OUTRAGED by LFS

[JohnNLuc]

We all know how hard it is to keep Moorish Idols and anyone who has ever tried ends up having it die and is saddened by the fact. Well I went looking for a flame angel today and what I saw aggrivated me greatly. A 20 long tank with about 8 Moorish Idols in it all being sold for $29.99 They all looked beat up 3 were on the bottom dead and 2 that were alive had cloudy eye. I asked when they had gotten them in and them told me last night so in one night 3 had not made it and the other 8 looked as if they were on there way out as well WHY DONT LFS UNDERSTAND MOORISH IDOLS SHOULD BE KEPT IN THE OCEAN AND NOT SOUGHT AFTER sorry but just blowing off some steam.

 

[lando]

Very sad How is the LFS otherwise? Even if they are know for giving good advice and having educated staff, they loose some credability with situations like this.

 

[LittlePuff]

As long as there are people that want them, they'll keep collecting them.


Kim

 

[JohnNLuc]

The LFS is the only one I swear by in my area. They have very knowledgeable staff and i'm there so often that I've become close with most of the employees but after seeing that im very dissapointed.

 

[JamesR]

did you ask they why the get them in? Curious as to their reply.

Jim

 

[JohnNLuc]

Well I went back today to pick something up they had ordered for me to find only 3 left. I found out from a person I know from being there so much many of them died last night. The reason for them getting them was people were asking or them.

 

[MarkLehr]

I believe in a approaching the owner of the LFS and explaining why you as a customer are less likely to do business with them. Be very polite and offer sources of information where the LFS can educate themselves on fish not to buy or sale. AMDA is a great place for the LFS to start educating themselves.
http://www.amdareef.com/ecolist_main.htm

 

[gozetec02]

Its like that everywhere I have kept reptiles not to long ago and the pet stores are the same way with snakes as they are with fish like selling a 2' long burmese to a kid when they know the snake will reach 10' in a year. They are not looking to create peace and tranquility for the animals they sell. They are looking to make a buck. And trust me when they buy these fish wholesale they are guaranteed so wether they die or not the LFS gets replacements. They generaly care about the hobby but all they usually see in their tanks is little dollar bills swimming around not fish.

 

[ReefGuru]

I am sorry to hear your experience. I worked in many a couple of pet stores, but I have a couple of tips for you. We often want to make aquarium indiustry self regulate, but that is not likely to happen. The market forces are simply not there. Bringing in morish idols, which live in large schools is almost rediculously cheap. That is why we should involve authorities. I say this with a heavy heart, because I fear that the change of laws is very slow and that is bad should the husbandry capabilities change. With that siad, it is very unlikely that legislation will change about us, but, you can call your local authorities, and have them come over for inspection. In most states (definatly Illinois), the state is obligated to investigate if anybody complains about animals mistreatment (I store that I was in got in trouble because some people that were buying beta's were using them for fighting, without our knowledge). That way, they will get a little scared about bringing in fish that cannot be kept. You might be able to do something about your aquatic friends that way.

However, as an aside, it is possible to keep Morish Idols. They require a sponge heavy diet and several other accomidations, but I have kept one successfully for 5 years, until I gave it to a friend for her tank. That was 2 years ago, and he is still doing well, because she is following my precise instructions. They are still very delicate, and out of the realm of posibility for all but the most experienced hobbyists, and I agree that they should not be imported, except for special orders.

 

[hisc1ay]

WHY DONT LFS UNDERSTAND MOORISH IDOLS SHOULD BE KEPT IN THE OCEAN AND NOT SOUGHT AFTER

If that's what that fish was in Finding Nemo, there's your answer. It looks like it. But that is another one of my peeves (that percs are now mostly known as Nemos because of the movie...)

But I digress...

