So since getting back in I've been struggling with how things seemed to have changed. Some stuff is just out of anyones hands (prices of nassarius and other CUC being rarer and pricier). But in general the stocking I've seen in stores across the state many seem to be lacking and the health of some of the fish also worse than I remember 2 years ago.
I'm really starting to think I'll only be buying "used" fish in the future because since getting back in the only issues I've had have all been from LFS. Dwarf lion that fairly quickly developed some kind of bacterial disease or something in my QT. None of the other fish caught anything thankfully.
Engineer Goby, in fresh QT with established live rock. Hid and showed no interest in food. No outward sign of disease, perished day 5 or 6.
And the final one from one of the I thought better known and regarded places. Starry blenny, tuxedo urchin, *Female* blue throat trigger. Trigger was supposed to have gone thru more than a month of QT and meds assured should be good to go, others had not. So I opted to put the Starry blenny in QT and just cross my fingers on the trigger in display as I didn't want it in with the other fish from a part of the stores system that was admitted to likely having ick living in that system.
Had the most optimism with this group because of where as well as from the get go salinity being matched. (Vs some of the used fish I had more excitement when they came from a 1.029 and 1.018 in some cases)
Blenny perched day one but seemed skittish and wouldnt eat, took like one pellet I think. Day 2 hiding, won't eat, day 3 morning noticably paler and looking yellowish on underside, dead by I got home from work.
Tuxedo urchin I temp and drip acclimated same as the fish. I think day 2 it was in the same spot the whole time or at least in the evening, day 3 noticed it still not moved and seemed (hard to see) to have dropped spines. Get home that night and pull it from same spot. Was still moving a tiny bit but basically had a tiny hole in the top where the exit should be and no spines left. Noticed a tiny worm/pod kinda thing on it. So diseased or sick urchin I don't know. I had another urchin that was fine in the tank but later on found out the tusk goes for those too. (Not a tusk bite on this thing, tiny hole)
And finally the trigger...really really skittish, couldn't see it well in the store, but other one in tank looked great and was supposed to be thru same process. Next day when I finally catch it out, already has signs of ick.... even if my other QT failed and I did have ick, seems awful fast for having a visible breakout from what I understand of the life cycle of ick. (Hence how TTM works to cure) So spend last 2 weeks feeding it as heavily as I can. It usually always hid and came out when food in water. (only frozen wasn't going for pellet). Rarely would be out. Visibly symptamatic in mornings, by evening the dots seem to recede. Last day or two stopped eating much if any and coming out. Found it up against a gyre tonight. (Thank god, because I was worrrying about it dying deep in the rock tower it hid in that already has sps encrusting sealing it sorta). Bonus points, I think the blue head wrasse that sleeps same place was looking a little hazy or possibly ill recently too.....
In this giant tank got about 0 possibility of catching barring fish hook or maybe it'd go for trap. But really other than keeping tank happy and stable and in turn fish hopefully healthy and able to resist it, I'd have to somehow catch all the fish I do have, somehow run multiple QT since I don't have anything big enough for all them not to mention I really don't think the tusk would tolerate some of the others in a small tank. And then somehow TTM them all. Or possibly TTM a couple at a time AFTER display fallow for the 2-3 months. (Managing them in QT that long without having an oopsie with feeding and ammonia would be fun.)
The last problem is my fault. Even if it's someone or someplace trusted, I should have kept it out of the tank. I just felt the risk was higher with the known 0 QT time fish. (Who had god knows what)
Just seems like it's better if I have to stick to food/supplies and occasional equipment like my huge gear up with Great White and stick to trying to find my stock list from the used market from people I know of here. (And QT still of course) Since while I'm 0/5 on store fish, but 10/10 on used fish (except for the wrasse that jumped day before going in display after 3 months trouble free QT)
Frustrating since my last tank, I don't think I had an issue with any store bought critter except for a copper band butterfly which are notorious anyways. I have plenty of other inverts so I don't think there is any weird toxin issue, salinity devices confirmed with calibration fluid, and temps used digital and glass.
