Buying frags from petco

Discussion in 'Coral' started by SwimsWithFish, Dec 2, 2011.

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  1. SwimsWithFish

    SwimsWithFish Giant Squid

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    Is it safe to buy Lps frags at petco? Anything to look for? There really cheap.
     
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  3. billielewis3

    billielewis3 Gigas Clam

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    what you want to do is check the status of all their fish tank/displays.

    do the corals look like the oozing anything?
    does the coral look like its bleaching?
    does the coral extend its polyps?
    does their water look clear?
    do you see any fish with banged up fins?
    do you see any fish with ich?
    do you see alot of algea?
    do you see any dead fish?

    this goes for all fish stores, not just big chian ones.

    my Local Petco has a great fish guy named bill (i dont just likehim cus of his name, but it helps) , all his tanks are crystal clear, hes very smart, are all the fish corals look fat and happy.

    the Petco in the next town over, ALWAYS has at least 2 dead saltwater fish, and a dozen dead frashwater fish.
     
  4. SwimsWithFish

    SwimsWithFish Giant Squid

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    Ok! Wait, can ick travel on corals? Because 1/5 of the fish have ick or are messed up.
     
  5. billielewis3

    billielewis3 Gigas Clam

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    ive never delt with ich, but then again, i dont QT my fish (i know, i know...)

    but because i dont, i would not buy anything from a tank that had ich in it. its a parasite so i imagine that it could live in corals, but im not 100%

    if i was you, i wouldnt but crap from a tank with ich.
     
  6. SwimsWithFish

    SwimsWithFish Giant Squid

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    Alright. I'll start a thread on it and see what I get... Thanks for your help:)
     
  7. 1.0reef

    1.0reef Giant Squid

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    one guy on nano reef has some AWESOME blastos from Petco
     
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  9. stepho

    stepho Panda Puffer

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    You should not buy anything out of a tank with an ich infection. There isn't anything out there worth the risk.

    Also it would be a good idea to get into the practice of dipping your corals, and using a quarantine tank.
     
  10. SwimsWithFish

    SwimsWithFish Giant Squid

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    Will do, how do you dip?
     
  11. ComputerJohn

    ComputerJohn Panda Puffer

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    Livestock from Petco, ahhhh. That's like buying a puppy from a puppy farm I wouldn't. Employees at these places have NO idea what they are selling or if their livestock are sick. It's sell, sell, sell.

    Anything that is new to your tank you should quarantine for at least 2 weeks period. Even LiveAquaria.com suggests quarantining their livestock when you get it for 2 weeks as well. You might as well use tapwater, table salt and a 100w light bulb as part of system as well.

    Sent from my Sprint Samsung Epic Touch using Tapatalk.
     
  12. billielewis3

    billielewis3 Gigas Clam

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    tell us how you really feel!

    IMO, i think it varies from store to store. alot of people think PETCO, PETSMART, ect ect dont know what teh hell they are talking about, but on the other hand, whos to say that your LFS is just as dumb / incapable as the part time, pimple faced, dork in high school who doesnt give 2 craps about fish?