A Whole Layer Of Cherry Shrimp Carcasses!

[3l3ctric]

I decided to venture to a pet store near me yesterday to see if they happened to have any shrimp or celestial pearl danios. I usually avoid this pet store because they sell puppy mill puppies, I have heard nothing but bad things about the manager (which, even when taken with a grain of salt because I have heard them from co-workers at competing stores, are pretty bad), and they don't keep their freshwater fish in the best of conditions because they've realized that the only market they have a chance of cornering is the saltwater market in our town. But, I was curious and feeling slightly desperate and it had been a long time since I visited.

Things seemed slightly better than usual, but the best was that they had a new planted tank absolutely full of the most brilliantly coloured cherry shrimp that I have ever seen in person. I have seen them for sale online, but didn't want to pay the shipping just for a bunch of cherries - but these were also a great price. There were even several females full of babies. I decided that, since they were so cheap, I was going to put my morals aside for once and just buy some. It wasn't like I was going to be keeping this place in business (I reasoned, although I know that this isn't a good argument).

Anyways... I decided that I would wait until today to go back and buy them because I had some errands to run and I had to decide if I was really going to focus on cherries now, rather than my yellows. So, I went back in today with a bunch of cash in my pocket. I was going to pick out several pregnant females and hopefully a couple males to start. But then I looked in the tank. They had a new shipment of plants... but the gravel was completely covered with dead shrimp. There must have been at least one hundred dead little pink-white bodies. Only a few amanos were still alive and picking at the plants and the carcasses. My heart sank as I realized that they probably treated the new plants to kill the snails, but didn't realize how sensitive the shrimp are.

I asked the employee when he thought they'd be getting new shrimp in. He looked confused and pointed to the tank behind me, and assured me that they had plenty right now. So I said, "Yes, but I want ones that aren't dead." His expression quickly matched mine as he looked into the tank... I don't think I'll be going back again anytime soon Thanks for reading my rant. I am pretty upset right now.

 

[This Old Spouse]

It's so sad to know that this kind of story will be repeated time and time again ad nauseum. This kind of thing will never go away. Even if the smaller LFSs go out of business because they've been boycotted enough to affect their profits, another will open or a big box store will move in and take its place. So sorry you had to witness that.

What I wouldn't do for a herd of cherry shrimps, but I don't want to pay for shipping either, and that's the only way I can get them where I'm living now.

 

[Baccus]

That's really bad and I feel sorry for the shrimp. I hope the pet shop person quickly cleared out all the dead ones and possibly moved the survivors. But then that might be asking too much.

So glad my Cherries are breeding up a storm in their little 20L tank they have all to themselves, but am really hoping I can get some crystal reds as I have fallen in love with them. And low and behold I have a spare 20L tank sitting empty doing nothing but gathering cobwebs.
Hope you find some more Cherries somewhere soon.

 

[seizethecupcake]

That's awful.