I'm really starting to think I'll only be buying "used" fish in the future because since getting back in the only issues I've had have all been from LFS. Dwarf lion that fairly quickly developed some kind of bacterial disease or something in my QT. None of the other fish caught anything thankfully.
Engineer Goby, in fresh QT with established live rock. Hid and showed no interest in food. No outward sign of disease, perished day 5 or 6.
And the final one from one of the I thought better known and regarded places. Starry blenny, tuxedo urchin, *Female* blue throat trigger. Trigger was supposed to have gone thru more than a month of QT and meds assured should be good to go, others had not. So I opted to put the Starry blenny in QT and just cross my fingers on the trigger in display as I didn't want it in with the other fish from a part of the stores system that was admitted to likely having ick living in that system.
Had the most optimism with this group because of where as well as from the get go salinity being matched. (Vs some of the used fish I had more excitement when they came from a 1.029 and 1.018 in some cases)
Blenny perched day one but seemed skittish and wouldnt eat, took like one pellet I think. Day 2 hiding, won't eat, day 3 morning noticably paler and looking yellowish on underside, dead by I got home from work.
Tuxedo urchin I temp and drip acclimated same as the fish. I think day 2 it was in the same spot the whole time or at least in the evening, day 3 noticed it still not moved and seemed (hard to see) to have dropped spines. Get home that night and pull it from same spot. Was still moving a tiny bit but basically had a tiny hole in the top where the exit should be and no spines left. Noticed a tiny worm/pod kinda thing on it. So diseased or sick urchin I don't know. I had another urchin that was fine in the tank but later on found out the tusk goes for those too. (Not a tusk bite on this thing, tiny hole)
And finally the trigger...really really skittish, couldn't see it well in the store, but other one in tank looked great and was supposed to be thru same process. Next day when I finally catch it out, already has signs of ick.... even if my other QT failed and I did have ick, seems awful fast for having a visible breakout from what I understand of the life cycle of ick. (Hence how TTM works to cure) So spend last 2 weeks feeding it as heavily as I can. It usually always hid and came out when food in water. (only frozen wasn't going for pellet). Rarely would be out. Visibly symptamatic in mornings, by evening the dots seem to recede. Last day or two stopped eating much if any and coming out. Found it up against a gyre tonight. (Thank god, because I was worrrying about it dying deep in the rock tower it hid in that already has sps encrusting sealing it sorta). Bonus points, I think the blue head wrasse that sleeps same place was looking a little hazy or possibly ill recently too.....
In this giant tank got about 0 possibility of catching barring fish hook or maybe it'd go for trap. But really other than keeping tank happy and stable and in turn fish hopefully healthy and able to resist it, I'd have to somehow catch all the fish I do have, somehow run multiple QT since I don't have anything big enough for all them not to mention I really don't think the tusk would tolerate some of the others in a small tank. And then somehow TTM them all. Or possibly TTM a couple at a time AFTER display fallow for the 2-3 months. (Managing them in QT that long without having an oopsie with feeding and ammonia would be fun.)
The last problem is my fault. Even if it's someone or someplace trusted, I should have kept it out of the tank. I just felt the risk was higher with the known 0 QT time fish. (Who had god knows what)
Just seems like it's better if I have to stick to food/supplies and occasional equipment like my huge gear up with Great White and stick to trying to find my stock list from the used market from people I know of here. (And QT still of course) Since while I'm 0/5 on store fish, but 10/10 on used fish (except for the wrasse that jumped day before going in display after 3 months trouble free QT)
Frustrating since my last tank, I don't think I had an issue with any store bought critter except for a copper band butterfly which are notorious anyways. I have plenty of other inverts so I don't think there is any weird toxin issue, salinity devices confirmed with calibration fluid, and temps used digital and glass.