Does the LFS Lie on Purpose?

njbillyv

njbillyv

Member
I've probably spent twice as much money on this hobby because of bad advice my LFS has given me over the years. We all know the stories. I've started wondering if they do it on purpose or do they just not know what they're talking about.
You tell the LFS that you have a bucket of salt water and a desk lamp and you want to buy some coral and their eyes light up. Then it dies and they sell you a test kit or some additive and then more coral. Makes me wonder.
Just sayin...
 
reefkprz

reefkprz

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///t/390882/does-the-lfs-lie-on-purpose#post_3463715
I believe there are probably a few bad apples but in my experience most do want you to succeed.
I agree.
most want you to succeed since repeat customers are the mainstay of pet stores. but you have to keep in mind the going wages of pet store employees, your not likely to find a marine biologist with a phd in marine sciences working the local fish section, just an aspiring youth that loves fish and isn't scared of working for minimum wage. they can only tell you what they "know" which a lot of the time is either incorrect or simply undereducated about the subject at hand, and can only advise you as far as what the "store" reccomends, which is often at odds with practical knowledge. very few are actively malicious handing out bad advice. some are simnply set in their ways in the days of bio balls and non skimming etc. (nothing wrong with bio balls by the way if you use them correctly).
I find it humorous at times the advice the LFS employees try to feed me. its usually the new guys since the ones who have worked in the stores for a while all get to know me fairly fast. the latest "gem" I was handed was, "oh its fine to add your cleanup crew on day one of starting your cycle" like a cuc is immune to ammonia spiking. I told them there is nothing in the tank but sand, and they said "oh there is plenty of food in the sand" not bothering to ask what type of sand or anything of that sort.... I used sterile play sand dead devoid of organic matter ther is nothing in that sand to eat LOLZ. it was simple ignorance and the desire to help me get my tank going not maliciousness.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by reefkprZ http:///t/390882/does-the-lfs-lie-on-purpose#post_3463844
I agree.
most want you to succeed since repeat customers are the mainstay of pet stores. but you have to keep in mind the going wages of pet store employees, your not likely to find a marine biologist with a phd in marine sciences working the local fish section, just an aspiring youth that loves fish and isn't scared of working for minimum wage. they can only tell you what they "know" which a lot of the time is either incorrect or simply undereducated about the subject at hand, and can only advise you as far as what the "store" reccomends, which is often at odds with practical knowledge. very few are actively malicious handing out bad advice. some are simnply set in their ways in the days of bio balls and non skimming etc. (nothing wrong with bio balls by the way if you use them correctly).
I find it humorous at times the advice the LFS employees try to feed me. its usually the new guys since the ones who have worked in the stores for a while all get to know me fairly fast. the latest "gem" I was handed was, "oh its fine to add your cleanup crew on day one of starting your cycle" like a cuc is immune to ammonia spiking. I told them there is nothing in the tank but sand, and they said "oh there is plenty of food in the sand" not bothering to ask what type of sand or anything of that sort.... I used sterile play sand dead devoid of organic matter ther is nothing in that sand to eat LOLZ. it was simple ignorance and the desire to help me get my tank going not maliciousness.
+1....
Also people judge things by the way they do things themselves. When I was starting out I had a fellow ask me if I EVER cleaned my freshwater tank, that I was converting to SW...with windex window cleaner.
The answer was yes...so the man said I need a whole new tank, that the stuff in windex is absorbed by the glass. I laughed and told him that if the glass was poison my fish would be long dead because of the stuff my kids have rubbed all over the outside of the tank. He insisted and I got irritated, I truely believed at the time he was deliberatly trying to sell me a tank I didn't need.
Turned out he was a Saphardic Jew, to keep Kosher they also have a set of glasses for meat and dairy because they believe that glass is like ceramic, and absorbs the taste from one food to the next. He took that belief into his fish keeping thoughts.
 
S

siptang

Guest
I think they lie to get into your wallet.
Well... not all of them.. but they are uneducated and ignorant so they give out bad advises. But working at min. wage, you shouldn't expect too much from these teens. After throwing away couple of hundred dollars, I always searched and life has been pretty alright so far.
 
njbillyv

njbillyv

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siptang http:///t/390882/does-the-lfs-lie-on-purpose#post_3463943
I think they lie to get into your wallet.
Well... not all of them.. but they are uneducated and ignorant so they give out bad advises. But working at min. wage, you shouldn't expect too much from these teens. After throwing away couple of hundred dollars, I always searched and life has been pretty alright so far.
The most trouble I had when I first got into this was not with some novice teen, but the owner of the place. Trouble was I trusted him and mostly blamed myself, you know the learning curve and all that. Needless to say I don't go there anymore (not for years) but I still think he was playing me at the expense of fish and coral. IMHO if you own a salt water specific LFS you should be able to properly help your customers with this complicated hobby.
 
