The best thing you've heard from someone working at a fish store!

It's only fair! It was bound to happen!

Went in to Petland this morning to see what "henry" had in for the weekly shipments. He's talking to me as he's unpacking some green phantoms and an older woman comes and interrupts me, but I just kept talking anyhow. "Henry" winked and I grinned and quit and went to 'look' at some festae while I waited. Well this woman starts asking how many goldfish would be ok for her sons 20 gallon aquarium she was in the process of checking out at the front counter. He just stared at her then glanced at me then answered her with, "Are you sure you mean goldfish mam, because if that's the case then none would have to be my answer. A goldfish can grow to absurd lengths depending on the type we're talking about. On top of that, you just bought the tank. It's not got any abcteria yet in it to sustain any fish. if you purchases just 1 goldfish for your sons new 20 gallon then it'd likely die in the long term due to exposure to high amounts of ammonia. How often do you plan to clean the tank."

Ok here's the good part. she says, "Never. I was just going to put some goldfish and some of those big algae eaters in there. Those you have there will do fine actually" I jumped in at this point with a "No ya won't mam, I'm buying those. She then got rude with me, again, and proceeded to tell me how I hadn't bought them yet so anyone could buy them. While this bickering ensued, "Henry" had gone over to get some books. 1 on proper tank care, 1 on goldfish, and 1 on plecos in general. He interrupted us and handed them to her. "Have your son read those, then you ask him a few questions out of each book, meaning you should read them too so you can know the subject yourself." She got irate at this point and started to huff off. She yelled back that he would never get any of ehr business again and would be leaving the aquarium at the checkout counter. He made sure she heard him say, "I'm not in this business to make a sale mam. Come back when you're ready to learn about proper fish care and I'll be glad to talk with you and your son."

Kicker here is, she ends up buying the tank and equipment. I didn't see a heater or thermometer so not sure I she had those already or just wasn't getting them. Anyhow, I got ready to leave and "Henry" said "Hey you said you were buying these green phantoms." I looked at him witha dumb look on my face like I didnt mean it though! he just laughed at me and knew I was kidding.

Anyhow, went from there to petsmart to get our dogs their monthly diet and treats and who do I see? The same dang woman and she had bout 7 koi and goldfish for the 20 gallon tank. I made sure I got behind her in the checkout line and before she left, I said to the cashier, "You'll be refunding her money on at least 4 of those goldfish in the next few days" since petsmart here as a 72 hr policy on fish death/returns.

I know I know, I was bad, but this woman was a pain in the rear. "Henry" made my day when he went and pulled the 3 books off the shelf and helped her to 'self educate' herself on proper fish care.

 

"a mandarin dragonet is a poor choice for a 10 gallon tank."
"Ma'am, tell your child to stop shaking the betta cups. It's bad enough they're in a tiny container too small for them."

 

this is great, but it's a duplicate thread...there's another one that's getting really long

 

this is great, but it's a duplicate thread...there's another one that's getting really long

I know there's the 'worst of' thread, which is what inspired the post.

there's a 'best of' thread? I'm missing it if so, searched for it also and not seeing anything.

 

I know there's the 'worst of' thread, which is what inspired the post.

there's a 'best of' thread? I'm missing it if so, searched for it also and not seeing anything.

You're right - my mistake Sorry! Wish I had something to add here...all I've heard is the yucks.

 

First time I went to a fishstore, it is a little place called Fish4U, I went to look at their puffers. I talk to the guy, he tells me all about cycling, that you could use biospira to speed it up, that the GSPs need brackish water.
Basically, everyone in that store knows their stuff.
I got my nerite snails from there. They actually knew that they are good for any salinity. Freshwater to SW. And that they eat algae like crazy.
Basically, best store ever.

 

LFS suggested SAE and actually sold me the right variety. Plus they really do clean the tank.

 

Mentioned I was looking for a paradise fish and a girl at petsmart warned me that they were getting a new shipment in the next day so better to take one now while they were healthy.

