Am I stupid?

[thefatboy]

I've always heard that you should never put the water from the LFS into your tank when you buy a fish or a coral.

I always do. I figure, its life, biodiversity, and its got to be good. If its got something bad in it, in that small of quantity, it could be like immunizing your children. Here's a little mumps for you junior...

Am I an idiot?

Sure, I understand not wanting to risk your tank getting "measles", but dont people these days think the same about your children? I hear a lot about people not getting their kids immunized. Clearly, this is two separate subjects. However I can see the correlation. I wouldnt want expensive corals or fish dying either.

Then again, some of the people are the same people telling you to "cook" your live rock when you buy it too. I figure, why buy live rock if youre going to have all that biodiversity just die off, you might as well have bought dead rock.

In my current tank, I bought a piece of live rock from every store I could. In Dallas, that's a lot of different rock. You could reason that it probably came from a small group of rock distributors, but every LFS's live rock tank has a different makeup of bacteria, and is in a different situation.

Can we talk about this?

 

[LJA]

I try not to, I think that there could be free swimming ich parasites in the water but this is just what I've heard.

I don't because 99% of the time there is a load of crud in the bottom of the bag.

Best pratices suggests that you don't.

 

[reef2]

most lfs run copper in their system so when u add the water ur adding the copper also.

 

[Eagles]

Well one of the potential problems is that the majority of local fish stores will use Copper to treat Ich. I'm not sure what concentration of Copper you need before your invertebrates start dropping off, but adding it pointlessly from the water that came with your fish is not a risk I want to take.

 

[thefatboy]

interesting. i didnt think of copper. however, the stores i buy from keep the fish and corals together... i would imagine a company selling coral wouldnt do anything as stupid as putting copper in their systems. at least id hope not.

hell, even petco keeps little anemones in the same tanks as the clownfish... do you think they dose copper?

 

[kookerson]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13012885#post13012885 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reef2
most lfs run copper in their system so when u add the water ur adding the copper also.

Ive never seen any LFS run copper in there systems.........Im not saying that there are none that do, But I think saying that "most"
do is pushing it......

 

[thefatboy]

sounds like a job for Myth-Busters!

 

[Megalodon]

My LFS runs a small amount of copper in some of their fish tanks but none in their invert tanks.

 

[Sk8r]

I agree with you about the live rock: I'd rather deal with the plagues it brings than suffer the lack of biodiversity.

But the only additional biodiversity you'll get from lfs water is ich or copper, neither desirable...and certainly not fair to your own fish. It's like inviting Typhoid Mary to dinner with your family.

Content yourself with the biodiversity of your rock, which comes from the ocean. Your lfs's tank water has nothing in common with the ocean but its salinity, and even that is likely to be off.

 

[bane]

I know the lfs in my area run copper on the fish only side's of ther stores.

 

[Tswifty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13012885#post13012885 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reef2
most lfs run copper in their system so when u add the water ur adding the copper also.

+1

Most do run copper at a "comfort" level in their system, and will also run their SG lower (I believe 1.015 is common). Obviously the water coming from any tanks containing coral would be handled differently.

 

[Playa-1]

Am I an idiot?

IMHO yep
:lol: I couln't resist.

That's like Immunizing your children with an Aids tainted needle. Your gambling with your pets lives. Not too cool in my book. Kinda like dancing with Death at the expense of your pets.

 

[nikon187]

yeah most either run copper or hyposalinety. Not all but most

 

[matthewscars]

Simply put, why risk it? Using a net for a fish is as easy as dumping the bag into your tank.

Same for coral.

 

[Myrphie]

I just think the best thing would be to eliminate any variables. While I'm not sure I totally agree with the "immunization" argument, the fact is that if there's anything in that LFS water you want to immunize against, odds are it's already on the specimen you're adding and it'll make its way to your tank anyway.

For what it's worth, I've worked in and managed an LFS for years and I've always recommended my clients never add our water (or anyone else's!) to their aquariums.

 

[mazilla]

2/3 of my LFS I use run copper in their fish system

 

[JRechcygl]

I am the fish room manager at a store in Wisconsin so I feel I can help shed light on the subject. Yes, copper can be an issue, BUT the amount you would receive in the bag SHOULDN'T, (emphasis on the shouldn't) be of issue. Believe it or not most salt will have trace amount of copper in them. If you use tap water, most people have copper pipes. If your tank is a nano the copper obviously will be more of concern. Parasites are also a possibilty. BUT if the LFS runs copper they also should be less issue. Think about this. If you don't pour in the water in fear of parasites, don't you think the fish would harbor the parasites also?! Well they would be a carrier none the less so that theory can be disregarded. One of the major reasons people don't pour the water in is stricktly ammonia. As the fish get netted and put into a small bag of water it will most likely defacat like crazy. Hence ammonia. Most wholesalers have their own acclimation procedures and every major wholesaler I've seen frowns upon either netting the fish out of the bag or pouring the bag water through a net. The net will reduce the slime coat and potentially damage skin, putting the already stressed fish at risk of bacterial infection. I would minimize the amount of water added to your tank but I would not sweat it. And yes the vacacination point rings true in a way here.

Just my two pennies

 

[abulgin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13015425#post13015425 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JRechcygl
I am the fish room manager at a store in Wisconsin so I feel I can help shed light on the subject. Yes, copper can be an issue, BUT the amount you would receive in the bag SHOULDN'T, (emphasis on the shouldn't) be of issue. Believe it or not most salt will have trace amount of copper in them. If you use tap water, most people have copper pipes. If your tank is a nano the copper obviously will be more of concern. Parasites are also a possibilty. BUT if the LFS runs copper they also should be less issue. Think about this. If you don't pour in the water in fear of parasites, don't you think the fish would harbor the parasites also?! Well they would be a carrier none the less so that theory can be disregarded. One of the major reasons people don't pour the water in is stricktly ammonia. As the fish get netted and put into a small bag of water it will most likely defacat like crazy. Hence ammonia. Most wholesalers have their own acclimation procedures and every major wholesaler I've seen frowns upon either netting the fish out of the bag or pouring the bag water through a net. The net will reduce the slime coat and potentially damage skin, putting the already stressed fish at risk of bacterial infection. I would minimize the amount of water added to your tank but I would not sweat it. And yes the vacacination point rings true in a way here.

Just my two pennies

First of all, it shouldn't matter because everyone qurantines fish, right?? So you're only adding LFS water to your QT.

Second, if you dip the fish in formalin treated freshwater, like I always do, then you cut down significantly the possibility that the specimen is carrying anything that's in the bag water.

Anyway . . . why would you add the water?? What benefit are you getting from this? (none).

 

[JRechcygl]

True there is no "benefit' but the negative stigma, in my eyes is overblow. Mabye I've just become complacient working in a shop and having faith in "my" fish. Yes QT is the way to go but not everyone esp. newbies are that patient.

 

[seapug]

When I buy a fish or coral from my local store (where I know whether or not it's been treated with copper) and bring it right home I don't worry too much about it. It's never caused a problem in my tanks.

On the other hand, something that's been mail ordered and sitting in a bag for 24 hours or longer, I try to avoid it, as there can be quite a lot of ammonia and waste in the water.