worst thing you've overheard at a LFS

[redbucket]

I was at Wal-Mart today to buy some household stuff, and decided to look around in their fish department. Besides the algea covered, murky tanks, dead fish, and betta cups that I expected to see, I also overheard a woman bragging to an employee about her goldfish set up. "I put a filter on the bowl so I don't have to change the water. I haven't changed it in 6 months, it's great!"

I didn't say anything, for fear of finding out she had 6 common goldfish in a 3 gallon bowl or something (wouldn't suprise me)...

What's the worst thing you've overheard, and did you say anything?

[redwing191]

I heard a customer say that its perfectly fine to put 10-15 oscars in a 55 gallon tank because they are "social" and they need high pH, he said his was around 19.6. Isnt that impossible since pure OH ions has a pH of 14?

[2oscars_n_my_5G]

I knew a guy who bought a 3G tank and a pleco to put in it. The tank was put near a window and was absolutely filthy. I told him he couldn't keep that pleco alive in there. Plus he had no algaie wafers or plant matter to feed him. He said, "He eats the tank's algae, right?" Within a couple weeks the pleco was dead and the tank was put away. The guys said he couldn't understand what the problem was.

[Raskolnikov]

Yesterday at Petco while I was waiting, two parents bought their children 4 fancy goldfish and a plastic 2.5 gallon tank to put them in.

[Blinky]

Oh, the choices... I've heard so many things (kinda makes me wonder if I'm spending too much time at the LFS!).

'Don't worry, fish only grow to the size of the tank. Two goldfish can live in a bowl, they don't need filters.' (Walmart employee to customer)

'Sure, you can put those (insert two completely incompatible species here) in the same tank' (Employee to customer, I hear this one over and over)

'I'm afraid this one will die just like the last one' 'Don't worry lady, if it dies, just bring it back and we'll give you another one' (I think it would be better to help people figure out why all their fish are dying)

'My kid wants a Nemo' (Customer to employee, who can't help but roll their eyes)

'Oh. Happens all the time. I'll get it in a minute, I'm just talking with someone.' (This was in response to me telling an employee that a fish had jumped out of its tank and was on the floor)

'Which are the boy ones?' (This was a Big Al's employee, asking me how to sex honey gouramis)

'Oh man, I wanna get those pirannahs and watch them kick the **** outta my other fish' (Stupid customer to friend)

'I think they like it when you tap on the glass' (Mother to daughter, who then proceeded to bang every tank she could reach)

'Oh, ****, I guess you don't want that one, eh?' (Employee to me, after dropping the fish I'd selected onto the floor)

Need I go on? This is why everyone needs AC :D

[aknif]

At Petsmart a couple weekends ago:

An older couple looking to buy their first tank and care for it properly. The young fish department employee says "You'll need to change 10-15% of the water once a month. Just scoop it out with a cup and replace it with fresh tap water. Then, once every 2-3 months, you'll need to use a gravel vacuum and change 50% of the water in the tank while vacuuming the gravel...."

AAAAACCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK!!!!

:eek:

[TONO]

No I've got the best one, at petsmart today this lady bought a red belly pacu for her new 10 gallon tank! The only reson the employee sold it to her was because she just got hired there the other day. It was so funny, have you guys ever fished for your fish?

[mayreee]

Sunday I was at the LFS and this guy was asking about ich. The guy working said "get Kick Ich." He said "is it safe for all fish?" and the guy working said "yes."

[HistoryGirl]

I was at Petco and the employee told me a woman came in and tried to buy a Percula Clown for a tiny freshwater tank...Because her little nephew or whatever wanted a "Nemo". The employee told her it was a saltwater fish and refused to sell it to her. Despite this, the lady came back when she knew someone else was working and actually got it. Needless to say, it died.

[Maj0rFiSh]

I dont shop at larger stores like pet world, pet smart, ect, local small shops, where they KNOW what they are talking about.

