LFS and ich

[Bike2k]

I was at a LFS last week and one of their tanks had about 15 foxface and a couple of angels that all had severe cases of ich. Since most LFS's combine their tanks into a central system, how do they prevent the ich from spreading?

just wandering

 

[Dmoody]

They usually can't.. Some Lfs run full time copper

 

[MrTuskfish]

Some lfs will use UV between tanks or along inline systems. UV is great for preventing ich from moving between tanks, but will not cure tanks of an ich infestation. I wouldn't buy anything from a LFS that displayed ich-infested fish. I'm sure they'll tell you that all tanks have ich. Nonsense.

 

[sleepydoc]

The people who say that all tanks have ich usually also say that the key is to keep the fish healthy (using xyz supplement) so they can fight it off. If that's the case, the store's fish not only have ich, since they're not fighting it off, they're obviously unhealthy, too!

 

[sandwi54]

No single LFS can prevent ich. If you fully understand ich's complex life cycle and the proper treatments, you'd understand why pretty much every LFS has ich in its system. No LFS can quarantine/treat every one of its fish for four weeks prior to selling them. They would be quickly out of business if they do that.

The most a LFS can do is to maintain good water quality, not overstock its tanks, so the fish stay healthy and don't get heavily infested by ich (or other parasites). For us hobbyists, we have to assume that every fish we buy has some sort of parasites, and properly quarantine it and provide treatments.

 

[MrTuskfish]

No single LFS can prevent ich. If you fully understand ich's complex life cycle and the proper treatments, you'd understand why pretty much every LFS has ich in its system. No LFS can quarantine/treat every one of its fish for four weeks prior to selling them. They would be quickly out of business if they do that.

The most a LFS can do is to maintain good water quality, not overstock its tanks, so the fish stay healthy and don't get heavily infested by ich (or other parasites). For us hobbyists, we have to assume that every fish we buy has some sort of parasites, and properly quarantine it and provide treatments.

Absolutely! It is our job to quarantine and do whatever is necessary to eliminate ich and other parasites; no matter where the fish comes from.. Any dealer would have to at least triple his prices if he used a proper QT regimen on all fish.