why all the "wilted" fish???

[Magnum Man]

... and it doesn't seem to be all fish, some, like in my case, silver dollars, and south American cichlids I've gotten lately seem healthy and thriving, but I also admit apisto's seem to be suffering the same fate... since the internet, we all have more care information, at our finger tips , yet the "new" fish are not living as long, as in the dark ages, when we each had to figure everything out ourselves... and even if we get fish that seem to be thriving, there are often unexplained deaths, that don't seem to be our fault... and even foods have gotten better, and we have a better understanding about fishes food needs, yet they die... sorry for all the doom and gloom today, but seems the suppliers need to figure this out, and soon, or we'll be finding alternate uses for our glass boxes

 

[gwand]

THIS HOBBY IS DOOMED... despite the improvements in shipping speeds and temperature regulation in the last 50 years, the fish are not the same as were sold before... and seem to have gotten worse very recently... perhaps do to hormonal breeding, or another "newer farming practice"

I think I can add panda garra to the list as well... my 1st order, years ago, the fish were amazing... I've since then ordered them 3 times, from multiple sellers with no survivors... seems like either the fish get popular, and poor practices give bad fish, or maybe just current farming practices are producing fish that will not survive??? if that is the case, the hobby is doomed, as we pollute the waters many wild fish are caught from ( and wild caught fish are not "sustainable" ) and ecologically unpopular, and "sustainable" sources are not producing actual sustainable fish...

What is the typical survival time in your tanks?

 

[Magnum Man]

I have some fish since day one on restarting my tanks, 4 ish years ago... and have some fish that last 2 days, so it depends a lot on what fish... just for example, the paradise fish lasted between 2 and 3 weeks, and they went into a soft water tank... molly's , most last less than a week, yet I got sword tails, 5-6 weeks ago, and they look great, in my same hard well water as the molly's get put into... it just seems farmed fish are the short lived...

my 1st order of panda garra are around 3 years, the last several orders a week or less the 1st were fearless and vibrant, they ( at 1/2 inch ) would steal food right out of the mouths , of adult tin foil barbs, the last were skinny and 2 inches long, at arrival

 

[gwand]

Do you think their lifespan is just shorter or are they succumbing to infection? I know I lose fish with no obvious signs or symptoms.

 

[Magnum Man]

on the garra, and paradise fish examples , no obvious signs other than droopy fins... most of the molly look great, especially those from Dan's, they just die in a week or so???

 

[gwand]

on the garra, and paradise fish examples , no obvious signs other than droopy fins... most of the molly look great, especially those from Dan's, they just die in a week or so???

Have you complained to Dan. I had a pair of a. borelli from the Wet Spot die during quarantine. I reported it to them. They could care less. The woman I spoke to said that they had no other complaints about borelli implying it was my fault.