A Bit Of A Rant :)

So I was in a chain pet store yesterday, and my dad starts bragging to the pet store employee that I'm a "fish expert" and know everything to know there is about fish. Which is NOT true. IMO I've barely scratched the surface of everything there is to know

But anyways, she says that she's been in the hobby for 15 years and that I might have competition. I left feeling annoyed with my dad and very self-conscious. I'm 15 and I struggle talking to people, so it's already hard enough to talk to pet store and LFS employees without feeling like a child that's out of place. So the last thing I need is my dad creating more awkward situations!

Has anyone else experienced something like this? I think non-fishkeepers think that anybody with more than one tank is a "fish expert"

 

I totally do. Mind you I was raised around them. My mom had a 55 gallon since before I can remember. I started with a 20 gallon aquarium, I was about 13, and didn't know anything about stocking so every few months I was getting more fish. So after a while of heartbreak I started to do more research, into both the fish I wanted and my mom. I picked up bad habits from mom that I'm still trying to break. Such as "change the filter every month!" "only change the filter when you clean the tank! So that way everything is nice and clean!". Which I've since learned that my mom was putting those poor fish into a basically new nitrogen cycles every month. Since she'd drain about 75-80% of the water.
Now I'm 23 and have four tanks and just love fish so much I look into all sorts of species. I help my local fish shop by answering questions, because I know the answers!
Friends and Family call me the expert, and while I will say I know quite a lot.... I by no means am an expert. I am more than happy to share what I know, or give advice about things I've had experience with. But I'm very quick to say I don't know, if I don't. Mostly because I don't want to accidentally ruin someone else's tank.

 

I think your dad was just proud of you! And guess what, you may not be an expert of all fish, but I bet you are an expert of YOUR fish. You sound very knowledgeable and conscious of what your fish need. So don't worry what other people think. Fish on!

 

When I go to a fish store, I sound just like your dad. Except it’s for me.

 

When I go to a fish store, I sound just like your dad. Except it’s for me.

Hahahaha

 

If you know anything about fish your already smarter than 90% of the people that work at chain stores. I've lost complete faith in them.

 

Few things are more annoying than when parents brag and go on about their kids when you don't have any of your own, so #1: can't relate and #2: couldn't care less

Seriously though, what your father did doesn't sound bad. Public humiliation was my parents' favorite past time, so I think I know. Lol.

 

If you know anything about fish your already smarter than 90% of the people that work at chain stores. I've lost complete faith in them.

Wasn’t it you that tried to buy bettas but the employees said that they would drown?

 

Yep that was me.

 

I can't stand going into big box pet stores. Some of the stupid things I hear the employees tell customers fries some brain cells. So in a way everyone is a fish expert if you look at it like that.

 

One common quotes I hear from a lot of chains is that people need plecos to eat thenfish poop. Luckily, the closest chain store to me is a Petco with people that have at least a basic understanding of fish care.

 

Ahhahahaha! Reminds me of my dad always telling employees that I had hundreds of hours competing riding horses. Guess what horse they always made me ride! Never the sweetheart, always the jerk that started fights, bit, and wouldn't reign without some... ahem... strong indication I was in charge. I always hated being a 10 year old with the jerk horse while all the adults around me just got to enjoy the ride. Meanwhile here I am going in circles because the horse I'm on knows the way and doesn't want to follow anyone else, but I don't so I keep a turn in to stay in place in line.

 

Yep that was me.

I don't know if you've told me about it before... but tell me again because I can't remember. Were they afraid it wouldn't get enough oxygen or something...?

 

It was something about the tank being so deep they could never swim to the surface so they would drown.

 

** Oh lord

 

It was something about the tank being so deep they could never swim to the surface so they would drown.

I used to believe that too. Lol.

 

Sometimes I feel the same way! Although I don't let it bother me. It makes me feel better about myself I guess.

 

I stayed away from bettas for more many years because I was told you can only have one and its needs a tiny tank. So yea I believed it too for many years since I really don't like little tanks. Once I read up more on them the first info is all over the place so what to believe and what not to becomes pretty hard.

 

If you know anything about fish your already smarter than 90% of the people that work at chain stores. I've lost complete faith in them.

I'm actually boycotting PetSmart right now because of how terrible their fish department is. I even made it a point to send them a message telling them why they've lost my business. The person who called me back to retain me as a customer then proceeded to tell me that everything that went wrong in my tank was my fault, which I guess is true, since I was the one buying fish at PetSmart and listening to the advice of their employees.

They really do have great prices on dog treats and dog food, but I'm boycotting the entire company, not just the fish department. I've been taking my dog to banfield for years, too.

 

My Petsmart keeps their fish in decent condition, but their advice isn't that great. But that's true for most chain stores. IMO if their fish are relatively healthy there's no need to boycott, but maybe your store is different.

