michelle13
Member
LFS guy: On the nitrates you don't need to worry until they reach 150 ppm....then it might just hurt your inverts. Fish don't care about nitrates.
Me: Complete Shock!
Me: Complete Shock!
Dumb Things I've Heard At My LFS
- Thread starter barry769
- Start date
ophiura
Active Member
Originally posted by Lebowski
Or this one which I love
me: YOu guys ever get any linkias in here?
dude: No they always die, you can't keep them
me: well that's why theres the experienced.
haha
IMO, any LFS that recognizes that the animals have a dismal survival record and stops carrying said animal can't be all that bad.
The fact is, the majority of them die. Most die in a month. A large percentage of the survivors die within a year of introduction.
Experience is somewhat irrelevant with this species, unfortunately. The most experienced hobbyists currently keeping a smaller tank will probably watch a Linckia die.
As an aside, where do I post the "stupid things customers have asked me?" (I've been keeping tanks for years, and I just come out an buy a dozen fish at a time, and then they die off...so now its time to restock")
jim672
Member
I went to an LFS and saw a beautiful goniopora. I was very inexperienced with corals and asked the LFS "SW Specialist" if there were any special care requirements and if they were easy to keep. His answer:"If you can't keep a goniopora, you can't keep any corals."
I put this animal in a relatively new tank under NO lighting. Two weeks later I had a very dead, $35 goniopora.
Jim
I put this animal in a relatively new tank under NO lighting. Two weeks later I had a very dead, $35 goniopora.
Jim
marco333
Member
I was at my ldfs, (local dead fish store)(*****) and they had a picture of a blue linka star above one of their tanks. It was a real bad tank with dead clownfihs in it, and about 20 live clowns, of different types. I looked for the linkia, but couldnt find it. FInally i saw it in the back of the tank all shriviled and melting. I told the fish guy that he shouldnt order it cause his tanks dont have good enough water quality, and he said "o my tanks are great! the starfish probably had somthing wrong with it that i couldnt control" 
dfishh
Member
hey marc i remember that!lol but how bout this one a while ago in fact. i was kinda talking to myself and the electrician guy who was replacing their litebulbs overherd
ME that volitan lion looks really cool i wonder if they would kill any of my fish
ELECTRICIAN GUY no they r very peeceful. they wouldnt attack anything but a feeder that was much smaller than them
ME o reall? arent they venomeous tough?
ELECTRICAIN ye kinda but if you took ur thumb and jammed it onto one of its spines, the worst u would get was a little bee sting, thats it, its not really VENEMOUS
then all the sudden the lfs guy comes strolin by and...
ME how about that volitan lion?
LFS GUY well those r quite agressive, and will atack any fish that swims by it in a way that it sees as aggresive. it may kill every fish in ur tank, depending on wat kind. they r really venemous so i wouldnt touch it anywhere.
I was just like, uhhhhhh ok, who do i beleive?
another time......same lfs, much later, new lfs guy
me and my frends were jsut lookin at all the saltwater fish, mostly agresive and live feeders, when the lfs guy comes over with sum feeder gupies. he throws sum in for the harlequin tusks, then the lion. then, of course to show off, he puts his hand in the lion tank, while its hunting, and then pets the LION! wat an idiot. first of all, he could have damaged the stress coat, and coulda got stung. i wanted to smak him he was so stupid!
DAVE
ME that volitan lion looks really cool i wonder if they would kill any of my fish
ELECTRICIAN GUY no they r very peeceful. they wouldnt attack anything but a feeder that was much smaller than them
ME o reall? arent they venomeous tough?
ELECTRICAIN ye kinda but if you took ur thumb and jammed it onto one of its spines, the worst u would get was a little bee sting, thats it, its not really VENEMOUS
then all the sudden the lfs guy comes strolin by and...
ME how about that volitan lion?
LFS GUY well those r quite agressive, and will atack any fish that swims by it in a way that it sees as aggresive. it may kill every fish in ur tank, depending on wat kind. they r really venemous so i wouldnt touch it anywhere.
I was just like, uhhhhhh ok, who do i beleive?
another time......same lfs, much later, new lfs guy
me and my frends were jsut lookin at all the saltwater fish, mostly agresive and live feeders, when the lfs guy comes over with sum feeder gupies. he throws sum in for the harlequin tusks, then the lion. then, of course to show off, he puts his hand in the lion tank, while its hunting, and then pets the LION! wat an idiot. first of all, he could have damaged the stress coat, and coulda got stung. i wanted to smak him he was so stupid!
