His bad advice

[AngelFishGirl]

Just a ridiculous story for today...

The guy at one of my LFS's told me that on top of my already 12 angelfish in my 55 gallon, I could add a large school of tetras, 4 Chinese algae eaters, and one elephant nose. He followed me around as I looked at every single fish and pointed out every single one. He mentioned adding 4 rainbow sharks. I was really frustrated as I felt I couldn't trust him with anything. My boyfriend and I were very interested in the elephant noses but knew nothing about them, so I didn't dare pick one up without knowing exactly what it is. From what I've read they are semi aggressive, although when I asked he said they are peaceful and will do fine with angels.
I was super frustrated, as I always like to go in there for cheap Cory Cats (2.50 a pop), to look at the saltwater tanks, and, of course, check out their angels
But this guy seriously was going off about how all of the fish, no matter WHAT I named... Chinese algae water, elephant nose, oscar, you name it. they are peaceful fish and go great with angels.

The worst part? He recommended me to get a school of green tiger barbs for my angel tank! 6 barbs with 12 angels!! One of my angels has super veiled fins. I couldn't even imagine!!

Just shows how careful you have to be when listening to your LFS. They try to help but overall the general idea is to make a purchase.

(Friendly reminder to not post the NAMES of LFS's, as it is against the rules and will result in this thread being shut down)


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[calfishguy]

You are not the only one with LFS issues. I purchased 10 rummynose tetras just last week and within 24 hours of bringing them home they were all dead. THat particular store offers a 30 day fish guarantee. No big deal then i'll just bring them back. The lady tested my water and since I have a ph of 7.8 and the store's water for that particular fish is at 7.2 the warranty was voided. After arguing back and forth with the manager I never received any compensation. I am nearly 100% sure that the death was caused by the same store manager who tested my water. He chased those poor tetras around the tank for over 15 minutes before he caught 10. I still don't understand why they mix two different types of tetras and dwarf rainbows in the same tank. I then asked her if she could identify a phoenix rasbora for me. She had no idea, and yelled at the new hire in front of me for forgetting to tag the tank after she received them. As the manager shouldn't she know what type of fish she has? Anyway not going back there.

 

[dalto]

THat particular store offers a 30 day fish guarantee. No big deal then i'll just bring them back. The lady tested my water and since I have a ph of 7.8 and the store's water for that particular fish is at 7.2 the warranty was voided.

What exactly are the terms of that guarantee? Must have exactly the same water as the store? Do they tell you the appropriate pH when they sell the fish?

 

[calfishguy]

Of course not. They changed fish managers about two months ago and ever since then their stock is going down the tubes. On the positive side I found a website with a huge stock list that ships fish all over canada!

 

[PNWaquarist]

I'm lucky to have a solid LFS that's been in business for over 25 years. They're not perfect, but they're good.

 

[PNWaquarist]

You are not the only one with LFS issues. I purchased 10 rummynose tetras just last week and within 24 hours of bringing them home they were all dead. THat particular store offers a 30 day fish guarantee. No big deal then i'll just bring them back. The lady tested my water and since I have a ph of 7.8 and the store's water for that particular fish is at 7.2 the warranty was voided. After arguing back and forth with the manager I never received any compensation. I am nearly 100% sure that the death was caused by the same store manager who tested my water. He chased those poor tetras around the tank for over 15 minutes before he caught 10. I still don't understand why they mix two different types of tetras and dwarf rainbows in the same tank. I then asked her if she could identify a phoenix rasbora for me. She had no idea, and yelled at the new hire in front of me for forgetting to tag the tank after she received them. As the manager shouldn't she know what type of fish she has? Anyway not going back there.

Jerks.

Did you dump the dead fish on the counter before leaving?

 

[calfishguy]

I did, all ten of them!

 

[jaketetra28]

Of course not. They changed fish managers about two months ago and ever since then their stock is going down the tubes. On the positive side I found a website with a huge stock list that ships fish all over canada!

Hey what is the website if your don't mind sharing? I haven't found a reasonable price for shipping to canada yet lol

(Sorry don't mean to hijack the thread)

-Jacob

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[PNWaquarist]

I did, all ten of them!

 

[dalto]

I'm lucky to have a solid LFS that's been in business for over 25 years. They're not perfect, but they're good.

I am with you. We have a few decent LFS's here but one in particular is excellent. Not the cheapest place in town. But lots of quality livestock and knowledgeable employees.

 

[nkim1994]

Omg I went to a local mom and pop lfs today... I rather give my money to smaller stores to support them but omg I was horrified.

They had like 200 fish easy in a 5 gallon tank, a whole bunch of telescope goldfish in a tank with crazy current. Another goldfish tank with about 200 fish cramped with at least 20 on the bottom dead about 30 swimming/being dragged by current upside down. More dead ones on top. All the fish were horrifying cramped, and most of there tanks had ich and most of em in wrong tanks with incompatible fish and wrong names...

It was horrifying...

