Why Petland, WHY?

craig_08 · Jul 31, 2003

I went to Petland yesterday because they are the only LFS that will take trades for a decent return. I have an aggressive FO tank with a blue tang and while the fish are all still small I didn't want the tang to be stressed with the triggers and puffers. With that said I took the 1" blue tang and traded him for a 2-3" lunare wrasse. This is where the nightmare begins. He first off acclimated this fragile fish by putting him in a plastic container with my water then dipping it in one of the tanks to fill it off (about 70 my water 30 theirs in 5 seconds is a little stressful). He then dropped him in a tank 5 minutes later with a 3" yellow tang and a puffer. By the time I left the tang still hadn't gotten his color back. Next, a guy came in trying to get a large pleco to control the algae and asked what he should get. The guy didn't really have a good answer so I told him that the larger plecos don't really even eat algae but left over food and detritous and thats why he has algae on the glass with 4 1' plecos. I advised him to try to control the phosphates and silicates and get a small rubber lip algae eater. Next the Petland guy was going to bag my wrasse. Then as he was moving the rocks to get my wrasse he dropped a 5-6 lb rock right on top of a 2" undulate trigger and didn't notice it. After he let the trigger go, we started talking and he said that he was glad I brought in the 1" regal because he was looking for one that size to go in his 10 gallon!! I told him that he probably shouldn't do that and he said he has a small sailfin tang and coral beauty that are happy in there. I said that I doubted it. I told him sarcastically that he should just put a pair of mandarins in there instead and he said he hasn't had good luck with gobies. As he was bagging I looked at their corals and I saw that all of their ricordeas had turned that light green color that coral gets when it is dying and was starting to turn to goo and run all over the rocks. I asked him what happened to them and he said "they are a pretty cool color huh?" I told him that his rics and shrooms were dead and he didnt believe me. I almost called the deal off at that point and probably should have. I think a blue tang would be happier in a 75 with a trigger than in a 10 with another tang. Sorry for such a long post but I needed to vent after such a horrible experience. I don't think that I will be doing business with them again. On a lighter note, the lunar wrasse likes his new home and looks great.

lesa · Jul 31, 2003

Some people have the brain size of a pea

steelchromis · Jul 31, 2003

There is a ***** right down the street from me that has employees who can't even remember the difference between damsels and clownfish. They have territorial damsels with quiet mandarin fish and eels with fish small enough to eat. Most chains like this hardly hire people with SW fish expertise but rather any idiot who wants a job. Iam so lucky there is an all-SW fish store near me besides this *****!

moopiespoo · Jul 31, 2003

I will vent too. There is a lfs I do go to to buy food because I have a punch card and they are low priced, but I hardly ever look in their tanks anymore makes me way too sad. And talk about the ignorant people there!!!

There should be a law to work in a pet store, that you have to (at least half-a$$) know about fish, herps, birds,ect.

lesleybird · Aug 1, 2003

He guys lighten up....you know they are lucky to get a warm body to work for what they pay. The workers there can't afford to keep saltwater fish as a hobby, so how can we expect them to know anything? I really think the large chain stores should stick to fresh water only as the saltwater needs to be left to experts who own specialty fish stores. That is what Petsmart does here in Houston....only fresh water fish as it is easy enough to teach an amature about these. Lesley

dacia · Aug 1, 2003

Since we are venting...
I have said this before, but I will repeat it since we are venting here...
My boyfriend was working at a pet store in Concord, NC called Pet's N Company for about 3 months. He was fired from that store and here's why: this man came in to test his water and buy fish. The water tested high for both ammonia and nitrites, so my boyfriend refused to sell that man any fish. He had a 45 gallon bowfront tank. Well, the OWNER of the store overheard this and interupted...he sold the man over 50 fish, well over $100 worth. So, on that same night, by boyfriend lost his job and over 50 fish lost their lives. The next day, my boyfriend and I were in another LFS called Pet Super Store (great for FW fish...the owners are VERY honest and responsible fish lovers! Too bad they don't sell SW fish) and we bumped into that same man. He told my boyfriend that more than 85% of his fish died within 24 hours, and the others all had Ich.

