Continued from page 1We therefore must examine in some detail to be aware of the factors that create such stressful conditions before we buy the fish, if we are to have any chance at all of purchasing good healthy specimens which will have every chance to enhance our fish keeping experience rather than bring it to an untimely end.
In many cases, particularly from the Orient, the fish are starved for several days prior to shipment. This has the beneficial effect of emptying their stomachs, with the intended effect of reducing the amount of toxic excretory products that they will eliminate from their bodies during the very long transportation period. This starvation is not too harmful, but is certainly contrary to the natural condition, they have experienced until this time, when they ate several times a day, for all their previous existence.
Now comes the "hard" part. The fish as many of you know, are then placed in relatively small plastic bags, often a hundred or more to about 1-2 litres of water. Oxygen is then added to the bag, & when the order(s) are ready, (a good shipper, will handle 10-20 or more orders of some 30 plus boxes a night), they are taken in a truck to the airport, where they must await the formalities of the airline transport process, & then endure a flight which can run as long as 24 hours of flying time.
At this time they have now typically been starved as I said for several days, & by the time the plane arrives at a major USA airport, they will have been in their "cramped quarters", for at least 30 hours.
Then the importer, most often a distributor, but also sometimes a shop, will collect the fish, clear them from customs , & bring them by car or truck to their establishment or shop. This aspect of customs clearance along with journey time back to the importing facility or shop, adds a few more hours, so that the average time that the typical fish will have spent in these "abnormal" conditions usually approaches some 36-40 hours.
By this time, the water they are "living in" (we hope they are still alive, as on average some 20% or more are what is ubiquitously known in the trade as DOA's i.e. Dead on Arrival), is highly toxic, there is normally a high degree of poisonous Ammonia,( in the unionized form of NH3) as well as major drop in the original pH.
The close proximity of the fish during this long time, ensures not only a high degree of stress, but also the sheer and inevitable "touching" of the fish as they swim in the confined water available. These two factors ensure that any latent and so far not threatening pathogen, can now pass from fish to fish, and too often does exactly that.
The receiver of the fish, now places them into new and better water. In many cases, seeing the terrible condition of the water they have arrived in they are changed to "new and ideal" water, very rapidly, This intended kindness can make the situation worse, as the resultant pH shock, can accelerate the stress for the fish, & with some sensitive species, such as Tiger barbs as well as others often will kill them.
Now prudence would demand, that the distributor or the shop, would keep those fish in an ideal environment, & treat them with exceptional care, thus nursing them back to health. Many good importers & shops do exactly that, as they cherish the good relations and reputation that such quality fish will bring to their business. Yet there are still many such persons, that will begin selling the new arrivals within a few hours of their arrival.
Although in some cases the packing and transport time, to the next buyer most typically the store, will be relatively short compared to the ordeal described above, it still puts on those fish which are given no time to recover from the first ordeal, another & often fatal layer of stress, which almost guarantees that when you take home such fish, all the problems in Pandora's box will break out.
Now we may make the comment, that even today when so much more about good fish husbandry is known, too many dealers, place the fish in less than ideal tank conditions. The tanks may not be filtered adequately, or cleaned sufficiently, and in some cases they may have a dead fish or two in the tank, causing toxic water conditions.
These dealers are not bad people, but for reasons of false economy, or because this competitive world hardly allows them enough time to do what commonsense would indicate. Many such fish, then refuse to eat, pick up infections from the water, or break out in latent infections of parasites or bacteria or worse, as their immune system is by now overwhelmed.
The trade calculates into their costing these DOA's plus the losses that will occur typically after arrival on what is known as DOA 5 or DOA6 for example ( i.e. 5 or 6 days AFTER arrival). Either way dear reader, you pay the price for all of this.
So far all the above has been almost entirely negative, so you may well ask, is it such that we have no real chance to get good fish. The answer you will be pleased to hear, is an emphatic yes, as what you do, & most especially what you understand will give you a much better chance of success, as well as adding to your knowledge as a responsible fish keeper.
Firstly you should know, that some exporters, do NOT pack their fish as tightly as others. This of course means that the cost of transport will inevitably be somewhat more expensive, but the quality of the fish, as well as the much greater survival will compensate as they say "in spades".
Secondly, you should find a dealer, whose wholesaler, as well as the store, will keep all new fish for at least a week, before releasing any for sale. You may be interested to know, that in Australia and New Zealand it is obligatory if you wish to have a license to import, to have a Government inspected premises, in which the fish must be kept for 3 weeks in the case of Australia, & quite a bit longer, I think 5 weeks in the case of New Zealand. This is imposed chiefly with a view to preventing the importation & spread of exotic diseases, but as you can imagine is of great advantage to the Hobbyist in those countries, in obtaining healthy fish. So in the meantime we must adhere to the old adage Caveat Emptor let the buyer beware….
Thirdly, you should see any fish that you fancy, in your chosen store for several days, even if you have to make a deal with the storeowner, (most reasonable ones will agree), to buy it after this amount of time, assuming it is alright at the end of the period. The store owner may ask you to put down a deposit, and as long as this is conditional on the good health of the fish, after the time period this is a reasonable quid pro quo. During that time no adverse signs should appear on the fish, and you should see it eating on at least a couple of occasions.
Fourthly, if you can afford both the space and the cost, it is really a good idea to keep any new specimen in a small quarantine tank, for around 10 days, before placing in it's final home. This will give you chance to treat it should anything untoward arise, without spreading the infection to your main aquarium.
Lastly as fish are very territorial , before introducing a new fish or fishes to an established aquarium, you should dim the room, as much as possible, rearrange a couple of rocks or other fixtures in the main tank, so that when light returns in the morning or later that evening, the established inhabitants, will not spend their time attacking the newcomers, thus inducing stress once again, but be far more concerned trying to find their previous favorite "niche" in the aquarium, rather than savage the new arrivals.
Attention to all of these points, will I can assure you, be more beneficial than any magic medications, that even my company Fish-Vet ® Inc, could ever supply you with.
Of course in order to do this you will have to do, quite a bit of due diligence, to find out by your own observations, as well as from fellow Hobbyists which dealers should be frequented & given your custom.
As a general rule (and to all rules there are usually plenty of exceptions), I have found that the shop that specializes in Tropical fish only, usually keep their tanks in better condition, as well as respect the needs of their fish (and therefore their customers), as opposed to those that try to carry bunny rabbits, dogs, birds & a lot more.
Many fish can live for a very long period of time, some Koi & other Carp, have lived for periods of up to 40 years, so a real effort on your part will pay off in financial terms, and at least as importantly in a tremendous feeling of satisfaction along with a much greater knowledge & appreciation of what is involved in making your fish's health " a natural condition".
Next month I will try & deal with in some detail, some ideas as to how you can make your aquarium, much nearer to nature & thus a far sweeter home for your fish. Shawn Prescott
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