Im Proud Of Myself

[Honeythorn]

My LFS ( which isn't very good but one of the only ones here ) has a new man who I saw advising a woman on goldfish. To his credit he dicouraged her from buying a comet , showing with his hands just how big they get, and told her that for her tank a fancy would be better ( I didn't hear what tank size she had though ) she accepted that advice and instructed her kids to choose one " with two tails ". I really hope that guy stays, he is more knowledgeable than half the staff there and has convinced them to sell more invertebrates too.

Good on you Krib, we need more like you!

 

[chesterscot]

sometimes its better to say nothing as ppl often believe the fish shop staff over what for all they know is just a troubled customer
scot

 

[jourdy288]

Whoo! That sounds great!

 

[kevinthecow]

LOL! Yeah I was told to leave.

'Well I'll just stop buying my bloodworms here.' (I buy, A LOT of cans.)

And they were like, 'no no, you can stay.'

their faces were priceless.

Ne ways, if I were to even help, my mom would give me looks. (I only help if I hear theres a prob, or if im at the mall alone. )

 

[kribensis12]

I am pretty sure she belived that i knew what i was talking about, because the guy who worked there said " Listen to him, i dont even ahve a fishtank"!!!!!!!!!

 

[murphyk32]

lmfao gotta love employees.. sometimes its just a matter of getting thrown into a job.. example.. i was hired at 15 (im 17 now) to work in a seafood dept at a grocery store.. i just applied for any job in the store.. dont eat a lot of seafood (more now tho) and knew nothing.. eventually it came to the point i know a lot, but for a long while i couldnt answer questions..

 

[kribensis12]

they crack me up too. Bu to think they would hire someoen to give advice and not even have a tank! I saw the most heart breaking thing the other day. A guy got 2 bala sharks. You know how when you put them in a new tank/bag, they freeze? Well, they did that in the plastic container. THe petshop lady knew they did that, but the customer was sure they were dead. So they DUMPED them into the garbage!

 

[kevinthecow]

wow krib. thats kinda, low.. o-o;

like come n, your kidding me right? plastic container?

Also, today I helped a guy and his mom buy conditioner! They were like, 'Conditioner, or Ammonia Clear..'

really, what would you choose. o_p;

 

[kribensis12]

Psshhhhtttt, i would sooo take the ammonia clear =]

 

[LauraFrog]

This is why we all love you! lol... where are the fish going to be without people like you to stand up for them? Nobody thinks they're anything more than dumb animals and I believe hobbyists who see mistreatment of fish need to speak up about it. I'm so, so lucky that my LFS would never do stuff like that. They'd never heard of fishless cycling, but I am slowly re educating them.

The problem is that some stupidity is just impossible... like this convo between me and a pet store employee:

ME: staring at bettas on a shelf
ME: picks up jar for a closer look at the occupant
HER: disapproving glare
ME: totally ignores her
HER: You want that?
ME: Yeah, thanks.
HER: Starts pouring betta into bag.
ME: These guys aren't looking too great. (pointing to bettas lying on their sides gasping or hanging at the top with clamped fins)
HER: They always do that.
ME: Mine don't, if you give them enough space and keep the water clean they are really active. I don't think these ones are well. See how he doesn't move?
HER: They do move. (GRABS BETTA'S FIN AND TWISTS IT, TEARING IT IN THE PROCESS. Terrified betta bolts to bottom, scattering gravel and his own excrement, where he lies gasping.)
ME: You know you hurt them when you do that? They should be moving around, even in those cups.
HER: Look, I've been in this industry six years, and I know when they're sick. These ones are fine.

I can't save them all. But it took me three months to rehabilitate the one I bought. For the first month he wedged himself under a piece of wood and refused to come out, wouldn't even eat until I left the room. For the second he would panic, bolt around the tank and scatter gravel if I approached, and for the third he would dart to the other side. I had almost lost hope that he might recover, then he started coming to the top for his pellets like the rest of my bettas. Six months on he's virtually normal, I'm currently getting ready to spawn him (crowntail with good finnage) and he's active and looks healthy. But most of my bettas will accept my touch - he still shies away before my finger brushes his scales. I guess you can't repair everything. At least he's happy now.