 

A guy at my LFS recommended a woman not to get 4 dwarf puffers to put in her 5 gallon tank with a betta. She wanted them to eat the snails, and they suggested a cucumber!

 

A guy at my LFS recommended a woman not to get 4 dwarf puffers to put in her 5 gallon tank with a betta. She wanted them to eat the snails, and they suggested a cucumber!

That would have ended great... first the betta is de-tailed, then little chunks start missing... then you find the puffs having a buffet. Next, the weaker puff gets picked on until there's only one left, which dies from the stress of it all.
Yep, that's how it'd go down.

 

Thank goodness for good information! The woman was kind of ticked off, like "It's my tank, I think I know what's good for it!!" but they wouldn't sell them to her.

 

Wahoo! You go lfs! lol

 

Ummmmm I'm still trying to think of something good. lol

 

Ummmmm I'm still trying to think of something good. lol

wow lucy, one LFS told me you have slight ammonia in your water, do a water change lower your ph and come back maybe next week to buy some fish.

another one told me tiger barbs will nip at your community fish (was told the opposite at another place.

Mike

 

Yeah, at Petsmart once the lady there told someone that really tiger barbs should just be kept in groups of their own kind.
I like that lady, she actually knows what she's talking about. And she keeps her own tanks of cichlids.

 

I think i'm lucky with the fish shop I go to, Its a 90mile one way drive so I don't go their often but their advice is always correct (even if I go on the internet to double check things) they helped me get rid of a cyano bacteria problem in the salt water tank and they breed their own cichlids for sale so he knows how old each one is who its parents are etc..

I love cichlids and salt in springfield, MO.

Anna

 

Ummmmm I'm still trying to think of something good. lol

So much hate!

 

These are the fish you can add in the tank with your current fish, LFS points to other side those are the fish you should avoid.

 

maybe not so impressive, but I heard an employee say that no, you can't add all twelve of these fish into a 20 gallon tank since you're buying the tank TODAY...

 

LFS wouldn't sell a baby Arowana to a guy who wanted to put it in his 20 gallon, Actually you had to prove you had a big enough tank for the guys!!!!...The same LFS won't sell discuss to just anyone. They let you know they are hard to take care of..I was pretty impressed.

 

So much hate!

LOL, I was joking.

 

LFS wouldn't sell a baby Arowana to a guy who wanted to put it in his 20 gallon, Actually you had to prove you had a big enough tank for the guys!!!!...The same LFS won't sell discuss to just anyone. They let you know they are hard to take care of..I was pretty impressed.

that's awesome...every LFS should do that

 

I started talking to a fellow fish bum and she was full of good info. Had MTS and knew about the local fish club here in cincy. She bagged on the info she was forced to give the uninformed and helped me locate some other stores in the area that have more rare selections of fish. She was great help and even recognizes me when I'm there.

(they have a "fish of the month" card so I browse to see if anything new comes in, which occasionally it does).

 

LOL, I was joking.

As Little Nicky would say, "Release the good.. Release the Awesome!"



At Petland yesterday returning glass top that turned out to be a few cm too small, a fellow was trying to purchase a terrarium as an aquarium. The employee was about to go in to a fit of rage because the guy could not grasp that the terrarium was not made to be used as an aquarium. He kept saying,"Is it all glass? Good then it's an aquarium." I left before the end of that convo but it was amusing while I was there.

 

LFS wouldn't sell a baby Arowana to a guy who wanted to put it in his 20 gallon, Actually you had to prove you had a big enough tank for the guys!!!!...The same LFS won't sell discuss to just anyone. They let you know they are hard to take care of..I was pretty impressed.

wow, I spoke to a LFS and asked out of curiosity how much were the baby arowana the only thing they said was $2,999 and above but this LFS is pretty good I'm sure if they knew I was serious they would have questioned me, or I would have hoped so.

 

There's arowanas for sale all the time around here. I could get like a 2 footer for $60

 

Yup they are all over here too..It's a shame. Why not stock a more suitable fish??

 

I've only actually seen one in a store... but tons in local classifieds!

