The ''fish only grows as big as it's tank'' myth

[OohFeeshy]

Whee, it seems all us teens get treated like 2 year olds!!!! I even get treated like that by my parents sometimes.... I had to explain the other day to my dad about bettas.....

So what are you putting in your small tank?
A siamese fighting fish.
What, two?
No, A siamese fighting fish.
A? Not two?
No.... THats why they're called siamese FIGHTING fish!
So not even a male and female?
No, they'd fight too if they didn't breed!
Oh.....

Stupid man.

 

[lilmolly]

What I was thinking in my head was I know your fish did have deformations but you probably didn't know it. But working at a petstore you can't say that to a customer.

Unfortunately, too many people here don't care about that and still berate stores as if the employees had a choice.

Well, where I worked I definately couldn't have got away with that. I once told a customer that the emperor power filter was a much better filter compared to the top fin power filter my 3rd day on the job. Bad move. I got in trouble for that. They never let it go for 7 months after.

 

[OohFeeshy]

LOL TBH I'd get a second job at pets at home just to tell people how really to look after the animals Not that I have a job, i'm way to young.... I can get a paper round but no thanks..... What annoys me is the hypocrysy- They sell 11 litre tanks meant for goldfish that are about 39x29x19 cm. Well, they are made by elite but still... Then they sell goldfish. The smallest variety they do has a label that says 'grows to 18cm'. If you put that goldfish in that tank it couldn't move. So if they grow to the size of the tank, why put size labels on??? For fun? I think not.

 

[lilmolly]

I agree it is very hypacritical. Once someone had bought a 1 gallon tank and wanted to put 2 platies in it. The tank didn't have a filter or a heater. Just a small air stone. I told him the 1inch or fish per gallon general rule. Not getting into too much detail at that point about how the rule doesn't apply to fish that get larger. It didn't have anything to do with his situation that the moment and I didn't want to confuse him with alot of information all at once. Anyway, I told him the platies were 2inch fish and going by that he would have to have at least a 4 gallon tank. Then he went over to how me the tank he bought on the shelf and pointed to the 2 platies on the cover swimming around in that 1 gallon tank. I do sympothize with him, really. So many people get into the hobby with a totally different idea of what fish tanksare about in their heads. Then when someone hits them with the facts, you can just see their faces drop. It's very unfortunate really. I feel for them. It's not their fault that all the adds on TV show goldfish in bowls and other mistreatments like that. It's what they do with the ''real'' information when it comes along.

 

[littlefishie]

I agree with the whole treating teens like we don't know anything crap.

At first that's what it was like at my LFS, especially with the fish manager. His name is John, and he's the most intolerable man EVER. The first day I met him I commented on how ridiculous I thought a SW dog-faced puffer looked. He's hated me ever since, because he has one. I complained they they were carrying painted glass fish and fruit loop tetras once, and he just looked at me and said 'Don't like it, don't buy it.' When I pointed out how many of them were dead in the tanks anyway, I was like 'Why not just avoid ordering them, and not support dyed fish?' He walked away.
I've had a couple other newbie employees there who don't recognize me treat me like I know nothing. I asked a couple of them to move the bettas out of the goldfish tanks, and they looked at me like I was dumb. They were like 'They can live happily together, otherwise they wouldn't be sharing a tank.' At which point either Eric, Israel or Jennifer [my 3 fave employees] would turn around and be like 'Hey, we don't call her the betta girl for nothing. Listen to her and put the damned bettas in their own bowls.'
I actually got a girl fired for her incompetence once.. caught her telling a customer they could keep a 2.5g nano-saltwater with a blue tang. Which, y'know.. can grow up to a foot long. And that he could buy it all today. And put a small piece of live rock in. ..I mentioned that to Eric and Jennifer and the next time I came back the girl was gone. Eric said that once John found out what she was telling the customers he didn't want her there. John's idea is that, if you don't know then ask. If you still don't know, tell the customer you're not sure but you can try to find out. Which isn't so bad I guess, but you'd think he'd educate his employees properly.