That same pet store has told me anything over half a litre (1/8 gallon) is suitable for a betta, and you can use something smaller provided you change the water once a week instead of once a fortnight. Flakes are suitable food, and you should always keep 2 teaspoons of salt per gallon. When I told them that he was going in a 1.5 gallon filtered with full water changes twice a week and that I considered these conditions less than ideal, I was laughed at. I have also been sent out with bettas in just enough water to cover them and had to fill the bags in shopping centre toilets. I have taken to carrying bottles of ammo-lock with me everywhere. I've also seen angels sold for a five gallon tank set up the previous day.

Dont' even go near chain stores, I know it's worse overseas. Put it this way: at least AUstralian supermarkets don't sell fish. I'm overrun as it is... imagine what it would be like if I saw a pile of suffering fish every time I went to pick up some groceries.

 

[PRW1988]

Okay, i was at petsmart today, getting some AquaClear sponges ( for my intake) and airline tubing . So, i got it, and was wondeirng around ( had about a half hour before my gma picked me up) and saw a older, heavier lady bring in a bag with 2 pleco's in it, babies, floating upside down. She told the guy they were still alive, and that she wanted 2 new ones. So, he took them back, and i went in for the kill.

ME: Excuse me, i couldnt help but over hear, you are having some fish issues?
LADY:Well, yes i am. I bought 2 pleco's and i think they have swim bladder, so i brought them here.
ME: What size tank?
LADY: 25 g tall
ME: I hate to tell you this, but im afraid your tank isnt big enough for 1 pleco, let alone 2. They need a minnimum 55g tank. And , I am assuming you dont ahve that room
LADY: No i dont
ME: See, what happens is, they grow up to 24 inches, and use the bathroom frequently, making the water not so good to live in. And, they can become stunted, which can kill them.
LADY: Ohhh, i didnt know that.
ME: How long has it been set up?
LADY: Months
ME: Good, your tanks is cycled, do you know what that is?
LADY: Isnt that when you let the tnak sit 2 weeks?
ME: Somewhat. You need to either add a amount of ammonia daily to it, and start with one fish, and do frequent water changes.
Lady: Why?
Me: See, in the tank, fish poop and pee. That is ammonia. Little bacteria eat up the ammonia ( which can burn them) and produce nitrIte. The nitrite gets into the fish's blood system, and suffocates them. So, another bacteria turns the NitrIte into NitrAte. The nirAte isnt harmful, unless it builds up. Do you understand?
Lady: Yes i do. Im glad i met you. With your knowledge, you can go along way in life ( I blush). So, what do you think happend to my fish.
Me: I dont think that both of your pleco's got swim bladder. It isnt that common of a thing. If i were to guess with out looking it up, i would assume its a internal bacterial infection. ( please correct me if i am wrong). I shoed her some good meds. She didnt buy it though, as she didnt ahve the money. Then i showed her that she would do well if she got a API Master Freshwater Liquid Testkit. She said she is going to pick one up next week.
Lady: So what do i do about the algea ont he bottom part of the tnak, and all the food leftover?
Me: Well, if you have alot of food leftover, then you are probably over feeding. But, i think that you can get rid of most of the leftover food and the bottom algea with some corries. So, i convinced her to buy 3 corries ( i said 4-5, but she didnt have the money). I also gave her this website adress, and my cell number.

I am pretty proud of myself. I usually chicken out for helping someone because im 15 and most people look at me like i am a little kid who dosent know anything.

Unfortunatly I'm pretty sure that even though the lady was acting nice, she was actually saying in her mind "why is this bloody kid bothering me". I'm sorry but unless I'm asked for help I generally won't give my input if somebodys doing something rather stupid such as that. I say live and let learn, also, the plecos she brought back to petsmart would've been probably no larger than 3" as I worked at a petsmart for over a year and the largest we sold we're about 3". So in a 25gallon tank, they would've been fine, for a temperary tank.

 

[kribensis12]

^ Actually, she has me CALL her husband and explain what i meant by stunting ect. Shoot, she ASKED me for my cell number incase she needed help. I didnt offer it to her!