Fish Knowledge??!!??!!

[Jay R.]

so lemmie ask a question...
how do you guys like it when you walk into a fish store to buy some fish and you say " i want a (insert fish name here)" and the person working the fish dept. says. "...... is that what those are called??"

[pufferking]

Well i am the head of the fish dept. at a petshop and i am up on all my names. Although i do go too other pet stores and this happens quite often. one pet shop i go too will get things not know what they are and try to put a name on them when you ask them.

[piranha45]

I never expect my fish stores to know anything at all about fish. I just scan the tanks, if I find a specie I want then I get it. Last thing I ever try to do is attempt to discuss something fish related with them.

[Jay R.]

well, discussing fish stuff and knowing the names are something I would expect them to be able to do. I do have one LFS where the fish guy seem's to know his stuff. but he has lost interest in the hobby and will freely admit that. and it seems he barley keeps his tanks up, which is a shame cause he reallyd oes seem to know his stuff. :rolleyes:

[guppy]

I have mixed feelings. On the one hand it is an ego stroke, on the other it worries me if my fish guy is not competent.

[Jay R.]

exactly my thoughts

[PeacockBass]

i usually go out of my way to make the fish dept people look dumb.

[Jay R.]

come to think of it, the last time i bought fish I got some damsiels and a betta, and asked the guy as he bagged them if they would get along together in the same tank. he just looked at me a sec, and said, those are salt water , those aren't........

[The TRUST]

come to think of it, the last time i bought fish I got some damsiels and a betta, and asked the guy as he bagged them if they would get along together in the same tank. he just looked at me a sec, and said, those are salt water , those aren't........

ROFL

[The TRUST]

i usually go out of my way to make the fish dept people look dumb.

I know you do Neal :p

[The TRUST]

I never expect my fish stores to know anything at all about fish. I just scan the tanks, if I find a specie I want then I get it. Last thing I ever try to do is attempt to discuss something fish related with them.

I do the same. Hate wasting my time arguing with fish staff that dont know jack **** and think they are experts

[Jay R.]

hehe, the wife told me to leave the guy alone, but i couldn't help it.

what do you guys think of fish store testing water? I get it for garentees, but people should have their own test gear at the house!!

[Vitaliy]

Its sad but you should give the fish store a little more credit, fish stores do not make all that much money and barley cover the expenses as it is. Fish stores can not afford paying a professional who would know what is he talking about and are left to hire kids without any experience who would be willing to work for around six bucks an hour. I think that people should do more of their own research and do not come to the store and expect the persont to teach them everything there is to know.

I used to work in a fish store and pay and customers was the reason I left. Pay is obvious but customers.. oh my God. People would come in an argue with you why the hell did they spent their 13 dollars on a 10 gallon setup and now they cant keep two of their Oscars in it?! Or why cant they setup saltwate with those 13 dollars that they have spent. Or why the hell do we charge so much for a $1.33 fish. Once again, people need to understand these things and do their own damn research and not ***** at you for their ****ups. Sorry for the language.

[Jay R.]

I agree 100%..... but people do that in every feild...

[rayman45]

I never expect my fish stores to know anything at all about fish. I just scan the tanks, if I find a specie I want then I get it. Last thing I ever try to do is attempt to discuss something fish related with them.

bingo

if they do know what they're talking about usally im in shock lol

shark aquarium is maybe the only place i go to where they know there ****

[pufferking]

i get some interseting people coming telling me they have gone to other pet stores and that the people told them they could keep things like oscars in 10 gallons. Alot of people also come in and they have cloudy water and want too know why? the awnser usualy is that there tank has never had time to cycle. Why? because petco tells people to do large water changes when you have cloudy water. This is not what you want to do with a new tank.

[guppy]

they would get along the same if you put them in a brackish tank, they would take about the same time to die.

[guppy]

ROLF?

[Jay R.]

Good answer Guppy!!

[guppy]

Critter Cabana in Newberg, Or. will not only check your water they will dissect act scope your deaders. New LFS, family owned, somewhat high end. There is one guy for reps and amphs, one guy for aqua plants and fw fish, one guy and 1/2 gal for sw fishand critters, and 1and1/2 gals for mammals. I want to work there! They know what they are doing and love thier work! Thier mammals usually include chinchillas, wallabys, coatis, and maras. The last pet place I worked at was part time, East Bay Vivarium, Oakland, Ca. in 85. They really cared to, but went out of business with the 86 quake. These people will not sell to you unless they think you are doing right and give free classes once a week.

[guppy]

Most good Lfs employees are there because they love the critters, they get min. wage and discounts on livestock and equipment, I was active duty army(E-6) and worked 20 hrs+ a week besides just so I could play with the lizards. Being bitten, clawed, and whipped was a lot easier to deal with than having to refrain from feeding some rude ******* to the Salvatore monitors when they got upset because I would'nt sell them a black tegue to go in with thier collard lizard.

