and prevent diseases from spreading. Tanks share a giant central fuge. I’ve taken tours at several LFSs. Very impressive. Most have separate system for inverts and coral. And 1 for fish.

Tony Thompson · Apr 7, 2019

Its always a good idea to ask your LFS what the parameters of their water is and if there is any copper in their fish systems. Also how long the animal has been in the shop for and what it has been eating. Personally inspect the animal for any injuries and ask to see it being fed if possible.

Personally I run all of the tanks in my shop at 35ppm 1.026. @25c, as my shop is a reef shop it just makes sense for me to run at reef spec levels. There is no copper in my tanks. I display my parameters daily on my board behind the counter, this also includes the main parameters of the coral tables, and inform my customers of this and how to acclimate depending on the animal purchased.

Any decent LFS should supply you with this information when you make a purchase. they should also be monitoring the parameters daily so should have a good idea of the current conditions. If they do not mention it then just ask. Price should not always be the decision maker when purchasing these animals. Always ask your LFS questions about the animal you wish to purchase. Supporting a professional LFS could save you so much heartache in the future.

Although not a common practice amongst LFS, I also quarantine all my stock for 6 weeks and provide a full list of any medication (if used) and feeding routine.

Support a good LFS and they will support you.

vetteguy53081 · Apr 8, 2019

Ive seen this more and more and it maintains disease control and hyposalinity but for those who do not acclimate properly, I can be a difference of adaptability or death.

ccombs · Apr 8, 2019

Tony Thompson said:
Its always a good idea to ask your LFS what the parameters of their water is and if there is any copper in their fish systems. Also how long the animal has been in the shop for and what it has been eating. Personally inspect the animal for any injuries and ask to see it being fed if possible.

Personally I run all of the tanks in my shop at 35ppm 1.026. @25c, as my shop is a reef shop it just makes sense for me to run at reef spec levels. There is no copper in my tanks. I display my parameters daily on my board behind the counter, this also includes the main parameters of the coral tables, and inform my customers of this and how to acclimate depending on the animal purchased.

Any decent LFS should supply you with this information when you make a purchase. they should also be monitoring the parameters daily so should have a good idea of the current conditions. If they do not mention it then just ask. Price should not always be the decision maker when purchasing these animals. Always ask your LFS questions about the animal you wish to purchase. Supporting a professional LFS could save you so much heartache in the future.

Although not a common practice amongst LFS, I also quarantine all my stock for 6 weeks and provide a full list of any medication (if used) and feeding routine.

Support a good LFS and they will support you.

Good for you sir! I wish I could shop at your store!

salty joe · Apr 9, 2019

jsvand5 said:
Inverts shouldn’t be at a low salinity at a LFS or online. If they are you should find a new source for animals.

I agree. I made that assumption and acclimated a banded coral shrimp and some snails from Petco for about a half hour. Some of the snails died within a few hours, a couple lasted a week or so. The shrimp disappeared after going limp then freaking out. Surprisingly, it survived but I rarely see it, not even at feeding time.
I was told by Petco that they keep the inverts as well as fish in less than full strength salt water. Ugg.

RobW · Apr 9, 2019

Good information! I'm currently building a 280 gallon tank. It is going to take a while because I am currently renovating the space in my home where the tank goes. My son however wants a tank right now. Was thinking about doing a 50-60 gallon rimless cube or something for him. Plus it will help me get reacquainted with the hobby that i have been away from for over 10 years. Looks like i will now have a total of 3 tanks now! Lol i was planning on using his smaller tank for a kind of quarantine or for when stuff gets larger could move to the bigger tank. I guess it is just better to have a different tank for quarantine purpose only then. What size tank would be good for quarantine? Like a standard 55?

Mariette · Apr 9, 2019

RobW said:
Good information! I'm currently building a 280 gallon tank. It is going to take a while because I am currently renovating the space in my home where the tank goes. My son however wants a tank right now. Was thinking about doing a 50-60 gallon rimless cube or something for him. Plus it will help me get reacquainted with the hobby that i have been away from for over 10 years. Looks like i will now have a total of 3 tanks now! Lol i was planning on using his smaller tank for a kind of quarantine or for when stuff gets larger could move to the bigger tank. I guess it is just better to have a different tank for quarantine purpose only then. What size tank would be good for quarantine? Like a standard 55?