Wow.. that was long. And.. yeah. Kinda pointless I think. lol

 

[Paul_MTS]

I hate customers that think that fish grow to the size of there tank. And some people that believe that surprise me.

we have 1 guy at the momnet that comes in he had brought in a load of african cichlids i think and then he started looking at other fish.

he spotted some nice mouth brooders we had in and asked what they were like, i started out with the size of them which was 1ft for that species. I then went on to give a few more details then we went on to say he would have them. before netting them up i asked for the size of the tank and it was a small 3ft or so.

so i tell him his tank is too small then out comes your favourite line....i put him right then let him think of another fish.

When we get customers that believe that straight away i don't want to serve them as you know they scum.

Kind of off the point but some wise guy came in with his wife and i had served her up 3 sucking loach then he goes and says will these be fine with piranahs then...i say no as there soft bobied. he then goes on to say well why did you catch them up with out asking me what they were going with, then saying i guess your just here to catch the fish and take our money which really ticked me off.

so then i say... NO, we are here to give advise to people that need it. he says something else to get on my nerves even more and i said people will ask for advise if they need it and it's your own fault if you don't know what your sure on, if we asked every customer there complete stocking list we would be here all day.

then the wife says...thats shows you don't it!! (referring to the guy)

really pointless long post but got that off me back.

 

[FrAnK3333]

Being a teen to I havent really been treated as if I know crap. But I kinda weed out the lfs I hate and go to the same ones a lot. But yesterday I went to a petshop a little ways a way. Once they knew I was lookign for cockatoo cichlids, which were in the back, the knew I knew waht I was doing. PLus the back had all the rare fish so it was cool. Its ok paul let it out. I plan to work at a lfs this spring w/ a friend.

 

[lilmolly]

Being a teen to I havent really been treated as if I know crap. But I kinda weed out the lfs I hate and go to the same ones a lot. But yesterday I went to a petshop a little ways a way. Once they knew I was lookign for cockatoo cichlids, which were in the back, the knew I knew waht I was doing. PLus the back had all the rare fish so it was cool. Its ok paul let it out. I plan to work at a lfs this spring w/ a friend.

I think I've been lucky in that way. When people do start thinking that I don't know what I'm talking about, like the environment and growth thing, I think it usually isn't because of my age. All the other employees get that samething because it's so common. Most of the time people compliment me on my patience and knowledge. It's the managment that stopped believing I know what I'm talking about. When I go to other petstore they usually just ask me general things like ''do you have a big tank'' and "Are your other fish aggressive?'' when I go get me cichlids. But one store says you have to be 18 to buy fish. I'm almost ninteen and he asked if I had a parent or guardian with me. But that's only predictable because everyone thinks I look 14 anyway. Not his fault.

 

[plecoperson]

I hate smart @$$ customers wher I work in Pets at Home. one customer the other day really annoyed me.

First he was walking about the store eating a bag of mixed nuts, and dropping them all over the floor. But first, the store was incredibly busy and we were short staffed so his wifey came to the till and said we want some fish so I went over and the guy starts cheering sarcastically as though he'd been waiting more than ten minutes. Then he decides he wants angelfish, siamese fighters, neons and barbs in teh same 2 ft tank. so I try to put him right and he's like, ok i want a sucker fish and pointing at the common plecos, and I said look they get too big for your tank, and I show them the display one and he says "how long is it till it gets to that size" so I told him and he was like, well, I want that that that and that. so I wait till he walks away and convince his wife what fish to get. they ended up with some barbs and some little corys.

Like i said, I hate know it all customers. this guy thought he was god's gift to the world.

 

[Yenko]

Except for this one guy, I know more about fish than everyone at my LFS. It's not a bad place as fish stores go; I've actually been offered a job there. They had to retract their offer because I'm not old enough (But I look like it; it's only 6 months away), unfortunately. They still won't refuse sales to morons who put oscars in 10 gallon tanks, but they don't lie about how big things get, wether mollies need salt, ect...

 

[OohFeeshy]

Actually I'd really like a job at a pet shop in the future..... It would be great to get a job in the Emsworth one, half the shop is for fish and the other half is for reptiles... I could help clean out the 15ft pythons