Disappointed To Say The Least.

[NanoReefsOntario]

I purchased 2 clownfish from a local store (don’t know if it’s appropriate to name them) a couple weeks ago. They were the first fish added to my tank. I cycled the 40g for 8 weeks and have been testing my water, when adding the fish my water parameters were the following. Alkalinity 9 dkh, ammonia 0 ppm, nitrite 0 ppm, nitrate 0ish ppm, phosphate 0-0.1 ppm, salinity 1.025, temp 78F. The fish were drip acclimated then added to the tank. One clown at the end of the first night already looked sickly and I immediately contacted the store. 4 days later the one that looked in better sadly passed away. I contacted the store immediately again and informed them of the health of the clowns, they agreed to replace one of them, I make my trip to the store and learn that they received the fish the day they sold them to me (Fish likely in shock or already sick) obviously I was very disappointed when hearing this, also while at the store I watched them pull 2 other dead fish from the same system. The other clown that was previously ghostly after the first day seemed to be doing better now but unfortunately passed away tonight. I am speechless and mortified by my experience. I have pictures and am starting to believe all the fish in the racking system at this store may have ick. Upon inspection there was minor tail rot on both fish (new to the hobby and didn’t notice at first). Having so called experts sell me fish in this condition disgusts me, I’m keeping a very close eye on the replacement fish which seems way healthier (no rot) but I don’t have much faith considering my experience so far. Not quite sure what else to say or do.

Thank you for taking your time to read my awful experience.

 

[Josh]

I am sorry that happened to you. Getting in to the habbit of watching fish feed before you buy is something that will pay out in the long term if you can get in the mindset to do this every purchase.

 

[TORX]

Sorry to hear about what is happening to your clown fish. Sometimes there can be so many things that are heartbreaking in this hobby. The financial side makes it even worse. It is an extremely challenging hobby and many times there will be ups and downs. You have done what you can, it is the unfortunate dark side of the hobby. Here are some tips about purchases in the future.

Assume that all stores and hobbyists have ick in their systems. Even if they say they do not have ich, it does not mean it that their system is clean. Unless they have a full QT system for everything, assume that it is in the water. That is why we always recommend a quarantine system (QT) for any new additions.

For stores, especially big box stores, fish move so quickly through their systems that typically they never have time to show signs of illness before they are sold. Ich is a parasite that takes time to appear. Stores also do not have the room or the financial headway to quarantine and medicate all fish. What you saw is very typical of almost any store. Prices would quickly triple, if not quadruple or more if they all had QT systems. All stores get fish delivered and are typically sold the same day or next. I myself get fish almost directly from a wholesaler. They are picked up Friday night, dripped into the store tanks, then removed, bagged and delivered to me Saturday or Sunday. Sometimes the wholesaler just got them a day or 2 earlier as well. There is only one store in all of Ontario that I know who QT's fish and that is Carl's Aquarium and there are restrictions and financial risks while he does it.

If they did have ich, then most likely now your system has ick. Again, that is a risk that everyone on the planet takes in this hobby. The only way to remove it is to leave the system fallow for 16 weeks. But that is a whole other discussion.

I would also like to note that almost all of the retailers in Ontario and Canada get their fish from the same wholesaler who is a main distributor for most of Canada. If not, then they probably do not use a wholesaler and get their fish directly from over seas. Most even pick up their fish at the air port and sell as soon as the next day to people.

Always make sure that you see the fish eat before you get them bagged. Make sure they are eating and not spitting food back out. Also find out what they are feeding the fish.

The other advice you are already taking, drip acclimating is very important. One of the most important things to check is the salinity as you drip acclimate. That is normally what hurts fish. Most stores keep their tanks around 1.010 while we keep our tanks around 1.026. While one fish may be fine, another will not handle the changes even if they are both the same type of fish.

It is great to hear that they are replacing them for you and I wish you good luck in the future.