Would you buy a sick fish?

AZMSGT · Sep 12, 2019

I was in my LFS and they had fish with Pop-eye, others with white growths and other signs of sickness. They had gotten them in this way from the distributor. Would you buy any fish you saw that was sick and just try to help it or heal it?

Lets leave the idea of buying at a discount out of the picture.

I know I would find it difficult to buy any fish from the store at all let alone sick fish. But I'm not to confident in my QT process at the moment so that creates apprehension.

MrsBugmaster · Sep 12, 2019

No I would not!

Jon Fishman · Sep 12, 2019

No.

There are plenty of fish in the sea.

(I will see my way out with my dad jokes now)

Silent · Sep 12, 2019

It depends.

Waterislife · Sep 12, 2019

No, free if I had a good hospital system already in place

Jacked Reefer · Sep 12, 2019

I do this with freshwater. I buy sick fish and nurse them back to health for the discounts. For example i collect rare plecos I managed to get 2 blue phantoms, a gold nugget, and a longfin super red bristle nose from my LFS all for 5$ (the system was having a fin rot issue, all these fish pretty much didn't have fins at all). I also managed to get a pair of double red agazassi for 10 dollars because of internal parasites and ich. It may be different with SW fish and im not sure what level of discounts you would get. But i know it works for FW.

EmdeReef · Sep 12, 2019

I’ve done it too many times to count but as good as if feels to save a struggling fish, it just encourages bad behavior by stores, distributors etc.

Unfortunately, the right thing to do would be to boycott that store...

vetteguy53081 · Sep 12, 2019

Unless you have an established QT - NO
No sense saving $20 on fish to spend $30 or more on meds and it doesn’t even make it.
I’d rather add the $30 on a Healthy Fish

LadyMac · Sep 12, 2019

I have on occasion. But it’s only if I know the cause and can fix it. Considering my fish are (usually) bettas QT is very simple and I would have meds on hand. I almost bought a Coral Beauty who had an enlarged eye with a white ring around it. However I couldn’t house it comfortably now nor in the future so I passed it up reluctantly.

Borg · Dec 28, 2019

I just bought a baby purple tang at petco. Covered in ick.

Pop and dropped it. Dosed tank with cupermine. So far so good

Terry Mattson · Dec 28, 2019

Nope. Have to protect those currently under my care.

MnFish1 · Dec 28, 2019

AZMSGT said:
I was in my LFS and they had fish with Pop-eye, others with white growths and other signs of sickness. They had gotten them in this way from the distributor. Would you buy any fish you saw that was sick and just try to help it or heal it?

Lets leave the idea of buying at a discount out of the picture.

I know I would find it difficult to buy any fish from the store at all let alone sick fish. But I'm not to confident in my QT process at the moment so that creates apprehension.

No - but I would offer to take them off their hands and try to treat them. In a lot of stores - they will not get treatment (Ie - left to be sick - or killed)

Dierks · Dec 28, 2019

MnFish1 said:
No - but I would offer to take them off their hands and try to treat them. In a lot of stores - they will not get treatment (Ie - left to be sick - or killed)

Bingo, this is how I feel as well. I feel really bad when I go into a Shop and I can read the writing on the wall for some of these poor fish. It's not their fault we suck at transporting these fish and all the disease we expose them to along the way. We need a better system to get these fish into peoples tanks healthier. The Shop should be doing the right thing by helping sick fish not just letting them die.

Tamberav · Dec 28, 2019

Yes...I have depending on the rarity of the fish. It worked out fine but not for beginners or those without QT.

NeonRabbit221B · Dec 28, 2019

I have but will always go for the healthy fish. Ich is not an issue but dark splotches or sunken bellies are a no go. I skip the store if I see more than 3 dead bodies in the tank though... kinda depends, sometimes you can outright ask aquatic specialist for discounts and treat.

Malifry97 · Dec 28, 2019

Borg said:
I just bought a baby purple tang at petco. Covered in ick.

Pop and dropped it. Dosed tank with cupermine. So far so good

Do you have a fish only system?

Crabs McJones · Dec 28, 2019

I have a constant running qt. If either I would keep it long term, or had a buyer for it after treatment, yes i would.

AC1211 · Dec 28, 2019

If I were going to QT which I dont anymore due to me finding 4 very good LFS in terms of fish health... I would tell the employees and owner that I am only buying it to save the fish and if they dont improve then I will not come back unless its a one time thing...