Lessons Learned - Don't Take Fish Back to Walmart

[The-Raven]

So as many of you know, I had a clown loach that was in my currently cycling 29gallon tank. Much to many people's aggrevation, I kept it despite people's advice - being that I am cycling and my tank was too small... and it was alone.

Well after a few days of basically telling you all to mind your own business, I started to actually worry. I decided that it would be best to take the loach back so that it could have a larger home - or at the very least, I wouldn't be responsible for its misery - some 12 year old who thought it looked pretty and put it in their 5gallon would.

So I took it back in a little ziploc back, got my money back. Went around and did some other shopping, walked by the fish department and noticed that they hadn't put it back yet. So I went to the customer service desk and asked if they wanted me to take the fish back to the tanks so it didn't sit in that bag too long....














They told me they had to flush it because it had been in another tank and they couldn't 'contaminate' their tanks.

My heart just sunk... I would've rather kept it in my tiny 29gallon... or given it away for free... than kill it. I was depressed the rest of the day... I felt like a horrible horrible person.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

First, I would have told them off, second, I would have taken the fish back, even if if it meant giving up my refund. That is so stupid, I can't imagine anyone being that dumb...

 

[The-Raven]

First, I would have told them off, second, I would have taken the fish back, even if if it meant giving up my refund. That is so stupid, I can't imagine anyone being that dumb...

They had already done it when I went back to ask

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Well thats horible they destroyed your fish... It doesn't make sense about what they did; if it wasn't showing any visable signs of desease then there was nothing wrong with it; your water wouldn't have contaminated theirs if the fish was healthy in it already so them flushing it was totally unesarsary.
Sorry about your loss, i know how you feel....
I let all my livebearers breed and i raise the fry into adults which i give to my lfs, even though i make it so i don't get attached to them and still get concerned about their health; a while back i gave some platys i had bred to my lfs and one week later they had a major whitespot outbreak in most of their tanks and most of my platys died...I came back a week after i had given them the platys and i remember seeing my favorite one of the bunch lying emaciated and lifeless on the bottom of the tank after dying from whitespot.
Even when you rehome a fish, you still care about their safety.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Complain! They can't kill a fish in that way. Or get Bettamomma to write/phone them up..... She's good at this sort of thing.

 

[webcat5]

On March 23/05 I posted the question about returning fish.

THIS is exactally what I was trying to get to. A person asks for advice, does NOT take it, returns the fish after being told by several people on this forum not to purchase it in the first place, then gets upset when the fish gets distroyed.( I don't agree with them flushing the fish) If you would have listened to the advice that you asked for the Clown Loach would still be alive and maybe in a proper home.

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

true webcat true but go easy hey, the guy is clearly upset and i imagine it will not happene again in this case

 

[pseud]

Yeah, there's a lesson here. Research a fish before you bring it home - even if it means coming back from the fish shop empty handed, looking it up online, and then making another trip. In the end, it's best for everybody all round.

 

[rdd1952]

You all have to consider who we are talking about here. If that had been a respectable LFS, they would have quarentined it for a while and then sold it again. THIS is Walmart we are talking about. They have absolutely no respect for the lives of the fish they sell. If they did, their tanks wouldn't be in the shape they are. Besides, it's probably a shorter walk to the toilet (right beside CS Desk at the one I USED to go to) than back to the fish dept so they save time and we all know time is money. In a way it's kind of ironic that they are worried about putting a sick fish in their tanks. After all, that's about all they sell is sick fish.

 

[webcat5]

Much to many people's aggrevation, I kept it despite people's advice - being that I am cycling and my tank was too small... and it was alone.Well after a few days of basically telling you all to mind your own business, I started to actually worry.

rdd1952:This unfortunate turn of events is NOT all Wal-Mart's fault!

