Bad Advice

[Kuroku]

Bought a "Red Gibbiceps". On the sign it said "Adult Size = 10cms".

Did a little research and there's no such thing. What I have now is a 15cm long Sailfin Pleco in a 15L tank...

So needless to say I'm trying to find a home for him.

 

[denis coghlan]

Customer: My fish tank makes a lot of noise at night and its preventing me from sleeping.

Staff: Well!! Turn off the filter if its keeping you awake.

No BS, I actually heard this! And the staff member said it as if the woman asking the question was a moran for not thinking of it.

 

[Chri$]

Never really been given bad advice by 1 of my LFS's.

However i wasn't told a couple of important things when i bought my first tank regarding cycling and de-chlorinating tap water.

 

[my fat fish]

What I have now is a 15cm long Sailfin Pleco in a 15L tank...

how did u let it get that big before realising a 15 lt would onlt be just over 3 gallon and a 10cm fish would be to big 4 that ne ways

 

[CFC]

I think some of the worst advise i was ever given was to only do water changes twice a year.

I was having trouble with high nitrates from the tap and was looking at various nitrate adsorbing medias which i could add to the filtration. I asked the guy if he knew which of them was the better and how effective they actually are so he asked me why i wanted to use one.
After telling him that i was having trouble keeping my nitrates low and that despite doing twice weekly water changes they were still sitting at around 80ppm he announced that the cause of my problem was because i was doing too many water changes and the tank had never had a chance to settle, and that i should only change the water every 6 months. I was so shocked at such awful advice that i didnt even call him a complete moron and just left the shop in dismay.

 

[n3ont3tra]

Customer: My fish tank makes a lot of noise at night and its preventing me from sleeping.

Staff: Well!! Turn off the filter if its keeping you awake.

No BS, I actually heard this! And the staff member said it as if the woman asking the question was a moran for not thinking of it.

Err.... a few years ago I had a 10g tank with about 20 minows (I was 10) and it was noisy at night cause the water level was kind of low so I unplugged it and didn't plug it back in for over 2 weeks and all the fish lived. Thinking back, I can't believe all of the fish lived. Now, if the filter's too loud, I sleep in another room

 

[my fat fish]

when my filter is getting loud i top the water up

 

[sic0198]

I like how stores put like 20 bala sharks in a 10 gallon tank. Cute little things, teeny tiny fish. You wouldn't think they'd grow...too much bigger...WRONG

The get like 14 inches, need like a 200 G tank.

Fish Stores never volunteer info.

 

[Canis-Equus]

My local-est shop (where even my non fish appreciating OH refuses to shop, instead walking the extra 4 mile round trip to the decent one).....

To a customer with excited teenage girl...

"Ok so you have the bowl, the gravel a couple of plants, now lets pick your fish"
(she shuffles off stage left to get a net out of one of the tanks {to dip into another tank, even though all their tanks are on seperate filters and they dont quarantine so this will likely spread disease...})

Me: uh, hey sorry, are you picking fish for *this* fish bowl, cos you know they are probably going to die, and if they dont die because you have no filter and the tank isnt cycled (and wont since you have no filter), they will die because your goldfish have the potential to grow to AT LEAST a foot long and live over 20 years........

Customer: Oh well uh, the lady said...

Me: bugger the lady, if you want THESE fish, buy something like this (points to a 3ft juwel tank) and you can keep mebbes 3 in it, once its cycled which may take 6 weeks....

Customer to daughter: I think wed better leave...

Shop lady returns bearing net, looks confused, I smirk to self.

Another time in same shop....

To shop assistant "Hey, these puffers, you do know they are eating this betta alive...."

Shop Assistant: Oh he'll be fine he'll grow his fins back.

Me: "..." (waits for her to leave, takes net and dumps betta in with someone less likely to eat him)

And another....

Me: (bored and with nothing better to do than idiot bait)..." you know, these baby p's would prolly appreciate somewhere to hide" (eyes go funny watching baby p's hurtle about brightly lit front of shop tank with kids tapping on it).

Her: "Oh mine do that at home too, we have a tank in the lounge and they love to rush around"

Me "And those goldfish you have in there, is live feeding in front of shop in the day when the fish are all stressed *that* wise?"

Her: "grr"

Me: "Ill shop elsewhere"

Phones council, they get yet another arse kicking for this and many other things such as selling animals they are not licenced to sell....

Fortunately i have access to a much better fish shop now

Em

 

[xoedusk]

Me: "I'd like to get a lid for this 10 gallon, since I've heard bettas have a tendency to jump."

LFS: "I've never heard of bettas jumping. Ten gallons? That's a big tank for a single betta; you could probably get a female too."