What is mind boggling to me is that the large chain pet stores sell bala sharks, clown loaches and bgk. Most people buying fish in those stores just dont know the requirements or how large those fish get. It doesn't help that the recommended tank sizes for these fish are way understated.
Bala shark compatibility
- Thread starter moore93
- Start date
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mike gergley
Aquarium Advice Regular
I dont really blame the stores, their job is to supply the people with what they want. If you are buying a pet you should know the requirements before you make the purchase. Years ago the general public could claim they were uninformed but with the internet and any information you demand only a google search away we should stop giving people a pass
I disagree. Stores like petsmart put on their tags the max size for a species and people have no reason to doubt the "experts".
So how long will my tank house the bgk it's 280l for easiness because I was stating English gallons
The bgk was in a 1ft tank at pets at home English chain store with 2 others and I knew the requirements and felt sorry for it. The other two died at the pet store a couple of weeks later fighting with each other and In a bare tank no hiding places with about 15 red dwarf gouramis.
The bgk was in a 1ft tank at pets at home English chain store with 2 others and I knew the requirements and felt sorry for it. The other two died at the pet store a couple of weeks later fighting with each other and In a bare tank no hiding places with about 15 red dwarf gouramis.
mike gergley
Aquarium Advice Regular
I was unaware of that practice....dont think i have ever been in the petsmart fish section......thats is wrong and I could understand customers being tricked.....that should be illegal
mike gergley
Aquarium Advice Regular
thats around 75gal probably 4 feet, my opinion you could keep him till he was around 8 inches
280l is roughly 75 gallons. I am not sure how fast they grow but long term it will be over a foot long. I have heard that 250 gallons is minimum. However considering the activity level Im not sure that is even big enough.
It is wrong. The tank sizes are outrageously under estimated. I think it is 55 gallons for a common pleco. Pretty messed up.
If you look at petsmarts website you can see the minimum tanks size for their different fish. Bala sharks and clown loaches are listed as 40g minimum. Bgk as 75g and common plecos as 55g. I didn't realize they were that bad. Got do what I feel is right and send an email saying I will no longer be shopping at their store and tell them why.
flitabout
Aquarium Advice Addict
I think a there are a lot of issues in people choosing the wrong fish. Impulse buying being just one of them. Shopping with other people (children, BF/GF, SOs) These other people Don't care, don't do the research, and don't get attached when the fish either dies or has to be rehomed because of inadequate housing. The LFS doesn't care and normally won't take the fish back leaving it to the aquarist to try and rehome it in a tank that is big enough which is rare and the fish usually dies in the interim or it leaves the now informed aquarist spending hundreds if not thousands on proper housing for their fish. I only allow my kids to shop online for fish that way we all can research the fish first. Inevitably they always want clown loaches. I do too but I don't have a tank for them so the answer unfortunately has to be no. The only time my kids get in a pet store of any kind is to buy stuff for the animals that we already have. They can look at the fish but they get that we aren't there for fish. I make sure I stop there first which means that we definitely can't get anything. All lfs will sell you things you don't want, and don't need. It isn't just petsmart or other big box pet stores. I have gotten very good fish at petsmart. I have also been given really bad advice,( and seen very sickly fish) which I was able to correct I like to test the employees. Ok I screw with them. But I am only able to do that because I did my research before I went in there. Informed purchases are key! If you lived in a tiny studio apartment you wouldn't go buy an Irish wolfhound just because they are smaller as a puppy would you? The same needs to be applied to fish.
True. I try and do research but I am guilty of not always doing it. I would like to know how you mess with the employees lol I ot them mad at me because I talked some people out of buying 2 serpae tetras to go with their oscar. Lol
flitabout
Aquarium Advice Addict
I asked them if an Oscar would be ok in a 10g they said sure and proceeded to tell me what cool fish they are. That one was just to easy. I have also asked things about compatibility, Goldfish and rams, guppies and cichlids junk like that. I get managers involved, I also make sure that I am loud enough that other customers hear me. I also like to stick my nose in when I hear bad advice given. I really don't care if it makes the customer mad and they do sometimes until I inform them that I don't make any money from them when they take the bad advice and their fish dies. But Petsmart sure does. If anything I am saving them money. I have seen lots of customers walk out without buying anything after that. Let's put it this way I am a bored housewife it's my occasional hobby. Petsmart is an hour away so I can't do it that often anymore.
Lol nice. I try to step in on bad advice sometimes lol
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