 

Oh, there are pretty run down stores around here that sell them. Breed them I think too. And the people who run them don't actually speak English, so I'm thinking they sell them to just about anyone. They have 3 or four to a ten gallon tank, and they go for 20 bucks a pop. So sad....
I guess I should add this to the 'worst thing ever heard at a fish store' thread!

 

Ummmmm I'm still trying to think of something good. lol

Me too, Seriously. :-\

 

There is one LFS I adore, if only it wasn't a 20 min drive away. The minute I came in asking about getting swords, he asked me how old the tank was. If I hadn't told him the tank was at least 3 years old, I'm sure he would have asked for a sample. I've heard him telling the uninformed about cycling and why the dwarf puffers don't belong in a salty tan, even though they're puffer fish.

Same LFS, I went to get the API test kit (which they were, unfortunately, out of), and of course, had to check out their fish. In one tank, I saw what I thought was a dead red devil. He was sideways underneath a cave. I came to the store owner to tell him, and within seconds he was at the tank. He gave a slight chuckle, lifted the cave, and the red devil swam up, happy as could be. He told me that sometimes they sleep in odd places and that the fish was fine.

He's a great guy who really cares about his fish. There's a huge reef show tank, it's at least 100 gal (I would guess six feet long and 3-4 feet tall) So many cute little fishies. Plus his clownfish are like betta- they follow you around the room when they're not swimming around in anemones.

 

I love my lfs! When I first went there, I was asking about getting a red tailed shark for my 29gal, they immediatly started going off about how the tank wasn't cycled so they would just die in a week or so, plus the tank wasn't big enough and suggested that if I really wanted fish I could do a fish-in cycle, but it's safer to do one without the fish, so they started showing me different fishies that would be hardy enough to handle it. Of course, I didn't know enough about fish at the time to be impressed, but now that I think about it, they were pretty smart.

 

I love my lfs! When I first went there, I was asking about getting a red tailed shark for my 29gal, they immediatly started going off about how the tank wasn't cycled so they would just die in a week or so, plus the tank wasn't big enough and suggested that if I really wanted fish I could do a fish-in cycle, but it's safer to do one without the fish, so they started showing me different fishies that would be hardy enough to handle it. Of course, I didn't know enough about fish at the time to be impressed, but now that I think about it, they were pretty smart.

That's great! Much better than the usual "add fish after 48 hours" speech I always hear at PetCo. I really need to find a better place soon, I'm getting sick of the chains.

 

At my LFS, they ask how old your tank is and if you know about cycling before they sell you any kind of fish. Also, if you are cycling they test your water for free. It's a great store.

 

When we were getting our cories one of the new guys at our Petsmart asked us if we quarantined our fish. That's probably the best thing I've ever heard from a pet-store employee. Our Fav LFS does have fish care guides that cover cycling though. Hence why it's our fav LFS.

 

FL CommunityFan you just described a fish employee god!
I remember a employee that could tell between a male and female platy and was happy to explain it. Also I know this petcetera manager and is very knowledgable about fish and even has a quaritine room!(Or does all pat stores have that?) He was the same guy that sold me my guppies and they are very healthy.;D

EDIT: Oh and I remember the store not having bettas in cups! They had very cool black ones and are in small decorated betta tanks. I might actually thinking of buying one there.

 

hahaha I love it but its bad at the same time

 

Went to PetSmart one time to pick up some fry food. I couldn't find it, so I went and asked the lady working in the fish department. She asked me what type of fry they were, and I had no idea; so I just started listing the fish I had in there.

"Gouramis, Platies, Gu-" (I was trying to say guppies.)

Before I coul even finish, she just says: "... Oh. This is what you need.", and hands me a bag of food.

I was so bamboosled and confused that I asked what fish it was for, and she said "The Guppies", smiled, and walked away.

She just had to her "Gu-" to know it was guppies.

 

Glow fish are coming.

 

the LFS that I go to is the only place I have ever seen that keeps ALL their bettas in community tanks. I love it. no cups. never. their tanks are kept in pristine condition and the people there totally know their stuff and manage to talk about it without talking down to you.