this is kinda off topic but i hate it when people have no idea what they are doing and just ask the clueless chain pet shop guy for "how many of these... plac-plec-something can i have in my 1 gallon tank?"
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Why we see so many people come here with dying fish.
- Thread starter xxBarneyxx
- Start date
Bruce Leyland-Jones
Fish Aficionado
I wasn't.
Remember, these were people who thought they were being clever, trying to outwit the system...but were dumb enough to want the fish and want them now, regardless of consequences.
Bruce Leyland-Jones
Fish Aficionado
Although the pet shop guy should not be 'clueless'. All the best salespeople know their product.
no, that one time i'm talking about the guy was super hesitant he didnt know much lol he was basically reading the labels of the fish for them...
Bruce Leyland-Jones
Fish Aficionado
The one time I came across a member of staff like that, who was clearly nervous and struggling, I acknowledged their difficulties and thanked them for trying I then gave them an escape and asked if there were any fish 'experts' in the house, or the on-duty manager.
The manager then turned up, all imperious and clearly expecting a complaint and when she was also unable to answer my basic query, the look of relief on the face of the first staff member was sweet. Then someone who knew what they were talking about appeared and all was well.
A couple of visits later, I learned that that manager no longer worked for that branch.
Remember fish must die and get sick so the shop can sell you stuff, if those two things don't happen the LFS will quickly go out of business. Like my attempt to run one. Very quickly all my customers had learnt how to look after fish, they stocked their tanks nothing died and they would see me a couple of times a year to buy fish food, the business wasn't sustainable.
You need to remember that the owners of these shops will be voting for a President that will shut down a forum site like this as these sites are bad for business.
well, i guess that is a very good thing!
none of my fish die but i end up going to the LFS every week almost to stock up on random plants idk what they even are (some sorta crypt that looks like a tiger lotus)
i sell fish at the lfs too maybe that is a reason why they are still there?
The few plants you buy are not enough to pay the rent. It is great you are putting fish back into the LFS, that is what is needed more people like you. At the end of the day if you have a shop paying $300 a week rent you need to be selling 150 $4 fish per week to pay just the rent. Since the rent is about one-third of the costs, the shop needs to be selling 450 $4 fish each week to survive.
LOL i mean everyone is constantly eating up the stock of plants and selling lots of fish
i dont sell a lot cos i onlyhave one 75g
people also come along a lot to buy super expensive SW stuff
that one HUGE eel could probably last em 2 weeks ($1000)
sad he is gone though he was a cool guy
I get pissed when I go to Petco or Petsmart (who drove out our local independent fish store the workers of which knew me well) give me the 3rd degree when I go to buy fish. "how long has your tank been running?" 14 years "what kind of fish do you have already?" Look, I know what I'm doing just get me the fish I am requesting 19 year old little girl.
AbbeysDad
Fish Gatherer
It can cut both ways... I'm remembering when Abbey was knee high and we switched from goldies to tropicals in her 10g. It was a well cycled tank but the youngster at Petsmart refused to sell us fish. Abbey cried like a baby. Now I probably knew more about fishkeeping than the child in Pet Care, but she had the rules and thought she was doing the store and us a favor. A funny part is that many years later (like 20), for a time, Abbey worked in Pet Care at that same store and I'm impressed with how much she learned.
The fact is that there is a lot of misinformation in many stores and on the interweb. There are so many Hobby Myths parroted by well meaning hobbyists and wannabe gurus that really think they're helping someone newer to the hobby than they are. They merely echo what they have 'heard' from others they presumed had experience.
Cycling remains a mystery to many, especially newbies. But it's really as simple as having enough nitrosomonas and nitrospira bacteria to handle the ammonia and subsequent nitrites generated by the bio-load. And one doesn't need to wait 6-8 weeks for this. My friend @Byron doesn't 'cycle' a tank. He's added a fish or two to a 'new' tank WITH PLANTS and lets nature take it's course. Of course with only a fish or two in a 'new' tank, ammonia levels are slow to rise and the plants will use that ammonia as their nitrogen source as the bacteria slowly develops and matures.