[BigMOCats]

Yeah, lets not confuse "lfs" with Petco and PetsMart. Most lfs are mom and pop owned and are run by hobbyists at heart. They've taken their hobby to the next level and most have years of experience. Now, does that mean they are right in everything they tell you - NO! Like most hobbysists, they have not kept every fish available for an extended period of time and probably don't have experience with all species. Plus, like everyone who reads a forum knows, there are lots of ways to achieve the same results when it come to fishkeeping.

Now those kids at Petco - idiots! Guess McDonalds wasn't hiring! :D

Scott

[guppy]

You got it. Check thread " generaly wierd pet stuff"

[neoprodigy]

I never expect my fish stores to know anything at all about fish. I just scan the tanks, if I find a specie I want then I get it. Last thing I ever try to do is attempt to discuss something fish related with them.
my way of thinking too.. they got nothing i want... except feeders... LOL

[Caveman]

My LFS have gotten to the point where they just let me bag my own fish up and take them up to the cash register and pay.

[guppy]

def off track but I need help. How can I cheap/safe ship a large cold water fisf?

[Caveman]

Cheapest way would probally be air cargo. Safest way would be to get a large cardboard box, preferably marked as live fish. Make sure the cardboard box is lined with a styro foam container that should fit nice and tight in the cardboard box. I would 4-5 bag XL fish and fill the water up high enough so the fish is never exposed. You will need pure oxygen to put into the bags so the fish will have enough oxygen survive for a minimum of 48hrs. Then use rubber bands to seal the bags nice and tight so no water or oxygen is escaping the bags. If the fish is going to a hot area then you may want to use some ice packs and if the fish is going to a cold area then you may need to use heat packs.

[guppy]

The only way I have used to O2 shipping bucket was to run straigt O2 thru an airstone for 15 minutes before sealing it. It has been a long time, there has got to be a better way. My best results in shipping were 5g buckets and battery operated air pumps, This was on MAC flights and I knew the cargo master.

[iheartfishies]

i usually go out of my way to make the fish dept people look dumb.


You're such a jerk. ;)

[Jay R.]

Mac flights? are you Ex-service???

[WckedMidas]

Mac flights? are you Ex-service???
works at petsmart in case your wondering. 1 heart fishes does i mean

[Jay R.]

yeah but Mac flights, are what we used to call military standby flights.

[Jay R.]

I think I'd like to get a part time job at the fish store.....

[BlackGhostKnifelovr]

haha the people at my local pet shop they cant make up their mind.... they have these little pink gourami's that one day they will call em sunset chuna's and the next day theyll call em pink honey dwarf gourami's lol

[Daddyo72]

I completely take advantage of their lack of knowledge. I get great buys like med size Synos, Jags and the like for a buck and a half, two bucks.

[guppy]

Mac flights? are you Ex-service???
11 years army medic.

[neoprodigy]

def off track but I need help. How can I cheap/safe ship a large cold water fisf?
how big is the fish?

normally for fish more than 18" i use contractor trashbag... throw some bagbuddies and pump some pure o2. For big fish i would ship air cargo... the cheapest...

for smaller fish... i use clear fish bags... and i have ship using USPS, Fedex and air cargo

make sure you double or triple or even 5x bag..... :)

[Jay R.]

11 years army medic.


Knew it! :D

[guppy]

how big is the fish?

normally for fish more than 18" i use contractor trashbag... throw some bagbuddies and pump some pure o2. For big fish i would ship air cargo... the cheapest...

for smaller fish... i use clear fish bags... and i have ship using USPS, Fedex and air cargo

make sure you double or triple or even 5x bag..... :)
cool, and thanks. 2' sturgeon.

[Dylan]

bump :D

[neekaragua]

any one ever considered that some of the people at the larger chain stores know what they are talking about but quit after a few weeks of customers getting upset when you tell them that they cant put the 180 fish they want to buy for their 5 year old into the 5 gallon tank they are going to buy that same day

Hey guppy my girlfriend is an Army Medic in the CF

[dmed]

Has anyone ever wondered why we're trolling around in a three-year-old thread? Dylan, I guess that s-eating grin (:D) is for bumping this dinosaur? :ROFL: You must be having a long day if you managed to find a thread this old.

[groovitudedude]

Me: (Pointing at super-rare fish) "Can I have that um.... guppy?"
LFS employee: "So THAT'S what those are called! Sure, I'll bag him up, that'll be $1.99."

:D

[headbanger_jib]

I never expect my fish stores to know anything at all about fish. I just scan the tanks, if I find a specie I want then I get it. Last thing I ever try to do is attempt to discuss something fish related with them.
x1

[Mike fail]

well the guy at my local lfs told me to put 5 jewel cichlids in a 10 for a cool tank. it wasnt a chain either lol

[groovitudedude]

Yeah another guy at a M&P told me a TSN only needs a 55G. I asked another guy, and he said 240G.

