should i or should i not?

[palmer373]

well i just got back from petzoo and found something i was looking for. 3 firefish to top off my stocking list. i just have a few problems:
1)I dont trust petzoos saltwater livestock that well
2)i was only planning on 2 firefish to top my list but you cant leave just 1 to die there!
3)ive seen them there for a long time (maybe a month) and if they dont get bought they will die but if they do get bought they probably will die if they go to the wrong person.

so i was thinking why not try to give them a chance of survival and buy them if i was planning on getting some anyway. i need you opinions, should i or should i not (i cant let them die! ) and is 17.49 a good price for each one?if i got these i would have:

1 yellow tang
2 chromis
1 yellow-tail blue damsel
1 six-line wrasse
1 lawnmower blenny
3 fire fish
1 yellow watchman goby

is that too much?

thanks

[aquariumreef]

I personally wouldn't, unless you qt them for awhile. But even then, if they die in qt, then your out $52.57. And if you do buy them, then their just going to be replaced with more sick/dying ones...

Sean

Ps: Petzoo isn't reliable for most animals. I bought 2-3 birds before I got on that lived...

[palmer373]

ya true but i feel bad if i dont buy them cuase i wouldnt be giving them a chance to live ya know. i guess my caring side is showing lol

[aquariumreef]

Ha, I guess I should say: Be a thug, not someone who gives a hug... It's really up to you, though.

Sean

[palmer373]

i wanna talk it over with a few friends and see what everyone here thinks about it. COME ON PEOPLE! geez its not that late...

[Salty]

I've spoke with the manager of petzoo recently about his dwindling stock of saltwater livestock and he told me they are heading towards not carrying the saltwater fish anymore. They are the last petzoo to have saltwater fish. IMO buying fish from the big box chains only supports them making a profit and they will buy more. If they don't make a profit they are sooner to get out of the saltwater bussiness alltogether. Sadly sometime fish die in the process, but a few fish now to save hundreds later is a just cause
Erik had some nice firefish when I was there the other day and Sergey said he was getting an order on friday of new fish so he may have something i dunno.
I buy stuff from petzoo like salt and things when I couldnt find them localy, but I don't buy livestock saltwater from them.
QT tank is agood idea no matter where you buy your fish.
I do 4 weeks on every fish I buy, and 5 days on everything else including corals, LR, CUC
If you don't introduce stuff into your DT you stand a great chance of never having an outbreak.
Ive read that there have been reports of ich lasting up to 9 weeks on fish, but that better than 95% of cases are are erradicated after 3 weeks

[palmer373]

yah true i guess its for the best if i dont buy them. When did you stop by Eriks? i might give him a call later today. im stopping by sergeys for sure later today so ill see what he has and im going to see if i can buy a 20T from him. $60 at petzoo seems a lil too much but ill see how much it would be at sergeys. there are soom pluses with QT but to me it seems like each time money and work that i dont have plus it adds extra stress. sure there is a chance of ich getting in your system but if you have strong and healthy fish that havent been stress with QT and extra handling they should fight it off. I was on RC yesterday looking at an 800(?) gallon reef and the owner said he doesnt QT becuase of stress and his fish have been healthy and discovery channel did a documentary on his tank.

[Salty]

Stress doesnt usually come when everythings going right and you have a discovery channel tank. It comes when the power goes out for 8 hours and you dont have any water movement and your temp drops to about 55 degrees.
Or when you add a new fish and they don't get along too well.
Everything goes good when everything is normal.

[mr.x-ray]

QT is the best thing you can do. You are living on the edge if you do not. Its not just ich its many other parasites and infections that do not rear their ugly heads for several weeks after you put them in your display. Even if you see a fish for weeks at the LFS does not mean your safe. Its happened to me. I had a predetor tank with triggers and an eel that was completely wiped out in 2 days by one of two maybe even both new additions. Everything was fine for a ~week then boom! Death Tank. Even a tank as small as 10g is going to save you tons of heartache. It does not even have to run all the time. My 30g I set up new every time except for corals, but I dip them. Just a HOB filter with carbon and stable salt water will do for a QT.

[palmer373]

guess i need another tank

[Brian]

Your yellow watchman is going to have a hard time finding a meal with the aggressive tank mates around. Make sure he is getting his share.l Friend of mine just lost one due to starvation because of damsels aggressive traits.

[palmer373]

well my watchman is like 4 inches at least and is quiet the food hog. plus im taking the damsel and anymore chromis off my list, not having good luck with them.
is this a good stocking list?
1 yellow tang
1 chromis
1 coral beauty angelfish
1 six-line wrasse
1 lawnmower blenny
2 fire fish
1 yellow watchman goby

we are going to try another coral beauty hopefully and maybe get 2 firefish from erik today (new shipment in!)