unclenedsfishfactory.com

Fish-related discussions

Parasites, The Store, and You.

Moderators: Admin, Uncle Ned, ruthe, Sam
Post Reply   Page 1 of 1  [ 1 post ]
Author Message
Sam
Post subject: Parasites, The Store, and You.
Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 3:17 pm
Offline
 
Posts: 535
Joined: Wed Nov 14, 2007 8:52 pm
Location: Mass
 
Parasites, the store, and you.

NO FISH ARE GUARANTEED
AT ANY TIME
FOR ANY REASON

NO MONEY RETURNED


Yesterday morning I sold five cardinal tetras and later in the day realized that the tank had ICH.
Unfortunately, this is not all that uncommon. Ich and other parasites are well established in the fish trade and as we receive orders from multiple sources each week, disease is a reality we must face.

To try and deal with these problems I/we do the following:
I. We try to buy our fish from only the best sources - those that have repeatedly proven to us that they will produce good healthy stock (even if at a sometimes higher price). Fish from more questionable sources are given their own tanks and scrutinized for developing problems.
II. All of our tanks are isolated from each other, running on air powered filtration. If one tank gets sick, neighboring tanks should remain healthy.
III. I check our tanks every morning that I work for signs of disease or distress and upon finding these signs I treat the tank accordingly. Tanks that are questionable or sick will be marked not-for-sale (NFS) until the fish recover. If you enter a fish store and do not see a single NFS sign… Run.
IV. We do not universally treat all of our tanks with heavy salt or heavy chemicals - a practice that I believe only works to mask disease until a fish reaches a customers tank.
V. Fish are inspected before they are caught for a customer, as a last effort to keep from transmitting problems out of the store. We simply won't sell you a fish that we know is sick.
VI. I try and warn customers about potential problems - so that if a fish becomes sick they can recognize the problem and get in touch with us immediately.

Because of these steps and more, I believe that the fish factory has some of the healthiest fish around and I hope that we have one of the best records for keeping disease out of our customer’s tanks. However, as my opening sentence shows, we are not perfect – sick fish do occasionally escape the store, fish that appear perfectly healthy can be carriers of disease, and fish that are inappropriate for a customer’s tank may be sold by mistake.

If your fish factory fish gets sick or dies you should call us immediately.
I. If a disease is present, we will get you the appropriate medication, and more often than not we can help your tank recover quickly.
II. We can also check your water quality, discuss maintenance, and help you fix any non-pathogen related problems that may have caused the decline of a new fish.
III. In general we are always happy to trouble shoot.
IV. Finally, as is the case with the five cardinal tetras I mentioned above, if we determine that the cause of a problem is our fault, we will take responsibility and supply medication and replace fish. However, we do not advertise a general guarantee on our fish as the reason for a fishes decline can be varied and complex and is often outside our control.
V. Decline due to poor maintenance, aggression from tank mates, and unexplained decline where our stock remains healthy, may have been outside our control. Please call or come in and we will help correct these issues, but we reserve the right to look at these issues on a case by case basis in regards to replacing fish and supplying treatments.

No other tropical fish store supplies the kind of support we do. We are happy to trouble shoot, talk in detail about our fish, about appropriate set ups, and about breeding and raising fish. We will identify fish or fish problems by photographs or act as vets when you bring us sick individuals to look at. On occasion we will even make house calls. For all this though, to have a successful time keeping your fish, a certain amount of personal responsibility is required

As a responsible hobbyist, to feel comfortable keeping and bringing home fish you should:
I. Research the types of fish you have/want and understand their husbandry before taking them home (We at the store can help a lot with this, but it never hurts to do a bit of extra reading!)
II. Research fish disease so that you can prevent it and treat it effectively. Many diseases are easy to treat and it would be a shame to loose a tank full of beautiful fish for no reason. EVERYONE will get ich in their tanks eventually - so prepare yourself!
III. Check over the fish you are planning to buy for signs of stress or disease, and perhaps ask to see them feed before getting them bagged up. (We do this at the store when we bag fish, but we miss problems sometimes - you should always scrutinize the fish you want to get)
IV. Check the conditions of the tank you are adding fish to. High Nitrates from an under-cleaned old tank can kill new arrivals, even if your current fish have become somewhat adapted to the conditions. Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, PH, and Hardness can all effect how a new fish will settle in.
V. Know how to acclimatize new fish to your conditions. Adjusting temperature and ph slowly can help delicate new fish settle in. Also, as a general rule, try not to add water from a fish store to your tank (i.e. don’t just dump a fish, water and all, into your established tank)
VI. Consider setting up a hospital/quarantine tank for new purchases or weak fish. Adding a new fish to a well established and loved fish tank is ALWAYS a risk. Putting new fish into a ten gallon tank with heater and sponge filter for a few days or more will act to expose any hidden problems or disease, and allow you to take care of the problem in a controlled environment without risking your pets.

The fish factory can help you with everything on this list and in general discussion we hope to cover most of these issues with you at the store... But it never hurts to ask.

-Sam
-Ned Bowers


Top
Profile Quote
Display: Sort by: Direction:
Post Reply   Page 1 of 1  [ 1 post ]
Return to “Care and feeding questions”
Jump to: