LFS- has a fish I want but...

[JodiM]

What Sk8r said, x 10,000. Especially a Blue Tang. They may very well be the worst fish there is when it comes to being disease prone. In addition, the very small ones have a dismal survival rate even if purchased in good health.

Can you tell us about your tank? Size, age, filtration, lighting, water parameters (with actual numbers).

Perhaps we could offer a suitable alternative.

Regardless, not using a proper QT for ANY fish is sorta like playing Russian roulette with 5 of 6 chambers loaded, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE QT, and think long and hard about TTM (tank transfer method) to prevent problems in the DT.

Starting off small this time,
36 gallon bow front with sump
I am about 3 weeks in I think, I jump started my cycle to get it moving more quickly. So far so good.
I have an LED Fluval sea 25000K
My water levels, are pretty good (imo anyways)
Salt: 1.024
PH:8.1
Temp: 80.5
NH3:0
NO2:0
NO3:10ppm
Calcium: 410
Magnesium: 1200

Please let me know if you see anything wrong with those numbers. From what I have been reading, they are within normal limits

 

[JodiM]

Oh yea, blue tangs aren't hard to get at all. I wouldn't bother.

True, just never seen one this small. Which would be perfect, it would give me plenty of time to set up a larger tank. But the want is not worth the risk in this case.

 

[hkgar]

I admit I haven't read every post and this may have been said.

To the OP (and others) I believe that all new fish should go through TTM (with 2PraziPro treatments) then into QT for an additional 4 weeks. ALL fish

 

[JodiM]

I admit I haven't read every post and this may have been said.

To the OP (and others) I believe that all new fish should go through TTM (with 2PraziPro treatments) then into QT for an additional 4 weeks. ALL fish

Does TTM take 2 tanks? I am thinking of the correct thing here?

 

[billdogg]

two tanks, 2 5g buckets, whatever will work thats big enough.

 

[Lrfox]

Yup we have a yellowtail damsel now that everyone calls Dory, so it isn't a huge deal.
But situations like this is exactly why I dislike taking my children with me to the fish store! haha

Yup- I hardly take the kids to LFS with me anymore. A)It's my time and B)If they had their way, we'd have a 55 gallon tank stocked with a gold spot pleco, two discus, a blue lobster, two spotted stingrays, dory, nemo (all of the nemos), damsels, lion fish, a bunch of "aneneminnies," a turtle and a couple of frogs.

I also know how hard it is to say no.

 

[hkgar]

Does TTM take 2 tanks? I am thinking of the correct thing here?

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2388428

Two tanks or 5 G buckets.

 

[fcmatt]

Since when can u dip ich away and be good to go in a few days? That alone would worry me who I am buying from.

Ich can be trated but I am pretty sure no magic dip exists today.

 

[lifeoffaith]

My oldest daughter is so sick of me and my fish tanks that she hates going to the pet store. Still she gets excited every once in a while and she even asked for a fish tank in her new room. If I let her have one, it will have to be a very simple setup with very hardy fish, but I want it to be one she will actually enjoy as well.

That being said, unless you already have a large tank running to move the fish into when he/she outgrows your 36 gallon, don't do it. As has already been mentioned, the fish will outgrow your current tank in no time and even if your best intention is to upgrade in time, quite often things get in the way and you can't do it. The 36 gallon really is too small for even a small tang because they need swimming space.

 

[JodiM]

Yup- I hardly take the kids to LFS with me anymore. A)It's my time and B)If they had their way, we'd have a 55 gallon tank stocked with a gold spot pleco, two discus, a blue lobster, two spotted stingrays, dory, nemo (all of the nemos), damsels, lion fish, a bunch of "aneneminnies," a turtle and a couple of frogs.

I also know how hard it is to say no.

Lol sounds like us. The want everything they see. It's hard explaining that this tank isn't big enough for all the fishies.
We told our oldest, it's just a starter tank and when we go bigger again, maybe we can get more of what he wants.
My daughter is 2 and doesn't understand "we can't do that" yet lol

 

[JodiM]

My oldest daughter is so sick of me and my fish tanks that she hates going to the pet store. Still she gets excited every once in a while and she even asked for a fish tank in her new room. If I let her have one, it will have to be a very simple setup with very hardy fish, but I want it to be one she will actually enjoy as well.

That being said, unless you already have a large tank running to move the fish into when he/she outgrows your 36 gallon, don't do it. As has already been mentioned, the fish will outgrow your current tank in no time and even if your best intention is to upgrade in time, quite often things get in the way and you can't do it. The 36 gallon really is too small for even a small tang because they need swimming space.

Yeah the other tank isn't set up yet. It's been about 15 years since I had a tank, so going slow this time around

 

[kmbyrnes]

Unless you have experience treating ich successfully, pass on any fish that has it. Especially if you don't plan on a full QT protocol. Another specimen will arrive shortly.
Sounds like you need a new LFS. Any store that would love to sell you a sick fish is suspect.
A sick fish most likely will either die before reaching the DT and you will purchase another, or it will infect your DT requiring many purchases down the line. They win either way.
I 'rescued' an Ich covered Desjardini last winter. To their credit, the LFS didn't want to sell it to me and put my tank at risk.
I told them my treatment plan, and took it off their hands at a good price.
They were just treating with low level copper. I took it home and did the full TTM/Prazi/QT for about 8 weeks.

 

[illinijoe]

Wouldn't shop at that place what a crappy answer

 

[QuiQuog]

If it were a fish that was exceedingly rare, extremely desirable, and extraordinarily beautiful, I might consider it if the LFS offered to extend a guarantee for a time period that covered TTM and QT plus a week or two in the DT and a discounted price.

In other words, nope.

 

[JodiM]

If it were a fish that was exceedingly rare, extremely desirable, and extraordinarily beautiful, I might consider it if the LFS offered to extend a guarantee for a time period that covered TTM and QT plus a week or two in the DT and a discounted price.

In other words, nope.

I agree with you. Its not worth the risk for a tang.