Sad fish stories

[Kopix Nation]

This topic is about stories of fish stores and what they do to sell fish....even if it is not right..

My story is when I went to the local fish store (NOT WHERE I WORK) I saw this little girl buying some firemouth cichlids.. I asked her what she planed to do with them. She said she was going to put them in her 10 g community aquarium with some african cichlids!! Before I could tell her the error of her ways she skipped off with the bag of three firemouths!! The bag was shaking all over the place.... I bet those fish did not live to see the end of the trip home........

claire

 

[MegTheFish]

Yaa, a place to let out my anger without creating another thread, good idea. Mawhahahaha....

I was at, oh you'll NEVER guess, Walmart, doing a "well-ness" check on their fish (I've written to the manager several times, I'm so happy my dad works with his wife, it comes in handy! )and a couple and their kids held a bag of 3 goldfish, and AFTER they had them bagged and all, they looked at the tank section. Wouldn't you pick out a tank FIRST before bagging the golfish? I have more horror stories; bag of dead goldfish in the sink (do you guys NOT have a toilet or a garbage bag?), bettas with only half of their tails, female bettas in with huge sailfin mollies ( ), and theres more where that came from.

 

[Kopix Nation]

do the sailfin mollies try to mate with the bettas??

claire

 

[MegTheFish]

LoL! I hope they wouldn't! The poor bettas were getting beat up a little though I don't think they carry female bettas anymore, thank God.

 

[Kopix Nation]

Well just woundering... I could happen!!! The male molly could get mixed up and mate with the wronge female..... Though I don't think anything would happen.

claire

 

[RandomWiktor]

I was just at Petsmart the other day, and if you know the store, they use smaller betta cups that wallmart or even petco. They do usually seem to keep the fish in decent condition, but it is not something you can keep a betta in long-term. While I was there, getting my new chocolate colored boy, a couple came up looking to get a betta. They were carrying one of those betta 'habitats' that holds about a cup of water, but when the girl saw the roughly HALF cup of water the store bettas came in, she said "Well why are we getting this if we can just keep it in the cup?" So she puts the crappy little thing back and grabs the cup. I then pointed out to her that bettas need an absolute bare minimum of 1 gallon to be happy and healthy... she ignored me, and bought it with no tank...

 

[Kopix Nation]

That sounds horrible!!poor betta!!

claire

 

[smooth_bourbon]

The petsmart here keeps them in the itty bitty cups too. Which is always sad but, even worse is how many of the little guys jump to their deaths. Everytime I am in there another one is laying on the shelf next to the cups all dried up.

 

[Durbkat]

I was at a wal*mart out of town and went to the fish section and this lady came back their picked up a 1/2g or 1g bowl some gravel and got a lady to come back their and after she said what she wanted she picked out 2 gold gouramis and a bala shark and I was like I hope she isn't planning on putting those fish in their and I asked her and she said yes. Then I was like and I said you can't put those fish in their. And she said why not? So I said thats those two fish right their (the gouramis) need a tank size of at least 10g and that silver fish (bala shark) needs at least a 100g because they get up to 18" long and you need 3 of them, plus they all need a filter and heater. So she said thanks put the bowl and the gravel back on the shelf and left and the lady that was going to sell the fish gave me this nasty look as if she was saying how dare you scare off a sale like that. So I gave her a smile and walked away thinking at least I saved some fish from a quick and painfull death. Then at my lps I saw that they had taken back a oscar that was about 8" long 5" tall and they had it in a 10g with another oscar that was only 3" to 4" long with it. Then in their angel tank they had taken back a 10" to 12" common pleco. Then a few days later when I went back their to return one of my sick fish that they sold to me and I didn't notice until I got him home I asked what happened to the huge oscar and pleco and they said don't ask. So after I left I felt said for those fish and they didn't even give them a chance to get sold.

 

[jolaf]

I live closest toa Petco store which I thought was conveinent. Every single fish I have ever gotten from there died. Anyway, when I went to a Petsmart north of where I lvie now the tanks are gorgeous. Anyway, I went to the petco yesterday to get a testing kit wehre I saw the guy that kept trying to tell me about fish and he was selling a few tadpoles. Now I know tadpoles are not alot to get excited about but he was telling the people their 10 gallon would be fine for the tadpoles It was kind of the last straw for me so I walked over looked at the tanks and said ...Oh my why are the fish all dead around most of the filters? Apparently this store does not have a fish person to care for the tanks? Then I said why do you sell tadpoles to people when they turn into frogs they need an exit from the water they cannot live under water? The people then initiated a conversation and said nevermind to the guy. He was looking at me really mean and when the peopel left he said to me We have a nicest tanks in town. I said no you don't you sell sick fish and need to become knowledgable about the fish you have so people that do not know can trust and come back. He said whatever go soemwhere else. I answered I already am

I was at a wal*mart out of town and went to the fish section and this lady came back their picked up a 1/2g or 1g bowl some gravel and got a lady to come back their and after she said what she wanted she picked out 2 gold gouramis and a bala shark and I was like I hope she isn't planning on putting those fish in their and I asked her and she said yes. Then I was like and I said you can't put those fish in their. And she said why not? So I said thats those two fish right their (the gouramis) need a tank size of at least 10g and that silver fish (bala shark) needs at least a 100g because they get up to 18" long and you need 3 of them, plus they all need a filter and heater. So she said thanks put the bowl and the gravel back on the shelf and left and the lady that was going to sell the fish gave me this nasty look as if she was saying how dare you scare off a sale like that. So I gave her a smile and walked away thinking at least I saved some fish from a quick and painfull death. Then at my lps I saw that they had taken back a oscar that was about 8" long 5" tall and they had it in a 10g with another oscar that was only 3" to 4" long with it. Then in their angel tank they had taken back a 10" to 12" common pleco. Then a few days later when I went back their to return one of my sick fish that they sold to me and I didn't notice until I got him home I asked what happened to the huge oscar and pleco and they said don't ask. So after I left I felt said for those fish and they didn't even give them a chance to get sold.

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[dwarfgourami]

Was in Petsathome today and saw several beautiful but oh-so-inbred green cobra guppies all dead or dying in the same tank from the most advanced case of finrot I've ever seen. What was left of their tails was transparent. And they couldn't even be bothered to fish the dead one out. I've asked them to do that in the past and the girl told me it was good for the fish to eat their dead "they do that in the wild". Yeah sure, and of course the customers find it reassuring to know that they'll be taking home every single parasite or bacteria that was ever in the tank.

While I was there, the phone rang and I heard the girl twittering on to some customer about a pregnant fish ("oh yes, if she is at that stage, we have a breeder net you can put her in, it will help her to ...err...breed").

I will say, though, that the blokes who work there seem knowledgeable and helpful.

 

[Kopix Nation]

Today at incredapat I saw 7 osphernemus gourmis in a 20 gallon tank!!! They were still babies but come on the things get to be 34" long!!!

claire

 

[cyprinut]

If baby elephants were only 6 inches tall, chain pet stores would sell them and idiots would buy them.

 

[Fella]

Today at incredapat I saw 7 osphernemus gourmis in a 20 gallon tank!!! They were still babies but come on the things get to be 34" long!!!

claire

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Thats not so bad. Petstores dont sell baby oscars in 125 gallon tanks...

 

[Kopix Nation]

They are gouramis not oscars!

claire