S

siptang

Guest
+1. You should know inside and out of what you are selling.
I know 100% of my jewelry inside and out. I know where it's made, what % of gold, silver, platinum, quality, coloration, grade of which company and the history of the diamond. (I'm against blood diamonds, even though they are cheaper) You have to be educated and that's what makes you different from the other competition and that's what professionalism is all about. That store owner sounds like a dunce to me and sorry to hear that he put the blame game on you.
 
fishmaster78

fishmaster78

Member
Help curve yourself from being screwed by the lfs and make sure to do the proper amount of research of what you're looking for or what you're wanting to know. I know that when I started into this hobby I had no clue what to ask and what I was looking for or what fish goes with what or which coral and how much light, so on and so forth. However, with the help of this site and doing the proper research before impulse buying I turned to this forum and found endless amount of help from the moderators and members that are more knowledgeable than most lfs owners/employees. The best thing about this site is you can type in any question and usually someone has asked the question here before. Best of luck and only trust your own research and knowledge.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
I really think it depends on the store and staff. Almost all of the stores in my area really do try to help and for the most part are very knowledgeable. There is one store that is really unethical and will say anything to make a dime. It's sad that there are stores like this out there, but ultimately, it's a business where the consumer has to be knowledgeable.
 
njbillyv

njbillyv

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///t/390882/does-the-lfs-lie-on-purpose#post_3464210
I really think it depends on the store and staff. Almost all of the stores in my area really do try to help and for the most part are very knowledgeable. There is one store that is really unethical and will say anything to make a dime. It's sad that there are stores like this out there, but ultimately, it's a business where the consumer has to be knowledgeable.
Once you get into it you realize the amount of research required, but at the beginning, it's really hard to understand. You hear it's tricky and time consuming, but hey it's a fish tank how hard can it be right? My LFS, who OWNS the store and has done this forever, sold me everything the first day, including fish...$$$$ Mixed salt with tap water, had no idea about the plumbing, just here you go good luck! I didn't even know what coral was. He should have explained everything to me and if I insisted on buying everything said no.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
hey stdreb, i dont go to fish2morrow .all their fish always have ich.the owner is a d+++. true percula in arlington is good to buy supplies they have prices comparable to the internet.they always have alot of hard to get fish but their fish prices are double there.i love going to franks tanks in s. fort worth.i dont buy fish from him but i have bought probably $1000 worth of corals.he has some nice corals but dont carry many fish.also he has the aqua vitro salt there.plus he is a really cool dude to talk with.
 
stdreb27

stdreb27

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/390882/does-the-lfs-lie-on-purpose#post_3464248
hey stdreb, i dont go to fish2morrow .all their fish always have ich.the owner is a d+++. true percula in arlington is good to buy supplies they have prices comparable to the internet.they always have alot of hard to get fish but their fish prices are double there.i love going to franks tanks in s. fort worth.i dont buy fish from him but i have bought probably $1000 worth of corals.he has some nice corals but dont carry many fish.also he has the aqua vitro salt there.plus he is a really cool dude to talk with.
I went there a couple of times, and was really amazed at his selection of SPS. Where is frag tanks? I"ve not heard of them.
 
jerth6932

jerth6932

Active Member
Was too lazy to really read it all within depth, but it boils down to what we believe and are willing to try. NOT a single one of us know it all.... sorry snake.... And as most of us know, there are plenty of ways to accomplish the same task in this hobby. So, bad advice, it happens, some times willingly and some times because it "didn't work for me". Take for example, aptasia can be controlled by a copperband, I tried one and it died within 3 1/2 weeks. OTHERS, have successfully kept copperbands with out incident, for years. So bad advice, no.... Did it work for me? No. Am I mad at LFS for suggesting them to try? No. Cause it could of worked..... Now if I was told to use an angel fish, to control my aptasia, and it took out my expensive acans or scoly, NOW that would be bad advice, because they don't eat aptasia.
Long rant short, it is up to the hobbyist to sort through the BS, giving them self the knowledge they need to accomplish the task.
 
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