0morrokh

Unfortunately I had to fork over some money to deathco today cause they were the only place to get a med I needed. However, I did get some free entertainment while there (my mum dropped me off when she went grocery shopping so I was there for a while). They have a big sign up in the fish section talking about fish care. I read a bit of it in between skimming fishkeeping magazines and had to try reaaaalllly hard not to break down laughing in the middle of the store.

My favorite tip was by far "Ask a Petco employee for help deciding which fish are compatible", followed by "A new tank takes 48 hours to stabilize." But one tip was very useful...useful in understanding how they think they can get a bunch of huge fish in a 10gal..."The rule for stocking is one fish per gallon of water." OK so that's 55 Oscars in my 55 gal... And then the one I really don't get..."Artificial lights shouldn't be left on more than 8 hours a day." Huh?? Don't they want you to burn through your lights quicker? I don't remember most of them but it was all pretty funny. Anyway, I used to get so annoyed at stuff like this at chain-type stores but I've realized it will take a looooong time before they'll listen to all the fishkeepers who have been complaining, so now I just laugh at their stupid advice. (Takes my mind off the dirty, overstocked, disease-filled death-contraptions lined up along the wall...)

Tom

I don't have the opertunity to visit a local Deathco, so I wouldn't know how they treat their fish, but that is pretty funny. All the stores I go to sponser the local fish forum I belong to and a member of the aquarium society, so they kind of have to have their tanks in tip-top shape. Thanks for sharing.
Tom

COBettaCouple

I'm gonna run right down to deathco and buy 29 red belly pacu for my 29g! oh wait, i have to wait 48 hours, then the tank will be fine. i'll ask the employees if clown fish go good with them too.

0morrokh

armadillo

Wow. Unbelievable. I'd rather they didn't give advice at all. 48 hours?

Am guessing the lights for no longer than 8 hrs is against algae?

Allie

Man that's totally stupid....the chlorine MAY be gone in 48 hours but it's far from cycled.
For our store we are having species care cards: common name, scientific, size and tank size and the info you'll need to keep the fish. IMO most fish places are lazy and about $$$$ not the fish.

Gozer_1

Most business is about not the consumer or the product. These big chain stores want you to feel like a fish tank is effortless and heck if you lose a few fish you'll likely blame your self. You read the sign right? Did you do everything it said? Well, then what did I do wrong? Well, I better go back and ask and get more fish. So, it goes round and round. PetCo PetSmart, both do it. I love to intervene on bad fish sales.

Anyway, I'm on my way to the store to pick 150 Iridescent Sharks. Here I thought my tank was overstocked.

COBettaCouple

yea, what WERE you thinking!

0morrokh

This is a bit OT but I didn't want to start a new thread...

I was just at the drs office to get a shot...they had a nice looking cichlid tank in the main lobby. Except, about half of them had gill flukes. Sick fish at the medical clinic.

TheEssigs

You should wrap up a box of Parasite Clear and give it to the doc for Christmas!

COBettaCouple

They'd probably charge you for an office visit if you did that.

atmmachine816

Well I've just lucked out, I have a nice petco without too many ammusing signs, though my walmart has signs like that, except the light part, for some reason they say nothing about that and all their tanks have no lights on.

Well you know petsupermarket isn't a whole lot better. I heard a guy ask if iridescent sharks were good community fish and the employee has the smart response of if it's by the window tanks they are aggressive fish, if they are in the middle aisle they are our community fish and the customer gives her a funny look then politely says thank you.

Who would charge who for an office visit, the fish or the doctor?

COBettaCouple

lol, the doc.

anah_go_karts

the petco near me has very nice lookin tanks and healthy fish BUT I GET MY ADVICE HERE

Gozer_1

The closest PetCo to me was a fairly nice store. Over the last year they degraded to a dump. I shopped there for awhile because the food was cheaper, but as the conditions got worse I just couldn't shop there. PetSmart is down the road but also getting a little dingy and they quit carrying Marine stuff. Both have terribly incorrect labels including the one I read on the Iridescent Shark tank that is full of a swarm of baby giants.

CPVFD325

I will say that my local Petco and Petsmart have nice looking, clean tanks and most of the time are "dead fish free". When i was brand new at this hobby i was taking their advice.....then i found this site. I bought 2 Pacu's for my 29g tank and the "professional" told me i would be "just fine". lol. I returned them after finding out about these fish. So i get all my advice here now. I wish Wal-mart would just stop selling fish all together. No lights on the tanks when i was in there last. They actually had some pacu's, and their label for max. size read 10". LOL. Wal-mart's filters and equipment is crap. The starter kits they sell arent a bad deal for the money, but if you plan on staying with this hobby youll have to upgrade. I mean a 29g with a hood and lights, cheap HOB filter, cheap heater, net and some chemicals isnt bad for $94. So i guess i am blessed with a decent PetCo and Petsmart as far as fish quality go.

COBettaCouple

yea, the walmart closest to us has a pacu tank with that on it.

sirdarksol

There's actually a petco nearby that has very nice looking fish tanks. However, they also have a rack of fifty to a hundred cups of sick bettas, and every shelf in the fish section is lined with the "Bettas live in mud puddles" propaganda.
Aside from that, the corporation sends out a vile little form letter every time a person contacts them regarding the advice they give about bettas, claiming that "veterinary experts" have come up with the advice that they give, and insinuating that, just because I've done my research, and happen to know that the "knowledge" that this advice is based on is a lie, I'm an idiot, and know nothing about keeping fish.
So I told them they won't get my money for fish, cat, or anything else, until they change their advice on keeping bettas.
It seems I'll be waiting for them to be changing all of their fishkeeping advice.

Too bad it would be a waste of fish's lives to go out to Petco, buy the largest tank they've got (probably 90), get ninety of the biggest, most expensive fish they have, and then sue them when the fish die off.