Oh my good god...

[andywg]

I'm not normally one to moan about how an lfs runs its shop, but today I was heartily sickened to the point of stopping in my tracks.

I had gone to a shop near me in Wickford to purchase a cat of the dorididae family (sadly it was from the Megadorus genus, a bit too big) when I noticed a tank of around 40 puffers at around the 2-3" mark. Imagine my dismay when reading the glass:

"Mbu Puffer - £30-00"

I thought to myself, "Are there really that many people in South Essex prepared to offer a tank with the gallons in multiples of 100 to just one fish".

The obvious answer is no.

Again, apologies for moaning, it's just things like this that really get me, I mean, how many of those puffers are going to survive to adulthood, let alone get a good quality of life?

Andy

 

[Paul_MTS]

I hate that too, even when you see tank fulls of small puffers barely any of them will go to good homes.

I got really annoyed with 1 of my superiors at work when he kept on ordering brackish puffers and brackish species with out a care of where they went, luckily I won't bother stocking puffers at work now (being fish shop manager), if someone wants 1 they can order it specially.

 

[andywg]

That's the best way.

I'm glad to see that Shotgate is running down its stock of Rays and will order them to desire (though they ordered in around 6 TSN... )

But the Mbus at wickford...At least with smaller puffers they are more likely to end up in a tank that is big enough for them (even if they will terrorise the rest of the inhabitants) unlike the two foot Mbu.

 

[SirMinion]

I won't bother stocking puffers at work now (being fish shop manager), if someone wants 1 they can order it specially.

[snapback]848543[/snapback]​

You're a manager now?
Crikey! That's what I call a fast track to promotion! Well done!

Martha & Cookie's origins are a good (bad) example of what happens when fish stores stock specialist fish and sell them as if they are goldfish.

Nealy all of Martha & Cookies batch-mates died of disease & injuries before they were even sold, and I'd bet that very few of the ones that did sell are still alive now.

 

[seffieuk]

i too was at wickford yesterday and saw the MBU. i spoke to the chap about them.....asked if he realised how big they got and how large a tank they would need. you can guess what he said, 'they can live in a three foot tank for many years and when/if they get too big we will buy them back OMG he also tried to tell me you could put several in one tank whilst i was there he sold a fire eel to an elderly lady with a tiny tank telling her the same thing. if u read my post about the puffer in the plants.........guess where that was

 

[seffieuk]

Paul, whereabouts in essex is your shop?

 

[Amber]

I live in Essex too, about an hours drive from Wickford though and all the shops near me are stocking Mbu too so there must have been a massive batch bought into the area recently, I was also advised they could live in a three foot tank - poor things

 

[pica_nuttalli]

while several in 3' tank wouldn't work, supposedly mbu brought up together in a sufficiently large tank will be ok as tankmates. or at least that's what i read in the Ebert

 

[andywg]

From the reading I have managed on the web about these fish, the personality and aggressivenes is all down to the individual fish.

Some people have found them as aggressive as the average Fahaka, others have kept them in large communities. All depends on the fish.

 

[Paul_MTS]

yep, i was made fish house manager back in june after i finished college and went full time.

i know of 1 other of marthas and cookies tank mates survived, 1 of our good customers has him. I'm pretty sure he's ain a Rio 400 at the moment.

I work at Betta Aquatics in Clacton. Still changing it to the way i want it though with still old stock from the other peoples orders

I know our other shop usually stocks A(single) mbu puffer tagged quite highly, but atleast the boss makes sure they have aleasts a decent size 5ft. not ideal but better than several stuffed into a 3ft.

guy at work was trying to get me to get black sharks in today....idiot, i'm glad i'm away the week there are no fish orders

 

[rixy]

1 of my local garden centres had 3" silver sharks in the same tank as large oscars???as you can guess,1 of the oscars soon had a shark in its mouth.