I have been debating on how to handle a situation so i figured i would ask for some unbiased opinions. I recently bought a fish from a well know saltwater store here in denver. I have been going to this place for a while and have always had good experiences. I was there a couple weeks ago and they had some yellow tangs in the quarantine tanks and i asked if they were available for sale. The employee said they had only been in quarantine for a week but they were fine to sell. I decided to grab one and threw him in my tank. 5 days later all of my other fish had spots, lost color and eventually died (took about 1.5 weeks for all to die). I tried varied food (they still ate well), garlic, vitamins and started prepping a treatment tank but they died too fast. The only fish left living is the stupid tang that likely infected the tank. I had nice fish: twin spot wrasse, emperor angel, anthias and a mandarin. I take full responsibility for not having a quarantine system of my own and he did say they were only there for a week. I am bummed about the money ($200 worth of fish) but im more upset that i brought something in that killed all my fish, i like my fish and to watch them all slowly die sucks. My gut says go to the store and tell them about it but there's also a certain level of buyer beware with livestock. I know they do not intend for this to happen but its frustrating. Just curious what you would do in my shoes?
Not sure what to do
- Thread starter jbanman14
- Start date
Honestly, the store is not really to blame here in my opinion. They had them in quarantine for a reason (most likely because they had just gotten them in with no knowledge of condition), and told you the duration they had been in there. No one wants to sell infected fish, and the fish store is just a middle man, but ultimately, I think its up to you to protect your tank. Not trying to beat you up on this, just my opinion.
Unfortunately you have answered your own question and thoughts IMO, in that if you are not willing to risk your entire tank then you need to practice QT'ing everything (EVERYTHING). Not always very easy, no instant gratification but trust me you will be happy when you succeed in clearing the fish or not clearing the fish to enter your most prized possession.
* the caveat being if there is terrible terrible (uncommon) disease or pest you find to be the cause of the problem and you simply want make sure the store is aware there may be an issue. I know alot of stores are compassionate to the scenario but can not and should not be held responsible for you not QT'ing your new specimen. If you feel you want to bring it to their attention I would do so in a polite and non-aggressive manner and see what they say. Some have been know to give discounts and some have been known to replace fish.
End of thought process but remember no one should be held liable except for you if you didn't QT.
PS. Sorry to hear of your loss of the fish as losing fish stinks (literally and figuratively) and isnt any fun.
* the caveat being if there is terrible terrible (uncommon) disease or pest you find to be the cause of the problem and you simply want make sure the store is aware there may be an issue. I know alot of stores are compassionate to the scenario but can not and should not be held responsible for you not QT'ing your new specimen. If you feel you want to bring it to their attention I would do so in a polite and non-aggressive manner and see what they say. Some have been know to give discounts and some have been known to replace fish.
End of thought process but remember no one should be held liable except for you if you didn't QT.
PS. Sorry to hear of your loss of the fish as losing fish stinks (literally and figuratively) and isnt any fun.
I would let them know what happened. But be careful not to blame them or expect some type of refund or credit. We are very quick to pick up on cause and effect in our tanks (and our lives) when its usually not as simple as introduced fish A, all other fish died, it must of been fish A. There are so many factors at play in our tanks its impossible to tell what caused it.
With that being said any responsible store would want to know what happened.
With that being said any responsible store would want to know what happened.
I'm sorry to hear this. It's disheartening when this happens. I've done it myself and wiped an entire tank of fish. And another time with flat worms and all my sps was gone. It was my fault, only. Like stated I would recommend letting the lfs know what happened in a polite way and the outcome. Just for their knowledge. Again I hate it when this happens.
That's horrible to hear. It does happen though. I learned my lesson in kind of the same way a few years ago. Now I have QT tanks for both salt and even my fresh water tanks. Now I would NEVER put a fish into one of my tanks without it. Many treat fish in QT with medications even if there is no indication of problem just for good measure.
There is also the tank transfer method of quarantine, which seems to me like overkill, but some swear by it.
There is also the tank transfer method of quarantine, which seems to me like overkill, but some swear by it.
Yeah for sure a hard lesson to learn. As mentioned, I'd probably also let the fish store know what happened in the most humble way possible. Let them know you don't expect any return and own the blame for it. It may help them adjust their own policy just a little more to insist that customers not buy from their quarantine tanks without continuing the treatment at home. Which is again, not their fault.
In addition, I don't think it would be out of line to tell them you're considering setting up a quarantine system now more than ever if you could just find a good deal on a complete setup!
In addition, I don't think it would be out of line to tell them you're considering setting up a quarantine system now more than ever if you could just find a good deal on a complete setup!