WARNING: Fish Health

While visiting a local wholesaler I discovered that they have changed their holding system to now have a type of "central" filter where banks of tanks share the same filtration or some tanks are divided but share the same filter. The filtration is completely inadequate and incorrect for this type of setup and will inevitably result in disease spreading fast(er).

Several tanks had dead fish in them with many breathing heavy.

Many different types of fish are being mixed in the same water, eg. African Reed Fish with Angels and other South American Cichlids.

The fish mostly kept in tanks filtered like this were African Cichlids. Again several fish dead in these tanks including 6-8cm Peacocks which are typically very hardy.

My advice to you all is that you please quarantine fish purchased from your LFS and try to never introduce fish directly to your main tanks...you should be doing this already. This wholesaler sells across the country so it will be applicable to most areas where you might be.

Hope this is helpful.

 

Thanks for the headsup Dolphin! I've definitely learned my lesson.

 

Thanks for the info! always been worried about that, Just been to a petshop looking for something for my plants, was told that thay get fish every thursday afternoon and have a shipment coming in from Singapore... and local shipments in the mornings.Any idea how those fish in Singapore are kept?
Think theres a possibility that the same filteration system is used?
I find it strange that a wholesaler of fish would use such a method, Isnt it in the best interest of the wholesaler to have his fish alive? less fish less profit. Unless thay just dont care

 

JHB Wholesaler?

 

The logic is that the fish are kept in there for only a few days... lands on Monday and is already selling on Tuesday.

How they do it in singapore is very very interesting and they never (well the people I know) use central filtration for freshwater fish. The tanks are literally disinfected after every batch of fish. Something that does NOT happen in South Africa - I have seen them take fish from a box and put into tanks with other fish still in there...

Gauteng Wholesaler... no names.

 

" I have seen them take fish from a box and put into tanks with other fish still in there" This is also true for LFS's that import themselves ... they have no facility to keep them separate and need to sell them ASAP - thanks for the heads-up Dolphin sound advise about each us needing to do our own quarantine.

 

also an aditional point.. dont buy fish which are in the same tank with dead fish. this is a sure give away that the others may have problems as well..

 

Iv seen tanks at many petshops in Durban where they just remove the dead fish from the tank ,giving the impression all is fine. I used to ask them why is there a dead fish in there but now i just leave it be so that the next buying can see it for themself. That i think is a risk as well,Hiding the dead fish, Iv also seen petshops shops with new shipments of fish where there were many dead fish in the bags. but this may be due to stress.

Are there any other indications in the tank? Say water color? Clarity etc?
There are even petshops where iv seen dead fish been eaten by live fish,and when you ask them about it, thay shrug it off and behave as if its normal. I will not buy fish from these type of petshops.
Does the SPCA? or any other organization govern petshops?

 

The SPCA does not govern petshops and there is no other formal body, in South Africa - the closest being the Agriculture Department and the Nature Conservation department. The SPCA does and have responded to some complaints here in Gauteng - not sure what they would do in other regions but surely if it falls under animal cruelty they should do something...

Typically dead fish in tanks rot and become fungused and a breeding vessel for parasites and bacteria.