Doom Traps For Glo-fish.

[LeahK]

I'm in favor of writing letters. I once emailed the people who make glofish at http://www.glofish.com/contact.asp and they were very responsive and even made changes to their website based on my suggestions. In their "care" section, they talked about water conditioners but not about cycling or new tank syndrome, and they didn't emphasize the need for a filter. After I emailed them about it, they changed the wording on their site and even provided a link to the nitrogen cycle page at fishlore.com.
The one thing they disagreed with me on was the need to tell people that glofish need to be kept in groups of at least 6 fish in a tank of at least 10 gallons. Here's a quote from their response to me:

"3. Stocking Density: Our research has shown that the stocking density for zebrafish can be relatively high compared to many other fish. For more information about this, please visit the following peer-reviewed research paper by the faculty at the Zebrafish International Research Center: http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/Fishwelfare/Matthews.pdf. Specifically, page 4 notes that the, "Recommended density for growing juvenile fish and holding adults is five fish/liter [or 19 fish per gallon]." As this number is intended for researchers, it may not necessarily be appropriate for home aquarists. At the same time, it is consistent with our own significant experience with GloFish which have demonstrated that they can thrive at levels well in excess of 6 fish per gallon."

So, anyway, they may not object to the 1.7 gallon glofish tanks, based on what they say about stocking density. But it at least goes to show that companies do sometimes take consumer letters seriously.

 

[zpromoter]

Nothing we can do?

OR

Too lazy to actually do something about it?

I'm not too lazy, I just work for Petco. I know how this whole thing goes. I'll do my part by not recommending these types of tanks, but it is above my head and above the head of the individual store. If you are going to write anyone, contact the headquarters, not the store.

Good luck to you. Not everybody is going to change their mind. To some people, fish are just fish; easily replaced.

 

[rainbowcharmer]

It never ever hurts to make your opinion known. And although your opinion may end up in the garbage, if enough people send these letters, things may eventually change. JMO of course. I am going to PetSmart this weekend for a few items, so I will definitely check and see if this store carries those, and if so I'll lodge a complaint with the manager. I know most of the management there (I spend half my life in petsmart it seems - 3 dogs, 3 cats, 4 fish tanks, 1 bird... well, you get the idea). And am on a first name basis with many people at that store because I'm there so often. Now, that may not make a big difference, but I really believe it's always better to make an effort than to give up because you may not be the tipping point.

 

[Riiz]

Another thing that made me laugh, Petsmart sells those kits in California stores, yet Glofish are not legal for sale in this state.

 

[Davy]

i work at petsmart and i say complain. i dont know if i just got lucky at my store or what, but i was always told that if there was something i was concerened with, to report it.

thats the only way changes are made.

 

[theicequeen]

not at my petsmart. they dont care what the employee says. we get our hours cut and get yelled at mainly by one of our managers. but when the customer complains then they listen.