when choosing fish...

[WaterPond]

hey guys, when choosing fish from the LFS, do you say, "oh, i will have 10 of these, and 4 of those"... or do you say "i want that one, and that one, and that one"....

I bring this up because it seems that every time i go into the LFS, they have a problem with me, because lets say i want one fast fish, out of a large tank with a gazzilion of them, i will not be pleased enless i get the fish i wanted. I always choose the healthiest looking fish, but they get frusterated with me when i ask for things like this. they will say things like "these are quick so i am just going to scoop what i can get" then i say "no, i want this one"

Just wondering if anyone else out there is as picky as me, and if the LFS people get mad at you too. :D

[JDogg]

i am picky, but i only buy fish at the LFS i can trust, so they know i am picky

[Satsumas]

They once netted a tiny yo-yo loach and i said "can you get a different one"
Usually i just say "one of those please " or "3 of those please" but if it's unhealthy or is the wrong size i want then i'll say so.

Also if i want a male or female i'll say which specific one because i dont trust them.

[Devilishturtles]

When I used to work in the retail end, I would get sooooo annoyed when someone would want a fancy feeder fish. If I ordered them 500 at a time, could you imagine scooping ONE out of those 500? But, the thing is that....if they are good at what they do, they could do it with some patience. I got so practiced at getting any fish in the tank.

But anyways...when I go I usually ask for "4 of those" and don't pick individual ones.

[coldmachineUK]

I ask for "3 of those" or whatever, but I always check (or ask to) the bag before I make the purchase, and if there are unhealthy fish or some I don't like the look of in there I ask for them to be put back and replaced with another. Only ever had to do that with BBGs though really, it's not like it happens all the time.

[Burks]

The LFS I go to allows me to pick which fish I want. They have no problem with that. Sometimes I just say "whatever looks healthy" but there have been a few times they had to get five or more fish before I got a nice one.

Honestly if a store makes a big fuss over it, I wouldn't go back.

Originally Posted by Satsumas

Also if i want a male or female i'll say which specific one because i dont trust them.

This is where learning to sex fish comes in real handy. Many LFS carry so many different fish it's difficult for them to correctly sex every species. While a customer can easily learn about a single species and make the correct guess a majority of the time. That's what I had to do with my Clown Pleco. While I'm not 100% sure she is really a she, there's a good chance. The owner had no idea how to sex them which is nothing against them. They are fantastic people.

[Jchillin]

I would watch the stock tank and stake out the exact ones I wanted and would make sure that the employee gathered them correctly. Never had a problem with any LFS employee.

Why is this important? You should want the best specimens possible. I liken the process to when we buy fruits and vegetables. Folks are real fussy about that are they not? Same thing in reality.

Of course, if the employee has a problem, you can volunteer to net them out yourself.

[flushingfish]

Iusually ask for 3 of those and 2 of these but not until I've spent a good long time observing the tank they're in. I want to make sure that all specimens look and and act healthy. If I see even 1 that looks a little wonky I'll pass.
I also know the schedule for delivery of fresh specimens. My LFS gets the new delivery on Thursday mornings so I try to plan my purchases for Saturdays to let the fish de-stress a bit. Of course then they get netted and re-stressed.

[bs6749]

It all depends on what type of fish I am buying. If I am buying a schooling fish such as my tetras or my danios, I simply just said the amount that I wanted. I was going to go to the LFS today in hopes of finding a "tank raised GBR" that they had some of a few weeks back. I need to find my unpaired female a new mate, hopefully she will take a new one. You can bet that I will be picking out EXACTLY which male I want. I am kicking myself right now because I should have gotten one a few weeks ago when they had them. I was choosing exactly which one I wanted but I didn't get him because I think I had to go to work or something.

[MyCatsDrool]

It really depends for me on what kind of fish i am getting, which LFS I am at, and how the fish look.

For example: If i am buying an angelfish, GBR or cichlid, I am more likely to pick an individual. If i am buying dither fish or schooling fish, I am likely to say give me X fish.