I'd like to see...

[BSJF]

Nope, this one isn't a TOTM nudge.

Just me. I have fallen victim to a few pests recently and see many others that are just as lucky. So, I just wanted to ask what others think?

Do you think lfs/fellow reefers should warn you about pests in the tanks they are selling from? Or is it up to you to inspect, dip, and quarantine or whatever it takes?

Certainly we can't expect everyone to know what to look for, and how to treat it. How many newbies fall victim to this don't tell practice and give up before they even get into the hobby because of it.

I for one, would have appreciated a warning about the bonus gifts.

[Europhyllia]

I think if the seller (or donor) knows of a problem he should tell.
I still dip anything I get though just in case.
Sometimes people just don't know.
I had lots of corals with algae etc. and just gave them away for free with a warning to let potential adopters know they would come with bonus vegetation.
Other times I really didn't know enough about the coral to judge in what shape it was in (SPS, etc.)

So... as a seller I feel like I have the responsibility to accurately describe what I am selling or giving away (that's why it was super shocking to me when Terry mentioned my ATI fixture was defective. So relieved it turned out something else was really shocking him! Haha...)

But... I'd be stupid to just rely on that when I get things either for free or for money. I dip! And watch in case anything unexpected sprouts..

[jroescher]

I agree with what Karin says.

[Gseclipse02]

as a store i was telling people when we had flat worms ( we were trying to fix the problem as soon as we knew we had one) i would hate to be on the crappy end of the stick and getting some extras . I hear all the time how people dont treat the issue and thats kind of jack if you ask me

when i buy from people i only trust a select few i honestly stopped buying from a lot because of bug problems

there has been times were ill go to some ones house and the frag will have algae all over it and ill tell them never mind and walk out i dont want issues in my tank

[CoryDude]

Karin summed up my opinion on this. Can't think of anything to add.

JT, kudos to you on this one. Everyone including commercial outlets need to come clean about any known problems.

[BSJF]

I agree. Everyone has issues from time to time. Just own it if you are aware of it. Most pests don't scare me, as long as they are dead before they get into my tank :). But I guess I don't always dip things correctly, and my QT tank isn't suitable for light demanding stuff.

I had a huge outbreak of flatworms in Utah because the store didn't tell me, nor advise me to dip (I was retarded back then, and apparantly still fit that category periodically now). It would have been simple to treat the coral I got had they advised me what to do, or even if they would have done it there before they bagged it. And of course the strain I got was resistant to FWE, siphoned and dipped stuff for about a year to get rid of them! Sadly, the store killed most everything in their 1000+ gallon tank when they treated it, gorgeous fish they had for years. It was sad. And the flatworms lived through it.

[allan]

+1 for Karin process.

I've actually stopped picking up coral except for a piece or two. I'm running out of interceptor doing those individual dips.

STDs... Swapping Transmitted Demons. I keep waiting to find one that isn't curable.

[Gseclipse02]

std's the gift that keeps on giving

[BSJF]

exactly!

[Troy Valentine]

Informing other hobbiest of harmful parasites is a moral obligation we have to each other. The "buck" must stop with our systems. But we must distiguish between a harmful parasites (Flatworms, Red bugs, and Pyramid snails), from other far less harmful nuisance algae. Algae can be dormant in a system, only to bloom in another. Forinstance, I have seen live rock thats been cooked for years be placed in a system only to be covered by bryopsis, and other algae once in a reef. Algae spores can lie dormant for years, before the catalyst is added to make it bloom. It is tough to cast blame on other hobbiest for something so vague as where an algae spore came from. IMHO part of the maturation process of a reef is battling different forms of algae, and finding an export so then don't take over.

[Scream311]

Well put My Good Friend Troy.

+1

[Europhyllia]

True
As far as what I'd expect from another reefkeeper, it really also depends on their experience level. I would expect a little more from somebody that's been doing it for awhile while a newbie may not even recognize there is a problem.
Again I am applying that not just to pests but also to equipment resale, etc.

[Troy Valentine]

As far as what I'd expect from another reefkeeper, it really also depends on their experience level. I would expect a little more from somebody that's been doing it for awhile while a newbie may not even recognize there is a problem.

Exactly.... We all take a Hippocratic Oath when it comes to this hobby.

However, when equipment breaks prematurely or sold under false pretences we can pursue that with little harm being done to the system, ie refund money or exchange for something else. That is the duty of the seller. But when we introduce a parasite to our system it be comes the gift that does keep on giving" JT. Which cannot be taken back by the seller, and can cause catastrophic harm to our system.

[snfkotara]

If they know they have them but I think pest like sps red bugs they may not know. I dip most but having wrasses also seems to help keep pest in check I believe in my tank.

[Scream311]

Well put My Good Friend Troy.

+1

[tonyydeee]

Karin pretty much got it all. Lol

When I was still a SW noob, I wanted to buy a rock of zoas from the QT tank at GC reef(covered in aptasia) and they kept me from buying it because of the now obvious problems I would if had. Haha