Do any LFS quarantine fish before sale?

[Incredible Corals]

I wanted to know if any of our sponsors or LFS have fish for sale that have already been quarantined. I don't want to run my own QT and would like to drip acclimate and then put the fish in my tank without worrying about ich or other parasites.

 

I was going to purchase my fish from the liveaquaria "divers den" but would like to support our LFS if possible.

[Origami]

Fins and Feathers definitely quarantines their fish. Sean has, in my opinion, a solid protocol. I've never had a loss from them. Others may as well. Additional QT is always a personal choice, though, even if you pick livestock up from sources that QT.

[Coral Hind]

I think most reputable LFS do. I know Pristine Aquariums has a rack of tanks in the back for q-tanking.

 

Like Tom said, it is still a good idea to q-tank at home before placing them in the display. Not just for things like ich but to let them recover from shipping and the stress of the LFS. Let them eat some and get stronger before dumping them into a tank where they have to fight for territory.

[steveoutlaw]

BRK QTs as well. I've always gotten healthy fish from them.

[Brian Ward]

These shops do quarantine, but I believe it's usually only for a few days to a week. They ensure the fish do not immediately appear sick and get them eating. However, once you get your fish home, you should quarantine for 4-6 weeks to give the fish time to adjust and de-stress and that will also give enough time to ensure that the fish is disease-free.

[Origami]

I believe that F&F QT's for 2 weeks. That's my recollection at least.

[treesprite]

BRK quarantines new fish in hyposalinity and also uses some kind of medication stuff for which I can't remember the name. If a fish appears to be having a problem, he keeps it back there longer, and if a fish in the sales tanks looks sick he puts it back in QT to treat it. My preference for retail fish purchase is BRK because of Johnny's practices, but I live TOO far away :(

 

You should make a practice of using a QT though. There are some fish which don't do well in long-time QT, mostly because of diet, and fortunately some of them are more resistant to disease than other fish. I don't QT gobies for more than a couple days.

 

If you get a fish from a hobbyist, you're more likely to get a fish that you know has good health and has been in teh same salinity as your tank, instead of having to spend a week just getting it adjusted, since probably most shops keep their fish in lower salinty than is typical of a home tank.

 

A QT tank can be really easy. You don't have to keep it set up permanently like some people do. You can keep a piece of sponge in your sump for a while, then when you need to set up a QT, just put that piece of sponge in a hang-on filter, and use tank water from your tank instead of new water. You don't have to have any lights on a QT tank, just a HOT filter and a heater. Just make sure the tank is an appropriate size for the length of time you will be keeping the fish in QT.