Don't trust fish store employees too much...

[elephantnose3334]

This is as already mentioned a theme that occurs over and over again. But yes, the majority of fish stores globally lack relevant knowledge. same goes for relevant wholesalers. They work with a lot of generalizations that they had to know by heart. Same goes for selling other animals at stores. This is why I never take information from relevant stores for granted. Especially, when they call themselves specialists or specialized in fish. For most of the time it turns out that they're still lacking proper knowledge.

One of my things I like to do is to visit stores that don't know me and hear what kind of nonsense comes out of their mouths. And I will never interrupt them during the conversation. Once they're done, I love to tell them their mistakes. I'm always curious for their reactions.

As already mentioned, do your own research before adopting any kind of animal.

I always do my own research before adopting any animal.

 

[elephantnose3334]

In the older days of fish chats I knew a few fish keepers down under. I was always imprssed by how they had overcome, legally, some of yor most restrivie imporation laws to acquire fish. his involved finding breeders there.

I can only speak for places in the States. I do not know how available some of what I discus are I australia. But I would imagine some of them are in some form.

As for the advice you don't want to hear, never forget that stores exist to sell stuff and not to turn away sales, This applies even if it is live fish related. Your best weapon is to do some independent research before you buy.

I set up my first tank in Jan 2001. Today I am about to retire having bred rare plecos and sold them to fish keepers across the country. I have worked with people who imported and gotten fish that way. I have bought fish at my club's auction at the end of each month's meeting. I have bought most of my fish shipped in and almost never from stores.

I do not trust the fish departments of larger pet stores. I might trust some dedicated fish stores, but very few. There is one about 30 minutes from me. Their prices are pretty high and their fish are pretty healthy and the knowledge of any employee is quite high. I would trade some of my fish to them for store credit to spend at their retail price. I know that to get a job there you are required to pass a rather intensive written test on an assortment of fish and related matters from meds to plants. Back when the less pricey tetras at a pet store sold for $2.50 or so, theirs sold for $4.50.

Next, there are younger hobbyists who would be in the age range that PetCo and PetSmart hire who also happen to be a serious fish keepers and who have more motivation to work in these places in the fish dept. than most. So you can occasionally bump into such a person. but do not hold your breath....

Two of the best sources for information are a local fish club and most weekend fish events. Most of these are sponsored and run by fish clubs because the members are working for free. The other thing is over the years of attending such weekend event I have met and talked with people like Ingo Seidel, Hass-Georg Evers, Leandro Sousa, Julian Dignall aka Jools of Planetcatfish, Rachel O'Leary, Barbie Fiorentino, Stephan Tanner, Shane Linder and the list goes on. I never imagined some of these folks would bother to talk to me. I have learned things from every one of them I might never have known otherwise. (My apologies whomever this old brain may be forgetting to name here.) I am not including any of the folks with whom I have only chatted or exchanged Emails with but have never met.

My point is, all one has to have is the curiosity to want to know the most accurate answer to our fish related questions. The challenge then becomes learning where and how to find that information. The odds are, when looking online, one will find more poor information than good. I am considered, in some circles, to be a respected breeder of a narrow group of B&W Hypancistrus plecos. However, I could not come close to passing the test to work in the fish pet store I mentioned above.

Here is the best advice I can give you. Join a local fish club if you can. Learn about any fish events you can attend that might be in any way of interest. All of us were beginners at some point.

Online here is a little headstart with 2 good sites. I hope others can add a few more for you.

You can get a head start on fish species info, go here https://seriouslyfish.com/
For catfish, go here https://www.planetcatfish.com/index.php

I agree with you. There is a Petbarn which was used to be a City Farmers almost a km near my house. That was where I got the silvertip tetras from. And that was where I fell into 'believing the staff' trap.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Join a local fish club if you can. Learn about any fish events you can attend that might be in any way of interest. All of us were beginners at some point.

Well, my parents won't let me join a fish club because they're strict.

 

[OldFishKeeper]

Hi @Essjay,

Why is the golden rule of fishkeeping: Never trust a fish store worker or fish store on what they say or do; important to you in the forum? How long have you implemented the rule in TFF? I'm only a teenager, still learning. I'm always planning on what to do next for the wellbeing of my existing fish. I will remember to follow the golden rule of fishkeeping for now on. Does this rule apply to all fish stores around the world?

Edit: Thanks @WhistlingBadger for changing the old title to a more interesting title. The original one was bland.

I wouldn't not trust all LFS employees but my guard goes up when they treat every customer as a novice and launch into a scripted speech that covers water parameters, cycling, size of tank, heat and other basic topics. All they should ask is how long you have been in the hobby and go from there.

I recently had one incident where I visited a LFS to purchase a specific type of fish. After going through their third degree and live fish "guarantee", the employee showed me a tank with the fish I wanted. Problem was, several of them had stages of fungus and fin rot. I advised the employee that they should not be selling any fish from this tank and walked out.

I started keeping fish 65 years ago and would recommend obtaining basic info from reputable forums and publications to compare to any advice from a LFS.