DAVE
hhands361
Member
When I bought my yellow tang at *****, dont ask me why....., It was the only healthy looking one in the tank. Problem was there was about 12 of them in the tank and it couln't have been any more than 20 gallons, proably less. Im betting all those poor tangs died in less than a week.
hhands361
Member
Heres a FW story.
I bought this bottom feeder called a Spotted Rafael, and didn't really know much about it other than it was a bottom feeder. (duh) While at this lfs I asked the guy who had some Rafaels in the store what the ate, etc. and he described it. Then he said "Did ya know that these things croak when their scared?" I was like "not really, no" and they guy said "watch" and he grabbed a fish, wedged his finger in its mouth, and pulled it out of the water to let us alll hear its croak of deperation to survive. I was appalled
I bought this bottom feeder called a Spotted Rafael, and didn't really know much about it other than it was a bottom feeder. (duh) While at this lfs I asked the guy who had some Rafaels in the store what the ate, etc. and he described it. Then he said "Did ya know that these things croak when their scared?" I was like "not really, no" and they guy said "watch" and he grabbed a fish, wedged his finger in its mouth, and pulled it out of the water to let us alll hear its croak of deperation to survive. I was appalled
jillian ayers
Member
Another not so good story: I am currently working at an lfs in my town, and the fish are all treated great in the store, and so are all the reptiles, but the cats he keeps there, the mice,and the rats are bad off. Of course, the cats are the owner's and he usually keeps them fed and watered but has no problem with letting them go a day or two without cat food, should he run out. The mice sometimes go for days without water and often longer without food. When he does feed them, which he doesn't, I do, he tells me to only give them cat food and has never made a trip to get any actual mouse or rat food. He also refuses to change their bedding, and wouldn't buy anymore until I practically begged him to. Same thing with the rats. They were actually eating off of a decomposing member of their own to survive. It was disgusting. I don't know what would happen if I ever stopped working there. Ugh!
jillian ayers
Member
Tell me about it, for the time being, I will be quiet, however, if I ever lose my job there, I will do just that. For now, I am keeping the animals alive. Thank God for people who care.
ophiura
Active Member
Jillian,
What a tough bind you are in...but you said yourself that you are not able to feed or care for everything because he refuses to buy some basic items, even though you want to. It is a great thing you are there, but it may be better if he was investigated or out of business. There is a petstore here that also had a bit of press pressure put on them to clean up. Maybe you could call the ASPCA for advice. Say you don't want to give your name or anything, but you have information, or have someone call for you. Maybe it would be best if he lost his ability to sell certain animals that he doesn't take care of...
I know you must be kinda scared about the whole situation. But sometimes it takes some bravery to stick up for these animals...and to make sure this guy can't get any more animals in there.
Also, for alternative jobs, have you looked into working at Moody Gardens?
What a tough bind you are in...but you said yourself that you are not able to feed or care for everything because he refuses to buy some basic items, even though you want to. It is a great thing you are there, but it may be better if he was investigated or out of business. There is a petstore here that also had a bit of press pressure put on them to clean up. Maybe you could call the ASPCA for advice. Say you don't want to give your name or anything, but you have information, or have someone call for you. Maybe it would be best if he lost his ability to sell certain animals that he doesn't take care of...
I know you must be kinda scared about the whole situation. But sometimes it takes some bravery to stick up for these animals...and to make sure this guy can't get any more animals in there.
Also, for alternative jobs, have you looked into working at Moody Gardens?
joerdie
Member
anyone that lives in cincinnati will know who this next story is about. there is this exotics store near the river (he is constantly getting in trouble for selling crack out of the store) and he offers to water test for free. so i go in and dip a bowl of water out of HIS tanks and tell him its mine. amonia 30ppm, nitrite 50ppm, nitrate OFF THE CHART!!!!! he then procedes to tell me that i am killing my tank but wants to know if i am interested in buying anything anyway THAT DAY!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH
nutindeadyet
New Member
I recently went into a lfs and asked if they had any live sand. She pointed me in the direction of the crushed coral bags. I told her I was looking for real live sand. She then asked "Why do I need it and What is it?" I explained it to her and she'd never heard of that, but that she has sand in her tank. A few minutes later I overheard another girl to ask that girl about saltwater fish because she was the expert in the store.