Size of qt depends on what you’re keeping in it and for how long. If you’re going with a long quarantine and planning on doing several large fish at once, you’re going to want a tank that would be fairly comfortable. I qt for up to 3 months and I’ve got a 20g. I house 3 at a time in there but they’re all small fish fit for a 55g.

That being said, I’ve had 2 tank crashes that resulted in me having to pull my fish out of DT for 76 days. All went into qt which was overcrowded but not too bad temporarily.

Welcome back to the hobby

simpleman · Apr 9, 2019

i acclimate for about 3 to 4 hrs i run about 3 gal of water through it and i add the fish about 15 min before the lights go out it keeps my wrassle from stressing them out good luck welcome back

NoobReeefer · Apr 9, 2019

i match my qt to the lfs salinity, float for 30ish minutes and drop em in then top off with salt water over the next few days until the salinity reaches 1.024-25

Joshua Sassaman · Apr 19, 2019

Kasey Grohowski said:
You never keep the elasmobranches in any kind of copper right?

No they all go in the reef section, also there is an invert section we keep. Both are copper free and salinity is kept at 1.025

lion king · Apr 19, 2019

I consider it a dirty trick, running low sg with a med cocktail just suppresses any disease or parasites, doesn't cure. Keeps them alive just long enough for you to get thdm and cover a 2 week guarantee. Doing this makes the resistance of any issue even stronger, much like what the overuse in antibiotics in humans has created. I try not to purchase from such sources. If you must, have a qt where you can match the sg, and be very prepared to treat for whatever disease may show up, immediately. Probably a good idea to immediately do general cure propolactalically, as the likelihood of parasites will be strong.

Lowell Lemon · Apr 19, 2019

Very few of you are supporters of the local fish store I see. That honestly works against you. So you often get bigger problems from the online shopping you do. Online you can't see the systems or fish before you buy. Sometimes the local store owner knows about as much as you do about fish cause he or she loved the hobby so much they said let's open a store! Then they have the added pressure to make the business survive just like the fish. You should walk in their shoes before assuming the worst about your local store owner. Some online stores are run out of homes with mixed results.

The assumption that they just want to move the sick fish is not very accurate. No one can survive on the reputation of being a supplier of poor quality fish. So if the store is new you might have some basis for your assumptions. But if the store is older than you are....well they survived by beating the odds and learned a thing or two about fish. One of my local stores is run by a friend with a degree in fisheries biology....think he has a leg up on the hobbiest who just won a lotto or a rich family member staked him or her so let's open a store.

The local store is still the best option for you to get good fish. Put money down and have them hold the fish as you observe it eating and look for abnormal behavior. Do this over a period of time with the clear understanding that if the fish dies in their care you get a full refund. Ask how they are keeping their systems and get familiar with what you need to know before bring the fish home. No one here wants to take any responsibility for the possible losses due to their mistakes but there it is. You should be prepared for all necessary steps to keep the fish healthy in your home first before assuming all the darkness you imagine about the local store owner. Fish are huge money loosers unless you charge enough to make sure they are healthy and well cared for in your store. Fish stores are like restaurant's with a high possibility of failure with very high overhead costs and thin profit margins. You have no idea until you have been there and done that. Give them a break and learn how to support them. Online fish buying is one of the stupidest things the Internet has spawned! You guys are killing the hobby by supporting this as your primary buying choice driven by wait for it....lower prices....yeah you get what you pay for.

Mykawl · Aug 1, 2019

vetteguy53081 said:
Ive seen this more and more and it maintains disease control and hyposalinity but for those who do not acclimate properly, I can be a difference of adaptability or death.

any suggested articles or how-tos for how to go about this? specifically if you dont have a qt tank so slowly bring salinity up over many days

vetteguy53081 · Aug 1, 2019

Mykawl said:
any suggested articles or how-tos for how to go about this? specifically if you dont have a qt tank so slowly bring salinity up over many days