Why Dont Fish Stockests Follow The Rules?

[plecostomus-mad]

Here's a thought that is worth a ponder, and maybe one of the forum members owns a fish store and could answer this for me?

Why is it, and rightly so i may add!, that everyone says 1 inch of fish to 1 gallon of water is the standard rule........i understand about filtration and the welfare of the fish..........yet pet store's throw this out the window and heavily over stock there tanks??

last time i was in my lfs there was a 5 inch pleco (which im buying ) with 5 other 2 inch plecs, and a whole bunch of neons! im talking 25-30 easily!! all in a tiny tank. another example is 15+ 2 inch cichlids in a single tiny tank! surley this is wrong?

if i had a 20 litre tank and had 15 cichilds in it id be on the wanted list by the animal welfare team? i know some answers will be '' but there not in there long '' i beg to differ at such a responce! i cant see anyone coming in and buying up 10 in a row with in a few days of them being in the tank.

in another lfs, a well known one in hereford, no names mentioned, they have a 2 foot pleco in a small garden pond moulding that is layerd so when he is at the bottom, there is about 12 inches all around him. its also less than 2 feet deep, if even that much!

this is just my opinion but what are peoples views on all of this?

Mark

 

[Tolak]

Filtration, water quantity and quality. What you often don't see is the sump filtration, which increases water volume. You also don't see the massive water changes made easy by this sort of filtration.

The tanks in shops are a temporary holding facility, not a permanent home. Consider it to be like the waiting room in a large busy doctor's office, airline terminal, or any other busy place. It is just temporary, nobody lives like that. Places like that don't have a single seat bathroom either, multiple stalls to deal with the larger amount of people.

Enhanced equipment, that at first glance you don't see, but is there, and in both situations if it wasn't available there would be problems. Do what I do, try wandering in back to check out their filtration & such. Sometimes they get upset, usually they don't. Learn from it, and apply it to your setup if it applies.

Set up, monitored & maintained properly it is no big deal short term.

 

[plecostomus-mad]

i understand exactly what your saying, but what about the 2ft common pleco?i feel sorry for him tbh. if i had a big enough tank i would buy him without a second thought

i just find it hard to acknowledge the fact that these cramped fish could be like that for a month or so, all depending on demand.i respect that they have huge filtration and water changes, but the same place told me my water was perfect after 1 week of cycling and they used a strip test my dad also said it was ok but i thought the lfs might have known it wasn't! im sure not all lfs's are like this, just the ones built onto garden store's maybe?lol the only real dedicated lfs we have locally is not the best stockist tbh. a number of fish in several tanks were swimming on there side and lying on rocks! so i mentioned it to a member of staff and left sharpish!. they were more concerned about selling me a 250 gbp 120 litre tank! i declined as i knew the other store was a lot cheaper for exactly the same tank and freebies.

it seems most stores are set on fast cash flow rather than looking after the fish they stock properly and the customer.and thats a shame. i think people who work, own a lfs should have vast knowledge and experience in the field.i know this topic has arisen before but its somthing that needs to be addressed often in my opinion.

 

[Tolak]

You also have to understand the mindset of many shops. To you, those fish are pets, to them they are product, no different than a shop selling fast food or car tires. Is it right, no. It's tough to find a good shop with the mindset of a hobbyist. These are the ones you should spend your money at when you find them.

They do want to keep those fish alive, a loss of product is a loss of profit. Beyond that they are in it to make money, and they have to be competitive. If they stocked at 1/3 the rate usually seen they would have to charge considerably more for the fish. Most people won't buy that, they will go the cheaper route for the same product. To keep staff with considerable knowledge they have to pay more, another increase in price. Most people won't pay $30 for a fish they can get nearby for $10 based on shop stocking & staff knowledge. The shops know this.

 

[rebrn]

I know what you are saying and have thought that myself many times. However, it is like the others said LFS are a for profit business. You could say the same thing with regards to the cats and dogs pet stores sell, or at animal shelters. No one, or at least I hope, keeps there cat or dog in a 2 foot square cage 24 hours a day. But to provide an "ideal" home for any amimal in a pet store setting just isn't cost effective. It just isn't feesable on many levels including cost and space. I hear what you are saying and wish it would change for all animals, not just fish, but as long as pets are a money making business the practice will continue.

 

[Gurglar]

I see where your coming from but if they went by the rules to keep happy fish to live there entire life it would be way to expensive for them to stay in business or every fish shop would jack up there prices a hell of alot to keep themselves in business and you would be paying alot more for the fish.

 

[marksayer10@tiscali.co.uk]

well said TOLAK. totally explained well. i totally agree with what TOLAK say's