Great angelfish :D.........bad shop keepers :(

[ketyana]

I have just got the money from my birthday yesterday to buy myself a new 30-55 gallon tank at some point soon

My idea for this tank after cycling is to add the black phantoms and rosy tetras to the tank, and buy some more of each........either to add directly to the new tank or to grow out a bit in the old tank before adding them (any advice on this sort of thing? which is the best idea?)

Buy a little (or a few little) bottom feeders

And then add some ANGELFISH

I have even seen the ones I want, the best quality angelfish I have ever seen, they are only little some with lovely misty grey markings, and others in the same tank with strong dark markings, I have fallen in love with them

Now for the problem........................the store that sells them is also the same store that I have mentioned before for selling dyed/injected tiger barbs (called jaded/ruby tiger barbs)

Upto this point, I have not given any custom to this store in anyway shape or form.......but I really want these angels.........but how do I live with the thought in some way I am supporting this trade

Im really upset........grrrr

 

[Beesboer]

Personally, I won't mind to buy the Angels. The statement I make (not to by injected fish) is to show the fish dealer that he mustn't sell this kind of fish. Remember, the LFS is a business, so they want to make money. So, we must show them, they won't make money selling injected fish.

Your first question: I think the best would be to add them to the new tank (so they won't get stressed twice). But, I don't really think it would be bad to put them in the old tank say for a month and then move them.

Enjoy your Angels!

 

[Losi]

Buy the Angel fish and think of it as saving them from the shop!

Then on your way out stab a Biro in the shop keepers hand and then ask him if he thinks that is OK to do!

 

[FanOFish]

You don't have to stop supporting the shop altogehter to try and stop the dying of fish. If nobody ever bought just these fish the practice would stop. No demand = no supply.

 

[guppymonkey]

Its wrong to buy anything from stores that sell injected fish. If they don't care about the fact that their fish are injected with ink and how gross that is how much can they really care about any of their fish? You should try to find out who their supplier is and see if you can get the angels sold directly to you. Then you can bypass the store and might get them for less. The only way to hurt bad stores is to boycott them completely.

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> The only way to hurt bad stores is to boycott them completely.

I kind of agree with that - in an ideal worldly sense. However, if the fish shop doesn't know you are boycotting it - then have you acheived anything?

Similaly, wandering around the shop, and not saying anything won't acheive anything.

It is a difficult situation. If you have the choice of getting your fish from a non-juiced place - then do so - but at the end of the day, if that is the only place that has them, then get them, whilst doing so, tell him "it is a shame you sell juiced fish - if you didn't - I might buy a lot more here..."

 

[guppymonkey]

What I meant when I talked about a boycott was to walk into the store and tell the manager about their bad practices. And then tell people about the bad store and convince them not to go there either. If enough people refuse to go there then the store will lose a lot of money. Stores that have bad practices like selling inked fish probably don't care about any of their pets.

 

[fisherman9844]

I've gotta second Lateral Line's approach. GuppyMonkey, I understand and share your feelings. But the bottom line is, many folks simply do not have that many options when it comes to stores. And the reality is that pet stores sell injected fish because folks. most which don't understand the situation, buy them. IMO, our job as responsible fishkeepers is to spread the word about injected fish as far and wide as we can and make store owners aware that we don't condone the practice. But walking away from beautiful, healthy fish as a form of protest is not lilely to gain enough wide spread support to be effective.

Ketyana, be cautious mixing rosey barbs with angels. Most barbs including roseys tend to be a bit nippy and angels can be a prime target.

 

[Inchworm]

...It is a difficult situation. If you have the choice of getting your fish from a non-juiced place - then do so - but at the end of the day, if that is the only place that has them, then get them, whilst doing so, tell him "it is a shame you sell juiced fish - if you didn't - I might buy a lot more here..."

And tell the manager about the tank you WOULD HAVE bought from them if they didn't sell those fish! Let them know that they actually lost money because of that issue. They would have to sell quite a bunch of those poor little fish to make up for the loss of a large tank and all the accessories!

That should make him/her think about what their priorities should be!

 

[KnuckleHead]

If we were to boycott all the lfs that sold these fish we all would need to find another hobby. The best course of action in my opinion is education. Inform these managers exactly what is done to dye these fish. Some already know but will continue to sell them. Nothing you can do about that. And that remark about jabbing a needle in the managers hand made me chuckle. Would you go to a lake a jab a hook in a fishermans mouth? Would you shoot a deer hunter?

 

[Inchworm]

If we were to boycott all the lfs that sold these fish we all would need to find another hobby. The best course of action in my opinion is education. Inform these managers exactly what is done to dye these fish. Some already know but will continue to sell them. Nothing you can do about that.

I spoke to the assistant manager at one of the Petland Discount stores today and he told me that they had no choice in the matter at the store level. He told me that these poor fish were one of their best sellers and that the chain insisted that they stock them. He was a sympathetic sort of guy who liked the fish and did not like selling the dyed ones, and I do tend to believe him.

I still think it's best to patronize an independant lfs. They are not as likely to carry these poor fish and are most apt to be responsive to their customers requests to stop if they do.

 

[Wilsta]

Buy the Angel fish and think of it as saving them from the shop!

Then on your way out stab a Biro in the shop keepers hand and then ask him if he thinks that is OK to do!

Thats quite funny

 

[guppymonkey]

If we were to boycott all the lfs that sold these fish we all would need to find another hobby.

WRONG! There are many pet stores that won't sell injected fish, PetsMart is one of them. Its just laziness that says "Well the store is terrible but I have to drive a few more miles to go to a good store".

But the bottom line is, many folks simply do not have that many options when it comes to stores. And the reality is that pet stores sell injected fish because folks. most which don't understand the situation, buy them. IMO, our job as responsible fishkeepers is to spread the word about injected fish as far and wide as we can and make store owners aware that we don't condone the practice. But walking away from beautiful, healthy fish as a form of protest is not lilely to gain enough wide spread support to be effective.

Almost any community has plenty of pet stores. I live in a not too populated area and we have at least ten pet stores within ten miles. Not all of them are good and I avoid them and tell other pet owners to avoid them. If you continue to buy from a store that sells injected fish its the same thing as condoning the practice. Its saying that you don't care. I just think thats wrong.

 

[KnuckleHead]

Can you speak for all Petsmarts guppymonkey? The two closest to me sell those regularly.

 

[ketyana]

Thanks all for your feedback, Im afraid I will not buy from this store, there are three pet stores in my local town, and only one has dyed fish.....one store had a fish they though may have been dyed (a small tetra with a blue strip through it)....but they kept it and refused to sell it, it still lives in one of their tanks with the neons they will not make a profit in it at all!!!

I think I will build up the courage and go to the shop and tell them exactly why they do not have my custom, for either these angels.........or the 30-55 gallon tank I am to buy shortly!! (Go purchasing power :smb: )

I have to assume that most fish stores have a single supplier, and therefore even if I ask for the suppliers details to buy directly I am still supporting the same chain......just one level up!!

P.S to fisherman9844 I do not have rosy barbs...I am moving my rosy tetras, and my pentazona barbs are staying put in another tank (looking at another post hopefully they are to be joined by Barbus nigrofasciatus, (Ruby, Black Ruby barbs) Thanks very much though for writing back

edit....opps gallons not litres 30 gallons doh