Quit my job at the LPS -Incredible Pets

[endilliteracy]

I got hired in the small animals/fish dept. about 2 weeks ago and loved it. My first day at fish dept. was awesome...although the filters were covered in algae and dead fish that accidentally jumped on top of them. Besides that, working there was pretty awesome.

Anyways, one day an older man came in and said he had just got a 55 and 75 gallon and he cycled them and put 3 baby angels in the 55 gallon and he didn't set up the 75 gallon yet. He asked the "fish manager" what kind of smaller schooling kind of fish he could put in there to brighten up the tank. The guy suggested neons.

I tried to butt in and add that the angels may eat the neons once they get bigger and that he should try for something a little larger.

He ignored me and continued telling the man the neons were his best choice. So after the "fish manager" left I kind of talked to the man on the side and told him that the angels may eat the tetras, so he picked out some silver dollars and some guppies. (he insisted on those two)

But I just got fed up with the people lying to the customers just to sell the fish. So...I quit.

Anyways, what smaller fish go really well with angels?

 

[jflowers]

GFY! And any fish that won't fit in thier mouth, though I have only seen angels eat fry, never seen one chomp on a neon.

Jon

 

[parker313]

Neons *can* work just fine. It helps to raise the angels from very young with the neons. Also, a well fed angel won't USUALLY go around chomping on neons just for fun. I'm sure it can happen, but it's pretty rare.

 

[Auratus]

The manager might not have been "lying", he probably just didn't know any better or thought he was right. Cardinals also could have been suggested if the ph was right. I've also never seen a neon eaten by an angel. Did you think that through before you quit?

 

[Sanj]

I have cardinals and they have been fine with what are now medium size angels, but I added them young when cardinals were already present.

It was still good to advice the man with a MAY eat them because that is what thye do in the wild.

Anyway im moving angels out and Discus in

 

[endilliteracy]

That wasn't the only reason I quit. They "switched" my departments without even notifying me in advance. They switched me to maintenance because I "ignored" the customers. That is what my weekend manager said, but when I called my weekday manager she said that wasn't true and they switched me over because they were short-handed.

They also had "large assorted african cichlids" who were starting to get white scales that were poking out. I brought it to their attention and they didn't do anything. The next day 4 or 5 beautiful african cichlids were floating at the top. That got me really angry and I quit after that.

It wasn't just the "lying" (not really lying, but not giving enough information I suppose) about the neons either. He also told me that a common plec would be fine in my 10 gallon. Oh yea, and he said that the botia modesta would be fine in a 10 gal as well.

EDIT: Oh yea, and they had me clean out a "display" bowl for a betta and when I emptied out the water, it stunk up the whole store literally. There were parts of fins and other parts from dead bettas that they didn't bother to clean. They just plopped another betta in the same old water. I cleaned out the water half-way and couldn't do it anymore. The next day the water was all clean and there was a new betta in there. Same bowl, decorations, and gravel though.

 

[skye4jc]

glad my LPS isn't that crule! ugh! im sorry you had to witness such abuse. i work in the fish dept too, and when we have sick fishes we treat them... if we run out of hospital tanks, we isolate thier housing unit from the main system and treat them right in the store front! and our bettas get new water changes once a week. plus, i think you need to know something about fish, or at least be willing to learn... at least in my store in order to work there. i have learned a ton from my manager and collegues... thye really know their stuff!

hey, endilliteracy, maybe you should come work for us!!

 

[a.i.m]

HERES 1 4 U: i got my mate 6 angels for his rio 400ltr, 2 adults and 4 smaller angels. for xmas i bought the same mate 8 rainbow fish, all about 1 1/2 " long.
within a week 1 rainbow fish was left!!!. all were consumed by the angels.

 

[endilliteracy]

Yea, some angels will eat anything they can stick in their mouth, while others only eat the flakes.

Yea, I am currently looking for another job right now. I don't know where to work. The thing is, that was my first job and I can't put it on my previous employment because I quit without 2 weeks notice. Oh well, guess I will just have to start fresh. I'd rather do that then work at a cruel animal store.

 

[endilliteracy]

Oh yea...They don't have any hospital tanks. They basically just let the fish die and just order new ones.

 

[CatLover]

Good job! That's why I have never applied to work at a pet store, even though I would be great for the job. I would be driven insane by the idiots that work there and it would tick me off to the point that I would either quit, or give everyone in the store a piece of my mind and then get fired.

The store you worked at sounds exactly like the Pet Lands here. Those stores are TERRIBLE, and I personally believe the chain should be shut down. We have two Pet Lands in my area and they are both just a like. It's well known around here that both stores have been in deep trouble because of how they treat their animals - yet people STILL shop there. If I absolutely have to, I will buy food and meds from there if no other place (all the other pet stores and Walmart) do not have what I need, but there is no way I would buy a living creature from there.

I'm glad you advised that man though, and I'm sorry your fellow ex-employees didn't care more than they did It's just not right. People like that shouldn't be allowed around pet stores until they learn better.

 

[endilliteracy]

Good job! That's why I have never applied to work at a pet store, even though I would be great for the job. I would be driven insane by the idiots that work there and it would tick me off to the point that I would either quit, or give everyone in the store a piece of my mind and then get fired.

The store you worked at sounds exactly like the Pet Lands here. Those stores are TERRIBLE, and I personally believe the chain should be shut down. We have two Pet Lands in my area and they are both just a like. It's well known around here that both stores have been in deep trouble because of how they treat their animals - yet people STILL shop there. If I absolutely have to, I will buy food and meds from there if no other place (all the other pet stores and Walmart) do not have what I need, but there is no way I would buy a living creature from there.

I'm glad you advised that man though, and I'm sorry your fellow ex-employees didn't care more than they did It's just not right. People like that shouldn't be allowed around pet stores until they learn better.

I know. It gets me very angry, that is why I quit. I buy fish from there, but I order them myself so I get them before they stick them in their death tanks. Although the two blue rams I purchased both had fin rot..I had to buy them and get them out of there before they died. Such pretty fish shouldn't be treated like that...infact ANY fish shouldn't be treated like that. It is just sad. I was so glad when I saw a cop go inside there and right them up a long list of things...I am not sure if it was a ticket but I hoped it was. I usually get my fish from pets mart because they will give you a refund on the fish if it dies within 24 hours. The place I worked at could care less.

My friend worked at Incredible Pets before and he told me not to work there because he quit because they made him take a "sick mouse" and stick it in the freezer and let it die that way. I just kind of shrugged it off and put it my application anyway because I needed the money. Now, I undertstand that they don't really care for any of their animals.

 

[Yenko]

My LFS is far better. Every tank (Except the African and Silver Dollar tanks) is planted, and although they are still a bit overstocked, the fish are in great shape; some of the Tiger Barbs were even spawning in their tank.

On the other hand the wal-mart was selling "assorted africans" with the information that untreated city water would be fine for them. Our local city water has a PH of 6.8 .

 

[lucky62]

Integrity is an admirable trait , good for you for not selling out .

 

[endilliteracy]

They have some plants in some of the tanks and they do clean the gravel time from time. But they don't give meds to sick fish or take them out and put them in a hospital tank. They mix all the cichlids together and classify them as "assorted". They also have some hiding spots for the fish, but not many. Oh and they definately overstock. 6 large african cichlids in about an 8 gallon tank. The cichlids were about 4-5 inches each. They all died from that white scale thing they had.