What's The Strangest, Most Incorrect Advice You've Received In

[mattb]

I saw a guy in my local pets@home sell this couple who wanted some fish for their kid one of them small plastic tanks, 12 litre jobby, and about 10 mixed tropical fish! This 'tank' had no heater, filter nothing, but this guy said they would be fine!!

 

[LiveLifeGoJump]

Not strictly 'on topic' but it's what I thought when I when to purchase a fish tank.

'I think I'll get a fish tank, it's a nice relaxing hobby'

Ah well, 6 tanks, many water changes, no money in wallet & 150 fish later (most of them are platty fry) later. You live & learn

 

[andywg]

A high school clerk in my LFS told me I couldn't put any salt in a freshwater tank.

That's pretty good advice to me.

Freshwater means a lack of salt. One should never be regularly placing salt into a freshwater tank.

 

[Lynden]

A high school clerk in my LFS told me I couldn't put any salt in a freshwater tank.

That's pretty good advice to me.

Freshwater means a lack of salt. One should never be regularly placing salt into a freshwater tank.

Tell that to a pet store in a neighbouring town of mine...

One day, I was browsing the fish section (overpriced, as always, but otherwise not too bad). But anyways, I rounded a corner, and there were two guys (employees) dipping a hydrometer into one of the tanks, all of which are on a centralized filtration system. I watched for a moment, and to my horror, they got a reading on it. The SG rating levelled out at around 1.007, which is brackish. I said innocently, what are you testing for? They said, "Salt. It should be around this level." I said, "but those are freshwater tanks,". They then shrugged and walked away. How sad.

-Lynden

 

[JawsA10]

wuutt?? those little retards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[B.D.S]

I was in my local branch of swallow aquatics asking for some betta pellets only to be told by the helpful assistant that they are great little fish that only need feeding twice week and that she only tops up its unfiltered vase when the water level drops through evaporation!!

This was the same shop that when i asked for some marbled hatchet fish i was greeted with a blank look and he asked me what they looked like.

i sometimes feel that lfs's need a small brick wall near the tills for us just to bang our heads against.

 

[Egmel]

i sometimes feel that lfs's need a small brick wall near the tills for us just to bang our heads against.

or even better

[edit]Of course I do not condone physical violence against any LFS staff however uneducated they are [/edit]

 

[- Jez -]

Some bloke in an otherwise promising LFS wouldn't sell me a nitrate test kit the other day. I think I made the mistake of telling him I was new to things. He laughed at me and called me old fashioned for doing a fishless cycle and then told me I didn't need the test kit because nitrates were non-toxic. I'd still kind of like to know how much of the stuff there is in my water!

I left the shop thinking 'What? Am I just supposed to GUESS?'

 

[cdelly]

meh you think your lfs's are bad.,..... the closest one to us used to have a live crocodile in one of they're pond tanks it didn't even have room to turn around the poor thing.... they got shut down after numerous complaints.... they've no re-opened with the same manager and all the same staff just a different name, and although they got rid of the croc they still have loads of fish that are so poorly they shouldn't be on sale or kept in entirley unsitable conditions, i've seen them sell someone a dead fish before and they never ask about the size of the tank, if it's cycled etc etc. It's absolutely disgraceful, I won't even go in there now it upset's me too much

know this one well Miss Wiggle, it's still open, bit small now pond section has gone, last i heard they had closed down then a daughter took over, then a cousin, sister, think they found bloke in pub next door now.



think they still have some original stock left from first opening aswell!!!!!!

 

[demonmagus]

how on earth can you sell a dead fish

 

[ImperfectFaerie]

That's exactly what I was wondering myself... I'm not sure if I pity someone who bought a dead fish...

 

[catxx]

apparently my LFS had someone come in once wanting to get dead fish for a photo shoot.

 

[Vicky99]

I asked someone at my local fish shop about Bettas. I was thinking about getting another one and setting him up in a shiny new tank all of his own.

I asked him if the tank should be cycled for the betta or if really regular water changes would do the trick (I've read lots of different things about keeping them). He asked me what I meant by cycling - alarm bells rang!!

Luckily for him as soon as I explained about the bacteria in the filter etc he knew what I was on about!!

On reading stuff here I've decided to get a larger tank for the potential new Betta, but I want to plant it and make it nice for him so cycling is in order and I will wait until I've moved house (hopefully in the next 6 months!!).