What NOT to expect from your fish store

[youngbreedy15]

according to my lfs manager, a bristlenose pleco can fit in my 10g ? should i trust them because this thread makes me worried

[Cliff]

Considering the get to around 4" (maybe a little more) and they are big waste producers, I personally would not have one in a 10 gallon.

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish...ichopterus.php

[Taurus]

No...20 gallon long minimum

[Gogi]

Well said everyone!!!! Im extremely new to this aquarium world and had both good and bad expreinces with LFS this month. I did research on forum and textbooks before i even went to any store so i wasnt completely clueless. When i did go this is what happen:

chain store= friendly staff but almost zero knowledge
Big private LFS w/ 5+ employees= good selection, rude staff, not willing to talk unless u buy.
Small Family LFS 2 or 3 staff mostly owners= helpful knowlwdge and not only out for $ but concerned with their fish future.

Btw I worked as a sale person in the past selling high end shoes on madison ave, and trust me I could sell anything without any idea about what Im selling unless the buyer did research. Knowledge = power!

[HAJFish]

WOW...I have had WAY BETTER experiences at fish stores than you guys. We went to two stores..one chain, one local store, both gave us so much information! I am new to all this and both stores gave my husband and I one on one attention and explained in detail the cycle process...one explaining "fishless cycle" one explaining the "fish cycle". The people were EXTREMLY knowledgable. Whatever they said I went online when I got home and double checked everything. Sure enough they knew there stuff!

I feel very bad for people that don't EXPECT this kind of service and even tell other people NOT to expect it! SHAME ON YOU GUYS! And shame on the people that work in a certain store and don't take the time to LEARN what they are selling!

[Lady Hobbs]

Hard to say shame on you guys when all day long we read they have a 10 gallon tank and have been sold common plecos, bala sharks and goldfish for their uncycled-too small tanks.

Fish stores get busy and no one should be expected to tell us how to cycle a tank. Ask them about cycling with ammonia and most have never heard of it altho cycling with ammonia has been done now for nearly 20 years.

It's no more their job than a car saleman teaching us how to drive.

[nikelodeon79]

Fish stores get busy and no one should be expected to tell us how to cycle a tank. Ask them about cycling with ammonia and most have never heard of it altho cycling with ammonia has been done now for nearly 20 years.

I talked about fishless cycling at a mom & pop shop once... the owner looked at me like I'd just grown five heads and said,

"I've been keeping fish for over 50 years and I have NEVER heard of putting ammonia in a tank. Why on EARTH would you want to do that? It'll kill your fish!"

I tried to explain the concept of fishLESS cycling, but she never heard anything past "put ammonia in..."

[kurly]

Not really sure why the Shame is on us when we are the people who help new fishkeepers straighten out the messes that the employees at Fish Stores get them in time and time again. It's what this Forum is about and everyone here is happy to help each other especially the new ones to the hobby.

This thread is needed because many times people walk out of fish stores with a 10 gallon tank and 25 fish that the Pet Store employees happily hand to them and say "add water to the tank, run the filter, float the fish in a bag and drop them in!" Not one word about cycling a tank at all, with fish or without.

I'm happy that you had a pleasant experience at your Fish Stores HAJFish and hope that will be a continuing trend every where but sad to say you are an exception to the rule.

[Trillianne]

HAJ,

I am truly glad you found a store with knowledgable staff. But that is not the standard of most places selling fish.

But I find it interesting that even though you got great advice... you still came home and did your homework. Which says to me that you too follow the phrase "Caveat Emptor" aka Let the Buyer Beware. Which is all this thread covered in the first place.

[Honey Badger 1]

Lucky you HAJfish, I'm glad you have good fish store employees in your area, (perhaps you are one and why you are offended). This thread isn't so much about crappy fish store employees, even though I know there are more than a few posts about that here, but about researching before you begin. That is true for most everything today and with the advent of the internet it really isn't difficult. Before I buy electronics, I research. Before I buy a new car, I research. I know what I want and need before I go to a clothing store or a grocery store, and in a perfect world everyone will know how to properly set up a tank and what fish are appropriate for that tank before they go to the fish store.
Sorry to have offended you but, as other have said, after you have been here a while and helped new fish keepers save their fish, bought on fish store employees advice, perhaps you will understand our position on this topic.