 

Yeah my local PetSmart is pretty bad. I won't get into the details, but it was bad enough to make me boycott the entire company. My local Petco has a smaller selection and is more expensive, but I mean it's like the difference between Walmart and Target. It's just a much more pleasant experience. The employees aren't experts at Petco, either, but at least they don't act like they think they are experts like the PetSmart employees do.

 

Yeah, I get it. Some stores are way better than others. It probably depends on the manager

 

Yeah. I wouldn't say that an entire company is great because they happen to have a few stores where the fish are nicely treated. PLENTY of other Petsmarts are very bad to their fish. TBH I only will shop at my local stores for pet supplies, but only go to the chains if I need something that only they sell. My LFS is a locally owned, very small business. Everyone who works there is a true expert. To work there you have to go through an 8 month training program. They even quarantine your fish for you. The chains near me have very poor quality fish tanks and most of the employees are only experts on Hamsters and dogs and such. Though in some places, this is swapped. The LFSs are very bad to the fish whereas the chains have great quality tanks and good employees. I guess it really depends

 

I just saw this on a chain pet store’s website.
Ooooh. It irks me. A common pleco in a ten gallon? I think NOT! Imagine the bioload...
Also, c’mon. Can’t be kept in a community tank... will be aggressive? If I kept you in a tiny closet your entire life, you’d be a little feisty too. And not beginner friendly??? If plecos are kept in a large tank (even community) I find they’re super sweet.



Also, the INCH PER GALLON RULE??? If a 24’ pleco was alive it’d only need a 10 gallon tank according to the website. How does that follow (in their words) “the good rule of an inch of fish per gallon???
Am I insane or is this pure misinformation?
If I were a beginner who only relied on this info... imagine the consequences!!!

 

This fish should be ban for many reasons...

 

As the great President Donald Trump would say. That website is FAKE NEWS!

 

It’s totally fake news!
Crispii, why should the plecostomus catfish be banned?

 

Not many people have the resources into caring this fish and these fish are also known to be invasive.

 

True. Half the battle there is misinformation. If people believe that a pleco can go in a ten gallon tank, they’ll put it in one. If we could change the information people receive, I think we could curb the issue. A little known fact about most aquarium species is that they are invasive. While I see the concerns there, if there were more information about SAFE fish disposal, I think the issue could at least not be contributed to by the aquarium hobby.

 

Lol speaking of invasive fish. This happened in my city some years back.

 

True. Half the battle there is misinformation. If people believe that a pleco can go in a ten gallon tank, they’ll put it in one. If we could change the information people receive, I think we could curb the issue. A little known fact about most aquarium species is that they are invasive. While I see the concerns there, if there were more information about SAFE fish disposal, I think the issue could at least not be contributed to by the aquarium hobby.

Banning a certain species from reaching into the aquarium hobby would be better than trying to inform people about the care requirements for certain animals. Some people are ignorant and seem to only care about having animals as an accessory and nothing else. Assuming you're from the US, this isn't the first time that a fish has been banned from the aquarium hobby. Take the Asian Arowana for example. This fish has been banned for many years in the US, mainly because they are endangered from their natural habitat. Not only that, but if the Asian Arowana is legal in the US, some irresponsible owner might release it into natural waterways due to lack of resources or thinking that they might be better off in the "wild."

 

Banning a certain species from reaching into the aquarium hobby would be better than trying to inform people about the care requirements for certain animals. Some people are ignorant and seem to only care about having animals as an accessory and nothing else. Assuming you're from the US, this isn't the first time that a fish has been banned from the aquarium hobby. Take the Asian Arowana for example. This fish has been banned for many years in the US, mainly because they are endangered from their natural habitat. Not only that, but if the Asian Arowana is legal in the US, some irresponsible owner might release it into natural waterways due to lack of resources or thinking that they might be better off in the "wild."

I agree. I just know that our legal system is flawed and it’d be hard to get some congressperson to care. MrBryan723 that's crazy! In Texas?
I was just reading about how zebra mussels had spread everywhere...

 

Did you know Walmart can't really sell fish anymore? It's "up to individual stores" but nearly all of them are done with fish. They'll still sell equipment weirdly, but no more fish

 

I agree. I just know that our legal system is flawed and it’d be hard to get some congressperson to care. MrBryan723 that's crazy! In Texas?
I was just reading about how zebra mussels had spread everywhere...

Lol yes. And my region of Texas is not tropical friendly at all. 100 degree differences over the course of a year is normal here. 40 degrees in a day is normal. But I can see a pacu that size surviving for a while.

 

It is great that Walmart can’t sell fish. I’ve only heard horror stories from the ones that still do.m

 

Well if that can happen, it's not unreasonable to think specific fish can be banned or have restricted access

 

Did you know Walmart can't really sell fish anymore? It's "up to individual stores" but nearly all of them are done with fish. They'll still sell equipment weirdly, but no more fish

Yeah, that's what I've seen at my local Walmart.

 

I wish that there was something like that...

 

The website must have been written by someone misguided about fish care.

 

It’s petsmart’s official website. In their company, they must have someone who’s knowledgeable about fish. Even a quick google search proves them wrong...