Never going to there again...

[bevoholic]

I went in to get some Ghost Shrimp because the Petsmart was out. I was asking the guy there about the shrimp with the Betta and he told me I should only get one because if I get a group they would gang up and kill the Betta. Then I asked him about live plants and he told me he didn't recommend them because the shrimp would eat the plants, kill them, and then they would pollute the tank.

I think I'll just stick to my Petsmart. The only reason I even go there is because I personally know the fish manager, and I know he knows what he's talking about.

Petco guy was laughable, at best...

 

[Laser]

I don't understand why people make things up. Why can't they just say they don't know. Maybe they were told this by someone else.

 

[bevoholic]

I don't understand why people make things up. Why can't they just say they don't know. Maybe they were told this by someone else.

That was my exact thought. I've never once heard of shrimp ganging up on a Betta or of shrimp eating your live plants...

 

[Laser]

Maybe he had a bad dream about those shrimps... My girlfriend won't let me get any because they creep her out.

 

[MacDracor]

That's a shame. I'm lucky to have two petco stores nearby. One store has two aquarium hobbyists as aquatic specialists and managers. I learned a lot from them. The other store has hobbyists in the store, but the aquatics guy is useless. I'm actually trying to get hired there to take that position and let him do something he's better suited for, like small mammals.
Best advise I can give people about lfs advice is to verify everything they tell you elsewhere. Ghost shrimp won't hurt bettas or plants in my experience. They're just about the most peaceful critters ever.

 

[bevoholic]

Maybe he had a bad dream about those shrimps... My girlfriend won't let me get any because they creep her out.

My wife says they creep her out as well, but she doesn't care if I have them.

That's a shame. I'm lucky to have two petco stores nearby. One store has two aquarium hobbyists as aquatic specialists and managers. I learned a lot from them. The other store has hobbyists in the store, but the aquatics guy is useless. I'm actually trying to get hired there to take that position and let him do something he's better suited for, like small mammals.
Best advise I can give people about lfs advice is to verify everything they tell you elsewhere. Ghost shrimp won't hurt bettas or plants in my experience. They're just about the most peaceful critters ever.

That's why I love going to my Petsmart. I know that my friend isn't going to give me any bad advice and I know that he knows what he is talking about.

 

[MacDracor]

Well, the petsmarts here are worse than the petco you described. Staff have little to no fish knowledge, the fish are in terrible shape, and they have no saltwater at all. Just luck of the draw, I suppose.

 

[tottenham12712]

My black skirts from petco all got ich :/ Alot of people told me to bring them back but I decided to keep them since I new I could take better care. They have all been 100% health since.

My petco is garbage, the tanks are dirty and it smells like a dirty tank, they clearly do not take care of their fish. Try to find an aquarium shop (privately owned if possible) I promise you will never go back to a chain!

 

[bevoholic]

Try to find an aquarium shop (privately owned if possible) I promise you will never go back to a chain!

There are only 3 LFS's near me. One is about a 30 minute drive away and I've never been to it, another one smells like rotting flesh, and the one closest to me has horribly high prices.

I hope to check out the one 30 minutes away sometime soon, but I actually don't mind shopping at my Petsmart, since I know they know what they're doing.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

I've seen ghost shrimp gang up on rcs and kill them. They will take down and kill small fish fry and juveniles. They're quite opportunistic but a full grown healthy betta? Ridiculous!

 

[phishfriend]

I'v learned that petco doesn't staff by deprtment. So you could go in one day and get hamster guy or just a plain old store employee with no specialty but most stores have some form of resident fish person. I find out who it is and ask a bunch of questions to see if they know anything.

 

[bevoholic]

I'v learned that petco doesn't staff by deprtment. So you could go in one day and get hamster guy or just a plain old store employee with no specialty but most stores have some form of resident fish person. I find out who it is and ask a bunch of questions to see if they know anything.

Did not know that, but that's pretty interesting. Also stupid.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Large ghost shrimp can and will kill a betta. Quite easily IME. Ghost shrimp are not just the one species. Some are larger with larger pincers and take down sleeping fish as they rest on the bottom of the tank.

You can't judge a store on the knowledge of one staff member. If that where the case I'd have nowhere to shop. It's best to do your OWN research before purchasing anything not relying on fish shop staff. Many of them just repeat information they have heard form other staff members or supervisors and, as said above, many don't even specialize in fish.

 

[phishfriend]

Did not know that, but that's pretty interesting. Also stupid.

Yeah they do it so not dept. is understaffed. If make everyone a floater then it doesn't matter who calls is sick.

 

[Tippytrampoline]

Large ghost shrimp can and will kill a betta. Quite easily IME. Ghost shrimp are not just the one species. Some are larger with larger pincers and take down sleeping fish as they rest on the bottom of the tank.

In my opinion, that sounds a lot more like a freshwater crayfish?

Then again I'm no expert.

 

[bevoholic]

In my opinion, that sounds a lot more like a freshwater crayfish?

Then again I'm no expert.

My thoughts exactly. The ghost shrimp you find in stores usually only get to be around an inch long. They would not be able to take on a Betta.

 

[MacDracor]

I'v learned that petco doesn't staff by deprtment. So you could go in one day and get hamster guy or just a plain old store employee with no specialty but most stores have some form of resident fish person. I find out who it is and ask a bunch of questions to see if they know anything.

This isn't entirely accurate. They do staff by department. In my favorite petco, the aquatic specialist was R (initials only for privacy reasons) and the small animal (reptiles, amphibians, rodents) guy was J. However, if R is called to a register, someone else may cover aquatics. If R is not working, someone else covers aquatics. Or R may be in her section and someone walks back there asking for help with cat food. R cannot say "sorry, I'm just the fish girl." She must go help with cat food.
Most employees do have a section and they are hired for specific expertise, but are required to be able to cover all sections as needed. That's why you may not get a fish person in the fish section. It has to be a balancing act. They don't have the staffing to allow everyone to stay in a specific section.
I only know all these details because I have friends who work there, and I'm trying to get hired as well.

 

[phishfriend]

This isn't entirely accurate. They do staff by department. In my favorite petco, the aquatic specialist was R (initials only for privacy reasons) and the small animal (reptiles, amphibians, rodents) guy was J. However, if R is called to a register, someone else may cover aquatics. If R is not working, someone else covers aquatics. Or R may be in her section and someone walks back there asking for help with cat food. R cannot say "sorry, I'm just the fish girl." She must go help with cat food.
Most employees do have a section and they are hired for specific expertise, but are required to be able to cover all sections as needed. That's why you may not get a fish person in the fish section. It has to be a balancing act. They don't have the staffing to allow everyone to stay in a specific section.
I only know all these details because I have friends who work there, and I'm trying to get hired as well.

yeah, I was giving a general, probably to general possible reason that happened. Most consumers expect pet stores to have specialist on hand for each dept. Not only because that's been the standard practice for so long but also because the pet industry is one of the only place you still see dedicated dept specialist staffing practices. Corp pet stores try to staff that way because they know that's what the consumer expects while at the same time staff that large store
Hence as you said "They don't have the staffing to allow everyone to stay in a specific section."

I believe the frustration people have with big box pet stores is a perception that they don't care enough to properly train staff. That its all about the bottom line. When in truth the corp. struggles just to keep a store staffed let alone keep a training standard.