good fish or bad

cusweatin · #1 09/06/2003, 03:00 PM

i know i shouldnt buy fish from petco and i havent yet however i was in there today for some salt. I saw this poor valentini puffer in this measley 5gallon tank. I told the lady to hold him until i researched him. I know puffers are poisonous but i dont have any aggressive fish that would bother him. I feel real sorry for him in that little tank. Should i rescue him?

skippy2 · #2 09/06/2003, 03:04 PM

You would be rescuing that fish but Petco would just buy another one to replace it. Thus, more fish besides the one you saw would have to go through a similar fate.

Dave A · #3 09/06/2003, 03:08 PM

IMO it's not what other fish will bother him but what he will do to the other fish. I haven't had much luck myself with puffers, they always seem to be quite hard on the finns of my other fish. I just had to give away my Emerald Puffer because he was stressing out the rest of the fish.

Dave

Entropy · #4 09/06/2003, 03:13 PM

I have three fish from Petco and they are all doing excellent so as long as the fish fits into your tank's community I would go for it. My opinion is that if the fish can survive in Petco's water, it will do just fine in anything you have running. I often jokingly say that the toilet would be better than Petco's setup....

I think you are on the right track though. Do research and make sure it is a fish that will not only get along with the other inhabitants of your tank but will be something that you will enjoy. Also make sure it is compatible with anything else you may plan on adding down the road.

naesco · #5 09/06/2003, 03:34 PM

I agree with Skippy. I know how tough it is to see fish at LFS suffer.
IMO the best thing to do when you see fish or coral in these situations is to let the staff at the LFS know.

When you rescue a fish here is what happens.
1. If the fish is not well you bring the possibility of problems in your tank.
2. The LFS will simply order another one to replace it.

If LFS have fish losses from unsuitable species in their tanks, they are unlikely to replace those fish and suffer more losses.

REEFORM: Never buy a fish from the Philippines or Indonesia where the use of cyanide is rampant.