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[frogtoad]

Funny, I just had a weird experience at my lfs today. I went in to browse as I'm still in the middle of a fishless cycle. I decided to ask them about their tanks' pH just so I knew ahead of time if my pH would be far off. Anyways, the guy there decided to give me a lesson in what pH means. After a couple of minutes of this I asked my question again. I wanted to know what pH they kept their tanks at. So he told me it in was in the low 7's. I told him that mine were pretty alkaline being pretty consistent at 8.3. So I asked him if then I should plan for drip acclimation. First he told me that sure, I could do a drip acclimation if I had the patience but that he didn't have that kind of patience and wouldn't bother. Further, he corrected me and told me that no, a pH of 8.3 is very acidic. That the higher the number the more acidic my water was. ????? He then told me that I should try a saltwater tank as it would better suit my pH. I told him that I didn't know much about saltwater but that I was planning on the freshwater. But quite honestly, after the pH discussion, I wasn't hearing anything else he had to say.

 

[Fresh2o]

Funny, I just had a weird experience at my lfs today. I went in to browse as I'm still in the middle of a fishless cycle. I decided to ask them about their tanks' pH just so I knew ahead of time if my pH would be far off. Anyways, the guy there decided to give me a lesson in what pH means. After a couple of minutes of this I asked my question again. I wanted to know what pH they kept their tanks at. So he told me it in was in the low 7's. I told him that mine were pretty alkaline being pretty consistent at 8.3. So I asked him if then I should plan for drip acclimation. First he told me that sure, I could do a drip acclimation if I had the patience but that he didn't have that kind of patience and wouldn't bother. Further, he corrected me and told me that no, a pH of 8.3 is very acidic. That the higher the number the more acidic my water was. ????? He then told me that I should try a saltwater tank as it would better suit my pH. I told him that I didn't know much about saltwater but that I was planning on the freshwater. But quite honestly, after the pH discussion, I wasn't hearing anything else he had to say.

Ouch! That's sad. My wife says I'm a "fish snob" but I'm not. I don't claim to know more than the employees that work in the big boxes or LFSs, but there are times I think I do. I try to keep interaction to a minimum to avoid situation such as this.
But your question was valid. The answer you got have you more than you needed (wanted) to know.


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[nshepler]

Ouch! That's sad. My wife says I'm a "fish snob" but I'm not. I don't claim to know more than the employees that work in the big boxes or LFSs, but there are times I think I do. I try to keep interaction to a minimum to avoid situation such as this.
But your question was valid. The answer you got have you more than you needed (wanted) to know.


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My girlfriend says the same thing, but that's because I almost always know more than the kid that works at my lfs. He has little to no knowledge of fish keeping and doesn't even own a fish tank.


May the force be with you.

 

[DragonFish71]

<--- Is a fish snob and proud of it.

Luckily I take my phone with me whenever I go fish shopping in case I find something I haven't seen before. A quick Google search tells me if any of the systems I have up and running will be a good match for the new find. If not, I walk away. Plus my LFS tends to ask me questions on some of their stock (I also provide them with some of it). I'm good friends with the manager and most of the staff, so yeah, as long as it's FW or BW related, we're pretty much golden.

 

[AngelFishGirl]

It was pretty terrible. I have a great LFS to go to but it's about 40 minute drive from me. It's the best I have ever seen, but I usually don't go there. Mostly because I work at Petsmart and I can get my fish there for cheaper and obviously easier. And the fish there are in good condition (I'm the caretaker ) so i usually just get them there.


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[PNWaquarist]

Funny, I just had a weird experience at my lfs today. I went in to browse as I'm still in the middle of a fishless cycle. I decided to ask them about their tanks' pH just so I knew ahead of time if my pH would be far off. Anyways, the guy there decided to give me a lesson in what pH means. After a couple of minutes of this I asked my question again. I wanted to know what pH they kept their tanks at. So he told me it in was in the low 7's. I told him that mine were pretty alkaline being pretty consistent at 8.3. So I asked him if then I should plan for drip acclimation. First he told me that sure, I could do a drip acclimation if I had the patience but that he didn't have that kind of patience and wouldn't bother. Further, he corrected me and told me that no, a pH of 8.3 is very acidic. That the higher the number the more acidic my water was. ????? He then told me that I should try a saltwater tank as it would better suit my pH. I told him that I didn't know much about saltwater but that I was planning on the freshwater. But quite honestly, after the pH discussion, I wasn't hearing anything else he had to say.

Sounds like this genius needs to take a remedial chemistry course at the local community college. After that, he can take some business courses and learn how to interact with customers.

 

[gilpi]

Im sure you know 12 angels in a 55g will not work once they start to mature. I'm assuming they're small because there's no other way you can keep that many unless they're juveniles.
They get big and can get very nasty towards each other, eventually you'll have to rehome some of them.
I wonder if this LFS was a big chain Pet ----- store? Add more fish?!
I personally would stay away from the elephant nose.
How big are your angels?


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[AngelFishGirl]

They will be rehomed as breeding pairs form. One is full grown and is my show fish. He's very pretty and is a sweetheart! Four are half dollar sized.
The rest are quarter sized. They all get along great with no aggression issues.

Also, yeah it was a large chain store!

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