Another Petsathome Problem

[CentricOregon]

Just wondering has anybody been up to pets at home in kirkcaldy recently? If not then heres what I wanna moan about lol. I went in yesterday to see about getting a filter but since they were too pricey I went to look at the fish now here it starts, first off I was looking at the small tanks with all the fish for sale and all was fine, then I looked at the display tanks and then I got P****D! First tank I looked at was roughly a 180ltr maybe slightly bigger, it had 35-40, 4 to 5 inch goldfishy things in it (sorry don't know my coldwater fish very well), I just thought ####? they won't ever sell you a fish if you have to much or to a small tank so they stick all they fish in a 180ltr? I was angry then, then I moved up to about a small 100ltr tank with a 5 inch oscar in it, the oscars eye was about 4 times it's original size so it clearly had pop-eye.The only way a fish would catch something like that was if the tank wasn't cleaned properly or on time for that matter right? I just don't get that shop at all, they know absolutley nothing!!! Plus if pop-eye gets that bad what are the chances of it healing, I would have thought it would be better putting the fish out of its misery.Worst of it all, I never even said nothing to them when I know I should have I just say the oscar and the others and walked out very annoyed.Do you think I should say something next time I go up there?

 

[shelaghfishface]

surprise surprise, i actually went into pets at home in Dundee a while before getting jambo, and they had what i thought at the time were loads of 5 inch keyhole cichlids in a display tank, then about 6 more larger ones in tank that was on display as one you could buy, although i fancied the fish, i didnt ask anything about them, and did point out to my son who was with me, that they looked very big to be in those size of tanks in those numbers,anyway i got a book of cichlids ( from Borders not pat) only to discover that the keyhole cichlids were infact tiger oscars!!!! ( i thought they were keyholes because of the pattern, i have never ( partly due to the fact that you have to apparently be totally humilated before leavibg the store with a fish) bought a fish from P@h and partly due to reading threads like this, they are good fro food, light starters etc etc, but i think IMO thats where it ends

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Just wondering has anybody been up to pets at home in kirkcaldy recently? If not then heres what I wanna moan about lol. I went in yesterday to see about getting a filter but since they were too pricey I went to look at the fish now here it starts, first off I was looking at the small tanks with all the fish for sale and all was fine, then I looked at the display tanks and then I got P****D! First tank I looked at was roughly a 180ltr maybe slightly bigger, it had 35-40, 4 to 5 inch goldfishy things in it (sorry don't know my coldwater fish very well), I just thought ####? they won't ever sell you a fish if you have to much or to a small tank so they stick all they fish in a 180ltr?

Fact is they wont be there that long at all, its not like they are staying in there for life, they will be sold quickly as goldfish are one of the most popular, also do you think they have the time and moeny to have like 35-40 big tanks? the space required could be huge, they have huge filtration and over exageration on your part. I agree the oscar situation is a bit different, but fact is they are going to be sold if it was a member keeping them I would have a problem.


Edit: Just noticed the title of this thread, no need to be that prolific mate, they are doing the same as every LFS. Sit down and calm down before you post

 

[TylerFerretLord]

The reason they keep fish in a tank too small for the adult size is because they're not there long enough for it to do any lasting harm. It's a common practice in fish stores.

EDIT: Beaten to it.

 

[orange shark]

then I looked at the display tanks

 

[Ace Of Spades]

, they are good fro food, light starters etc etc, but i think IMO thats where it ends

Sorry mate but you cant judge the whole chain by one branch, the one near me is really good and the tanks are cleaner then most LFS, and I think Andywg's one acutally does marine fish and from what ive heard they are better then most LFS.

 

[CentricOregon]

I'm not saying all of them are terrible as I am sure some of them have great staff but the one where I am is just terrible, if people get hired to look after pets then they should atleast have a decent amount of knowledge about them before getting the job.I was annoyed at the goldfish but even if they do get sold quickly you still shouldn't put that much in 1 tank, it was the oscar that topped everything off though,just shows there dedication to fish.Plus I know what pets at home are like for there prices so dunno what the chances are of anything getting sold, Next time I am up that end I will pop in to see if they have them or if they are gone.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

I'm not saying all of them are terrible as I am sure some of them have great staff but the one where I am is just terrible, if people get hired to look after pets then they should atleast have a decent amount of knowledge about them before getting the job.I was annoyed at the goldfish but even if they do get sold quickly you still shouldn't put that much in 1 tank, it was the oscar that topped everything off though,just shows there dedication to fish.Plus I know what pets at home are like for there prices so dunno what the chances are of anything getting sold, Next time I am up that end I will pop in to see if they have them or if they are gone.

