Lfs Fish Size Guide

[VespertineStar]

I was just in my not so local P@h the other day and thought back to other fish shops in my area and none of them seem to make it easy for people to know what size the fish on display will be when adult. It seems like something common to all fish shops I have been to, they all invariably have one or two large tanks with huge fish in that have been brought in by other people because they got too big for the tank and with the advice that beginner fish keepers are given at some places it's not surprising really.

Most of the places I have visited just have labels like "Blue Acara" or "Assorted Sharks" which might house any number of differing shark species (all of which are small and cute obviously ) and when you ask the staff a lot of them will just roughly guess the adult size and often get it very wrong and even knowledgeable staff might be under pressure to sell inappropriate fish to make more money.

Why try and train staff that might only be working there part time or over the summer on such an in depth subject as what tank to house certain fish (obviously the basics can be taught so they ask customers what sort of fish they keep, what temp their tank is, is it cycled etc) when you could get the store layout to do the talking for you. You could perhaps have the shop divided up into coloured sections with fish in each section suitable for a tank of x litres/gallons or larger and subdivided by temperament etc or at least have the tanks properly labelled with a picture of the adult fish and what size they get to etc. I'd guess at the reason so many common plecs are sold is because they are in tanks alongside much smaller fish like neon tetras and I imagine it goes something like: "I'll take 10 neon tetras, oh and one of those on the bottom too they look nice."

I'm sure that most of these shops are set up to sell more fish but should they be regulated somewhat as it's not like buying a cat, most of them won't get too big for your current house and there's just so much variation in fish keeping.

 

[3ndl3r]

I totally agree with you. LFS's should label their stock alot better. Even if its just a case of displaying the adult size of the fish and the tank size it requires. But like you say, most LFS's are only in it for money and don't really care where their fish are going.

James

 

[Truck]

my local garden centre already does this theyve separated them into:

aggressive
community
species only

and under each category each there is a wall of different species which will stat within a size bracket

 

[coldcazzie]

My local pets at home does have the adults sizes on the labels for the fish. However, not all the fish have proper labels - some have handwritten ones which have no size guide, and the labels are almost always nowhere near the tank where the fish actually is!

Think they've started with good intentions but not actually followed through... it's a step in the right direction tho

 

[3ndl3r]

Pets at home labelling isnt too bad, ''assorted malwai cichlids'' is rather annoying though, especially when some of the fish in the tank aren't even Malawis.

James

 

[VespertineStar]

Yeah it looks like most of the labels at my local P@h have been stuck on at some point far away in the past and never changed because the labels aren't anywhere near correct and about half aren't even labelled at all.

It's good that your garden centre is sorted out like that it's a much better way to sell fish to people who might not know too much about them and gives more experienced people some clue as to whether or not they are suitable for their particular setup.

Perhaps some of the more experienced members here should band together and go on a roadtrip to rate local stores and suggest improvements lol.

 

[ellena]

Most of the chain pet stoes I go to have a semblance of a system like this, but as others have noted, it's not in place properly. There are lovely labels, with a space for adult size, but it's not often filled in
If only everyone researched on the internet first.

 

[crazychris]

My LFS has nothing stating adult size and think he only tells people IF THEY ASK. He sells loads of BKF and tells them they only reach a "nice 4 inches"

 

[pippoodle]

my local garden centre already does this theyve separated them into:

aggressive
community
species only

and under each category each there is a wall of different species which will stat within a size bracket

same hun
worse one is pets at home i found anyway

 

[chr15_8]

Most the fish shops ive been too dont state anything other than the name and if there community, Species, Aggressive.

Ive always wondered why they dont have labels stating

Name -
Common name -
Max. Size -
Min. Tank Size -
Fish Type eg community -

Maybe with a picture next to them.

 

[Inchyally]

Yeah, it is probably going to confuse the buyer when they see labels like I did, "Large African Cichlids" and "Small African Cichlids" is pretty vague...

The only place I know that gives a Name/Tank Size/Difficulty, Petsmart, is way off. Betta - 1/4 gallon, Iridescent Shark - 20gal Beginner, Clown Loach, 10gal Beginner.

 

[meguro]

Would you guys purchase reptiles blind? Why expect lfs's to be run by ichthyologists with signs more informative than museums/aquariums?

 

[Truck]

i would purchase a blind fish, fish being blind wont affect their lives at all...they swim away from predators by using the lateral line to detect pressure changes, they can smell for food and sense it in the water with the lateral line again...they maintain their boyancy with the swimbladder, so a blind fish is no skin of my nose.

 

[meguro]

I didn't mean that the reptiles were blind, you misinterpreted...

 

[Truck]

I didn't mean that the reptiles were blind, you misinterpreted...

i wasnt responding to your post anyway