Grilled By My Local Pets At Home

[KCB]

I guess not many people will say they were happy being interrogated by a shopkeeper, but I am very pleased when I went to my local P@H and it was like playing 21 questions! They wanted to know how big my tank was, how long it had been running, how many fish I had etc. And I had to sign a form! I'm glad to see that not all fish shops are careless . This is the only shop I've been asked any questions about my tank.

Another plus is that I asked for 5 Endlers and the guy gave me 6 by mistake. I won't tell if you don't

 

[ColR1948]

I've had that at the P&H near me, another shop I go to does something similar but you don't have to sign a form, I mentioned the name on here not long ago:
Urmston Aquatices in Eccles Manchester plus they also give away mature media and an advice leaflet to new keepers.

 

[techen]

Lol sign something? Sounds like a anti lawsuit don't sue us if your fish dies kinda thing. But it seems they may be moving up in the world slowly (That's my own view, not bashing the store )

 

[nikkifro8994]

I wish the stores around me did that. There are 2 large chains, 1 small chain, and 1 locally owned shop. The 2 large chains are really bad with advise for beginners (such as: let the tank sit for 24 hours then add fish, or bettas can live in a 1 cup container and be happy their entire lives). The small chain knows their fish a whole lot better, but they still dish out the bad advice.

I thought the locally owned one was great, until I bought my betta from them. They keep their bettas in a 1 gallon tank, instead of the little cups like the other stores. The shopkeeper asked me what my setup looked like. I told him the betta was going into a 1.5 gallon until his 5 gallon was done cycling. The shopkeeper told me that my tank was too big for 1 male betta and the betta could live in a cup of water for 3 weeks. I was in a hurry, so I didn't have time to correct him.

I REALLY don't like the "Keep the betta in this tiny container it's whole life" advice. I could go on and on for hours about it, but that is an argument this forum has heard many, many times.

 

[KCB]

Lol sign something? Sounds like a anti lawsuit don't sue us if your fish dies kinda thing. But it seems they may be moving up in the world slowly (That's my own view, not bashing the store

)

Haha yeh it does sound like it, but it didn't have any terms and conditions on the form .

I wish the stores around me did that. There are 2 large chains, 1 small chain, and 1 locally owned shop. The 2 large chains are really bad with advise for beginners (such as: let the tank sit for 24 hours then add fish, or bettas can live in a 1 cup container and be happy their entire lives). The small chain knows their fish a whole lot better, but they still dish out the bad advice.

I would be absolutely horrified if I saw a Betta in a cup, I can't believe that is acceptable to some people

 

[9murphy9]

to give pets at home there due when i was a bigginer not so long ago i went there to buy some neon tetras for with my goldfish and they explained that goldfish would eat the neons so yes they may be getting better

 

[deftuch]

pets at home ask all those questioins but in my experience the advice they give is wrong. they think its ok to add as many fish as you like as long as your tank has been up and running a week! they also always have dead fish in thier tanks and are diseased. their tanks are all connected so disease spreads easily. pets at home only do the common fish anyway so there is no need to shop there

 

[zain611]

Pets@home is good, i know a guy there which i think he knows me and my parents and i do ask questions about any symtoms my fish gets and he helps i do remember him saying to my dad when we bought 2 shrimps that there is no such thing as too many shrimps in a tank, is this correct? Hope i go there today get my corys if they are there

 

[marcandnic]

I was asked all of those questions and signed the form etc when I first began keeping fish.

I had my tank for about 3 months 180lt and they were shutting down their main display tank. I went in for 5 harlequins and they sold me 2x snakeskin gourami 1x opaline blue gourami and a large angel fish. I told the assistant I already had a large male angel fish that come with the tank and I was told they would be ok. The next day my angel fish had killed the new angel.

Needless to say I ended up taking all of the fish back within a couple of weeks when it was evident that those fish were too large.

 

[deftuch]

fishkeepers will never be heard when it comes to putting proper regulations in place, afterall you can buy radioactive uranium ore on amazon and smoking is still legal and taxed upon.

 

[MBOU]

All pets at homes have to ask set questions technically but they all *have* to fill in forms and sign stuff before buying any livestock, part of their petshop license stipulates they have certain customer details on record for the purchase of livestock. Cant remember exact details but eh...

Just because they ask the questions, doesnt mean they always know what to do with your answers

 

[techen]

All pets at homes have to ask set questions technically but they all *have* to fill in forms and sign stuff before buying any livestock, part of their petshop license stipulates they have certain customer details on record for the purchase of livestock. Cant remember exact details but eh...

Just because they ask the questions, doesnt mean they always know what to do with your answers

I agree with this statement, As far as I believe. I'd rather avoid that store MYSELF and go bug Mbou at madienhead

 

[KCB]

I agree, they're not perfect because they ask some questions, but it is the only shop that has ever asked about my tank and no other place has. I think it's a step in the right direction at least.

When this P@H first set-up in my town, the first time I went in there there were dead fish in every tank. I said to myself I would never purchase fish from that place, but it's been a few years and it's good to see that they've improved.

The only reason I went there is because the Maidenhead Aquatics I usually go to had their Endlers acclimatising and they weren't for sale. I'm more inclined to go there again if they have the right fish in stock .

 

[MBOU]

I wouldnt say anything terrible about P@H, I have bought fish from them myself.... case of 'needs must'... if they had what i wanted at a sensible price and it looked healthy *shrugs* i'm not going to worry about it... but honestly i was never going to tell them the truth of what i had in my tanks as for sure they wouldnt have known what half the species were and probably wouldnt have sold me fish that i know perfectly well would be ok...

A lot more pet shops in general are starting to ask more questions, the petshop in the Notcutts where I work insist on seeing ID before selling any pets! ID'd me for a hamster even though they know me lol but its protocol and that impressed me. Didnt matter that i had far more knowledge on the pets they were selling than I did lol. At least they are picking up their ideas!

I think the trick will always be spending lots of time in lots of shops and watching lots of fish until you know what is normal or not for species you are looking at.... dont make snap decisions on whichever is cheapest or closest as they might not be te best, you can only fit so many fish in a tank and its better to be patient and get the perfect fish than settle for average in a hurry and potentially risk problems. Doesn't matter the shop, you have to learn to identify problems with your own fish and why not start before you buy them?

 

[shepherd88]

I read this post this morning and just visited my local wigan pets at home. Admittidly the selection and tank numbers were small but they did have various nice fish including black ghost knife fish ( i think), bettas, gorgous rosy barbs and some very lively white zebra danios which i bought 9 of and he gave me 10.

Again asked me about my tank and filled a form in and was very helpful.
Big step up from many years ago.

The danios look great in my tank just hope my angel stops trying to nip one of them...maybe a new intruder thing lol