-j

 

[first-timer89]

I have many local fish stores in my area. the reason for this is most of the people that live in my area have 6 figure sallarys. The lfs take advantage of this not by raising prices, but selling lots of saltwater fish and less and less of freshwater. The workers at the stores are very educated in the fish department. I watched a man walk in to the store planning on a 10 gallon saltwater and after talking to the manager he walked out with a 75! the difference in price was nothing to him. He also said he would go home and order some lr. As he was leaving he said he would be back for some fish in a mounth of so. After watching this th lfs gained alot of respect from me. Sorry if my thoughts are a little bit out of order

 

[JohnNLuc]

IMO that was a very bad movie for the Moorish Idols sure it was cute but it made everyone believe well it cant be too hard to keep. And when you go into a LFS that sells them obviously he's not going to tell you that you cant keep it alive because than hes just losing money so he sells you the fish and off you go later to find out that the fish indeed needs special requirements and is not for any begginner

 

[quarryshark]

Maybe you can suggest the carry Heni Butterfly's instead. They are close and much easier to keep.

 

[JohnNLuc]

They regulary have the Heni Butterflys in stock. I dont know what the basis of ordering fish is on there side but I wish they would understand that the moorish idol should not be carried unless its a special order like stated before

 

[Berzer]

I work in a LFS and we have carried alot of fish that i myself personally would not choose to order. Ordering isn't my job, but the people that do the ordering seem to like to order alot of coral eating butterflies and such. It really aggravates me when i see a pakistani butterfly in a 20L eating polyps and anthelia knowing that when someone does take him home, will not want them eating their corals, or rather they not have corals and starve to death and then come back wondering why they didn't eat. I get alot of people to come to me and say "they didn't tell me...". I really urge most customers to either read books, or come to this site in particular just because of the wealth of info on things. Thankfully we've never had a moorish idol, but on the other hand i've seen alot of freshwater fish handled in similar fashion like 10 discus the size of your palm in a 20H crammed with plants. Money is truly a deciding factor in their minds.

 

[revhtree]

There are some pro's and con's IMO about the movie, "Finding Nemo".

Of course we know the con's, but one good thing that came from it was that it made my family want a sw tank. It was really what put us over the edge, and made us decide to get one. Sound Trivial? Yes, but I am so glad we did.

There are a few good things to come from the movie, but I am sure the bad way out weighs the good. At least you have me now!

 

[jaiden]

Yeah, I have to say that I wouldn't be into SW if it weren't for that movie. My wife is on board, and without that, i'd be tankless....

 

[Jchillin]

So...we have a movie to thank for bringing Rev and Jaiden. You might as well toss me in there as well (I had to do a lot of talking to convince wife that SW was a little out of reach at the time). Although...that doesn't mean we're planning one....

 

[Berzer]

I was sort of brought in by the movie as well. i worked in a retail chain pet store selling FW fish and got roped into seeing the movie by my gf. After that i wanted to start my first tank and decided i'd have to be a moron to screw up a FW tank so i went straight to SW FO and now onto corals. IMO, regardless of whether a movie has brought people to a hobby, there will no doubt be countless people who will care more about being into whats cool at the moment and not about what the real issue is at hand. i was just thinking in my head "you wouldn't have a dog without knowing what to feed it and what shots and stuff you need" and then i remembered the animal cops show on animal planet and realized that for every 1 person doing it right there will always be 5 doing it wrong and think they are right and another 5 that will have never had a clue.

 

[RocketSeason]

It's not Pixars fault that this has happened really. They simply chose fish they felt would be both beautiful, and bring lots of character to the big screen. The Moorish Idol is definatly a beautiful fish full of character. They were not expecting the huge fish craze that came about because of that movie, and I doubted that they really knew that a fish like the moorish Idol would be both easy to get and difficult to keep alive. (Sure I may just be defending them because I am a 3-D artist and to me, Pixar animation studios is like Mecca.)

Anyways, Local Fish Stores need to take it upon themselves to refuse to order moorish Idols. Instead, they should stock Heni Butterflies and offer that as an alternative. The vast majority of people would welcome their honesty and the care they have for fish.

While I am at it, I think that Mandrins should only be available on a special order basis. This would keep alot of impulse buyers and un-informed hobbiest from making a big mistake.

...by the way, I have been planning a SW Tank for years, but my girlfriend only allowed me to get one after seeing the movie.