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kitten, you're taking a big risk of killing your other fish when inserting a suspected fish into one of the already settled tanks.
bettas might be torn appart for very poor fishkeeping (putting them together, for example).
i wouldn't go near such a store again, if i were you, because it's obvious they know nothing about their fish.

tk, first of all, don't but anything in that store again. let the owners know that.
second, spread the word about it every way you can. give details.
then, if you really want to, contact a consumers' organization near you. they'll give the store the bad pulicity.
i don't think you could make the store's liscence revoked that easily, because the authorities don't like cutting off tax-payers just because you complained, and it is rather difficult to prove their fault, unless you're willing to invest in it.

*ponders*

*peers at her empty one gallon tanks*

Think I could make any money off of healing up bettas? I have a hobby to support here, and a baby fish I rescued that promises to be a big fish soon. (Rosy barb, we think.)

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

i will not spend money on obviously sick fish

- Well this would be a problem for me If I chose to purchase a Betta. Any Betta. I have not seen 1 betta withon 200km of my house that looked even remotely healthy, and anyone I know who has purchased a Betta locally or anywhere on this island has had these fish live a maximum of 6 months, most dying within the first week. Not 1 store I have seen keeps bettas in anything other than a stupid breeder trap or those stupid little glass vases, and then all the males in those glass vases can all see each other! So they are pretty much killing themselves by flaring and attacking the other males by smacking into the glass wall, which I must say is not fair to be only 1 inch in any direction for a wall. Its such a shame that some fish are treated so poorly, espescially when they can be truly some of the most beautiful fish around. It sure is a dilemma when this happens.
In response to Kittens original question, if you purchased a seperate 10g or 5g tank, and just brought home sick fish and nursed them to health, then sold them yourself, you would be doing those fish a great service. Most of us dont have the money nor time to do so, but if you could and did, I salute you! I would definetly spend my money buying fish off someone who obviously took such good care of them, rather than giving money to those stores who put 100 male bettas in 100 4 inch vases within 1 inch of at least 1 dozen others at any time.
Just my two cents.

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I agree, as someone said, if its something rare that you've been searching for and you have the experience and resources to treat it then go ahead and take a shot. In general though, we should avoid sick fish and newcomers to the hobby should really avoid sick fish.

i will accept sich fish, and i will quarrantine them in a big way... in a completely different part of the house.

i will not spend money on obviously sick fish.

this is a bad move for me, and it allows the store to think that suckers like me will keep buying them.



For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Fry - I keep all my bettas in individual tanks... how does that hurt my community tanks? My females in my community tank were the ones who cycled my tank and the females I've added since then have been QT'd (one gallon tanks I have, aplenty). I don't buy sick fish to add directly to my tanks, but like I said, I have no issues rescuing a fin rotted (or otherwise distressed) betta.

I trust my LFS, so I can get away without QT tanks. I certainly wouldn't mind HAVING extra tanks, but to do so, with my current space available, I'd have to give up one of my community tanks. And sneak it past my dad.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

tkchill02,

NO, that is definitely not true. It depends on your LFS and their distributors. Not all fish come with a problem. The key is to find the good suppliers and avoid the ones with a high percentage of sick fish. You can find healthy fish that will show great colors and breeding behavior the first day in your tank. Your LFS stance that every fish comes with a problem of some kind is an excuse for poor business practices.

We've all been in your position and I would bet most of us just bought the medicine and forgot about getting ripped off. But, I wouldn't go back to that store for anything else. (I would have got the medicine somewhere else) Give other stores in the area a chance until you find one that won't knowingly sell you a sick fish and make it right when they accidently sell you something with a problem.

My wife and I have saved a few Bettas. One had a real bad case of finrot w/ no tail at all. W/ some TLC he has recovered and his tail is growing rapidly.

There have been a few others w/ minor problems. And all of our Bettas are kept seperate in theie own tanks. I would never bring one home and toss it in a community tank.

There's nothing wrong w/ trying to save or give something or someone a better life even if it's for a short time. And one never knows if it'll servive longer.

The finrot Betta has turned out to be one of our best Bettas. He's 1 outta 15 that we have, and outta the 15 there are 5 that we saved and are still alive when several that were healthy have passed and since been replaced.

It would depend on what it is... if it's something really common & you just want THAT particular one because you feel sorry for it, then no, leave it & get a healthy one. If it's something rare or truley spectacular and it is potentially 'curable', then I'd consider it. (for examle, in my case, if it were a truley spectacular Betta & it was suffering from something like minor finrot, then Yes, i'd probably take it)
But if we're talking something like a tetra or a gupy, then it's not worth the money, hassel or the risk of infecting the rest of your fish

Tropher - If EVERY store that had ANY sick fish in it were closed, then thered literally be NO fish stores anywhere... or at least that's the case around here

[span class="edited"][Edited by ~ Sin ~ 2004-08-14 07:36][/span]

Please move this if it belongs under a different category... This is a curiousity question.

But I was just going to ask what people thought about buying fish that potentially could have a fungal/bacterial infection or even ick? If you put them in a QT and treated...?
Or would that be something to avoid?

Christina

In the past month I started a 72 gal bow front tank. My first fish were bought at a new large chain pet store that just opened. Three Flame Gauramis- all with cotton mouth "fungus". If its illegal to sell sick fish this store is definitely getting away with it. I informed the manager of my sick fish the next day to only to get a run around of what medicine I could buy!Saying all fish that are bought ANYWhere will have some sort of disease or problem.
IS THIS TRUE??? I paid an extra $15.00 for Melafix when I feel I should have been refunded or gave the treatment. Does anyone agree? So since they were my first fish they infected my entire tank! REALLY AGGRAVATING! What are the legal aspects of buying sick fish and my rights?

I wouldn't buy them if there are any questions. Even if you nurse them back to health there may still be a bacterial problem. Fish that survive a bacterial outbreak can become ammune and become carriers of the problem. Its just risky short and long term. Wait for the next batch.

Being tender-hearted, I'd love to take each and every sick fish home to nurture them back to health. On the other hand, I don't have QT tanks, either. Nor would I have a place to put the poor goldie even if I could somehow help him to regrow every fin (I hate chain stores... the poor thing barely had the stubs of his fins left).

I don't have a problem bringing home a fin rotted or beaten up betta, though. If my parents wouldn't flip over it, of course. (We've gotten to the "no more fish!" stage.) All of my bettas are pet store finds, one of my females was ripped to shreds when I bought her. (Of course, she got the name Jezebel the betrayer after being healed and introduced to my other females and then ripping THEM up.)

And I've rescued a baby: http://www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/forums/thread.asp?id=44243 He/she's turning out to be quite a surprise... thought it was a livebearer fry, but turns out that somehow an egg survived in the nasty tanks of this LCS... He wasn't sick, but seems like he would have been quite dead if I hadn't rescued him. Does that count?

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

even if you get them for free, i wouldn't do it.
they will almost certainly die, and then you'll have to disinfect you quaranteen tank and start it over again.
a lot of fuss on an almost lost cause.

If the store is elling sick fish it is illegal, I am the manager of my LFS, and you can have the store shut down for selling sick fish, and big no no.

-topher

Have you taken a look at these threads?

http://www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/forums/thread.asp?id=45474
http://www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/forums/thread.asp?id=45542

I wouldn't either. You feel bad for them, but at the same time it's a big risk. I don't even buy fish if I see a dead one in the tank.

I personally wouldn't buy sick fish. First, the stress of moving could bring quick death to a sick fish. Even if you do quarantine it and treat with meds, it could die. An expensive risk IMO.