Why Us

Why choose Marine Collectors?

Here at marine collectors we are known and people choose to work with us for three main reasons

1. Husbandry 2.Punctual & Personal Communications 3.Shipping Options,

Husbandry

Husbandry is what you are paying for; it's what I do better than anyone else. Everything, start to finish, is done by myself. I have over 15 years of experience in the hobby and almost a decade in the professional industry. Every fish gets picked, acclimated, treated, and packed by myself. My eye for detail, as well as ability to pick fish, has been fine tuned for quality and is always improving.

Over the years I have run an exponential number of tests, brainstormed with some of the best marine biologists in the industry, and have built a proven and almost bullet proof way to quarantine fish. While some fish may require a more catered quarantine style, the results don’t lie. The only issue with it, is its a lot of work. The process begins with the fish. I hand pick the very best with educated decisions. This is based on the particular supplier, region of collection, and of course how the fish itself looks. From there, fish are brought back to the shop.They are drip acclimated for 3-4 hours before going into the quarantine systems. The methodology behind the way I quarantine is to always be making positive progress. Everyday that passes, the fish will be getting cleaner and cleaner.

Going from acclimation, fish are then given a freshwater dip dosed with Praziquentel for 3-5 minutes. This does two things. 1.) It removes any water from our suppliers that may contain any pathogens or undesirable medications in the water. 2.) It will remove any external flukes. From there, the fish go into an interim bath of 50/50 fresh/ saltwater solution. Not many people know this, but saltwater fish can actually be moved to lower salinity water with out acclimation. This is done with minimal to almost zero stress and can actually alleviate some strain on the fish’s body. However, the said can not be said for the other way. A saltwater fish’s body, has the function to maintain osmotic pressure while in solution. What this means is, the body of the fish is constantly working to keep salt out of the body. By moving a fish from low salinity back up to regular levels, the fish can go into shock and on rare occasion even die. This interim bath helps to mitigate that shock.

Once in the system, they are being treated with Chelated Copper Sulfate and Nitrofurazone 24/7. Copper is run at a concentration of 2-2.5ppm, gravitating more towards 2.5. The typical recommended dosage for chelated copper sulfate is between 1.5ppm to 2ppm. The levels are maintained at high concentrations to keep with the methodology of positive progression. At that level, which is beyond therapeutic, the protozoan parasites we are treating for(ich and velvet) die once they exit the body. There is a nonexistent chance for reinfection. There is a running theme in hobbyist level quarantine, where 30 days or more is the duration for sufficient quarantine. But I don’t belive this to be true. Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) has the longest infectious stage out of either parasite (maximum of 8days on the body of the fish). So, why would we need to subject a fish to prolonged exposure to poison(medication)? In most cases, hobbyist level quarantines aren’t preformed with enough competency so, there need to be that margin for error. That being said, quarantine is a minimum of 14 days.To be clear, that is a 14day clean quarantine. As in, for 14 days, the fish has to be clean and not show any signs of infection. Nitrofurazone is a mild antibiotic. It is present to counteract any potential secondary infection, often caused by irritation in the gills from the copper, or any breaks in the slime coat barrier from uronema or ammonia burn.

Moving forward, the fish will receive freshwater dips periodically (usually every other day for the first week). This is to ensure flukes can not take hold. On the alternating days, if necessary, fish will be given a 30-60 minute bath in formalin to treat for uronema or prevent it. This is usually based off of supplier or species. To keep the system clean, on alternating nights, we will dose Formalin and Prazi. I do this further ensure that nothing is given the chance to take hold and potentially reinfect a fish. This is of course done as a secondary precaution.

In addition to all of that listed above, the foods are medicated. All fish are weaned onto PE Mysis, with this, we can properly administer medication to clean out the intestinal tract. This is done by dosing the foods with Prazi, Kanamycin, and Metronidazole. Once fish are on this, we keep them on it till the full 14days of clean quarantine are over.

