Bad advice/sale from LFS

[Zagz]

My LFS sold me 6 neon tetras with 3 pictus catfish. I wasn't told this was a terrible match! Of course the cats ate all six of the neons. Thank god I had them in a QT tank. The next morning when I got up all that was in the tank were the cats. A quick internet search provided me with the information that pictus cats will regularly eat neons. The good news in all of this? I took the cats back and the store refunded my money for them and replaced the neons. They have a guarantee normally for 30 days but usually you have to bring in the body of the dead fish. So even though I got really bad advice, they made good on it. Still unnecessary deaths though. Moral I've learned? Do your own research, never assume that LFS employees know what they are talking about.

 

[greenmaji]

Moral I've learned? Do your own research, never assume that LFS employees know what they are talking about.

I concur 110%..

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

Bad advice, good return policy.

 

[Guest]

I have heard some of the craziest things at my LFS that I have just stopped asking. More common, they just don't stop people from buying fish that they know are a bad match for a tank. Like people buying Clown Loaches or Pacus for their 20 gallon tanks, stuff like that.

 

[greenmaji]

to be honest if I actually talk to a LFS employee they end up getting the owner out of the office after I stump them enough times and end up chatting it up with the owner..LOL.. its not actually all that bad..

 

[Andos99]

It's been my experience that an overwhelming majority of LFS employees don't know jack!! Best to always do your own research.

 

[TankGirl]

They have a guarantee normally for 30 days but usually you have to bring in the body of the dead fish.

Well, technically you did bring in the dead fish when you brought in the live ones....

I am glad they made good on their mistake, and you are absolutely right about doing your own research and knowing what you want before you go in.

 

[cJw]

Wow - that's quite a return policy - you're lucky to get 48 hours at any lfs I've been to!

Fortunately, most of the advice I've gotten from my 'friend' @ the LFS has been spot on and I have faith in the 'senior' employees there as I know they're all fishheads and have been for years.

Now, the 'younger' or 'chain store' employees. . . I'd double check most everything they say. I once had a PetSmart employee tell me that 'clown loaches don't get that big' and that they 'were mean fish'. :|

 

[mattrox]

I have seen clown loaches about 1.75" long in a tank of panda corys, baby 0.5" or less pandas and there were two dead and a few getting chased by the clowns. I have also seen bigger clown nip fins..... It depends on lots of things but I have seen agression in clown loaches.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I've also had contact with many uninformed (the nicest way to say it) employees at lfs. Ie- Apple snails will crawl out of their shells and look for bigger ones so always have other shells in the tank, Bala's are great for 10 gal tanks, Auratu's aren't any more agressive than a Tetra, Spiny Eels are saltwater fish, Gold Nugget Pleco's and Common's are a good choice for a 10 gal tank for Algae, ok, you get the drift. Always do research before going to the lfs. Nowadays I don't really do the research because I know in general what will go into my tanks and have an idea of the agression issues and size issues of most fish. Partly because the only tank that I am still stocking is the 150 and it's strictly Malawi Cichlids.

 

[dogspot]

Worst advice I ever got:

"The only thing that matters is size... You can mix any freshwater fish as long as they are similar size..."

 

[JHawk]

The "manager" of my local Petco insisted that the Beta I was purchasing had to be in it's own tank. She said the reason they were called "fighting fish" was that they would "eat" the other members of the tank.

I tried to politely inform her about them and they would fight with the males of their own species. She gave me a digusted look that just said "you are crazy" & rolled her eyes at me!

Worst advice I ever got:

"The only thing that matters is size...

OK, I'm not even gonna go there!

 

[Big C]

But I am, Jhawk! Because size does matter!

Of course is not the only thing that matters, but it is the source of the worst advise I consistently get from my LFS: Clown loaches, gold nuggets, even OSCARS!!!! I've been told I can have any of them in my 30 gal!!!!

As consequence my clown loaches died, I have a golden nugget in my 30 gal -but it's OK because the tank is getting bigger!!! - and my daughter has a small Oscar in a 20 gal. She is planning to upgrade her tank to a bigger one (here we go... all about size again! ) but may be not as soon as the oscar needs it and she may have to return it to the lfs after being so totally attached to him!

The only way is do your own research or consult with AA before you buy (fish, plants, equipment, etc!)

JMO

 

[greenmaji]

I only shop at private owned LFS stores that are run by a hobbiest, I personally belive that the only way to keep hobbiest in the LFS business is to shop from them exclusively... most of the owners Ive met over the years have been either reefers or discus buffs.. If I had to shop for livestock at a petco or a bad LFS.. I would just order it online... I have been caught purchasing hardware retail from a good private LFS, and would do it again..

 

[Fishyfanatic]

How bad is it that when you go to a fish store and I ask if the fish in a certain tank are Lake Malawi and the guy asks me why I want to know. I tell him that I have a strictly Lake Malawi tank. And he says that the Lake Malawi's, Tangs, and Victoria's all have the same water requirements and they will all do great together. AND, hes never heard of a fish wanting a pH above 8.0 And I had high hopes for that place.

 

[greenmaji]

did you ask to speak to the manager or owner? the LFS here in town is well aware of what they have, and dont try to give you a answer thats wrong.. the lady that orders them does at least.. she just has no idea wich lake the fish are from and if you ask her she will tell you so.. she points you out to the book rack and tells you that the books are not that great either..LOL. She admits they sell so well that if you want to see one that she will just order it for you and you can look into wether or not it will fit into your setup.. I havnt tried the LFS the town down from me though I would have a higher expectation from him.. He's a hobbiest..LOL.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The manager wasn't there. I was helped by some kid who looked fresh out of pre-school. First I told him I wanted Ghost shrimp and he asked if I had a brackish tank. I said no and he said they were brackish fish. They have their African's all together in one section. I saw this really cool looking fish that is striped with red and yellow and green coloration on its belly. I'd never seen it before and asked if it was from Lake malawi and that's when he said it doesn't matter where they are from beacuse they will all do fine together. Yet another so out of curiousity I told him I had a 10 gal tank and wanted a common pleco and asked if it would be ok. He said YES! Basically a simple test question. I had never been to that store before so it will definately be crossed off the list.

 

[Zagz]

My personal favorite is when the LFS employees offer conflicting advice from one employee to another. There is a LFS here that the employees have several tanks themselves, several cats, lizards, birds and 18 dogs! 18 dogs! Damn they have full time pet jobs both at home and at work! But on the bright side, they are quite knowledgable about fish!

 

[greenmaji]

when I started in the hobby the LFS employees told me that I had to use a UGF and proceeded to show me the wrong way to clean a tank that has one...LOL. they would say, "you have to syphon down this far". they would hit the filter plate every time.. and they had like one half of an inch of gravel on top of them.. I guess I was right and stuck with my HOB filter only..

 

[greenmaji]

did I kill this topic with the UGF story?LOL