Quarantine service? Would you pay?

[SeymourDuncan]

I guess I never shared my opinion:
I agree with doing it yourself when possible, and I have always quarantined my stuff since the first lesson was learned the hard way.

If there is an available service that guarantees 100% health then for those with no time that is awesome, however you still have to consider Murphy's law. Your fish may be healthy but does it eat? Is it an aggressive individual from a peaceful species? In a quarantine away from your display there is no way to observe the fish's individual personality beyond what it acted like at the store.

I do not have the option to pay for such service, but was considering offering it myself since I have such skills.

 

[Squishie89]

I have a semi LFS that is new and offers QT. I decided to give it a try since I didn't feel like setting up my QT again (it needs some updates and new equipment), plus, there is a nice side benefit. For every 30 dollars of fish, it is 10 dollars. So a 90 dollar fish will be 30 dollars to QT. So they order your fish, and they put it in QT. During this process they not only monitor for diseases/parasites (and will treat if needed, no prophylactic treatments), they also get the fish eating frozen or prepared foods and will not give you the fish unless it is eating frozen or prepared (so even if 30 days of QT are up). The other nice kick is if the fish dies while in their care, they order another one at no new cost to you. They will do this 2 times and after that they refund your fish money (not QT money). I feel this is nice since I plan on getting a purple tang eventually and those guys are ~200 dollars. I like their QT set up, nice sized tanks (20's I think) and each has its own filtration, and if you are QTing you can come visit your fish or ask for pictures/updates. I am giving this a try with some dragonface pipefish, the only hold up is finding a male and female.

 

[Connie]

I knew they had different warehouses, but didn't know it was the same as Petco. I have ordered most of mine from DD. I've had really good luck. Thanks for the info.

 

[Railcar79]

Your fish may be healthy but does it eat? Is it an aggressive individual from a peaceful species? In a quarantine away from your display there is no way to observe the fish's individual personality beyond what it acted like at the store.

If typing are paying for a quarantine, and the fish sits for more than a couple weeks, it would have to eat. As far as personality, and aggression, they would have to be with other fish to show that.

I have gone so far as to offer to pay club members to qt for me. If I can't line one up, it goes into the tank and just pray it is ok. I am home 4-5 days a month. I am already tasking the wife with feedings and daily tasks, and being new to tanks, I don't really want to drop a qt on her too.

 

[Railcar79]

I can't find the link on my phone, but the vendor they ship the bulk of their live fish from also supplies Petco, and 75% of the other fish vendors in the US. The only difference between the $229.99 purple tang from LA and the $150 purple from Petco is who you send the money to and what box they pull in the warehouse.

 

[evolved]

You do know only the divers den is qt, all the regular web orders come from a Los Angeles warehouse (same one that supplies Petco)

As extensively as this one was recently hammer out on RC.

Quality Marine supplies LiveAquaria.com; which is an LA wholesaler (for those who don't know).

Quality Marine DOES NOT supply Petco.com.

And yes, ordering from Diver's Den gets you animals which were QT & conditioned in Rhinelander, apart from Quality Marine.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

If typing are paying for a quarantine, and the fish sits for more than a couple weeks, it would have to eat. As far as personality, and aggression, they would have to be with other fish to show that.

I have gone so far as to offer to pay club members to qt for me. If I can't line one up, it goes into the tank and just pray it is ok. I am home 4-5 days a month..

Part 1: it is easier to have a backup plan when you have your own qt setup. Say I take home a mean blenny and he bites my tang...I'll at least have
A) a place to try them together and are easy to capture
Or
B) I have a place to put said aggressor if in fact the fish needs removed

Part 2: I didn't hear that lol



B

 

[Connie]

Thank you for the clarification Evolved. :smile:

As extensively as this one was recently hammer out on RC.

Quality Marine supplies LiveAquaria.com; which is an LA wholesaler (for those who don't know).

Quality Marine DOES NOT supply Petco.com.

And yes, ordering from Diver's Den gets you animals which were QT & conditioned in Rhinelander, apart from Quality Marine.

 

[Pappy]

This is what I like about nicewrasse.com! They qt everything before you get it. Takes a while but it's worth every penny IMO!

 

[SeymourDuncan]

With a name like nice wrasse it better come clean

 

[Squishie89]

This is what I like about nicewrasse.com! They qt everything before you get it. Takes a while but it's worth every penny IMO!

I am very hesitant about behind the scenes QT. I am not picking on nicewrasse at all though. Although a fish being QTed, no matter where, is good. But if the fish is then shipped, a lot can happen. Shipping is very stressful and can really make the fish turn a corner for the worse (stop eating, get injured, even possibly become sick). So I think it is one thing if a place you can drive to QTs vs someone that needs to ship your fish afterwards does. But as I said, any QTing is better than nothing, so mad props to the places like nicewrasse and DD for QTing.

 

[btkrausen]

Folks, don't put your trust into LiveAquaria's quarantine procedures. Sure, it's a cut above the rest, however, I've gotten ich two different times from a LA fish and basically destroyed by entire community.

Even the director of LA says you should quarantine anything you get from them.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Folks, don't put your trust into LiveAquaria's quarantine procedures. Sure, it's a cut above the rest, however, I've gotten ich two different times from a LA fish and basically destroyed by entire community.

Even the director of LA says you should quarantine anything you get from them.

I would hope no matter who it was they recommended quarantine just so they can't get sued. From a business point of view. From a customer point of view I say if you quarantined them and I get a disease...I'll yell at you but it was still on me for not quarantining.

If I offered qt services I would definitely recommend quarantine as I would recommend not submersing a metal halide while it is plugged in. One may be more risky but no risk is best in my book.

 

[jcdeng]

NO, I would rather do the QT myself. That's just me, I don't trust ppl, I even QT and medicate all my DD fish.

 

[kv2wr1]

I would pay extra for a healthier fish, but as far as quarantining, I trust no one but myself. A lot of places that say they quarantining aren't doing it to the extent a hobbyist would.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

I wonder what the average extent a hobbyist does quarantine. Maybe the next census they take will have a box for quarantine procedures haha.

 

[btkrausen]

I would hope no matter who it was they recommended quarantine just so they can't get sued. From a business point of view. From a customer point of view I say if you quarantined them and I get a disease...I'll yell at you but it was still on me for not quarantining.

If I offered qt services I would definitely recommend quarantine as I would recommend not submersing a metal halide while it is plugged in. One may be more risky but no risk is best in my book.

Aside from business point of view, I'd say they recommend quarantine because it's just the right thing to do. Quarantine isn't always about ensuring the health of a fish but also to give it time to adjust after shipments, acclimation, etc. Time alone after a stressful event, like an overnight shipment, is much better than being put into an active community.

 

[btkrausen]

I wonder what the average extent a hobbyist does quarantine. Maybe the next census they take will have a box for quarantine procedures haha.

I started quarantining but, honestly, I got to impatient. Collecting rare fish is tough as you have to be ready when that special one becomes available. However, what happens when that "rare" fish pops up and you already have one in the tank? haha

 

[SeymourDuncan]

You can't put special orders in at an LFS?

 

[bjledbetter]

You can't put special orders in at an LFS?

Not mine he dosen't do special orders in less paid in full and no refund if it comes in dead. Not willing to take that chance when LA will replace a dead fish if you call them.