how comfortable are you in buying livestock when they say, just arrived?

[Paolissimo]

I see a lot of vendors advertising that they are getting a shipment at a certain time. I am assuming people rush to the store to cherry pick whats in those boxes. But my questions are, wouldn't the animals be stressed? Is it worth to rush to a store to pick what they just got in? What are your experiences in buying right out of the shipment box?
Thanks

 

[reefer4eva]

.if it is a reputable store that usually have healthy fish I'd buy

 

[Paolissimo]

I agree, but would a reputable store advertise that they got new shipment and sell it to customer without inspecting the stock or quarantining?

 

[greg 45]

It all depends on what you are buying out of the bag
Anemones a big no no / some people on here have tried this and crashed there systems !!!!
Fish if you have the experience maybe / to save a few dollars
Worth it to see the nem or fish eating in a system before you purchase to se if its healthy

 

[reefer4eva]

I agree, but would a reputable store advertise that they got new shipment and sell it to customer without inspecting the stock or quarantining?

True..I personally never bought livestock out of the shipping box as I know the trauma and stress the fish go thru.it all depends on where they are getting there shipment from also...if it is local to the store or overseas

 

[Widdy]

Game Theory - reefer style. :scratchch

 

[Paolissimo]

Game Theory - reefer style. :scratchch

hahahaha

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

I shy away from that, if it's gonna die , let it die in the stores tanks not in mine after I payed for it , I usually order stuff and pay for it , then I pick it up a day or two after they call me ....... Personal way of assuring it will be alive when I buy it, if it dies they say sorry man fish didn't make it and they order me another one ! Key note: I only payed once for that fish lol .

 

[Paolissimo]

i never bought our of the box, just because I think they fish and corals are stressed. I also never bought livestock online for the same reason.

 

[cmantis]

Unless you know where they are buying from I would be weary. Some places quarantine their fish before sending (the cost is more but rarely are there issues). Corals do need some time depending what they are. Also if freshly fragged they need time to heal which varies. I would actually probably buy straight from the bag (knowing the risk) or wait and let it fully acclimate in the new system before purchasing and making it reacclimate.

 

[thirty6]

I stay away from out of the box or just arrived anything, just me. Haven't had a bad experience, just something that has worked for me. I have not ordered fish online yet for this reason, think once. I redo my qt tank I may give a shot at online fish purchase. Well see

 

[jaBX1]

Sometimes at stores you can see the fish's bellies concave. out of the box sometimes i feel that even though they might be stressed they havent had time to deteriorate.

 

[Dre]

It depends on the kind of fish and vital signs. Some anthias, moorish idols, angels, butterfly, tangs, wrasses, blue green chromis to name a few have a low survival rate to begin with and can be challenging to feed. Triggers, groupers, lionfish, snappers, damseles and captive bred fish are more tolerant in captivity.

 

[Arati]

I do like to buy out of the shipping box. I feel that the stress of store acclimation, then being exposed to a closed system, then re bagged and re stressed a few days later , re acclimated and exposed to a second closed system. Is more stressful on some species.

secondly I know my system and husbandry and what the care the animal will receive from the moment I get it is like. I am not sure of the store or other vendors, I have an Idea and I think my way is better. I know for sure that a store is closed at mid nite and I am home and still there to attend to any needs.

I have been this way for along time. Of coarse there are things that I don't buy wild or only buy from other reefers. I try to know as much as I can about what I am buying.

I also import now that I am a "vendor" and I don't like to sell out of the box unless I am sure the person is an expert. I keep corals a long time to make sure they are healthy and can survive another move. With some corals that is a very long time, no store rental allows me to do it like this. that why I tell people we have TONS more then is on the site. most never makes the site , I use it for service tanks long before I put it up.

My advise it to buy frags, since people only usually frag things that are better looking and/or growing well.

 

[d5332]

interesting point

Just arrived....I think about it when buying star fish and other delicate inverts but it did not cross my mind with coral. Red and blue star fish die often due to poor handling, may look at alive at store but in reality they are in shock and on their way out.

I will keep this point in mind when making impulse purchases.

 

[Exotic Reef]

There was a new shipment when I had arrived to the fish store one time I went they were still acolmateing the fish (I had no idea they were geting a new shipment ) they were saying the same thing you guys are saying " it just arrive it might die " I simple asked if it died can I come back and get another one " they said sure just bring recite " they even took a few bucks off the fish .

 

[Adamc1303]

I don't think there is a right or wrong. It's not different then ordering online, it's obviously better to get something that has been thriving for 2 weeks in a stores tank. It comes down to rarity and price. If something doesn't come around often you want to grab it while you can.

 

[albano]

I do like to buy out of the shipping box. I feel that the stress of store acclimation, then being exposed to a closed system, then re bagged and re stressed a few days later , re acclimated and exposed to a second closed system. Is more stressful on some species.

secondly I know my system and husbandry and what the care the animal will receive from the moment I get it is like. I am not sure of the store or other vendors, I have an Idea and I think my way is better. I know for sure that a store is closed at mid nite and I am home and still there to attend to any needs.

I have been this way for along time. Of coarse there are things that I don't buy wild or only buy from other reefers. I try to know as much as I can about what I am buying.

+1 ... I have no problem with buying in the shipping bag!... I've purchased directly from retailers, wholesales and diver/suppliers... Much rather have it in my care ASAP !

 

[tunicata]

I've been burned a few times with buying fish within hours or so of the 'stores' getting them out of the box.

So, now I try to buy from other reefers that have had the fish in their tanks for a while.
I actually look through their threads to see if they've posted pics at least 1 mos prior to selling it. Or if I know them already/trustworthy source I'll go off of that plus looking at the fish as close as possible.

Otherwise, I'm not buying fish from a store unless it's been there for awhile and I can see it eating. Fish seem to be hungry 24/7 so when I come in, if you throw it some mysis it should check it out.

Esp. since many 'stores' do not honor or provide a warranty on fish.
When i buy from vendors in the future, I will be willing to pay the extra for them to QT it for me. I know DOTR already does that kind of thing- qt's the fish or let's you know that it hasn't been QT'd and prices accordingly.