Would you pay for a sick fish?

[captmicha]

Would you pay $5 for a sick discus? Or am I crazy for doing this tomorrow? The guy thinks it's ich and the fish is still a juvenile (or at least that's what I remember him saying). He's a blue diamond, if that means anything. I have a hard time saying no when I feel an animal needs help...

[cguarino30]

are you prepared to take care of the fish? Discus can be extremely sensitive to water conditions and temperature, and if you don't know what you're doing, you may not be doing it any favors. Honestly, I'd pass unless you feel confident in your ability to care for it.

[Fishy_Fun]

Since i love discus, i for one, would go for it

[captmicha]

I have a master test kit, heaters, all kinds of fish food, filters, a ten gallon tank up and running for like a year now but no fish in it currently (not as a permanent home but fine for a hospital tank), air pumps, thermometers, fungal medications, parasite medications, antibiotics, other accessories and supplies and a computer. I feel prepared to take on just about any sick tropical fish.

I wasn't planning on doing this, I just came across the Craigslist ad tonight. I'm pretty well stocked, I have an excellent local fish store near me with an owner that's helped me w/ diagnoses in the past and whatever he doesn't know, the internet does. But yes, I usually do my research for at least a couple of weeks before getting a new pet. I'm not sure if I'm going to be keeping him after he gets better.

[Fish-Addict]

I think you seem to have all the right things, go for it :)

Good luck!! :)

[captmicha]

I'll post my water readings tomorrow when I get home. I'm finding mixed answers for the acidity and temperature. Can anyone give me a definite answer on what acidity and temperature I should provide? Fahrenheit: High 70's to low 80's is a lot different than high 80's almost up to 90!

[excuzzzeme]

It would depend on what the fish is ill with. If I suspected a serious disease such as colmunaris, I would pass. If it was minor like Ich, I would consider taking it as long as I had room for it.

[7itanium]

ich isnt typically life threatening if treated right... for 5 bucks I would go for it

chances are that the owner doesnt know what he is doing anyway or he wouldnt be offering this deal.. so I doubt this fish will be any worse of in your hands to say the least

just dont be shocked if it dies.. the combination of the ich, and the move could stress him out.. and discus are touchy in the first place

[Star_Rider]

I'll post my water readings tomorrow when I get home. I'm finding mixed answers for the acidity and temperature. Can anyone give me a definite answer on what acidity and temperature I should provide? Fahrenheit: High 70's to low 80's is a lot different than high 80's almost up to 90!

acidity are you referring to pH?

generally the discus prefer low pH but they can be raised in higher pH. temp is a no brainer.. upper 80's-90 (Ilike to keep juvies in 86-88)with young discus add extra aeration as you will need to keep the dissolved O2 in the warer(warm water tends to hold lessO2)

[pinkertd]

Tough question, the animal saver in me says go for it, hard to pass a fish in need by. But the reality of it is it may have other health issues too, so be prepared mentally for this as well as for it to maybe not survive. My discus are kept at ph 7.6-7.8 and agree with Star_Rider on temps of 86-88, keep my juvies at 86, my adults at 84).

[mellowvision]

every time you pay for a fish, there is a chance it is sick. Ich isn't hard to cure, and discus are pretty expensive... right? seems like a win win situation... help the fish, get a deal.

[captmicha]

Well, that was a total waste of time. The fish died before I even even got it. Thanks for the info, I'll be prepared if there's ever a next time...

[BoCoMo]

Sorry to hear it.

[pinkertd]

Oh, sorry! Hard to get your hopes up and then dashed like that!

[bs6749]

You honestly believed that it was ich? Ich is almost non-existant in a discus tank. The seller was obviously lying to you and wanted to try to make ANY amount of money. Why purchase a sick fish? You can't enjoy it when it's rolling over on itself, not showing good colors, and constantly has you worried. Do some research before you think about getting discus.

[cguarino30]

sorry to hear that, though it was smart of you to wait a short period before you took the fish, as it turned out to be a good determination of how sick the fish really was. One of the major problems with this issue (and I've been there a hundred times myself, and haven't always made the right decision) is that being moved to another tank is one of the most stressful things that can occur to a fish, and one that is already having some kind of health issue isn't likely to respond all that well. Of all the times I've tried to save some sick fish from the store, I'd say at least 90% of them died within 24 hours of me bringing them home, sometimes even after having lived for a week or so with their illness at the store. It's always hard to do, but usually, the best place for a fish to be treated for an illness is in the tank it already lives in, even if that tank is less than ideal. Sorry for your disappointment. Good luck in the future.

[7itanium]

You honestly believed that it was ich? Ich is almost non-existant in a discus tank. The seller was obviously lying to you and wanted to try to make ANY amount of money. Why purchase a sick fish? You can't enjoy it when it's rolling over on itself, not showing good colors, and constantly has you worried. Do some research before you think about getting discus.


dont think that is necessarily true-- some of us on here enjoy rescuing cool fish and that makes the fish keeping experience all that much more enjoyable

feels good to own a pet
feels better to own a pet when you know it would have been dead if you hadnt saved its life

also.. in reguards to "doing Research"-- im pretty sure that is what the OP is doing isnt it? making a thread to ask questions=research

[Kashta]

I'm so sorry you weren't able to get this fish soon enough to help it. To answer your question, yes.. absolutely. I would have tried to take the diseased fish too and help it recover.. if possible. You already knew what you were getting yourself into and you had both the means and the willingness to see this through. What specific info you didn't already have would have been available to you through our membership here. Your heart was in the right place. Keep your spirits up and know all the support we could have given would have there for you and the unfortunate fish you were hoping to save.

[captmicha]

You honestly believed that it was ich?

Did I honestly believe it was ich? I don't know. Did I say that I did???


Why purchase a sick fish? You can't enjoy it
So I can try to save it's life. It's not really about me or about me enjoying it. It's about saving a life.


Do some research before you think about getting discus.
Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't I say that this was all happening very fast and that I haven't been planning on buying any discus? And isn't reading up on a fish and it's care, then asking for clarification on a fish specific forum and then planning on getting a diagnosis from a fish professional doing research before getting a fish? Because if it's not, then I don't know what research is.