 

[MuddyWaters]

Well, this thread is about played out, but I'll throw my 2 cents in just because I have a big mouth (big fingers? )

In my experience, you get 2 kinds- those who are waiting for you to tell them what you want, and those who feel they should grill the crap out of you to make sure you're not going to kill the fish. While I appreciate the sentiment of those doing the grilling, they, in my experience, have pretty limited knowledge and will drive home whatever stuff they've read online while you're wondering why you have to explain why you want to buy this fish to them. Irritating.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I go to a LFS here in metro ATL that is super busy and has a pretty stable staff- even the kids working there have, for the most part, been there awhile. It's not a big "pet store" - it's a place dedicated to fresh & saltwater fish, etc - for tanks & ponds. So, that makes a difference.

Anyway, I will usually ask for an opinion if I'm on the fence about something. Sometimes I get an answer that's decent, other times, they'll say "hang on" and go ask one of the more seasoned employees. Even then, the answer may or may not be well informed, but typically it's at least in the ball-park.

I do this because sometimes I'll get a perspective I never thought of, or they'll have knowledge I didn't. It's not that hard to figure out if they know what they're doing- especially if I ask a follow-up question or two.

So, my advice is, ask the questions and take the answer with a big grain of salt- unless you're in a big box "pet store" where the fish section is just off in the corner....all bets are off then.

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Ok…

I am fortunate enough to have many small non-chain fish stores around me, renowned throughout the US for shipping good, high quality, rare fish. Almost 90% of the time I can trust the people that work there because they are actually interested in fishkeeping, and the store owners are very dedicated. However, pet smart and petco and those type of stores, 99% of the time, the employees just read off what their manager/ what the store gives them.

I can’t say this enough, you MUST do your research, no matter how trustworthy the irl source is. Absolutely a necessity. You don’t want to end up with a common pleco in a 15g tank just because some guy at the pet store assured you it would be ok. MUST do research before, and if you see something you want to impulse buy, go home, do research, and think on it.

 

[GaryE]

One of the reasons I feel I have learned a lot about aquarium fish is how many times I've seen something I had never before seen, gone "wow" and then stopped in my tracks and done some research.
A lot of fish didn't get bought because of that...
First, I find the Latin names. Common names give common information, and that is often wrong, over generalized or plagiarized. Serious info is under the serious name.
Then, I tend to hit the books, since I have them, but also google. On google, I seek info sources that don't sell fish. Science sites come first, along with Seriously Fish, which has improved in leaps and bounds. Fishbase can be a good, if lean source. If I find a site dedicated to the group the fish comes from, I go there. Specialized hobbyists share great info.

I have known a lot of fish store employees who do the same. There are people excited about that they can learn, and slackers in any field.

 

[Sir Guppy]

I wonder…is anyone here a LSF Employee?

 

[Back in the fold]

When I talk to people in pet shops I try to get them talking about fish and don’t really ask advice . I can size them up pretty fast as to whether or not they know their business .

 

[OldFishKeeper]

I wonder…is anyone here a LSF Employee?

I was one, about 65 years ago. A part-time weekend job while I was in school. I cleaned corner filters for .50 an hour. Although I knew more about keeping fish that most of the customers, I was under strict orders to refer any customer questions to the owners.

My only "perk" was a token discount on purchases and the odd free lunch.

Most of my money was made working in their Christmas tree lot before Christmas when school was out...

 

[MuddyWaters]

First, I find the Latin names. Common names give common information

[sigh...] You're right, GaryE, but man I wish those dadgum Latin names were a little easier to remember.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

@GaryE I completely agree with searching under latin names rather than common. Even on google, the quality of information one can fine tends to be a lot better.

I wonder…is anyone here a LSF Employee?

Interesting question! Not that I know of. I appreciate that the people in this thread aren't badmouthing pet store employees or saying they're all bad. Just don't take their word for it unless they've proven themselves.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Hi everyone,

The reason why I made this thread is because of a comment made by @Essjay, which referred about the golden rule of fishkeeping, in one of my posts. I first heard of the rule just recently. I'm following the two golden rules of fishkeeping because I'm independent enough to research the fish I need for my Orinoco biotope project. She inspired me to gain more knowledge about the fish through research and not taking advice from a fish shop or big box pet stores. I just did a search on the golden rule of fishkeeping, made by her, and it reveals it has been going on since 2013, which is 10 years ago, and is mentioned 59 times (did I count it wrong?) in total throughout the years. I'm proud of @Essjay for knowing the golden rule to all the other members, old and new, in the community.

Thank you @Essjay for giving me some knowledge into the golden rule of fishkeeping, even though I PM'ed you before the thread was posted. I like a few of your comments with an asterisk, which leads to the rule, on it.

 

[Essjay]

Lots of other people have mentioned the first and second rules (don't trust LFS staff and do your own research), it's just that I seem to do it more often

 

[elephantnose3334]

Lots of other people have mentioned the first and second rules (don't trust LFS staff and do your own research), it's just that I seem to do it more often

I just posted about my former science teacher's zebrafish in a 28 litre aquarium starter kit. I'm asking the question that: did she break the golden rule of fishkeeping?