Wow I see a lot of folks can relate to my incidence. I have made comments to others since then but have gotten positive responses. For example, I was at another LFS the other day and they were really crowded and I was just observing the tanks and overheard a kid telling his mom how pretty a blue linkia was. The mom asked if that's what he wanted and of course he said yes and that's when my mouth opened again. I asked how old the tank was and how much rock they had. They said that the tank was 75g and had been setup for two weeks. She also said that they only currently had a few pieces of rock. That's when I said the linkia was a no no. I said they needed more rock and please let the tank mature more. I said that they aren't easy to keep and it would surely die in their new tank. She said thanks and asked what could they get. I said nothing right now since the tank was so new and to let it cycle first. She asked what was that. Anyway, I went into a lot of details and the conversation ended with a big thank you and she got my phone number in case she needed more info. I also referenced this message board. Well to say the least, I felt good about opening my mouth this time around and feel like a might have saved a linkia for the time being.
I am really not the sort of person who likes to butt into other people's business but I really do love saltwater and I just feel like more responsible information needs to be given out. I also want people to stick with this hobby so if people can learn the right way and keep things alive, they will more than likely stay in the hobby. Otherwise, they may get frustrated and quit.
by my question and his answer was a tap dancing 'not sure'. When another salesman approached he was asked what it was. When he said it was coralline algae it was quite funny to watch the guy squirm and quickly go 'help' someone else. Good thing is I know who NOT to ask for help.
