# How to Purchase SW Livestock



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Would someone like to tell me how to tell if saltwater livestock (fish/corals/invertebrates) is healthy and parasite free??? Blossom??? Ciddian, I know you're a wealth of knowledge.


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

For me being a newbie ,i dont know and didnt know .
but if you have any heads that wont or arent open ,if you see a dead one here or there.
If you see antipasta(someone who takes care wont have any.
Wish i had the other pc up to show pics, but any discoloration or spots that look suspicous .
Honestly myself ,just my opinion , stores are unreliable ,and beware of tank tear downs and buying on the internet.
I am going to join a group of serious reefers as you know they will take care of their tank .
And Q anything you buy even if it seems healthy.
It is much easier to deal with a problem in a smaller tank then a bigger one .
When i finish sorting out my "problem" , im going to take the time and write down guidelines for myself when buying and take it with me on every purchase.
And beware of postings that offer FREE ,check out their tank ,look for algea (green bubble and red)
As you dont want to contaminate your tank .
TRUSTME its a pain in the A lol
Wish i had known .


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## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

First of all, research the fish/coral/invert that one wishes to buy. Have an idea of behavior, color, etc. An educated consumer will have greater chances of success .

What I would do is look at the overall system. Are the selling aquariums individually set-up or on a central filtration? 

Fishwise,look at the overall condition of the fish...sunken/pinched bellies...hazy patches on the skin/eyes/fins. Are they aware of their surroundings and the activity of other aquarium co-inhabitants? If all is good, then this is where knowing what the overall selling system configuration is important. Especially with central filtration systems, you have to take the extra steps in observing the fish in the other aquariums. If they look off, AVOID PERIOD! What's in the water of the "good fish" of interest, will definitely be "contaminated" with whatever is ailing the fish in adjacent aquariums and you can pass them on to your fish at home. This is where a QT system will be of benefit IF you MUST have that particular fish.

With stony/hard corals, look for full polyp extension and coloration. Branching corals aside, if there are signs of tissue ressession and/or bleaching, avoid them unless one has some experience under their belt to help them recover to their former glory. Otherwise one may as well put that $$$ in the incinerator...LOL!

Softies like leathers, mushrooms and zoas, they are pretty tough and unless things are off in the system of the final destination, they go from bad to worse . With leathers, palythoas and zoanthids, one has to look a bit closer for parasitic nudis, sundial snails and in blossoms case, spider crabs.

Again with corals systems, look at the system as a whole. Look for planaria...another scourge in the marine hobby.

With what I have seen, problematic wise, these days I strongly recommend a QT system for both corals and fish. It can take a bit of real estate in ones livig space and a small investment but forgoing a QT system, one must have a trained eye and more imporantly, an honest/ethical seller/retailer of livestock.

It's not a fool proof method as even I have had my share of disasters to this day. As one gets experience from research and personal, they become few and far between as time goes on. Most importantly...HAVE FUN and enjoy all, good and bad, that comes with this hobby !

Happy reefing...the aquatic type of reefing...LMAO!


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

blossom112 said:


> If you see antipasta(someone who takes care wont have any)
> Wish i had known .


I tend to agree with what WTAC has said, but Blossom I don't totally agree with your statement. If you do some research you will find a lot of reefers going o'natural (skimmerless) on their systems and using aiptasia as one of the main filtration components. I do have some aiptasia in my DT and do take care of my tank. This is the main food source for the Berghia Nudibranch of which I have four in my tank.

One other point is find out when the shipment was brought in house. You don't want something that was shipped in and put up for sale the same day you are looking to make a purchase. Also ask to see the fish eat.








(http://www.coralscaping.com/berghia_1.html)


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

I can definatly come out with you to pick out some live rock  Its a lot of sitting and watching... I picked up my LR from NAFB for somthing a pound. I cant recall....

Since it was a bran new tank i just dunked it all in there.. But now since i have stuff i would definatly QT like crazy...


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Folks at the DRAS meeting last night told me that NAFB has great live rock and a fantastic assortment to choose from. I'll have to do some research on it as I have no idea!


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

Somewhere in there i did say was my opinion


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Its okay to dissagree... we all have our opinions.

Yea tabatha i dont remember what kind i actually bought but there are a few different types of rock. I wish i could remember the one i got


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