I have setup many 'new' tanks by simply 'cleaning' a filter sponge from an established tank in the new tank water. Enough bacteria is transferred to easily handle a few fish.
And then there's the 'bacteria in a bottle' products. Now many still would have you believe these are just 'snake oil' and just don't work. I think this is largely due to when they first came on the scene, they were in fact the wrong bacteria. But since then, largely due to the research of Dr. Tim Hovanec, these products came of age and really can 'instant cycle' a tank (see the interview with Dr. Tim in the article linked above). Now there still may be some issues with transportation and storage but by in large, these products work.
I think perhaps the biggest problem is that newer hobbyists don't quarantine new fish and adding a sick fish to an aquarium can spell disaster. Now some suppliers quarantine fish and some even treat with meds, but many do not and regardless of wild caught or tank raised, adding new fish to an established tank can be like rolling dice. Maybe fine many times, not so much at others.
So there, I guess I've rambled on enough for now. I don't disagree that some stores are just looking at (needing) sales and/or employee's just don't know as much as they should. But like so many things, it's "buyer beware" and often in this case, many buyers just don't understand enough.
The fact is that there is a lot of misinformation in many stores and on the interweb. There are so many Hobby Myths parroted by well meaning hobbyists and wannabe gurus that really think they're helping someone newer to the hobby than they are. They merely echo what they have 'heard' from others they presumed had experience.
Cycling remains a mystery to many, especially newbies. But it's really as simple as having enough nitrosomonas and nitrospira bacteria to handle the ammonia and subsequent nitrites generated by the bio-load. And one doesn't need to wait 6-8 weeks for this. My friend @Byron doesn't 'cycle' a tank. He's added a fish or two to a 'new' tank WITH PLANTS and lets nature take it's course. Of course with only a fish or two in a 'new' tank, ammonia levels are slow to rise and the plants will use that ammonia as their nitrogen source as the bacteria slowly develops and matures.
I have setup many 'new' tanks by simply 'cleaning' a filter sponge from an established tank in the new tank water. Enough bacteria is transferred to easily handle a few fish.
And then there's the 'bacteria in a bottle' products. Now many still would have you believe these are just 'snake oil' and just don't work. I think this is largely due to when they first came on the scene, they were in fact the wrong bacteria. But since then, largely due to the research of Dr. Tim Hovanec, these products came of age and really can 'instant cycle' a tank (see the interview with Dr. Tim in the article linked above). Now there still may be some issues with transportation and storage but by in large, these products work.
I think perhaps the biggest problem is that newer hobbyists don't quarantine new fish and adding a sick fish to an aquarium can spell disaster. Now some suppliers quarantine fish and some even treat with meds, but many do not and regardless of wild caught or tank raised, adding new fish to an established tank can be like rolling dice. Maybe fine many times, not so much at others.
So there, I guess I've rambled on enough for now. I don't disagree that some stores are just looking at (needing) sales and/or employee's just don't know as much as they should. But like so many things, it's "buyer beware" and often in this case, many buyers just don't understand enough.
Bruce Leyland-Jones
Fish Aficionado
Given that for many newcomers to the hobby, the one tank they've just bought is the only tank and the very concept of another tank, for the sole purpose of quarantining, is a completely alien concept and one only for those with deep pockets.
And how many of us more experienced hobbyists set up a QT, use it for that purpose and then turn it into something else, perhaps with sparkling gourami or scarlet badis and/or shrimp?
AbbeysDad
Fish Gatherer
Ah, but that wasn't the point. For a new tank without any pre-existing stock, the new tank IS really a quarantine tank. I was speaking more about introducing another, or additional fish, to an existing tank of otherwise healthy fish where any new fish could introduce disease. And as to quarantine, it can be as simple as a bin or tote to temporarily house new fish with a minimal expense.
There's a good video here from Aquarium Co-op on a temporary Quarantine tank.
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