purple firefish RIP

[tmz]

Theroetically at 1.009 it cn destroy ich. But it doesn't always and you can't go lower becaue teh fish can't deal wit hsg lower than it's internal sg of 1.008. It is a valid treatment option for marine ich but not always realiable and it requires a long stay isn QT.

Fish are often shipped in low sg water . It makes them drink less and process less urine .It can old more oxygen and has relatively low ph which helps detoxify ammonia in he bag. I can see why an lfs might hold them in lower sg since it more like the water they are shipped in and saves some salt but ich treatment at 1.015 won't kill ich.

I agree lower sg helps with oxygen which helps ammonia reducing bacteria and reduces the metabolism but I don't agree it is helpful long term since the fish has evolved to live in the sea with an avrage sg of 1.0264 except for brackish species of course. Long term atrophy of some organs appears likely.

 

[block head]

YTough call. Fish die. Rochester lfs pretty much use the same distribution. Tom doesn't care about selling fish. He does it more as a curtisy. Lfs lose money selling marine fish plain and simple. Lower sg is pretty normal in lfs. Any lfs is going to sell sick fish, its unavoidable. Salt is an expense. Wholesalers keep sg low. Lfs usually bump it up a bit.

 

[albano]

Lfs lose money selling marine fish plain and simple.

??? I'm sure many do, but not all!
One LFS near me sells fish and coral at near 'wholesale' prices and does thousands of $ a day...
Another sells livestock at 2-3x 'normal' retail prices, and they're always busy

No need to worry about either of them making $!

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

When one of those places is just down the street from the Rolls Royse dealer we're not talking about an everyday market. Most places need guppies to pay the bills.

 

[tmz]

I don't think this is about lfs bashing or praising LFS s or their balance sheets.. They are valuable sources for most of us and wouldn't be in business if the ydidn't make a profit.
It boils down whether it's wise to keep fish at lower sg short term and long term. I think short term is fine and may be helpful particularly for shipping and initial acclimation but longterm a natural sg level is better. Putting a marine fish in sg water above 1.009 won't harm it in the short run.
Contrary to one ill informed opinion expressed above raising sg rapidly will cause osmotic shock which is sometimes fatal. Raising it .001 per day will not stress the fish.
It won't kill ich though unless it's very low and then not always. Lower sg like 1.015 may slow ich down for a while and mask it but it will still be there.