When Buying Fish...

Eines · May 27, 2009

It suddenly struck me, that, considering all the fish I have ever bought, the person selling me the fish has never once asked about me or my aquarium. :unsure:

Now I'm not naive or stupid, and I realize that people are only trying to make money, but even the petstores that I trust have never even asked. Just bag the fish and off you go. It seems so simple and logical just to ask if the person even has an aquarium to house the fish. So I was just wondering if anyone else has had a better experience. Is it different outside of Germany?

hensonc4098 · May 27, 2009

Our LFS will check aquarium sizes with you if you are wanting to buy something that will grow fairly big or will ask about tankmates for things that will bully or get bullied.
The big pet stores don't ask though - I don't think they care all that much to be honest.

minxfishy · May 27, 2009

The stores I use the most, tend to know me now, but originally they used to ask for tank size mainly and occassionally what else was in the tank. Now they just go, 'oh you know what your doing' and let me get on with it.

Other places, dont ask a thing or you get some upstart who doesnt have a clue themselves question me and say stupid stuff, which just annoys me and I just assure them I know way more than they do :lol:

saz326 · May 27, 2009

Perhaps you have the appearence of somone who knows what they're doing. Or you go there often enough for them to recognise you and so they relax their questions around you.

I have found that if you say suitable things at the time of buying like "what is the store waters pH/temp?" or "Oh, I'd like that male and the 2 females in the corner", then the staff reconise that you are aware of various things and are likely to know (or at least think you know) what you're doing.

I have always been asked in placed like Seapets how mature my aquarium is when I have bought some of the more sensitive tetras like neons.

But I do agree, commercial "general pet" places like pets at home (I know they're all comercial!) do seem to differ to Hobby places like a proper/dedicated aquatics centre (i.e. Maidenhead aquatics).

Eines · May 27, 2009

Wow, well, it's good to know there are still some people that care. lol.

Perhaps you have the appearence of somone who knows what they're doing. Or you go there often enough for them to recognise you and so they relax their questions around you.

That was what worried me. There's this small petstore I go to a lot and I trust them, because they always answer all my question very well and their fish are healthy, but they've never asked me about my aquarium when I purchased a fish. I suppose you're right though, they probably recognize me.

oliesminis · May 27, 2009

Most lfs near me ask, the one i visit most doesnt now though because they know my tanks and what im doing.

Ive found maidenhead aquatics to take the most care ove there fish.

Eines · May 27, 2009

I'll have to remember that name.

karigupi · May 27, 2009

I think i've been asked most times i've brought fish, what will their tank mates be, tank size etc.

Mr Spoon · May 27, 2009

A lfs i go to asked me size of tank, whether its planted and how many fish are in it and how long has it been set up for. i give them 9 out of 10 as they didn't ask what type of fish i already have.

snowflake311 · May 27, 2009

When I go in knowing what I want and don't ask question they don't ask. But I have seen them ask people that are unsure about what fish to get. So sometimes they do other times they don't. Petsmart and petco never ask.

Amunet · May 27, 2009

We've never gotten asked tank size or tankmates whenever we've just gotten fish.
Now if we ask a question about something that may deal w/ tank size, or tankmates... then we've been asked.
I have heard some employees in different stores asking people tank size, what fish they had, etc etc, but I don't know if the customer had previously asked something or not.

indigoj · May 27, 2009

Our pets at home are pretty decent - I bought a 6" gibbiceps recently and they asked what tank it was going in and what tank mates. I've seen them do this often including showing the 10"+ plecs to people considering buying them at 2". They also took a lot of my baby bristlies in the past (for store credit)

I've found most I go to know me now so don't tend to ask but they did at first.

locker · May 27, 2009

At P@H Chelmsford (Essex) you get interrogated.

My Mum and Sister had fallen in love with a Betta went through the questionnaire then after 5 minutes the guy who was serving us said

"You can't have that one it is being treated for disease"

Locker

fry_forever! · May 27, 2009

No, none of the petstores ask: not even the LFS. I've had Petland ask me before, and actually CORRECT me! (Though they shouldn't be, because I know more about fish than they do....) But, yeah, petstores (around my house.) suck.