Last but not least, the thing that sets us apart from any other kind of vendor offering “quarantined fish”, is our water quality! Water quality is EVERYTHING! Fish are incredibly resilient animals. They can overcome almost anything. Sadly, most of the time, this can not be said in a hobbyist’s aquarium setting, particularly in a quarantine tank. In the ocean, where water quality is not of any concern, fish are able to fight off infections, live with parasites, heal from significant bodily injury, and a multitude of other things. The same can not be said for fish in a box. It seems much harder in that setting for them to be as resilient. Here at Marine Collectors, we run large biological filters and skimmers, and do 100% water changes. Not to be taken as an exaggeration, I do literally mean 100%. Every 3-5 days, we will remove all the fish from the systems, put them into separate holding tanks, and drain down the systems. The systems are then shop vacuumed out, and given time to dry. For biological filtration we run trickle towers of plastic bio balls. While thought of as out dated technology, for the purposes of a quarantine system, they are perfect. As part of the water change schedule, we clean all of the bio balls by vigorously churning them in barrels of premedicated saltwater. This effectively removes any trapped waste. Bio balls, in the setting of a trickle tower, are the perfect combination of ammonia and nitrite decomposition. In addition, they lack the ability to absorb any kind of medication. This is useful since most other porous biological media will bind with copper and thereby cause fluctuations in concentration. For skimmers, everything is oversized. Skimmers on the systems are rated for 3-4 times the volume. This is again to aid in maintaining pristine water quality and keep oxygenation high. Once the systems are cleaned we refill them with premixed, premedicated water. There is never a fluctuation in concentrations of medication here, and this high level of biosecurity is in part of why we are able to produce such high quality marine life. The fish will then be reacclimated to the systems to have their quarantined continued.

Not many vendors can preform this kind of quarantine and for that reason alone it’s what sets the fish I produce apart from anyone else's. I’m not a turn and burn kind of business. I do low volume, which produces high quality that is conditioned to last.

Punctual & Personal Communication:

Like you, we started off as hobbiest, so we know what its like dealing with retail stores or impersonal fish sites. That is why we pride ourselves on making your experience a positive and personal one. We will are here to talk with you, answer questions and find you exactly what you are loking for. All you have to do is send a message or give me a call!

Shipping Options:

Here at Marine Collectors, we strive to go above and beyond for our customers! We know how exciting it can be to get a new member of the family for your tank, and its important to us that they get there safely! This is why we offer more than your standard shipping options! Check out which option is best for you!

Delta Cargo:

Delta Cargo Collection Shipment are our personal recommended choice for all orders over $1,000! Reason being, is that they take special care of the "live animals" and when it comes to large shipments or more rare fish this is the best form of shipping! We pack all of out boxes to last anywhere from 48-96 hours just in case a delay occurs and we do include ammonia blocker in the bags to help avoid any ammonia burn. Once the fish are done with QT, we will contact you to schedule the box. On the day of the scheduled flight, we will drop off the boxes early to ensure it makes it on the first flight out and the tracking number will be sent to you. All Delta Cargo Collection boxes can be tracked at www.deltacargo.com. We will also send you specific instructions on how and where to pick up the box. If you're close to an airport we highly recommend this shipping option and encourage you to try it out!

FedEx Priority Overnight:

FedEx Priority Overnight boxes will be dropped early at our nearest FedEx Ship Center to ensure they make it one the first truck out and minimize chances of delays! We pack all of out boxes to last anywhere from 48-96 hours just in case a delay occurs and we do include ammonia blocker in the bags to help avoid any ammonia burn. Typically boxes will arrive by 12:00 am the following day. Smaller cities may receive boxes as late as End of Day. Once the order is placed it can take 2-4 weeks for the fish to be ready and we will contact you to schedule the box and send you the tracking the day the fish are ready to ship out!

Local Pickup:

Local Pick Up is available to all of our local customers! Often we will make an effort to drive out and deliver the box personally, or meet you where you wish to minimize your effort, depending on the distance! We will of course be in contact with you every step of the way!