Pets At Home

[HUFC]

How old are the fish they sell?
Ive heard some people say they wouldnt buy any fish from there, why not?

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

You get a wide range of fish ages from any LFS really. I think some people find the advice of the staff isn't always helpful. But as with anywhere this varies from place to place and in all honesty you're just as likely to get a sick fish or some bad advice from many other LFS as well!

 

[danele]

Everytime i go in my lfs their treating the tanks theres always a sign saying they cant sell the fish. Also last time i went in there was a dead fish at the bottom of one tank and the other fish was eating it

 

[fluttermoth]

Even the very best fish shop can get the occasional dead fish.

P@H are not a specialist aquarium shop, so that might be why people don't rate them so highly, but I've seen some nice fish in there.

This forum can't 'badmouth' any shop anyway, as it leaves the owners open to possible prosecution.

Concentrate on bigging up the really great shops you have found

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Also, I think those signs aren't just for treating sick fish I think it's for quarantine/settling in periods as well.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Just a gentle reminder about naming shops for different reasons before people start with "i dont buy fish there etc posts" let not get the thread locked

 

[This Old Spouse]

Good and bad LFSs are everywhere. It's up to you to do research and find one that has the best reputation. There's a Walmart that we've been to that is staffed by a very knowledgeable and courteous young man who is passionate about fish. Then there is a specialty fish shop that has more dead fish in it than any Walmart or Petco I've ever seen. It's up to you to find the best!

 

[coldcazzie]

How old are the fish they sell?

Depends on the fish. Often with fish like corydoras, livebearers and gouramis they are younger fish - you can tell by the size of them (ie, a bronze corydoras that is 3cm long is clearly not an adult). However, with others it depends. My local store takes in fish that people have brought back. For example, they have a plec who is 14 inches long - clearly not a young fish!

Ive heard some people say they wouldnt buy any fish from there, why not?

Unfortunately you get good stores and bad stores. When a bad store happens to be a member of a chain, often, unfortunately, people tar all the stores that bear that name with the same brush. Each store should be judged on their own merits (or failings, if that is the case) and over several visits. And, as has been mentioned, not "named and shamed" as is sometimes suggested as it opens the forum, as the publisher of those comments, to all sorts of unpleasant legal implications.

 

[Juggler75]

I find it hard to say never about a chain as I think an lfs is so staff dependant. In certain chains the staff turnover is generally higher, either to other jobs or other departments and the training not as specialised. I still pop in and if I like the staff then I'll go back with a view to buy then.

 

[Salam]

I think every P@H is different. My local one is rubbish, they have no clue what they are on about. I was talking about cycling the other day and she looked at me like I was from another planet.

The one in the town next to me is much better, they know more about fish. When I pointed out that the male betta was harassing the female betta they put her in another section on her own, so it shows that they care. What annoyed me was that there were signs next to the tanks saying you could add fish after three days. But the lady I was talking to said she had once lost many fish due to fish-in cycling and she now helps customers with fish-less cycling which got my thumbs up.

Bascially, it can be hit and miss. And not only with bigger shops, also family-run fish shops. My first tank and equipment was bought at a family-run small shop. They told me to put water in, add some 'magic potion' (Filter start I think), and get some fish. They sold me six neon tetras a week after setting it up and three weeks later another six. Needles to say they didn't last long...

Sorry, rambling

 

[Akasha72]

as has already been said it boiled down to the staff. Small independant fish stores are generally run by fish keeping staff so you get a more knowledgable staff member who can help with any enquires. The larger chain stores tend to employ general staff. They may have dogs or cats at home and know everything about them but they get asked something about fish and know very little.

There's one guy at my local P@H that is a tropical fish keeper himself. If I go in and he's on shift we'll have a natter about fish and he's pretty good with his knowledge. Then the store manager (who likes to think he know's it all) joins in the conversation and it's clear he knows the basics and nothing more.

The nice guy offered to take my over grown bully platy off me if she didn't stop trying to eat my apple snail (thankfully she's stopped now). I told him she was over a year old and huge and may not live that much longer. He said it didn't matter as they like customers to see how big some fish can get. Having said that there are no signs up with that kind of advice on and there should be.

IMO a good fish store will have a card next to their tanks telling you what type of fish it is, how big it will get, what kind of tank it's suitable for (community or species tank) what temp it needs and any other information they can include in the space they have!
If that's not there I tend to walk away as I assume they don't know enough about the animals they are selling

 

[hensonc4098]

In my opinion, if you go into a chain store like P@H knowing what you're looking for and having researched your fish in advance, you should be able to make the decisions on what fish to get and if they are healthy yourself, without having to ask for the "expertise" of the staff. The way I see it is that the staff are there to serve you, it's up to you to have knowledge of the fish you're buying previously. Even if it requires logging onto the mobile version of TFF on your phone to check while you're in the shop!!

 

[fluttermoth]

^ I think you do that for all fish and all shops, tbh.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I recently went into a Mom and Pop fish store that's been in business for decades, looking to buy some otos. While the Mom was netting the fish, one dropped on the floor and she just left it there. Said it didn't matter. So I picked up the poor thing and put it in the trap. Then she netted one and pulled it out of the net with her hands (actually her long fingernails). I told her she should never handle fish with her bare hands, and she snapped at me that I just had.

Both those fish have since died, no surprise.

 

[phoenixgsd]

How old are the fish they sell?
Ive heard some people say they wouldnt buy any fish from there, why not?

some are good some arnt, same with any shop really, i bought 6 kuhlis 3 arent even a inch long so obviously extremly young, 2 died within days, the other 4 are still going strong