But, i tryed to see if a man would sell me a large upside down cat fish, about 12"......For my 2 foot tank ;)

He did, he had no hesitation to sell me it, i then said i didnt want it as i "thought " it was too big, just a lil test id thought id try.

[LMOUTHBASS]

fish have to be the most commonly misunderstood and abused pets ever - because most people take the "oh it's just a fish" attitude - that drives me nuts! they are living creatures that have been to hell and back just getting shipped to the stores, n they are completely at our mercy - at least take the friggin time to learn a little before you house them! UGHHHHHHHHH!!!! :mad2

[maaltan]

Yeah, I wish someone would revise the animal cruelty laws to include fish. Ive seen some horrible things ON TV EVEN. I've actually seen kids pull fish out of the water at walmart and stomp on them I was about to beat the kids myself and then my fear of enclosed spaces and getting my *** kicked by the musclebound father took over :). The employees and manager are like blahblah they cheap.

[Maj0rFiSh]

Like injecting them with die to make them look "Prettier", pff, they dont need to look any MORE nicer, thats just harsh...

[Analog Saint]

I was at Petco and the employee told me a woman came in and tried to buy a Percula Clown for a tiny freshwater tank...Because her little nephew or whatever wanted a "Nemo". The employee told her it was a saltwater fish and refused to sell it to her. Despite this, the lady came back when she knew someone else was working and actually got it. Needless to say, it died.

Same phenomenon with 101 Dalmations- some neighbors several states ago bought a dalmation and kept it chained to their porch, completely at the mercy of their terror of a child named JD (probably short for Juvenile Delinquent)... Didn't take the dog for walks, or allow it exercise, or even bother to learn about the needs of their dalmation. Needless to say, after they had their dalmation and it wasn't like the movies, it pretty much became a porch decoration... The poor poor thing.

Movies can be a good way for people to actually LEARN about the animal protagonists- but unfortunately, few actually bother. They just buy whatever animal to shut their kids up. Usually the same ones that let the TV do the parenting. I wonder if this "Nemo" was the first, and wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the last. Sooooo sad and unfortunate. and I agree very much so- Animal Cruelty laws should be more pervasive, severe, and include fish... before Nemo the 12th has to suffer the same fate.

[happychem]

The thing about Nemo is that it wasn't bad in terms of fish care. You knew that Nemo was salt water (or if you couldn't figure it out, you're a dolt, sorry, but you are, he came from the Ocean!), the dentist had a nice, biologically diverse tank, and the characters made a point about how terrible the niece was: banging the glass, shaking the bag, etc. Others like 101 Dalmations just show animals personified. Really there's no good excuse for a half intelligent person to put a "nemo" in a fresh water tank, although it's nice to see that at least one employee refused the sale. Sorry about the rant, "nemos" set me off. ;)

The truly sad thing about people's ignorance is that you set up an aquarium so that you can enjoy the beauty of the fish, whatever your vision of beauty may be, whether a peaceful community tank, or an agressive tank, and if someone takes the time to learn about their fish, how to care for it, and actually sets up an aquarium (literally, as in a little aquatic ecosystem) then the health and beauty of the fish is so much greater than those who just throw some fish in a bowl. There's really nothing beautiful about sick and/or dieing fish.

But that said, it's not the ignorance that gets to me, but the refusal to learn. Nothing irritates me more than someone who will argue their myth against science or even common sense. Bah, at least I'm a little more awake after this rant.

redwing, pH below 0 and greater than 14 is possible, but not with aquatic solvent, err, aquarium. I don't even think you'd have much luck getting pH above mid-9's.

[Obsidian]

You know what really irks me? How they give away little bags of goldfish at the carnivals at fairs. Disposable pets... As for the Nemo thing, the same thing happens with little bunnies and chicks at Easter time. Some people can be so stupid.

[Aqualung]

Overheard this one at a chain store the other day............

