How To Tell When Fish Are Sick At The Lfs

[iroc]

I am wondering aside from the obvious signs like ich, or not swimming around does anyone know ways to tell if fish are healthy while they are at the LFS, I bought a seemingly healthly platy last night ( although my son did pick her and only wanted her cuz she was yellow) and I just came home from work and found her at the bottom of the tank..............




he is really upset becuase he doesn't know what happened yet but he wants to see "HIS FISH" and we already had a bad seance before when I flushed a dead tetra down the toliet ( he still hasn't forgiving me)




My son is 4 and isn't really receptive to the whole " she is in a better place" talk

 

[xoedusk]

No expert here, but is it possible that your water parameters are way different than your LFS's? Perhaps your pH is in the opposite direction, and that is why the yellow guy didn't make it?

But to answer your question, not sure how to tell other than the obvious signs of disease.

 

[starrynightxxi]

hmm... well, aside from the outward signs of obvious diseases (like ich), you should be on the lookout for behavior out of the normal for a particular fish. If the fins are clamped, if high activity species is listless, or a low activity species is active, if a shoaling species isn't shoaling, if a colorful fish is looking pale.

Do not buy fish from a tank that has dead fish, also find out when the LFS gets their shipments in because there is a great deal of stress involved in this shipping and they lose a LOT of fish in the first few days. The Petco near me (in PA) gets all its fish from a supplier in CA. usually if they order a fish, it's an "order 50, get 20" game plan because losses are so high.


It's possible that the issue, though, is not so much a fish that was sick as a fish that did not acclimate to the tank properly so be careful with that, too. What sort of fish was it and do you know what your water parameters are?

 

[chibi]

Check every fish in the tank for any signs they aren't healthy. It could be ich, swimming strangely, behaving strangely, sitting at the bottom. If you see a dead fish, DO NOT buy from the tank at all. Dead fish release toxins in the water and it is really bad for the other fish in the tank. Be sure the tank isn't overcrowded either. Oh! And many fish stores use the same water throughout! I know Petsmart and Petco do this. If you see many tanks that look sickly, I wouldn't buy from the store at all. The sick water could be everywhere. Sometimes at Petsmart, they have a little "We have an outbreak of disease, don't buy any fish today" signs. This isn't good.

It's best to quarantine the fish for a day; buy a breeder's net box and put the fish in there for a bit. This way, if he is sick, he won't spread the sickness to your other fish.

I got a guppy from Petsmart. It died the next day and spread a disease throughout my tank. 8 out of my 10 guppies died soon after.

 

[iroc]

hmm... well, aside from the outward signs of obvious diseases (like ich), you should be on the lookout for behavior out of the normal for a particular fish. If the fins are clamped, if high activity species is listless, or a low activity species is active, if a shoaling species isn't shoaling, if a colorful fish is looking pale.

Do not buy fish from a tank that has dead fish, also find out when the LFS gets their shipments in because there is a great deal of stress involved in this shipping and they lose a LOT of fish in the first few days. The Petco near me (in PA) gets all its fish from a supplier in CA. usually if they order a fish, it's an "order 50, get 20" game plan because losses are so high.


It's possible that the issue, though, is not so much a fish that was sick as a fish that did not acclimate to the tank properly so be careful with that, too. What sort of fish was it and do you know what your water parameters are?

water is
ph 7.0
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 20


I have another pllaty in the tank and she has been through hell and back with the water condictions and is doing great ( thats why I got another one to keep her company) all the other fish are fine thats why I think the fish must have been sick I just didn't see any out and out signs

 

[Dan04COBRA]

It's best to quarantine the fish for a day; buy a breeder's net box and put the fish in there for a bit. This way, if he is sick, he won't spread the sickness to your other fish.

Why would you quarantine the fish for just one day? If you are going to quarantine a fish, 2 weeks minimum to increase the odds of not transferring a sick/diseased fish to your beloved tank.

That's just my opinion, but I believe many other people practice the same quarantine method I do...

 

[Tolak]

Don't buy fish from corporate owned shops. Petco, Petsmart, etc. Have their fish shipped in from breeding facilities across the country from them. Smaller privately owned shops deal with local breeders, those fish are bred in & acclimated to the same water that is in your tank, along with a much shorter trip.

The buy 50 get 20 thing is the way the corporate outfits run, they see this as acceptable losses. If I sell a shop 50 fish, they get 50 fish that live, probably closer to 60 since I toss in a few extra. I check with them in a few days, I want to know of any problems, one death is unacceptable.

Look for a local aquatics club in your area, there are more than you think, and many members are breeders. You will get better fish for a better price. For example, I sell dime to nickel size angels for $1, 1/2 dollar to dollar size for $5, adults for $7 to $10 if you come pick them up. I know platy breeders that sell fish for a buck or 2 each.