[koop171]

I go to one LFS that the employees are VERY smart. They put me to shame if it's something I have not done my homework on. But at the same time I don't buy the fish that I don't know how to take care of ahead of time. And I like getting a little bit of a fish lesson out side of the computer. It's nice t talk to people about fish face to face hat know what they are talking about. On the other hand I go to another LFS that doesn't know jack. They are the ones that hire the kids that will work for little of nothing. Now granted I have spent more money there then the other store But it's mostly on things like tanks and lids B/c the prices are about the same and it's closer.



So i'll take the smart LFS for my fish and the dumb one for the tanks. lol

Allthough the dumb one was the only place around that got me my RBPs (no one else could get them AT ALL!!!!)

[navygirl76]

ultimately, i think it all falls back on the buyer. i feel that its my responsibility to know what i want, and its care, size, compatibility, etc etc. i have come to realize that most working the fish department are complete tards. we have 2 ppl that are really good at my ONE lfs we have in town. one is a middle aged guy who knows africans backwards and forwards... the rest of them just want to sell you whatever they possibly can. :grinno:

[CHOX]

Its sad but you should give the fish store a little more credit, fish stores do not make all that much money and barley cover the expenses as it is. Fish stores can not afford paying a professional who would know what is he talking about and are left to hire kids without any experience who would be willing to work for around six bucks an hour. I think that people should do more of their own research and do not come to the store and expect the persont to teach them everything there is to know.

I used to work in a fish store and pay and customers was the reason I left. Pay is obvious but customers.. oh my God. People would come in an argue with you why the hell did they spent their 13 dollars on a 10 gallon setup and now they cant keep two of their Oscars in it?! Or why cant they setup saltwate with those 13 dollars that they have spent. Or why the hell do we charge so much for a $1.33 fish. Once again, people need to understand these things and do their own damn research and not ***** at you for their ****ups. Sorry for the language.

Its true, customers are the biggest morons in the world.

[dragonfish]

Its true, customers are the biggest morons in the world.

I will agree somewhat, but then again, a lot of you are customers also. Guess everyone of you must be the exception to the rule. Matter of fact, I think I've dealt with almost everyone of you at my PetSmart. You are all the ones who already know everything and don't want to hear that you are mistaken. Which one of you is the guy that knew two pacu were perfect for a 40 gallon because they don't outgrow the tank. This was personal experience based on the previous long ownership of one(six months) before it died of old age. Ok, I feel better now.:grinno:

[Peanut_Power]

You can't expect everyone to know all there is about fish. Even LFS people. Sure they should be well versed in fish and the like if they are going to sell them, but when you really think about it, most LFS only focus on bread and butter fish. The rarer, more expensive fish just don't sell in all reality. Its a risk for them to bring them in. So most of the time they don't even bother with them. Which is why most don't know about them.

Luckily one of the LFS where I go to actually are fish savvy. It is most refreshing being able to talk fish to some of the employee's and actually have a decent converstaion. :)

[groovitudedude]

You can't expect everyone to know all there is about fish. Even LFS people. Sure they should be well versed in fish and the like if they are going to sell them, but when you really think about it, most LFS only focus on bread and butter fish. The rarer, more expensive fish just don't sell in all reality. Its a risk for them to bring them in. So most of the time they don't even bother with them. Which is why most don't know about them.
If I go to the LFS and see an oddball that I dont know anything about, I'm pretty dissappointed in myself. You have brought up a good point. If I don't have an african cichlid tank, I'm obviously not gonna need to know anything about africans. If a LFS is gonna sell, say, a certain rare puffer or weird fish, they should at least know the minimum tank size and aggression level. I do agree that the safest thing to do is just know all about any fish that you might buy.

[chesterthehero]

the guy at my lfs knows his stuff inside and out... the kids that work their know the basics of fishkeeping and the general stuff about the fish..

[CHOX]

I will agree somewhat, but then again, a lot of you are customers also. Guess everyone of you must be the exception to the rule. Matter of fact, I think I've dealt with almost everyone of you at my PetSmart. You are all the ones who already know everything and don't want to hear that you are mistaken. Which one of you is the guy that knew two pacu were perfect for a 40 gallon because they don't outgrow the tank. This was personal experience based on the previous long ownership of one(six months) before it died of old age. Ok, I feel better now.:grinno:

I mean, I work at a PetSmart, I'm talking about the people that want to put Cichlids in 10 gallon tanks. I wish I got to deal with people that think they they know everything. Only one time did this happen. There was a guy that wanted a Pictus and at the time we didn't have the right net to catch it with. He went on a rampage acting like he was a god when it came to fish knowledge. But on the other hand, its true that most people that work at pet stores don't know anything about fish.

[Peanut_Power]

So did he get the pictus? I would have gotten fired that night probably...

[CHOX]

I think he did, my manager was there and I had just clocked out for my lunch. So he handled it. PetSmart pisses me off sometimes. Our tags our wrong so I can't deny a sale to someone who wants an Oscar because its minimum tank size is 30 gallons. :|