My Local Lfs

[acula]

I appreciate the responcibilty PETs@Home take when selling fish to the public but because i have a male betta in my big ass tank they refused to sell me anything apart from miserable old tetras.

 

[england]

ok what size tank is it?

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Good for them. Personally though I would say tetras are one of the worst things to put in with long finned fish other than barbs.

 

[AdAndrews]

yeah, what size is it?, and anyway fish shops are better than pet shops

 

[doresy]

Never mind about your big ass , how big's the tank?

I'm suprised Pets@Home didn't try to sell you a Betta friendly sized tank so you and your big ass could get some other fish to play with.

Anyway, apart from completely ****ing up with suggesting tetra's as playmates for a Betta I think they excelled themselves for refusing any customer a sale (reckon that's a sackable offence )

 

[pieman]

Pets At Home appear to be taking their aquatic department alot more seriously these days. I think they became aware about people deserting them for non-chain stores, as the fish information they provide on the tanks is now quite helpful and generally the tanks appear cleaner and the fish aren't as dead as they used to be

 

[TylerFerretLord]

big ass tank

What's an ass tank? Do I want to know?

 

[saz326]

big ass tank

What's an ass tank? Do I want to know?

 

[Keithbaxter]

My local pets@home is awesome. The one in Crayford.

The main guys that work there are always friendly give great advice and remember customers. They do get abit patranising with people that insist they know what they are doing and then buy tank/substrate/plants and fish at the same time. but thats a good thing put the know nothings in there place and explain to them the reasons why they wont be allowed to bring the dead fish and used equipment back in a week when they kill everything.

The staff there all keep fish and live local so know about the water types in local areas and what to expect tank stats to be on tap water, all seem to know equally as much about cold, tropical and marine and the ones that dont as its xmas there are a few temps with only personal tropical tanks but they know exactly who to point you towards for answers and often take you to the person and listen fro the answers. yeah it takes longer to get served but you know your not getting bull####ted and wasting time and money.

Being a large store with loadsa tanks they suffer a few dead fish in tanks but teh staff explain to custmers who point it out that these things happen when introducing large numbers at the same time. One death in a small tank of 30 fish is acceptable. They also have a large quarantine section hidden from view that they keep fish from new or different suppliers in to avoid mixing new ilnesses into the current tanks.

In all a great shop, my other local fish shop dropped down in my opinion when i asked about rehoming and the guy came back with a snotty "why did you buy them if you wanted to get rid of them" fair comment but I had just explained that the ones i wanted to rehome were my tank startup glowlites that he told me to get to start the tank then rehome. and the golden loaches he sold me not telling me that they will go after other fish once bigger.

 

[acula]

OK, didnt realise i was setting myself up for a petty grilling from the "experts" here.

I just wanted to make the point that maybe they we a little over the top with the new found responcibilty.

I wasnt looking for fish mixing advice, i've done my research the same as everyone else and have sucessfully kept fish for years now.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Dont think anyone quite meant it in that way (I didnt at least ). Just that its actually a pleasant surprise to hear about a LFS being more interested in the animal welfare then making a quick buck (no matter how annoying it may have been for you).

 

[Jallen]

When I started out a few months ago, pets at home wouldn't sell me more than 3 tiger barbs, I wanted 6, but they said I would have to wait another week to get the other 3. It's annoying when they don't know what they are talking about.

Oh, and they said that 3 tiger barbs and a rainbow shark would be adequate for a 15 gal... stuuuupid.

 

[jonny_dw]

Oh, and they said that 3 tiger barbs and a rainbow shark would be adequate for a 15 gal... stuuuupid.

Even though 3 tiger barbs isnt exactly ideal as their shoaling and the aggression isnt spread out much?

I find them patronising and annoying. Im glad that they ask alot of questions for the fishes welfare etc but when they are wrong it really irritates me.

When I went to one and she asked how big the tank was I said 20 gallons and she goes oooo I cant do gallons whats that in litres? Shouldnt she know gallons if shes working with fish really?

 

[doresy]

OK, didnt realise i was setting myself up for a petty grilling from the "experts" here.

I just wanted to make the point that maybe they we a little over the top with the new found responcibilty.

I wasnt looking for fish mixing advice, i've done my research the same as everyone else and have sucessfully kept fish for years now.

ooooooooooo! tetchy!

Hey lad this is a fun place.....don't spoil it

 

[Syphoniera]

I think it's great when sales are refused and/or advice offered to people who want to cram large fish in tiny tanks, etc., but based on LFS advice I've heard, I'd have been in danger of being refused betta sales because 'they don't need heaters' and 'they like small containers' and a 10 gallon's too big, and I'd be refused medications for very obviously sick fish sold there on such grounds as 'it's not fin rot, he's just like that', using several recent examples that really stick out in my mind.
If we had any stores like that here, where often uninformed personal rationales limited purchase ability, I wouldn't go within a mile of such a place.
Fish don't care about 'righteous' reasons for any misery potentially inflicted - they just suffer until and unless informed good sense intervenes.
There's a quote I can't precisely recall but which runs something to to the effect of there being few more dangerous things than persons in any position of power over others, who are convinced beyond all reason that only they are right...