Are LFS's policed?

[Wilkes]

Was near a pet shop today which I knew kept fish so decided to pop in to see their selection. They stock cold water fish and tropical only and have about 30 odd tanks. Anyway after having a good look around I started to notice a number of fish that didn't look to healthy and number of tanks with dead habitants. After deciding I will never take my business here again it made me wonder does anyone actually inspect aquatics shops? It made me appreciate the more expensive shop I visited recently that not only had a better set out, variety of fish and knowledgeable staff but the quality of the fish and their surroundings. Sorry for rambling on but it did upset me to see those beautiful fish in those poor conditions .

 

[hiltymj]

No they are not policed in that way. The only way is usually checking for species that cannot be kept of sold

 

[Cichlid Kid]

I know what u mean. One of my lfs's is a taxidermy / petshop with about 25-30 fw tanks. Most of their stock always looks poor, dying or dead. I inquired to the owner about his fishes poor condition and he said they arrive like that. I doubt that because i then asked his methods for cycling new tanks and his reply was. "Cycling?"
It literally makes me sick to think of all the fish that expire due to 1 persons uneducated practices. There should b laws against this.

 

[Alyxx]

There really should be but not only do most animal cruelty organizations kind of ignore fish, but PETA is entirely anti-fishkeeping. Because no one is really trying to protect the fish kept as pets, there are no real guidelines as to what constitutes unethical or cruel housing and care of fish.

 

[VioletEmber]

I looked into this issue when I went to a LFS and was utterly horrified. I'm ok with the store itself being a jumble of tanks and tubes and water buckets as long as the tanks are clean. We saw a pig-nosed turtle (it was the cutest darn thing I've ever seen) swimming in murky water. It was awful. I think the best thing you can do is call the better business bureau. That, and write a scathing review on Yelp. I checked out this stores yelp page and many folks said it was a travesty. It closed soon after. I think with folks using yelp more and more often to make their shopping decisions it can be useful. When I read reviews of places I usually take what the average person says, not just the top reviews or worst. You never know if someone wrote a bad review because a salesperson wouldn't sell them a goldfish for their betta bowl. It's not much, but it is a good way to let the business know what people are thinking ...

 

[HN1]

No they are not policed in that way. The only way is usually checking for species that cannot be kept of sold

This is not true. I can only speak directly to the State I am in, but I know of others that have similar processes. In order to sell live animals, a Pet Dealer license is required from the Dept. of Agriculture. They do an onsite physical inspection. It is mostly intended to verify no puppy mill, etc. and unfortunately not followed up after the initial licensing though. A complaint to your state's DoA could initiate a surprise visit.

 

[Wilkes]

I'm sure we must have something similar in the UK. I'll be going to the other shop in the future for my purchases

 

[fishyperson3010]

I'm sure we must have something similar in the UK. I'll be going to the other shop in the future for my purchases

We do don't you remember the case of that woman

 

[Wilkes]

We do don't you remember the case of that woman

No... What happened?

 

[fishyperson3010]

She was arrested for selling a fish to a child

 

[Wilkes]

She was arrested for selling a fish to a child

Oh yeah I remember that now! Still think Lfs should have regular inspections

 

[calfishguy]

I agree I also think that humane societies should have fish and take some in from people who no longer want them and sell them. I would buy there before lfs.

 

[Alyxx]

I agree I also think that humane societies should have fish and take some in from people who no longer want them and sell them. I would buy there before lfs.

I would too.