A mother and her daughter were buying a ten gallon tank. They asked the employee how to set it up, how many fish to get, etc. The employee told them to get some fish now, let the tank "cycle" for a day or two, and then they could add more fish. They bought 4 platies, 4 cories, 6 neon tetras, a pleco, and two upside down cats! Then the lady asked how many more tetras they could add in a couple of days........the response was "you'd be ok with about 8 more". I felt bad for the daughter.......it won't be a very good experience for her watching her fish die. I wanted to say something, and looking back on it I wish I had.

[Nuriel]

hehe, my loud nosy mouth cant help but to speak up, especially when i overheard a middle aged woman picking out thre balas, talking to her grown son about how much she loves them and was sad when her others died. Iinquired how big the tank was and she told me a fifty ive, and when I told ner how large the sharks vcan get she just told me matter of factly that she had plenty experience with them and she currantly had a "huuuuuuge suckerfish" and several other various large mates and she wasnt worried about the size. Made me wonder how big her last ones were when they passed on (to the other side.... ) Sucks, but everyone does their own thing, thats for sure!

[victimizati0n]

No I've got the best one, at petsmart today this lady bought a red belly pacu for her new 10 gallon tank! The only reson the employee sold it to her was because she just got hired there the other day. It was so funny, have you guys ever fished for your fish?


How is that great?

A lady at my LFS bought 3 common plecos, 5 silver dollers, and 1 pacu for her 10 gallon tank.

My dad told her the pleco can get HUGE (and made his hands about 14" apart) and she was just like "Yea, i know"

[Aderynglas]

Was at a Petworld store, just looking as you do ;) and a woman and man came in wanting to Buy some fish. "Ooh look" she says "its just like a shark!" (pangasius, the BIG one) and then she says to the guy, "we want a two foot tank, and can we put in it 2 of the sharks, two plecs (common species) and two orandas. !!!!!! " How gobsmacked was I when the employee said "Oh yes they'll be fine in a 2 footer" Just couldn't keep my mouth shut, he stopped arguing (shouting at me :eek: ) when I pointed out that 3 six foot tanks at home doesn't make him an expert, but being the consultant for the Aquarium in the Eco Attraction accross the road just might make me qualified to advise ;)

[PumaWard]

One woman had 5 male bettas in a 5g... claimed that StressCoat covered their mouths and made them suffocate :huh: . Then she wanted to buy a pleco, some angelfish, and cories for the tank...

[pbecot02]

My first time buying fish for my ten gallon...

The girl at the pet store, which was a big chain with a 17 y/o girl with a ton of makeup running the fish... actually told me when i told her that i wanted 6 of the little mollies that it was probably too much and she didn't think it would be a good idea to get more.

I found out that that was too much and 5 of the 6 wound up dying... when i went to a little LFS after all my numbers dropped back to 0...he told me the mollies died because 7.8 was too high a PH, and cycling a tank is stupid, and testing for ammonia is stupid, 24 hours is plenty to get a ten gallon all good... and he's been doing this for thirty years, the INTERNET is stupid (the caps would have been his lol)

no stereotype holds up all the time ;)

[Malachite]

It wasn't a LFS but this is pathetic. When they were moving my wife's daycare they told us we could have the fishtank. When I got there I found a plastic 2.5g oval tank with hood and light. The water was so green you could not even see the fish. The filter was so clogged it wasn't even flowing. It was just churning the water in itself. The tank also had no heater. We had to pour the water through a fish net to keep from pouring out the fish. Once we got them out we found 5 1.5 inch mollies living in it. To make it one step worse we discovered they were feeding them Goldfish flakes. I don't know how they survived as long as they did but the trip home finished them off. The all died the next day.

[TONO]

Ok I went to petcetra today Canadian pet chain(like petsmart). They had about 20 irredecent sharks for sale that were only about two inches long, and bunch of Pacus. So I go to buy some fish, and the employee started poking the dog faced puffer so it would puff up. Im no animal rights activist or anything, but it was pretty bad. Then the employee scoops up the fish one falls on the floor. Picks it up throws it into the tank and it dies 5 seconds later. then the bag that my fish were in didn't have enough water in it, so he takes some water out of an ick infested goldfish tank. I just said I changed my mined and walk out of the store.

