Hardy Fish

You know, I've not found the guppy you get a fish store to be particularly sturdy, I think they're inbred...

Across the board, barbs seem particularly healthy. If you see my post to Kelbel, I heartily recommend the checker barb. Most common GF varieties are good, and I've also been impressed with female bettas, which have a delicate beauty all their own.

Val
 
That, and, if they are from the Orient, they are kept in near-seawater salinity. No wonder they suffer when put in pure freshwater!!!
 
always check with your dealer the conditions they keep the fish in, and match that in your home aquarium. also, dont buy fish as soon as they get in your lfs, leave them for a while, and see how they do in those conditions.
 
Originally posted by thom336
always check with your dealer the conditions they keep the fish in, and match that in your home aquarium.

Actually, I disagree with this statement. IME, it does you no service to start messing with the natural conditions of your home's tap water, except removing chlorine from city water. It is nothing but a headache to try and alter the ph or hardness of the water of the average fishkeeper. A stable set of conditions that are a little different from the conditions that the fish you choose prefer (within reason), or from the conditions of the tanks at the lfs, is much better than trying to monkey around with your water's natural chemistry and have constant fluctuations (as well as buying tons of corrective chemicals that aren't really neccessary.)

I do agree that you shouldn't go into the lfs on shipping day to pick up a fish, rather, you should wait until the stock has been there a few days, just to make sure everyone's ich-free and eating like they should. Don't forget to quarantine your new fish, if you can, just to be on the safe side.
 
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