Do you sympathy buy?

[paperdragon]

My most recent betta was a sympathy purchase. I had room, he was an odd color and had been in a vase in the store for months (without cleaning), and told the clerks how I felt about their store selling bettas in vases and that I was just buying him to fix up his finrot.
If he hadn't been sitting there all that time being neglected while several new betta shipments had come in and been sold off I never would have bought him. It was obvious nobody wanted the little guy though, and that his staying or going would have no impact whatsoever on the store's betta stocking.

 

[austinpetemo]

i do sometimes. if you want him, i would QT that fish cuz im sure its sick considering the shape its in. i say if you really want him than go for it. just be prepared to pay an even bigger price if you intro him to the main tank with out QTing him back to health.

 

[excuzzzeme]

I have bought sympathy fish only because I wanted it regardless. I always try to get the price lowered and usually succeed. I debate on whether or not I am willing to gamble my skills against the condition and price of the fish. I wouldn't recommend it for an inexperienced person. To be effective, you really need to know what you are getting yourself into.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

The only time I will take a less then best looking fish in the whole tank, is when the LFS throws them in as a freebie. But I have to say they (the weak freebies) usually don't make it for that reason anyway. There seems to be enough healthy fish out their that no one wants that can be bargained for anyway. I don't think its easy to withhold sympathy in this area in fact its very hard sometimes. I just deliberately reserve most of my sympathy for people, a personal choice for sure.

 

[blue2fyre]

I saw the acei when I was there returning a mislabeled crayfish. He looked a little better this time. I don't think he's sick, I think he's just spent the last few months getting the crap beat out of him. His fins are torn up and he has lots of scales missing or roughed up. His tankmates are some nasty cichlids; an adult male Kenyi, an adult male aruratus(I had no idea these guys got so big!), a large red zebra some kind of large SA cichlid, several types of haps, tropheus, and peacocks. The tank is filled to the top with fish and the poor acei has no where to go without getting in someone's territory.

 

[shadow999991]

i did once, bought two small jellybean parrots, week later they started breeding and destroyed everything in the tank evan the plants

 

[Inka4040]

Only thing sympathy buying does is open up tank space for more fish to be abused. I would suggest that you stop shopping at any store that keeps their fish so poorly as to require sympathy buys. Every sympathy buy a person makes does nothing but reinforce bad behavior on the part of the pet stores and give money to businesses that frankly, don't deserve the support.

 

[blue2fyre]

It's the only lfs in the area. Otherwise I would have to go to big box stores if I wanted any fish. No I want to keep them around. They get all kind of interesting fish and inverts and they take good care of their fish. This guy was most likely brought in by a customer and they had no place to put him so he ended up pretty roughed up.