|
|
|
Junior Member
 
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Today @ 4:59:31 AM
Posts: 449,
Visits: 1,446
|
|
I have a question about the water exchange systems you see in many large chain pet stores. All their fish tanks will share a common water supply which flows freely between different "compartments" - there are either plexiglass partitions with holes drilled in them so it's really just one big tank, or the water is drawn out and filtered in a common filter chamber and then returned to the individual tanks. One of the first things I learned about keeping fish was not to contaminate one tank with the water from another tank - to prevent diseases from spreading. So why would a store have this system where all the fish share the same water? What happens when a shipment comes in and the fish carry some kind of parasite like ich? How do they keep it from spreading to all the fish in stock? Someone must know the answer to this ... maybe someone who works/has worked at one of the big box pet stores.
__ ///// "My Dempsey can / @ ) ) ) ) ) beat up your Dempsey"> ... ) ) ) ) ) ) //// \ ___ ) ) ) ) ) \\\\ \\\\
|
|
|
|
|
Fish Moderator
Group: Moderators
Last Login: Yesterday @ 3:29:18 AM
Posts: 4,016,
Visits: 10,378
|
|
A lot of them have a separate tank or system out of sight that is for quarantine.
And some simply don't quarantine. They rely on swift turnover of the fish, so quarantine isn't always financially optimal.
55 gallon
Baby - lionhead/ryukin cross
Westie - lionhead/ryukin cross
Speedy Rodriguez - oranda
Currently searching for a good new tankmate!
planted 29 gallon
3 red eye tetras
4 cherry barbs
2 cardinal tetras
4 albino cories
2 Bolivian rams
|
|
|
|
|
Average Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 2/21/2013 6:54:53 PM
Posts: 520,
Visits: 317
|
|
| It's because it's cheaper than individual tank filters and they are just not that concerned about it at many chain stores. That's why quarantining new fish is a good idea.
|
|
|
|
|
New Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 5/29/2012 9:59:30 AM
Posts: 16,
Visits: 40
|
|
i've actually asked petco and petsmart about their filtration systems.
petco and petsmart use different filter brands. petco refused to tell me but it's not the same as petsmart, but petsmart uses marinetime in an industrial size to power all the tanks.
petco wouldn't release more then it just has different tanks hooked up to different filters. like you'll see a group of 20 tanks and only 4 of those tanks will be hooked up to one filter system. this way they'll all be medicated if one of the tanks has problem fish. i've actually witnessed this one as one day some fish came in that an owner didn't want anymore. someone put them in the same filter system as the feeder fish without asking where to put them first. thus infecting all the feeder fish with ich. they weren't able to sell any fish until they were better and all four tanks on that one filter system were being medicated and quarantined.
petsmart told me they have hoses hooked up to a set of tanks per hose. they wouldn't tell me how many tanks per hose, but there are lots of hoses. and you can always hear their filter system running and i've never seen them have to medicate the tanks.
at a local store i asked about their system because one of the fish had fungus. they said they keep medication in the tanks regardless if the fish are sick or not to make sure any new stock coming in is treated in case it is infected. they also have a filter per row of tanks with 3 tanks per row.
there's another fish place i have yet to ask, but i've never seen any fish needing medication their either.
also, walmart employees have no idea what the filter system is like. so idk how they take care of the tank systems there.
i hope this gives you some idea of what's happening back there!
|
|
|
|
|
New Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 3/22/2013 7:54:21 AM
Posts: 66,
Visits: 108
|
|
I recently started working at PetCo and yes, most decisions in the aquatic department are made by upper management who know nothing (or very little) about fish health. And the main reason for the store is for profit.
My store has freshwater and saltwater systems. Saltwater does not get treated for any diseases - ever. In freshwater, we mostly treat clamped fins, ich and anchor worms. Usually 6 four foot long tanks (each 4 foot sections maybe divided in two or three sections) are connected by a single sump. This is called a system. If more than one 4 foot section in a system is showing signs of ich (or some other disease), we are required to treat the whole system.
If only one or two fish have ich (like they came in with ich from a delivery), we give them a salt bath before putting them in with the other fish. If multiple fish are showing signs of ich...some PetCo's have quarantine tanks (this depends on the store manager and how much the aquatics person pushes for quarantine tanks). If the store does not have a quarantine tank, they have isolation kits which will separate a 4 foot section within a system from the rest of the system so there is no water flow between the infected tank and the rest of them.
And just so you know, there a several PetSmarts that I know of that have their entire setup on one sump/filter. They do have quarantine tanks in the back though, as far as I know.
Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any other questions or for more clarification on a point.
Oh and most PetCo use Marineland sumps. And a system contains about 1,200 gallons.
- 60 gallon - 1 Buenos Aires, 9 Red Serpae, 6 Pristella & 2 Black Neon Tetras, 9 Longfin Blue Danios, 2 Julii Leopard Corys, 1 Rainbow Shark (6 inches, 8 years old), 1 Pictus Catfish (4.75 inches, 1 year old)
- 30 gallon - 2 Comet Goldfish (5.5 inches each, 10 years old), 1 Blue Lobster (3.5 inches, 1 year old)
- 20 gallon - 5 male MM Platies
- 5 gallon - 1 male Halfmoon Doubletail Betta
|
|
|
|
|
New Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 8/16/2012 10:05:28 AM
Posts: 81,
Visits: 165
|
|
| There is a lfs by me that has 5 rows of tanks with about 20 tanks on each row. Most of the tanks have air driven UG filters and individual heaters. The marine tanks are a lot more specialized. They also have quarentine in the back, but i havent seen that yet. It is a great store that whenever i go in, they know me and pretty much know every fish i have. They even tell me when they get a fish that i might like cuz they know the types of fish i like.
|
|
|
|