LFS, ich, and *grumble*

[Umberle]

There's a new LFS that just opened up about a mile away from where I live. I popped in the other day to look at stands and while I was there took a gander at the fish. Aside from being overcrowed they looked fine. Everything was clean, no obviously sick fish, etc. While I was there, I noticed they had some interesting swordtails. 'oooo,' I thought, 'maybe I can get some swordtails for my 20gal when I get it set up'

This observation is only important for one reason. I went back in today (about 1 week and a half from the initial visit) and took a look at the swordtails and holy cow they are covered in ich. (well about 5 of them were) There was a dead one floating at the top of the tank and there was another dead one (I hope) stuck in the filter intake. When I got ahold of a staffmember and did the...hey that isn't good you know it's really easy to beat ich and why didn't you pull the dead fish out of the intake, their response was 'oh those fish just came in off the truck yesterday' 'The heck you say' was my reaction. I'm pretty sure that those were the same swordtails and I don't think I've ever seen ich literally cover a fish in a day.

So basically now they can't take care of fish and they lied about it.
*grumble* *grumble*

ok I'm done ranting

 

[jacktheknife]

i think i heard someone mention on the forum recently that most lfs don't put their fish directly into the tanks for sale. if that is the case this guy is for sure feeding you a line of bull.

 

[Menagerie]

Some LFS put the fish right out for the public.
That's too bad about the swords; although, a VERY stressed fish can get covered in ich quickly. The fish might have been shipped that way.

 

[Umberle]

I understand what you are saying Menagerie, but I'm pretty sure (at least as much as you can be with swords) that those were the same fish I saw a week and a half ago. The ich was so bad on one of the swords that it was flaking of its body in sheets about twice the diameter of a pencil eraser.

I would buy that they put the fish directly in the display tanks though. The place is really pretty small and I don't think they have much room in the back. There were also 'painted fish' (which I had to explain very patiently to my SO that those are not good things to do to fish) and a bunch of sick mollys. In all honesty, they've only been open a little over a month and it'll be a while before they settle in.

 

[FishLover14]

I pity those poor fish.

Dan