True about how losses are inevitable, but when you see the same problems over and over (ich in 50% of the tanks, goldfish with no coordination, nipped fins, beginning of finrot/fungus, incompatible fish kept together, etc.) you start to wonder. I have one particular chain store 10 minutes from my house, and I saw it turn around briefly, when someone very dedicated took control. He moved away, and things went right back to the way they were shortly after.
Mostly, the difference between the LFS workers that know what they are doing and the pet store employees who don't understand how to effectively manage so many fish, is just that...knowledge. They still have to acclimate a lot of new fish, but they know how to keep the beneficial bacteria from being disrupted, how to treat ich early, how to house fish together correctly, etc.
Very often their equipment is more economical at the LFS (simple sponge filters or undergravels vs. auto top off systems, UV sterilizers) but they often seem to do the job better.
Food for thought...
Mostly, the difference between the LFS workers that know what they are doing and the pet store employees who don't understand how to effectively manage so many fish, is just that...knowledge. They still have to acclimate a lot of new fish, but they know how to keep the beneficial bacteria from being disrupted, how to treat ich early, how to house fish together correctly, etc.
Very often their equipment is more economical at the LFS (simple sponge filters or undergravels vs. auto top off systems, UV sterilizers) but they often seem to do the job better.
Food for thought...