So, if you are ever in Concord, NC or nearby, never give any business to Pets N Company! All the care about is money and not the animals that they sell!!! (I have lots of other horror stories to share about that place from my boyfriend...but it makes me too mad to list them all.)

gregvabch · Aug 1, 2003

i agree with lesley. that's why it's the hobbyists responsibility to do their homework on their own and not rely on what someone making minimum wage knows. not saying that there aren't people out there doing it who don't know what they're talking about, only that realisticly pet stores seem to have a decent turn over rate as far as employees go, and a lot of the people who are getting jobs there are teenagers who could probably care less. i too am lucky to have a pet store fairly close to my house who specialize in fresh and saltwater fish. although some of their beliefs and practices are not the most current, they're supporting and maintaining a lot more marine life than i would ever dare to. but at the other end of the spectrum, i also have a pet store nearby that is a marine aquarists nightmare. let me just put it this way, they were the pet store with the giant banner outside the front of the store that read, "WE HAVE NEMO!"

iswimnotchoke · Aug 1, 2003

HAHA clown and gold fish!?!?!?! better make sure taht that gold fish can hold his breath for a long time in salt

moopiespoo · Aug 1, 2003

Regarding the Nemo posts... I have already told my little sad story in the seabisquit post but here is a summary, people thinking they can put table salt in their tanks for "Nemo" then wondering why their clowns died. HMMM. While a hobbyest does have to do thier homework before getting a SW tank can't the fish dealer put up a sign on the clown tanks explaining the ins and outs of sw fish. That is the least they could do before a bunch of fish lose their lives.

moopiespoo · Aug 1, 2003

Maybe I expect to much out of people.

craig_08 · Aug 1, 2003

Definately not the one in north atlanta

dreeves · Aug 1, 2003

*****, like all chain stores are in business to move merchandise...fish included..
They care not if someone knows about the fish, hobby or whatever...they care about the buck they make when they sell one. That's all, nothing more, nothing less.
If they post signs explaining the care and requirements for SW fish...they wouldn;t sell any to the majority of their customers...that is not good business sense.
I hope that while you all are bashing these stores you are not buying anything from them at all...
Dacia...I would have fired your boyfriend as well...what kind of bucks did he make me? None...what was he employed to do? Sell and make me money...it is a simple thing to do...there is no place for ethics in business...the ethical company goes under...

mommafish · Aug 1, 2003

If the large chains are determined to sell saltwater fish, I would think the least they could do is make the aquarium packages that include everything you need for their care along with a manual. They do that for the f/w, why not s/w?
Lesleybird, the PetSmart in NC will not sell s/w fish either, and I'm glad.

dacia · Aug 2, 2003

dreeves,
While working at another per store my boyfriend was taught to look after the well being of the fish. By teaching the consumer how to take care of animals, they are creating a nice relationship between them and the store which creates business...the other pet store he worked for does rather well...
So sorry to hear that you care as much about life as the pet chain stores...

dacia · Aug 2, 2003

And the owners of the other store (Pet Super Store) follow this policy whether it means losing a sale or not. Just depends on whether or not you are a tight a** money hungry SOB or if you give a rat's a** about the animals you sell.

dreeves · Aug 3, 2003

Dacia...
Prior to assessing judgement on a fishstore owner...one should consider interests of all concerned parties.
The owner is in it for making money. That is fair enough. Your boyfriend was in the job probably to be employed and earn some cash. The cash he was earning was the cash from the customers...how is this so hard to figure out?
As for my concern for life...do you really feel that was a fair assessment based on this little thread? There is something to be said about parental supervision...or in this case..the lack thereof..

dacia · Aug 3, 2003

dreeves,
You missed my point and I don't want to try to talk about it anymore beyond this. I personally know the owners of this store, and I can talk intelligently about how they feel about the life they sell. It's not just a store that I've been to a time or 2 or that he just worked at for a while...

bwmichael21 · Aug 3, 2003

You only seem to see the short term benefits of a business sale. Speciality stores that take the time to discuss the proper needs of maintaining a marine ecosystem aren't looking to make the money in the short term, they want to develope a relationship with you that will bring you back to the store continuely over the process of slowly building your tank. People that endure no success with respect to fish or just anything will quit. I've never met a person who enjoys failing at something. When your in business your most likely hoping for the repeat sale (why dealerships constantly send you stuff even years after you've bought a car from them), there are only a limited amount of customers within a stores reach(demographics) so when you deter that population from the hobby you have no customers. People won't buy something that keeps on dying and people that know how to properly care for the animal won't buy from your store due to its policies. The test of business is the survival of time, not the lack of ethics you claim it to be. Your not going to make the money selling the cheap fish that the beginning buys. Someone knew to the hobby isn't going to spend hundreds on fish. Perhaps i suggest you should look at something from a couple perspectives before you choose your blind tunnel vision approach at logic. The way you describe running a business if would struggle to survive in the first year and file for protection in the second.

bwmichael21 · Aug 3, 2003

Even a drug dealer has better business sense than you. If a dealer was to sell cheaply made extasy that killed 98 per cent of his clients how long do you think he'd be in business ?

lesleybird · Aug 3, 2003

You know who I fault? I fault the people who buy any creature without reading a book on how to properly care for it first. The irresponsible people in this world that the rest of us have to deal with. One does not have to be a genious to keep saltwater fish, just mature enough and responsible enough to gather the proper care information before purchase, not after the fact when the creature dies! Lesley

Why Petland, WHY?

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