local pet store tanks question

mikeo5422

mikeo5422

Member
hi

i have been reading around for a day or two now and i decided to go to the local pet store to have a look at their setups. When i got their i was shocked...their tanks look NOTHING like any of the tanks on the forums here. They are all covered with some green algae...it covers all the "live rock" that they have, the sides of the aquariums, and the sand. Is this normal? I thought live rock was supposed to have a variety of organisms growing out of it. there is literally nothing buy green algae. I have also noticed that they dont have any devices that generate any kind of current. honestly it looks filthy compared the tanks on these forums and i dont think im going to buy ANY fish from them when i actually learn this stuff
. but about that green algae..is it normal to have algae like that in tank?
 
nano-newb1983

nano-newb1983

Active Member
its normal to get, but you would think they would clean it. Huge turn off to the customers. I agree dont buy from them, hard tell what else is floating around in there
 
misty927

misty927

Member
I agree...any LFS that is actively taking care of its tanks and monitoring its water parameters shouldn't have that much of a problem. Sounds very unprofessional to me. I would recommend doing what many people on this site do who don't have a reputable LFS nearby...buy online! I have bought many, many things from this site and have never had any deaths upon arrival or soon afterward...I can't say as much for my local LFS and they don't sound near as horrific as yours.
 
shaggyblz

shaggyblz

Member
+1. Wouldn't buy from them. Haven't had near as many health problems from SWF.com as I have had from my LFS.
 
mikeo5422

mikeo5422

Member
ty for the info. also the live rocks are supposed to have all sorts of life in them yes? not be bare white and covered with green algae ?
 
-tara33-

-tara33-

Member
it depends on what for, is the rock in a display tank with corals and fish ect, or is it for sale, personally i dont let my tanks at work get covered in algae im always doing maintenance but if its the rock for sale then, for example we get three different types of rock, we get classic green base rock wich is the cheapest and it comes in with different types of algae, and then we get the red stuff wich dosnt have algae cos its off a further out reef and then we get fiji rock wich is also good quality, but it sounds to me that this shop dosnt have a satwater expert working there, every shop should have a marine person on hand that only deals with marine, see if they have one and ask them why there tanks are dirty lol see what they say
 
-tara33-

-tara33-

Member
well it depends, angel fish just happen to swim sideways its just the way angels swim, unless it looks sick. espesialy large angels they will lie down on the sand and swim upside down sometimes but its quite normal.
 
ilovemytank

ilovemytank

Member
Originally Posted by MikeO5422
http:///forum/post/2825754
i will also ask them why their koran angel fish is swimming sideways

Although algea is easy to get it, I agree with the post above about that being a huge turn off and generally does mean that the tanks aren't well cared for. Therefore I wouldn't ask a question about that fish. The guy might sound so convincing in his sales pitch that he talks to into beleaving him and the reason why so much algea. Some people can be smooth talkers. The knowledge and benefits of hobiest like on this site atre the best you can get because they are fellow hobiest and have nothing to gain from it. Also this site and a couple others have arrive alive and 15 day guarantees that they are very good with.
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
i wouldn't be afraid to buy a fish or coral from them if it was a nice one at a decent price.
local stores are only midway points for these animals. they are temporary holding tanks.
most stores have teenage kids working there that don't know a clown from a goldfish.
why would that deter you from buying from them? just do your research FIRST.
when you buy online, you can't see the fish you are choosing. you can't see if it's eating. i'm not against buying online, but you are better off seeing the specimen in person.
especially when it comes to corals. we just did a group buy on our local forum and some of the corals that came in, i wouldn't have purchased, had i seen them first. others, were more than i would have imagined.
as for 15 day guarantees, if you have a fish shipped to you, and it dies a week later, that's YOUR fault, not the online vendors, unless of course it's cyanide poisoning or something like that, which can happen no matter where you purchase your livestock. chances are, if the fish is looking good when you buy him, he's ok, and not poisoned.
people, ALL lfs's and online vendors purchase their livestock from the same 20 or 30 wholesale companies, which most of, are based in LA, just about 5 minutes from LAX. those companies purchase their livestock from a few main collectors in the islands, where these creatures come from.
you should worry more about the looks and behavior the fish or coral is exhibiting, than the amount of algae is on the rocks in the tank it's in.
 
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