Returning fish to a LFS.. Discussion!

[BettaUK]

Hi All,

I was wondering what the general attitude was to returning fish to a LFS.
I have heard many stories of returned fish being flushed, binned etc.. but surely this doesn't happen at most Stores??

I can under stand a LFS not wishing to return unwanted fish to a sale tank, incase of disease but have always wondered why these returned fish are not added to a display tank (Most stores have them)

Just wondered as I have taken fish back before when i purchased a lot of cardinals and some where neons, i returned the neons and got them exchanged, but the guys dind't float the returned fish just left them on the counter at the back??

Let me know your thoughts please..


Lawrence

 

[SPLiSH]

I've never returned fish to my LFS but my cousin has (she lives in the next street to me so we have the same LFS) and they quarantined the fish and put them back up for sale.

I'd hope a store wouldn't flush the fish!

 

[Maroonostrich]

I brought fish back and have met them still in the suppliers tanks later so I know they were ok.

 

[Snowman]

In NZ it depends on the shop, my fav LFS is very good with returns, trade ins etc and they have heaps of tanks all seperately filtered, another LFS works on one central filter system for freshwater and one for the salt water so is quite reluctant to take returns and definetly no trades. I heard they did a trade in a few years back of a cheapish tropical fish and it cost them around $10,000 in losses because it infected all the other tanks, i prefer buying fish from individually filtered tanks as there is less chance of a problem.

 

[DaveW]

I returned a pair of platies and some babies a week ago. They floated the bag in a tank of platies that where for sale. There was a tank of platies that where not for sale but I did not see which tank they went into.

 

[rdd1952]

I have heard that Walmart flushes them because they don't want to put a sick or diseased fish back in and contaminate their tanks. I found that to be rather funny (in a sad way for the fish) since most of their tanks are already diseased. It's more likely that they do it because they just don't want to be bothered with havning to put it back in. Easier to just take it to the toilet. I would imagine the small, true fish stores would be more likely to introduce them back into the tanks than would the chain LPS.

 

[RandomWiktor]

I suspect it depends on the store, as many have said, as well as the size/age/type of the fish. You can bet your arse that if you bring in a 6 inch long common goldfish, they'll probably dispose of it; it is too big for a feeder, too plain to pass off as a koi, and will probably never get bought. I'm sure they also wouldn't be pleased if you brought in an agressive 7 inch long chinese algae eater; they sell them small for a reason; once they are big, they would show thier true nature, and no one would buy them. However, I'm sure stores would be more than happy to snag some young or baby guppies, a betta in decent condition, or some other animal that they still had a good shot at selling. In fact, many people I know buy livebearers and have an agreement that the store will take back any unwanted offpsring.
Frankly, I'd feel bad returning a fish regardless of what happens to it; many people I've known who returned fish did so because they didn't research the species and found it was incompatible with thier tank or lifestyle. To me, that sounds a lot like irresponsible pet ownership, much like abandoning a cat at a shelter because you decided you got bored with it; like a fish, it might get a good home... or it might just be killed. My general opinion with animals is, once you have 'em - they're yours. If you aren't willing to make the changes right for that animal, it is your personal responsibility to go out and find them a proper home - not just dump it off at the store to be killed, or sold to the next irresponsible jerk who is going to keep it in a bowl because thier kid wanted it.
I have a one year old chinese algae eater who I really, really don't want. He's dirty, he can't be kept with other fish, he isn't pleasant to look at, and I needed to buy him a bigger tank. I did not return him, because it was my fault for getting him before looking into the species. I don't think he should have to be flushed or frozen by Petsmart because of something I did.

 

[UBigBobby]

I brought back my Congo Tetras becuase the Tiger Barbs kept going after them. Next day I was in the store and they were in a take for sale again.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Definately depends. One of the lfs's has a 6ish foot display tank, overstocked a lot but has some blooming nice fish. From what I can remember, last time it has a few silver sharks, some tinfoil barbs, a smallish giraffe catfish, a parrotfish, an ornate birchir, and some stuff I can't remember.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

I took in my predatorial asian upside down catfish in to my lfs and they happily took her and she lives in a tank with large tankmates now. I swapped her for a young golden nugget. I guess she is unusual and rarely seen in this country but they also care about their fish and know I care very much. Not sure I'd forgive them if they mistreated her! As I'm there once or twice a week anyway I would know real fast. Saw her today and she's looking fit and healthy and just as round as she was before joining them.
TBH tho, I'd avoid returning fish where at all possible and never to a place I thought would just dump them.
Hugs,
P.

 

[CFC]

A lot of my fish are ones that had been returned to the shops because their owners could no longer keep them for whatever reasons.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Oh yeah, thats another thing, when I get a nice big tank I'll definately give fish that have been taken back 1st priority

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

^Ditto. 5 of my catfish are those that grew too big for their tanks and got taken to an lfs.
Hugs,
P.

 

[The-Wolf]

I can only comment on what happens at the shop I work in.
Any fish that we take in is sold on.

Just today I persuaded an old lady(must've been at least 70) to bring in her menagerie that she had in a 20 gallon tank, (list below), as she really liked the look of dwarf honey gouramies and said that she was waiting for her current fish to die before buying them.
I said that we would re-home them and let her take the gouramies.

1 6"elephant nose fish
2 6" koi angels
2 3"albino tiger barbs
3 pentazona barbs
2 5" silver sharks
1 6" glass catfish
2 6" golden sucking loach (cae)

Needless to say she was well overstocked

I did a good thing today (pats himself on the back)

 

[GirlinWayside]

Ive never taken any fish back to the LFS so Im not sure what they do around here. We really dont have many nice stores - everything around here is commercial.