They will get another stock in as Pets at home are really popular with new time fish keepers, I see now problem with the goldfish tank but as I said the oscar tank is a problem, maybe mention it to the manager there. Still no excuse for the language, there is people as young as 10 using this forum something to consider...

 

[TylerFerretLord]

I wasn't aware that PAH had tanks with fish in them that were just for show. My bad.

 

[maximinimus]

Pets@Home aren't the only ones guilty of severe overstocking, you can walk into pretty much any pet shop with a display tank and it will be overstocked.

Unless the person that owns the shop keeps fish themselves, or the shop is an aquatic specialist then you can almost guarantee their staff may not know that they are doing anything wrong.

It's a sad situation, especially when someone walks in and sees a severely overstocked tank and then mimics it - check out ebay item 200240595509

 

[andywg]

I wasn't aware that PAH had tanks with fish in them that were just for show. My bad.

I very much doubt an overstocked goldfish tank is a true display tank rather than just a sale tank in a slightly different place; the tank might be more central than a back wall of tanks so that a casual observer might notice and think "I used to have one of those as a kid, I would like another" and thus they are drawn in.

Likewise, the P@H in Southend has the marine at the front of the fish section with the weirder and more wonderful fish right in front view (such as frogfish and sea horses) to get people in and looking.

 

[kim03333]

i have to say, the pets at home store near me has always been fine (touch wood). ive come across the odd tank with an ill looking fish in it before, but i don't think that in itself means they are neglecting their fish. theres one thing that makes me laugh though, they have their policies put in place to make sure they're selling the fish to people with tanks that are compatible, but some of the questions they asked me were not appropriate ie how long has your tank been running. i don't know why they think that's an important question, but they don't ask if it's been cycled and for how long. i guess it's mostly due to lack of training. i suppose the staff are told to ask specific questions, but not why

 

[Ace Of Spades]

i have to say, the pets at home store near me has always been fine (touch wood). ive come across the odd tank with an ill looking fish in it before, but i don't think that in itself means they are neglecting their fish. theres one thing that makes me laugh though, they have their policies put in place to make sure they're selling the fish to people with tanks that are compatible, but some of the questions they asked me were not appropriate ie how long has your tank been running. i don't know why they think that's an important question, but they don't ask if it's been cycled and for how long. i guess it's mostly due to lack of training. i suppose the staff are told to ask specific questions, but not why

Your exspecting too much, Most people dont want to be told how to keep their fish and if they do they wont like it, Sure they can refuse customs but then it wouldnt be a profitable business would it. Atleast its something with those questions, Ive walked into many LFS and none of them do this. Just because it is a big chain dosent mean people can constantly rip them.

Sorry if im nagging but if there is someone to slate this chain then you also have to hear from the people who like the chain for an equal argument

 

[Corleone]

i have to say, the pets at home store near me has always been fine (touch wood). ive come across the odd tank with an ill looking fish in it before, but i don't think that in itself means they are neglecting their fish. theres one thing that makes me laugh though, they have their policies put in place to make sure they're selling the fish to people with tanks that are compatible, but some of the questions they asked me were not appropriate ie how long has your tank been running. i don't know why they think that's an important question, but they don't ask if it's been cycled and for how long. i guess it's mostly due to lack of training. i suppose the staff are told to ask specific questions, but not why

Canned questions, canned answers - Before I kept fish myself I had a job in high school stocking shelves at Pet Smart, and even I had to memorize some flash-card style answers for common questions, and a set of pre-determined questions to ask anybody seeking advice, and the answers you want. No actual knowledge required, but any questions outside of the scope, I referred them to the "fish care specialist" (or bird, reptile, etc) who was another high school student who just had a bigger deck of flashcards to memorize.

Even if they have some semblance of responsibility and won't sell under X circumstances, ultimately pet stores are just car dealers on a smaller scale - the better informed the customer, the less they're likely able to wring them for. If you know what you're doing, just lie and give them the answers they want, because either way, the responsibility rests at home.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

the responsibility rests at home.

I think you have hit the nail firmly on the head there mate