Pet Stores

[PereguineFalcon]

Hey, I know this is kinda a weird poll but let me explain. See, just a few days ago i went to one of the neighboring towns around where i live so i could get more variety at more pet stores. I went to 5 different fish stores(it was great!) and was awed by the selection and variety at each one. But as i was looking at some of them...just minding my own business, i heard a couple of conversations going on with various customers and store workers. At one pet store I heard them tell a customer that it would be alright to keep neons with clown knifefish, and at the same pet store they were helping this woman who obviously knew nothing about fish keeping, making her get all this expensive stuff that she didn't even need to get but convinced her that she HAD to have. At a different pet store when they were catching the fish they were unnessecarily rough with them and even scraped off a large number of scales in the process, even taking fish from a sick tank! !! I was continually shocked each time i went to a new pet store how horrible they were! It was like they were only interesting in making some profit, not on the quality of their fish! Out of all those 5 pet stores there were only 2 that were respectible and honest. And because of that i am only shopping at those two stores now. Those other three have lost me as a customer and i hope i'm not the last because that is just sad and pathetic. Needless to say i'm probably not very welcome in those stores any more since i confronted them about it and clued in some of the clueless customers as to what was going on, which in turn made them lose that profit. Is this the way big town Pet/Fish stores are around the globe? Because if it is we need to do something about it! Please respond to this because it is a subject that needs to be addressed and assesed!

 

[Lenna]

Yes. Mine are the same. There are three and none are very good but where else can you go? They often have dead and dying fish in the tanks. The tank are seriously over stocked, even the display ones. They had about 20 clown loaches in one 10 gallon tank and 10 rainbow sharks in another. They also keep bettas in tiny cups only 2 inches deep with 1 hole in the lid. It makes me so mad! Once when I was cycling a tank I wanted pure ammonia & thought they would know where to get it. The guy looked at me like a was from another planet then tried to sell me some useless stuff!

 

[tdins_2]

i would trust my lfs but i still do research for fun and to learn more about them

 

[PereguineFalcon]

Sorry...hehe...not really replying to anything, just trying to get this poll back up at the top of the page so it can get noticed more and get more results... )

 

[billy61788]

i totally trust my lfs...i have PetSmart and its clean and the people are relly helpful. they know what there doing and what there talking about. before they built their store nar me i had to rely on Petco...what a disaster

 

[amazingbioloboydp]

I have to say i dont trust my large "economy"fish stores.But my Local fish stores are great and i have for the most part trusted them!

 

[chumley71]

It is like that at 98% of the stores around here, I have driven over an hour one way to find a store only to discover they really suck. I am an unexperienced amatuer, but have done research before I go and they dispute me, and make me doubt myslefuntill I get home and recheck my research. I was totally disgusted at one when I discovered a tank full of sick fish, one had half it's head rotting off, I grabbed an associate and he tried to say he couldnt see anything wrong with any of them, I grabbed his shirt and pulled him down and he got a good look. He then acted shocked and said "oh my, I will have to close this tank to sales" but didnt do anything while I was in there, and I walked around for quite a bit. I visited one and the associate there didnt even know what fish were what, let alone anything about care or size. I am left with my head in my hands because I have 2 new tanks cycling and am wondering where I will find fish to make me happy

 

[PereguineFalcon]

This is just depressing. I thought i was alone on this subject but to discover that many of you are also suffering from this is just disheartening. I wish there was something that we could do. Like maybe pass the word around not to shop at those certain places or turn them into animal rights activists or something. It IS very discouraging when you go to a LPS and you discover that the service sucks and the quality of fish is less than good. I feel for future generations because i have a feeling this is just going to get worse as we go.

 

[darksheep]

PereguineFalcon Posted on Mar 4 2004, 03:27 AM
Sorry...hehe...not really replying to anything, just trying to get this poll back up at the top of the page so it can get noticed more and get more results...

aound here all pet store dribble crap to ya, i asked if i can mix blue neons and a blue acara in a tank and they said yes it would b no problem, the big fish wouldnt eat the little fish and can u guess what happened to my my neons not a camper lol

 

[PereguineFalcon]

lol...i'm sorry to hear bout your neons. Crazy what they will do to make some money though eh?

 

[Magnolia_360]

I usually go to PetSmart where some people are talkin out of there butts but there are a few people I know who are good. I also go to the Aquariun Shop very little and they have good people there because It's a fish specialty store

 

[darksheep]

yeah it azmazing the crap they dribble to you so u buy fish of them they dont even care if put them in ur tank and they get eaten by the other fish they sold ya

 

[chumley71]

It is amazing what they will do to make a sell. It is to bad they dont realize that this hobby is expensive and completely addictive, most who start and love it do not own just one tank, and if they would pull their heads out they would make more money from return customers.

 

[staredecisis]

All of my local fish shops are full of idiots. If it weren't for this forum all of my fish would be dead, and I'd have all the wrong fish for my tanks.

Just today I showed one of the employees that their display betta was looking ill. He was floating at the top of the water, not pedalling his fins at all, not moving, just floating in a corner. The guy tried to tell me that all bettas are just very lethargic fish. I think he's spent too much time around the sick bettas in the miniature cups of torture, cause no one that has met my bettas would EVER consider betta fish lethargic (one is so erratic he tears up his fins, crazy bugger).

I've had them tell me salt water fish are fine in fresh water, I've had them tell me cichlids are the LEAST aggressive of all fish, I've had them tell me bettas do fine in chlorinated water, and can live a normal healthy life in those cups..... they'll do anything to sell a fish or equipment.

I say NEVER rely on them until you know them on a personal level and they have proven themselves to be knowledgeable. Anything beyond that, ask the TFF for info!

 

[Doggfather]

yeah, i pretty much trust my lfs, but i always reaserch before i go there