Overview-

KNOW your SOURCE-

How many of us have looked in the internet, or at a pond, or pet store to buy fish, fell in love   with a certain fish and just had to have it? We took the fish home, floated the bag in the water for 20 minutes and then admired the beauty of our most recent purchase. A week later all our fish were flashing and laying on the bottom.

  We've just made some common, costly and possibly deadly (to the fish) mistakes:

How To......

Look at the Store's Surroundings--

  Are the tanks clean, are any dead or dying fish in evidence, are a lot of fish crowded into one tank, do the fish have clamped fins or bloody streaks on the fins. Smell the water in the tanks, does it have a fresh earthen smell or a fishy odor.

  If any of the above are present, be prepared to take a sick fish home, or better yet, go someplace else.

Mail Order Bride--

If you purchase over the internet, you have none of these options and trust in your vendor MUST be exceptional.

  Ask questions of the store personnel or your internet vendor, remember, if they haven't a clue about water quality or parameters, or basics of fish health, you're playing Russian Roulette not only with your purchase, but with all your pond occupants. Ask if there is a guarantee, usually from 24 to 48 hours, and what the guarantee conditions are.

  Even if you observed the right conditions, and even if the dealer claims a quarantine period, chances of a sick fish without any outward signs of disease are still there. Quarantining your new purchase in a separate holding tank for at least 4 weeks is highly recommended.

Quarantine, Quarantine, Quarantine--