Bala Shark

[Kajuki18]

Today I went to my LFS(Petsmart)with my brother and he asked one of the employee's about housing a Bala Shark. The guy told him it could live in a 15 Gallon its entire life . Its just showing they know nothing about keeping fish.

 

[Lateral Line]

A sad but all to common experience.

 

[xxSarahxx]

Did you correct them? If not that I'd go back and say something! I've done that lots of times. Petsmart is like pets at home right?? I frequently go in there and 'test' them slightly very subtly and then correct them in the hope it might save some fish in the long run. I only buy fish from aquarium specialists whereas pets at home / petsmart do all sorts of animals and therefore their knowledge isn't focused.
I do feel this is all too common though, but there's not a lot we can do but give them support! Also ask things on forums such as this and research elsewhere rather than just listening to an LFS.
What a shame though...it is a far too common occurrence although it is very frustrating. All I can say is I feel for the Bala sharks and any other fish they sell.

 

[Kajuki17]

the told me that the chiniese algae eater was community and he just chases everyone around so we put him in my brother cichlid tank and he chases them around.Petsmarts hires stupid people

 

[IMCL85]

At some point hes correct that bala will be able to live in that tank for the rest of his live. It probably just get stunt and wouldn't grow that all. He can be house there if you r heartless .

 

[ricardo]

Today I went to my LFS(Petsmart)with my brother and he asked one of the employee's about housing a Bala Shark. The guy told him it could live in a 15 Gallon its entire life . Its just showing they know nothing about keeping fish.

[snapback]864098[/snapback]​

i heard you can only keep a bala shark in a 15 gallon tank until it is 2 inches then you have to upgrade to a 55 gallon tank

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Today I went to my LFS(Petsmart)with my brother and he asked one of the employee's about housing a Bala Shark. The guy told him it could live in a 15 Gallon its entire life . Its just showing they know nothing about keeping fish.

[snapback]864098[/snapback]​

i heard you can only keep a bala shark in a 15 gallon tank until it is 2 inches then you have to upgrade to a 55 gallon tank

[snapback]896842[/snapback]​

and then shortly after that you have to upgrade to 125 gallon tank. bala sharks will easily exceed 12" if properly kept.

 

[Ldy-Icedragon]

Yup it happens way too often when I was new to fish a pet store sold me a Bala shark and said he'd be ok in a 5 gallon! Once I got him home and researched him I gave him back to the store, I would have loved to keep him, I hope someone who knew what they were doing bought him instead of someone who listens to the workers.

~Danielle

 

[RandomWiktor]

This is why people should always do independant research prior to buying ANY animal from a pet store - the store is interested in selling you something, and most people are not interested in buying a several thousand dollar tank, so they suggest that fish can be kept in...well, pretty much anything. So far, I've been told that bettas do not need heaters, female bettas can be kept in pairs in 1 gallon tanks, goldfish will do fine in bowls, and Chinese Algae Eaters are friendly community fish who can be kept in a 10 gallon and only get 5" long... Thank god I did my own research, or I'd have a nice big heap of dead fish.

 

[Ian_Brown]

Thought I'd add a related question. In one of my LFS's (in Glasgow there are about 6 shops) I saw a fish which was identical to a bala shark with the only difference being red outlines to the black on the fins. The assisstant couldn't tell me the scientific name, so I assumed that it was a colour morph of the bala shark. Anyone know if this is the case?

I think the fish was labelled as a red shark or a red-finned shark.

 

[MXPX4318]

you guys humor me, I love how you guys create this stereotype about the people that work at places like petsmart/petco, etc. but you think that other smaller lfs are great, when in fact there are people JUST as stupid as SOME that work at places like petsmart or wherever.
yes I am in fact an employee of petsmart, and I consider myself very well educated and pride myself in being able to help those who need help, get help, even at a large chain store, and most (not all) but most of the co-workers I work with will deter (sp?) people from getting a bala shark at all (because most, if not ALL, do not have the place to put them).

that said I do not mind that you think that particular petsmart employee is not very well educated, or even that THAT particular petsmart as a whole is not a good place, but I do not appreciate the stereotyping that all petsmart employees are stupid or do not know what they're talking about, and I think it should be acknowledged that even small non-chain petstores have uneducated people that work there too and some chain stores DO have well educated employees.

sidenote: and for those that think that lfs' get better livestock then say petsmart, I know for a fact that many of the fish petsmart gets comes from the same place as my lfs' get their same fish, so they come from the same supplier, so how can one be better then the other, expecially when there ARE educated people who know how to take care of fish working there at the store, so I think there is nothing wrong with getting fish from petsmart/petco/pets at home/etc. just as long as you take the precaution of checking for diseased fish, dead fish, etc. but those same precautions should be taken at a smaller lfs as well.

**steps off soap box**

Best regards, your friendly petsmart associate,

Phillip

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> red-finned shark

Is another common name for the Rainbow Shark, Epalzeorhynchos frenatum.

Rainbow/Red-Finned Shark info.

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> you guys humor me,

I think everyone would agree that you can get very bad advice from pretty much any LFS. There is a recurring theme however, and that is the frequency of bad to absolutely unbelievable advice, does seem higher with the large chains. You only need to read the board to discern the trend.

I am quite sure some employees of certain outlets in particular chains give good advice.

 

[Ian_Brown]

>>> red-finned shark

Is another common name for the Rainbow Shark, Epalzeorhynchos frenatum.

Rainbow/Red-Finned Shark info.

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That was what I thought, but the fish in the tank were most definately not E. frenatum. I think I'll go back into the shop and ask again.

 

[dwarfgourami]

While on the recurring topic of chain stores, can I just add a little sunshine?

I was on holiday in Gothenburg, Sweden recently and had half an hour to kill before my bus went, so drifted into the nearest fish shop. As one does. General pet shop in big department store, looked distinctly unpromising from the outside.

Once inside, it looked good. Clean, no dead fish floating (unlike all the shops I have visited here in Soton), and what really struck me was the presence of little descriptions on the tanks of every fish sold. For each species you got: appearance, provenance, adult size, habits (i.e. schooling, territorial) and needs.

For the guppies, it said under Needs: 'sensitive to water quality", for the platy "hardy, but does require clean water". I liked that last bit, so many shops regard platies and danios as indestructible cycling machines.