[TONO]

Ok I went to petcetra today Canadian pet chain(like petsmart). They had about 20 irredecent sharks for sale that were only about two inches long, and bunch of Pacus. So I go to buy some fish, and the employee started poking the dog faced puffer so it would puff up. Im no animal rights activist or anything, but it was pretty bad. Then the employee scoops up the fish one falls on the floor. Picks it up throws it into the tank and it dies 5 seconds later. then the bag that my fish were in didn't have enough water in it, so he takes some water out of an ick infested goldfish tank. I just said I changed my mined and walk out.

[Rometiklan]

You know, I have heard a lot of horror stories in my 25+ years in this hobby, and have experienced a few screw ups myself, especially as a little kid. But sadly, I think the business part of the hobby sustains itself mostly through these uninformed ignorant newcomers contained in these horror stories. If the hobby were only filled with people who knew what they were doing, and they kept fish obscenely healthy, LFSs wouldn't sell nearly half as many fish as they currently do. Sad to say, LFSs make a lot of money through people venturing in and out of the hobby, fish dying through inept care and bad information, which is probably a very cynical point of view, but is it far from the truth?

[sammydee]

I think you are right. That is why sometimes chain stores can be more helpful than LFS's because the employees get paid a set amount, wheraes the owners of LFS's get whatever they earn from fish-sales. A lot of the time owners of LFSs are very nice and helpful I'm sure, but the shop near me I found to be not as good as the pet store for good advice.

[happychem]

Hmmm, it's just the other way around for me. The chain stores around here aren't great, although at least one of them has improved a lot in the past few years. The small store is much better. I think that I can attribute this mostly to the manager who is an experienced aquarist who is really into the hobby. He spends a lot of time teaching his staff. While I agree with Rometiklan that fish replacers and short term hobbyists may be a bigger source of revenue than a long term one, although I'm not sure about that, I do spend a fair bit of money, if not necessarily on fish. However the bottom line, when it comes to stupid people working at lfs', is that stores cannot afford to have experts working there. It is possible that someone got their PhD in marine biology or marine chemistry and decided that they want to work retail, but from the standpoint of recuiting them, the stores just cannot afford them.

[LMOUTHBASS]

great points about both chain stores and lfs. I think it's more important for the lfs to give solid information and healthy fish for sale because they NEED to establish a good rep because their prices are a little higher, they need to be known as a good source for the hobby. Chains can make most of their money from supplies and most chains sell lots more than fish, i think they make most of their money on food, equipment, meds, and other animal suppiles - however new aquariast keep both in business by "killing" their fish from lack of knowledge - think about this for a minute - a new aquarium keeper is going to have his struggles while learning the ropes - he will be buying new fish quite frequently at the small lfs the owner/worker is more likely to notice this constant repeat customer and help him fix his problems - but in the large chain with a rotating staff no one usually cares or notices this repeat customer

also most experienced aqaurist really don't buy new fish all that often - i mean i think i saw RTR post one time that you know a good fish keeper when you see his tank and then a few years later he still has the same fish -


I guess that statement could also make an argument though for the lfs tomake money off of newbies though - huh?

i still think most lfs stores (not all, but good ones) focus more on getting to know their customers n building business partnership with them - they know word of mouth is valuble - this will lead to solid business in their community -


by the way the worst thing i have ever seen in a store this was just this week was a pacu honestly the size of a spare tire in the plant tank of a petco - now all petco's are set up the same so i'm sure someo f you who have been to a petco know the plant tanks i'm talking about right as you walk into the fish section - the poor thing coudlnt even move hardly - i have the feeling however that someone probably dropped this fish off to them when they could no longer house it -