Poll: How much more would you pay for quarantined fish?

[ca1ore]

DD does not do a full QT. There are still some parasites and diseases that make it past their system.

Yes, but do folks really think what a LFS would do would be any better? I don't. Plus, no QT is ever 100%.

 

[ca1ore]

I think they are referring to the large loss due to aggressive gram negative bacteria.

Ah, that's a bummer. Bacterial issues do seem prevalent lately.

 

[JaimeAdams]

I have noticed a lot more diseased/injured/skinny looking to the point they are starving arriving into my local store more and more, like coming out of the box from the suppliers looking like this, so I place the blame on the wholesale/distribution companies and likely collecting points, the whole distribution system really should be changed.

I also notice a higher mortality of fish coming from certain regions of the world over others, leads me to think there is a problem at the collection points.

I agree that it seems that the influx of parasites present on fish coming through some of the industries largest wholesalers is concerning. I doubt that the average hobbyist can really make any difference with this issue however.

 

[JaimeAdams]

There is a store about an hour or so away from where I work in the next state that supposedly QT and treats all their fish. They are supposed to have all tanks with hang on back filters and do the whole works. I hope to one day have a conversation with those people.

 

[Nate77]

Have payed 8 to 20, for fully qted fish , But 10-20% of cost of fish would probably be the most I am willing to spend.

 

[Davy Jones]

I totally see the argument from both sides. It really isnt econimical for a LFS to have everything they sell quarintined. Instead, I think it would make much more sense to have 3 seperate fish systems
- 1 system for captrive bred fish. These technically should be dang close to disease free assuming they dont come in contact with wild caught fish.
-1 system for Fully treated and QT'd fish, with a nice markup on price. Most of these fish would be by request/special order
-1 system, which is much larger (most likely more than 1 system but you get the idea) that runs as a standard tank with no special QT or treatment, with regular pricing. These fish should be bought by those willing to qt their own fish, or your standard I put a yellow tang in a 10 gallon tank people. EDIT: As well as the people (myself) who do not QT fish. I would, but none of the fish I have now have been through QT so really it would be pointless other than for observation.

 

[tdlawdo]

20% plus for peace of mind..but I might still be nerdy and QT anyway so maybe not at all!

 

[wesman42]

20% plus for peace of mind..but I might still be nerdy and QT anyway so maybe not at all!

This would be extremely lucrative for whoever is offering the service....considering the larger the system, the more fish, thus the more you are quarantining. Having seen several thousand gallon interconnected systems, it is possible to have several million in fish, but spend maybe 1-2k on meds....making a net gain of at least a few thousand after all costs.

 

[tdlawdo]

This would be extremely lucrative for whoever is offering the service....considering the larger the system, the more fish, thus the more you are quarantining. Having seen several thousand gallon interconnected systems, it is possible to have several million in fish, but spend maybe 1-2k on meds....making a net gain of at least a few thousand after all costs.

Good point! Now my MBA is kicking in and trumping by reef nerdom and maybe I could make this a business myself ..haha

 

[WWIII]

I would probably try it out for a 10% - 20% markup. If the buisness had a fantastic reputation with a 2 week guarantee, then I may pay double. Really just depends on the fish and how much faith I have in the company doing the qt. Would be nice to only have to have an observation tank setup for incoming fish. Not having to mess with medicines, cleaning tanks, dead fish, etc...

I've been trying to get anthias through quarantine lately. The first batch I was only able to save 2 of 8. Right now I'm down to 3 of 7 on my latest purchase. It sucks dealing with these kinds of success rates. The warranty on these fish covers any losses, because I've lost the fish within the first couple days each time.

Shipping combined with disease is a death sentence with some fish unfortunately. If the fish were already quarantined I'm sure the fish would stand a much better chance to make it through shipping and the first couple days. For that reason I would pay double or more for these certain fish, but I would still want at least a week warranty on top.

 

[Fallling]

After losing some expensive wrasses in QT, I'd happily pay 50 - 100% markup for a properly QT'd fish.

 

[paraletho]

Yes that is correct @JaimeAdams @ca1ore

I think they are referring to the large loss due to aggressive gram negative bacteria.

 

[Siasl]

If someone like a divers den offered this at 2x the cost of the fish normally - id do it without blinking. I love the hobby but would rather an expert practicioner qt and preventative medicate the animals in advance to optimize their long term survival chance. There are too many in this hobby, myself included, who “think” they know best practices but ultimately short cut the process as life gets in the way.

 

[dbl]

I'm one of those that haven't had much luck with the QT process. I wanted to replace some fish lost to a storm last year. I happen to have a friend that I trust implicitly to get fish through the QT process.

Several months ago I received five fish from him shipped in salinity matching my display. Floated to temp acclimate them for 10-15 minutes, released them and went back to my office. They are all fat, happy and doing great.

Cost of that convenience to me = priceless.

 

[kkiel02]

I’d pay at least double. Might do more depending on rarity and difficulty.

 

[CC13]

I see a lot of discussion on quarantining fish, with a lot of replies simply stating that the problem with this service is that hobbyists just aren't willing to pay more for a fully quarantined fish. I don't know about you, but I would be willing to pay quite a premium for a good quarantine service.

So what is the maximum amount you would be willing to pay for a full qt service on top of the price of the fish?

Edit: By full quarantine, I am referring to fully and properly medicated followed by an observation period. Use humblefish's procedure as a reference.

Edit 2: For the sake of argument, let's assume you are buying from a reputable vendor with great QT practices.

There is a local guy close to where I live that is a breeder. He charges 50% of what the fish was sold to you for and he will QT and feed the fish for 45 days with medication.

I’ve used him on all my fish and so far I couldn’t be happier for his services.

 

[Amado]

I walked into my local fish store they had a black tang in $800.
The fish was amazing but why would I pay $800 on a fish that might die in a week.
I think selling quarantined fish is good for the hobby. If I could buy that fish with confidence that is pest free I think it would make my decision easier.

When you go to a dog breeder you pay more but you are sure that the dog you are buying doesn’t have a sickness. People will always pay for quality. I think if you are a Lfs or online business and sell fish over $200 they should be quarantined and held for sometime.

 

[mtraylor]

IMO this was already done with allot of fish with Divers Den in Live Aquaria before they were bought out by Petco. The rules have changed over the years and now allot of the fish are just observed for 2 weeks. Apparently there was not enough demand for it as the QT process was reduced more and more each year. You would see posts stating I'm not going to pay allot for an expensive fish thats not QT "it could die", and then when they were QT'd and the price went up you would see posts like "thats too much for that fish even if its QT'nd". LOL

IF you want QT fish, you will most likely have to do it yourself or find LFS that does it to ensure its done right.

 

[scott11106]

i would love to pay more if they guaranteed that fish and all of the fish in the tank and even if they do that do i trust that is was done properly... i am just not sure there is a real QT process including any of the ones we do at home so my thinking is the fish stores online and LFS should qt everything without additional cost but we would still need to do our own.. my 2c

 

[albano]

Many of the LFSs that I’ve dealt with over the past 45yrs, receive multiple shipments each week. I would think that each shipment (whether 1 fish or 100) would require a separate QT system, with nothing new added for however many weeks until QT is done. So unless the lfs has room for many separate QTs, it probably won’t happen for a large # of fish.
Since IMO, there is no significant profit in fish sales to start with (maintenance is the key to success) I doubt that anyone will get rich QTing fish.