Qt or sales gimmick? One lfs showed me it's true colors.

[masterswimmer]

Stopped into a Petland last night and asked how much this very large hermit was (previously I checked all the price tags and the most expensive hermit was $5) he looked at the hermit then looked at the tags and said its $10. I said OK what kind of hermit is this and where's the tag. His response I don't know what kind of hermit. So then I responded but you know its $10 huh? Dumb stare.

We call that deer in the headlights syndrome

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

Stopped into a Petland last night and asked how much this very large hermit was (previously I checked all the price tags and the most expensive hermit was $5) he looked at the hermit then looked at the tags and said its $10. I said OK what kind of hermit is this and where's the tag. His response I don't know what kind of hermit. So then I responded but you know its $10 huh? Dumb stare.

Wow I had a funny run in at petland in Staten Island next to michaels lol they have a small saltwater section , I asked the girl about a nem that they had in a tank and she had no idea but totally said I don't know to all my questions lol

 

[lnevo]

Anyone who trusts an LFS to QT a fish for them is taking a risk regardless. If you are worried about QT, which we should all be doing *cough* *cough*, then you QT regardless. You never know what could go on elsewhere. Even vendors that do a better job at QT aren't doing pure QT and have fish going in and out the system throughout the duration.

 

[pmoneyt]

I have seen a lot of the top notch LFS on here take fish from the box and put them in the forsale tanks. One thing I learn from all of this is everyone need to move product. the longer they have the fish chances of them dying increases.

So at the end of the day and I know you guys are not going to like this but its up to you to QT your fish before you put it in your tank. I even QT fish I get from friends and people selling on here but I don't buy livestock from people on here anymore unless its Dom and I still QT it.

At the End of the day adopt some habits and stick to them and you will be fine. If every store QT'd all the fish before they sold it to you, the cost would be a lot more.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

I have seen a lot of the top notch LFS on here take fish from the box and put them in the forsale tanks. One thing I learn from all of this is everyone need to move product. the longer they have the fish chances of them dying increases.

So at the end of the day and I know you guys are not going to like this but its up to you to QT your fish before you put it in your tank. I even QT fish I get from friends and people selling on here but I don't buy livestock from people on here anymore unless its Dom and I still QT it.

At the End of the day adopt some habits and stick to them and you will be fine. If every store QT'd all the fish before they sold it to you, the cost would be a lot more.

Maybe using the 2 letters ( Q.T. ) is the justification for some of the prices I have seen around .

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Unfortunately stores are in for the profit. QT does not fit into most stores profit margin... They need to get the fish/coral put it in the display tank and sell it quick. Thats how stores make there money... The great stores which are few will QT everything and do things the right way ( Costs to much money to cover the overhead )

 

[Nottick]

I know previously I've been offered a qt service for an additional price before as an option. Saw the setup and everything.

 

[lnevo]

If your interested in s vendor with a good QT protocol check out Exotic Reef Creations. http://exoticreefcreations.com/qt-process/

But if your a perfectionist you should still do your own.

 

[JuanSalgado]

i never bought a qt fish before. I look for a specimen with clear skin, good color, and eating aggressively. I also make sure there is no aggression in my tank, and i keep all my fish very fat. This has worked out for me for the last 10 years so i wouldn't say that it's luck. Saltwaterinbrooklyn, look past all the $hit and the fish or coral will speak for itself, as you have already observed.

i agree 100 %

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

I think in the end , we buy our livestock under the premise of what you see is what you get !!! Just have to really pay attention to what your getting , and make sure your seeing it fom all angles ..... And maybe we as the final line of defense should practice better shopping habits and perhaps respect our hard earned money and pay attention to the corals around the ones we purchase as well..... Look at the livestock systems carefully and make sure your not seeing anything crawling around and about.

 

[Nottick]

One thing I always do when buying fish is make sure they eat prepared food. I also ask them to overfeed so that when it gets to my tank its got a full gut so I don't care if it doesn't eat for the first 3-5 days. I know its not starved.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

One thing I always do when buying fish is make sure they eat prepared food. I also ask them to overfeed so that when it gets to my tank its got a full gut so I don't care if it doesn't eat for the first 3-5 days. I know its not starved.

That's a great idea , I usually look for normal swimming pattern and alertness but I may have to step it up on inspections.

 

[Nottick]

That's a great idea , I usually look for normal swimming pattern and alertness but I may have to step it up on inspections.

Absolutely that's the first thing to look for.

If a fish is laying down chances are it isn't sleeping haha

 

[lrasser]

There's a store on Long Island that runs all the saltwater fish tank in Hypo. They also warn you when you purchase a fish to properly acclimate them. This is a GREAT start to keeping there tanks and fish healthier but i still QT for a month. They will also tell you exactly when the fish arrived and how long they've been in hypo. So far i have 100% survival rate since purchasing fish there. I won't go anywhere else.

 

[mbg75]

There's a store on Long Island that runs all the saltwater fish tank in Hypo. They also warn you when you purchase a fish to properly acclimate them. This is a GREAT start to keeping there tanks and fish healthier but i still QT for a month. They will also tell you exactly when the fish arrived and how long they've been in hypo. So far i have 100% survival rate since purchasing fish there. I won't go anywhere else.

That's a great store and they mean well. Hypo needs to be kept at 1.009 and they run about 1.016 to 1.017 last I checked.

 

[lrasser]

That's correct. Any lower with the volume of water they remove could be dangerous. Wiggle room. That's exactly why I still QT everything. btw your right down the road from me.

 

[Manta]

Where is this store located and what is the name of the place ,i would like to check it out.

 

[Asari]

Thank you for those posts and comments. Making notes here to be sure where to buy and where not. I can feel myself growing as a smart *** already!

 

[lrasser]

Tropical Isle in Deer Park. It's on Rt 231. They have a lot of nice coral as we'll.