Saving fish?

[Rufio808]

Just wondering if anyone else has a pretense about potentially "saving" a fish from their LFS, Petco, fellow hobbyist, ect. Many times I'll come across a fish with ich or the victim of harsh bullying. I always get the urge to purchase the fish, nurse it back to health, then ultimately selling it or donating it. I hate seeing mandarins harassed to death by damsels, ich ridden angels and tanks full of dead livestock.

Is it wrong of me to think this way? To me, I'm willing to pay for the fish if it means I can give them a second chance at a better life. I wish I just had a bigger tank (second-hand tanks) to help more. Sorry tangs and angels : /

 

[little_fish]

I know how you feel, which i why i try and stay away from the LFS. I almost took 10 baby seahorses home the other day so i could give them a chance at life.

Instead i got some scallops which are equally hard! Forgot my own rule of research first and then buy.

 

[Rufio808]

Yeah, today I saw a red mandarin getting pounded on by a juvi queen angel. Fins were nipped to death. /sigh

Save the horses! So many people buy them and don't know anything about them. At least you have knowledge to save them.

 

[little_fish]

I dont know, it would be such a major undertaking and im going to be traveling a bunch for the next month. They seriously were only 2 inches big, they would probably need live food and have to be weaned onto frozen.

It really really killed me to leave them there. I sure hope they get lucky.

 

[Cathic]

I hate my lfs because of bad fish practices.

 

[yote]

Nope.I've never bought a fish with the intent to save it.9 times out of 10,the fish is going to die no matter what you do.
At the store I help at,we wont sale you a sickly looking fish.If its got ick or flukes,it goes in the QTs in the back of the store to be treated.If its scared up,we'll usually just give it to somebody that we know would take care of it,that probably couldnt afford the non-scared version of the same fish.
Seahorses are ordered ONLY for those we know are capable of caring for them.

 

[bjohanson1234]

Unfortunatly yote, your LFS is one of the few good ones.

I also avoid buying sickly fish. It just encourages those places to buy more fish that they wont care for.

 

[wontonflip]

Yeah, I did the whole "Saving fish" thing :mrgreen: Ichy blue hippo -- sittin' in my sump as we speak. I wasn't going to get him until the livingreefs rescue police got on my a$$ :shock: LOL Yes, it's contributing to the big bad corporation -- enabling them to buy more sick fish. But the hippo's so cute! LOL I wouldn't do it again though. So much trouble, and since I didn't know if it would live, I did not tell my kids about it until a week later.