"Nine Simple Rules"
Buying Healthy Fish and Keeping Them Healthy
(applies to coral and invertebrates, too)
By Richard “Dick” Hilgers (aka: Amphibious)
This article is dedicated to the memory of my mentor, Robert P. L. Straughn, deceased.
We've all done it!!! We’ve all regretted it!!! Buying a fish on impulse, only to be sorry and poorer a few days later. Money wasted in an expensive hobby is foolishness. If you want to waste money, send it to me!!!
This article is directed toward anyone who purchases fish, coral and invertebrates for their marine aquarium, regardless of size, filtration system complexity or simplicity. No matter your experience, beginner, intermediate, serious hobbyist, or expert, These rules will serve everyone, if learned, applied and practiced with every purchase. It doesn’t matter whether you keep fish only (FO), fish only with live Rock (FOWLR), or a mixed reef (MR). Few people keep strictly corals but would apply to them also.
A little background on the Author
In the 1960s marine fish began to appear in one local fish store (LFS) in my home town, Madison, WI. It was very exciting to see beautifully colored fish swimming around in real life instead of books or occasionally on TV. What books were available had few colored pictures, most were black and white. It was only natural for a guy with 20+ freshwater aquariums (FW) in his basement, to branch off into this new and exciting marine aquarium hobby. I had been keeping aquariums since 1946. I was ready for the change and what turned out to be a challenge. I devoured every piece of literature on marine fish I could find, there weren’t many. Several new and now defunct magazines devoted to marine fish sprang up. I read them cover to cover the day they arrived in the mail. I was literally a like a sponge sopping up saltwater.
I was excited and eager. I had to learn how to keep these “jewels of the sea” alive. After all, I was known around Madison as, “The Fish Man”. After many attempts and many failures, I bought what became the first “bible” of marine aquariums, “The Saltwater Aquarium in the Home” by Robert P. L. Straughn. That book changed my direction. Bob was a fish collector and LFS owner in Miami, FL. When I found this out, I traveled to Miami to meet Bob. In a couple of hours he tutored me on how to keep marine fish alive for longer periods of time. While Bob’s book changed my direction, his tutoring changed my life. At the time, 1968, keeping fish alive 60 to 90 days was common. You simply went out and bought some more. Damsels were the mainstay and cheap about $5 each. Angel fish fetched a hefty price, $100 to $500 depending on species availability and where they were from, Atlantic or Pacific. Applying Bob’s methods and paying attention to water parameters I began keep fish alive six months to a year and soon even longer.
Here are a couple of quotes, as I remember them, from my conversation with Bob Straughn so many years ago.“If you are going to spend your money on marine fish, dedicate your time to learning everything about their care before you make a purchase.”
“Don’t consider yourself successful until you are keeping most fish alive for a minimum of one year. If you keep a fish alive one year, he will likely live for two, three and five years or more.”
“ Learn the behavior of healthy and sick fish. Be able to tell the difference in a glance. This ability will help you immeasurably in your own systems but more so when you are buying new specimens.”
Since I was speaking to the “Master” of the times, I took Bob’s advice to heart and I dedicated my spare time to learning everything I could about this “new” area of the hobby I loved so much.
Bob Straughn died a young man. I believe he was only 56 when he died. I don’t remember the year but, it was a long time ago, about 35 years. I’m sure he would have contributed much more to the hobby he loved, had he lived longer. Rest in peace, Bob.
The marine aquarium hobby has progressed greatly, especially the last 20 years. No one could have predicted we’d be keeping corals alive in Nano tanks back then. No one even new the words Nano tank back then. Look at the outstanding reef tanks shown on every reef forum. Outstanding works of natural art. I’ve always tried my best to keep up with technology as it evolved. This hobby will continue to evolve through the 21st century. I challenge you to keep up with the changes. Keep an open mind. Try new ideas and share your results with anyone interested enough to listen. Join a forum, ask questions and provide answers when you can. Don’t flame anyone for their questions, answers or ideas. We all learn by sharing our experiences. The following are my experiences and ideas that have worked for me. They will work for you, too, if you are willing to learn.
Here are my rules, from a lifetime of experience and a dedication to improving my success with marine fish, when looking to make a purchase. Yes, I follow my own rules.
1. Look past the beauty. Most of us see the beauty in the fish and buy it. In my lifetime, I have interrupted many people looking to buy an obviously sick or distressed fish. I'll walk up to them and say, "I wouldn't buy that fish, if it were my choice". That leads to a conversation about why. It gave me many opportunities to teach a newbie a lesson and gain a friend. It also alienated me to many LFS owners so, discretion had to be exercised. So, look past the beauty is lesson number one.
2. Thoroughly look for external parasites, disease and signs of stress. If visible, avoid it like the plaque. It isn't that you can't cure it with quarantine, copper, freshwater dips and a good feeding regimen. The real risk is in contaminating your display tank. No matter how careful you are, it‘s too easy to cross contaminate. It isn't worth it. Take a pass on sick fish. Signs and behaviors to watch for are, white spots like grains of salt on the exterior of the fish (Ich), twitchy behavior, scraping itself on rocks or sand bottom (sign of parasite), listless behavior (sign of starvation, indigestion or poisoning), raised scales (sign of parasites or infection), discoloration ( sign of stress), lateral line and head area erosion (LLHHD, Lateral line hole in the head disease), rapid respiration (breathing heavily is a sign of parasites in the gills). I highly recommend walking away from every fish showing any of the above obvious signs of illness.
3. Always request to see the fish eat. If the LFS refuses for any reason or excuse, don't buy it. Tell the LFS, you will not be buying it for that reason! Many fish are net caught these days and make it through capture, holding, export to your country, holding in importer’s facility, transport to LFS in your area and displayed for your pleasure and purchase. That’s a lot off handling. Think about this chain of events, capture, bagging (collector), transport, un-bagging, acclimation (Exporter’s facility), bagging, transporting, un-bagging, acclimating (Importer’s facility), bagging, transporting, un-bagging, acclimation (LFS), All this time the fish is not feed!!! Yes, it’s true! Fish are not feed to allow them to empty there digestive tract in the holding facilities rather than in their bag, which would quickly raise ammonia levels and kill the fish before it gets into your hands! Is there any wonder why the fish is stressed when you find it at the LFS??? NO!!! Now you know what the wholesale and retail trade doesn’t want you to know. It is a strict buyer beware situation.
4. Put a hold on the fish for 24 hours minimum, longer if possible. Most LFSs will do this for you. It helps if you are a regular and they know you are coming back. Don’t do this if you don’t intend on returning in 24 to 48 hours. You could say, "Would you hold this fish for a couple of days for me?". If they agree, make sure they mark the tank that, that fish is sold with your name on it. If there are multiple specimens choose one and be sure it's marked properly. There may be six specimens but you may want a specific one. If it isn't there when you go back, be skeptical of the rest and willing to walk away.
5. Never buy on impulse. Ha, fat chance!!! This is so hard to resist but, so important. That's one reason for putting a hold on the fish. You need time to check your emotions, besides allowing the fish to show it's true colors. Giving the fish a day or two to settle down, get used to his surroundings, and hopefully eat a little. Many LFSs only throw a token amount of food, usually flake, at their tanks and let the fish fend for themselves. That’s why rule #3 is so important. Don't be afraid to go back to the LFS and decline the fish. Make sure that your display tank “fits” the fish’s requirements for a life in captivity. Also, be sure your quarantine tank is prepared to accept this new arrival. What??? You don’t quarantine??? Get out of the hobby!!! Just kidding. See #7 below.
Continued...
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