 

[sharky&george]

How can people be so heartless, my sis in law wanted to do that cos a fish was not swimming all the time it showed no signs of illness, i was horrified evil evil people I stopped her though


AHH ive just been promoted to a fish fanatic No longer a newbie

 

[bunjiweb]

- 29Gallons is enough to house a clown loach for a good 5 years. However got on their high horse about this needs a good spanking. People seem to forget that Clown Loaches grow VERY slowly, and that you can upgrade a tank later on if the initial tank isnt a 6 foot beast of a tank.

- Ok, so you made a complete beginners error, but to be fair you weren't to know guided by the complete retards that work at Walmart

- I would have kept the fish. To be fair i would have rather seen it die in your tank than be flushed down a toilet.

- Also, you should report Walmart to your local department of environmental health. Companies are not allowed to flush fish as it can potentially endanger the local habitat if the fish breeds and happens to eat all the local fish. The correct way retailers are meant to get rid of fish is to first freeze them in a freezer, then dispose of them with proper disposal men or take them to a waste disposal compound themselves, so that the animals are deffinatly destroyed in the appropriate manner so as not to attract vermin or harbour disease.

I would take this very seriously if you feel strongly about the issue. Walmart should not be allowed to carry fish if they do not abide by the industry's standard rules and regulations.

Ben

 

[The-Raven]

Much to many people's aggrevation, I kept it despite people's advice - being that I am cycling and my tank was too small... and it was alone.Well after a few days of basically telling you all to mind your own business, I started to actually worry.

rdd1952:This unfortunate turn of events is NOT all Wal-Mart's fault!

You've never made a beginner mistake... ever?

And I tried to fix the situation...

 

[rdd1952]

I agree that this isn't all their fault but flushing it down the sewer is. They should have more respect for the live of a living, breathing creature. The-Raven had already bought the fish before he found this forum and realized it wasn't correct. Had he heeded the advice he got here at that time, he would have just returned it sooner thus shortening it's life even more. Yes he made a mistake but so did Walmart for killing it in a most inhumane way.

 

[The-Raven]

- 29Gallons is enough to house a clown loach for a good 5 years. However got on their high horse about this needs a good spanking. People seem to forget that Clown Loaches grow VERY slowly, and that you can upgrade a tank later on if the initial tank isnt a 6 foot beast of a tank.

- Ok, so you made a complete beginners error, but to be fair you weren't to know guided by the complete retards that work at Walmart

- I would have kept the fish. To be fair i would have rather seen it die in your tank than be flushed down a toilet.

- Also, you should report Walmart to your local department of environmental health. Companies are not allowed to flush fish as it can potentially endanger the local habitat if the fish breeds and happens to eat all the local fish. The correct way retailers are meant to get rid of fish is to first freeze them in a freezer, then dispose of them with proper disposal men or take them to a waste disposal compound themselves, so that the animals are deffinatly destroyed in the appropriate manner so as not to attract vermin or harbour disease.

I would take this very seriously if you feel strongly about the issue. Walmart should not be allowed to carry fish if they do not abide by the industry's standard rules and regulations.

Ben

Yeah I did my research - and all the people saying it was a bad idea were ignored when I pointed them to another thread I found saying it takes forever for them to grow too.

But as I looked at my tank and everything, I realized that in 3 years I'm going to be moving (thanks to the army) and that getting anything bigger than what I currently have would just be a huge hassle, and there's no way I'll find someone here in this little town with a tank big enough to handle even a 6" loach. So I figured it best to take it back and make it someone else's worry.


As to the walmart issue, the girl in charge of the pet's department was actually quite knowledgeable, most of the stuff I learned here I casually quizzed her on and she seemed to know what she was talking about. She told me that the loach grows to about 8 inches, but she's never actually seen one get that big ever.


I would have kept the fish too if I knew they were going to flush it. I returned it, assumed they would take care of it, walked around for more shopping... walked by pets, saw it wasn't there, went to ask if they want me to take it back for them - and that's when I found out what they did.


And as to raising an issue about it... I'm just one person - Walmart couldn't care less. And I'm not one who looks to start trouble.