kuhli loach/cae at petco!

jacblades

jacblades

klingon word for superior galactic
May 11, 2004
308
0
0
alabama
www.angelfire.com
ok-i was at petco browsing (of course i wasnt going to buy anything...) and i saw some baby rope fish no longer than 2 inches or so. they sort of resembled earth worms. i was curious what the price was, so i asked. (it wasnt listed). the dude told me they were kuhli loaches. i said no theyre not. kuhli loaches are striped. he called over another employee and she said they were chinese algae eaters! i said, "those are rope fish" and left.
i just thought that was funny...and sad that they dont even know what they are selling. over half of their saltwater fish were dead too and the water was extremely cloudy.

ok-so maybe i was wrong and they werent rope fish. they must have been kuhli loach/cae hybrids! silly me!
 
It's staggering how many fish stores have so called "fish experts" that couldn't tell you the first thing about keeping a fish!!! Even the store themselves (chains are usually the worst!) they have their tanks set up on a sterile water system!! STERILE WATER!! Like that's gonna help anyone, all the fish'll die if they are exposed to anything!
 
well the dude may be right: I have not seen a baby ropefish, so I don't know if they have the distinctive head shape, scale-marking, or the long stretch dorsal fin of the adult ones or not, but there is another kind of kuhli that is "smoothy brown" in color with no stripes that may resemble a small ropefish.

Some picture here at Loaches online
http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/pangio_javanicus.html


I have both types (stripes and brown), but like the stripe ones much beter :)

regards,
 
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Well, I've been keeping fish on and off for about 40 years. a few months ago a friend of mine bought a small 5 gal setup, so I gave her a few of my surpluss guppies, and gave her some pointers on what to do, etc.
Anyway, next time I saw her, she told me she had been at Pet Surplus Plus, and the guy told her if she doesnt have live plants, then she has to keep the tank lights off or the water will get stagnant --- (?!??!??). plus a lot of other nonsense.
When I tried correct the situation, she got mad and said "But, he works at the pet store. He MUST be right") The next time I saw her after that, she told me all her fish died, and she gave up keeping fish as a hobby.
My point is that these kids that work at the pet stores can do a lot of harm. Occasionally you find a truly knowledgable clerk, but these are in the minority.
Only advice to new hobbyists, is do a lot of research before you do anything or buy anything. With all the info on the web these days, theres no excuse not to. And dont trust the first "expert" you meet.
Thats my two cents. I feel better now.

:)
 
They are dorsal fins, though I've heard the ropefish's called "one rayed dorsal finlets" since they are mini dorsal fins with only one ray for structure.
 
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I personally wouldn't expect lfs employees to know all about fish. Most apply for the job because there was no other or to earn an extra buck or two; very few intend to stay in the long run.

5 yrs into this hobby, I don't profess to know all about fish either. I have made many mistakes in identifying specimens & offering fishkeeping advice.

Just a thought, jacblades. You're obviously a true animal lover & compassionate gal, unafraid to voice out your beliefs. Those are admirable qualities, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. :)
 
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