Q: Are your fish quarantined, medicated, and inspected for health?

 

A: Yes! 100%

All of my newly received fish regardless if wild collected or domestic bred are quarantined and prophylactically treated with multiple rounds of several different medications and botanicals upon import. Typically, the medicinal treatment is a 5-day process, and the fish are ready to start being shipped after 1 week of the first initial round of medications. However, some fish may need extra time and care to be able to make the weekly stock list and will be treated on an ‘as-needed’ basis. While the process helps reduce most commonly seen ailments of newly imported fish this does not guarantee that any unseen ailments will not arise days, weeks, or months later in your procession. It is still recommended that the end customer properly acclimates (See my Acclimation Process) and quarantines the new arrivals in a proper, well established quarantine aquarium.

 

Since I import from well-established collectors, exporters, and breeders that have regularly supplied TUIC with fish for many years (often decades) and we have and strong, long time working relationship, I feel comfortable that in most cases the quarantine and medical treatment they receive is sufficient for wholesale and retail purposes with the livestock that I import.

It is also at the time of arrival that each fish is measured for exact size and physically inspected for any major defects or serious abnormalities. Things such as slightly torn fins, minor abrasions on body or eyes, unusual color or markings, uneven fin rays, and several other commonly seen issues are not considered to be a major defect or abnormality that would result in negative long-term health of the given fish even if the anomaly turns out to be permanent. Most anomalies are going to be more often seen on newly imported wild caught species. These species are not hatched in a home aquarium or cultured farm where they are culled during the growth stages for the 'perfect’ conditioned fish. While the wild imported fish do often arrive in less than perfect condition simply due to the daily nature of being wild, with the help of my initial medicinal treatment and observation period the fish will almost always develop and become prime examples of the specific species once placed into a permanent home aquarium environment without the stresses of wild or wholesale facility life.

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During the packing process each fish is again physically inspected for size, major defects or serious abnormalities and general health. Due to the nature of being a full-time working import/export & wholesale facility most fish are fed very lightly in the evenings 24 hours apart so that most species can be shipped at any given time without long, stressful, fasting periods. Most can be shipped within 24 hours of order finalization. This means that most fish will have not eaten for a minimum of 24 and up to 60 hours by the time you receive them.  It may be because of this that some species do not arrive ‘fat’. This is especially true on wild fish that naturally aren’t ‘fat’ in nature. Again, once in a permanent home tank environment and after a few days with the new fish on your regular feeding schedule they will quickly start to gain size and mass.

 

If at any time, I feel a fish that was pulled to be packed for shipping is not up to TUIC standards I will remove the fish from your order. If it is a single fish order, I will email you so we can reschedule shipping in a few days or if it is a multi-fish or multi-species orders I will often just credit you back for the individual fish that I chose to hold back.