My take on store bought feeders + predatory fish at LFS: A symbiotic relationship...

[Retuks]

Yes, a symbiotic relationship, but NOT FOR YOU AND YOUR FISH.

It is a symbiotic relationship between your fish's death, and the money from LFS feeders and the LFS itself.

Though not all LFS consciously sell the deadly combo on purpose (mostly cause they are merely following other LFS examples), i do see a cunning design for profit.

They sell pacu and oscars, usually without any info other than "they are aggressive". They don't tell you to quarantine feeders, rather they silently want you to just feed them to your fish straight off the bat.

they take the chance that most people will put these fish in smaller tanks, and/or keep poisoning their fish with feeders from LFS. all the while raking in money. Fish make big diarrhea = more money when amature fish keepers replace filters as they stop off to buy even more feeders to poison their fish with. the fish will die alot quicker (if not from an undersized tank), and more pacus and oscars will be purchased with the amature fish keeper ignorantly thinking "wow, i had that pacu for a good 3 years... fish must not live very long"

 

[snyder810]

well stores are designed to make money. is it unethical? probably, but i feel it should be the aquarists responsibility to know about the fish they are buying more so than the store's responsibility to run a fish IQ test on it's customers...as for the death causing feeders your take is a bit exaggerated and once again you the consumer are buying the product so take personal responsibility. i don't think a wal-mart employee has ever warned if i eat only potato chips it will lower my life span but they keep selling them.

"MY STOCK: 30gal Breeder (Whisper 60 + Aqua Clear 50)
4" Tiger Oscar / 6" Silver Arowana / 1.8" Jack Dempsey / Spiny Pleco / 2x Leopard Plecos / 4.5" O'opu Nakea (Polynesian Cup-Fin Gobi)

10gal Walmart tank (Aqua Clear 50)
13x Exodon Paradoxus. "
^
l
that bothers me much more than a lfs selling to people who are happily/ignorantly buying. i do feel for the fish, but not the owners throwing the money away.

 

[Retuks]

"MY STOCK: 30gal Breeder (Whisper 60 + Aqua Clear 50)
4" Tiger Oscar / 6" Silver Arowana / 1.8" Jack Dempsey / Spiny Pleco / 2x Leopard Plecos / 4.5" O'opu Nakea (Polynesian Cup-Fin Gobi)

10gal Walmart tank (Aqua Clear 50)
13x Exodon Paradoxus. "
^
l
that bothers me much more than a lfs selling to people who are happily/ignorantly buying. i do feel for the fish, but not the owners throwing the money away.

the reason i have them in the 30 breeder is because my step dad has catfish in the main tank (500g cubical) that will happily take the oscars life at its current size. don't worry about my fish, their fine. i don't consider his tank as my stock since they're his fish.

and his tank is just my last resort if i can't get myself a bigger tank by the time it outgrows this one. i want a tank of my own and don't want to go to his house to look at my fish all the time. they're my fish after all.

 

[Aquaman_95]

I agree it is the aquartists responsibility to research the fish, or animal they are buying. You honestly, stores should provide some information as well, just so the buyer can know more.

 

[justonemoretank]

I agree that the LFS is not the first place to go for correct information. They'll sell you something every time, if you don't know what you're doing. It's a shame. However, not very many people would buy a puppy and assume it's a chihuahua, only to find out it's a great dane, but they're cool with buying a pacu at an inch and a half, thinking it will stay that size forever. The majority of casual fishkeepers don't give a crap about the fish, and that's the group the the LFS is aiming for. Every time I see a person with a ten gallon setup and a bag of fish walking out the door at the LFS I want to scream, "Those fish are going to die!" but I don't. Because it's their fault. If they don't know what it is to cycle a tank, even though the internet and books exist, then it's their fault. Many fishkeepers want to keep what they want to keep, and they're not going to listen to what anyone tells them, even if the LFS did take the moral high road and actually give real information. As you say, "They're my fish after all." I'm not trying to be rude, but you can imagine that the people walking out of the store with a ten-gallon setup and a bag of fish would say the same thing. At the end of the day, they're your fish, they're your responsibility. Not the LFS's.

 

[Retuks]

justonemoretank, i hope you read all of my post. i said they're my fish because i knew that and i do have a sound plan for them already. im neither ignorant nor irresponsible and my fish will live to their biggest sizes and maximum lifespan that fate intended them to. just wanna imply that.

my main focus for this post was supposed to be the deadly strategy LFS set up for like you said; the uneducated and the careless.

 

[justonemoretank]

I understand your point of view, and I agree that the LFS is out to make money, because that's what a business does. However, the statement "They are my fish" could be generally felt across the board, from the least experienced and least caring aquarist to the most caring and well-intentioned aquarist, and that was my point. At the end of the day, they are someone's fish -- someone's property -- and it is that person's duty to do right by them. Which often means not buying new hang-on-back filters for a pacu in a 20 gallon tank, but means to do what is actually necessary to keep the fish for life. I was not trying to say anything about the way YOU keep fish, only that each and every fish keeper is responsible for the fish he or she keeps. If you have have a plan for your fish, that's great. If the next person you meet doesn't, then try to educate them. If they don't want to listen, then they probably fall into the 95% of humans who don't give a crap about their fish. Ultimately: their fish, their problem. Not the LFS's. I wouldn't walk into a bar, drink 12 shots, and get into my car, then blame the bar for my DUI. I guess that's the best I can say it.

 

[snyder810]

my main focus for this post was supposed to be the deadly strategy LFS set up for like you said; the uneducated and the careless.

it isn't really the strategy going in to kill the fish off, there just aren't many stores that are going to turn down paying customers. i still just feel the blame must go to the ignorance of the buyer.

after all if stores had a solid code of conduct about the true care needed for fish you wouldn't have been able to buy yours (not saying you won't take care of them so please don't take offense, just pointing out that you have fish that outgrow your tank). usually the fish sold at the size will start out fine in the customers tank, if they do not take it upon themselves to realize hey my fish is way to big for this tank i need a bigger one or to rehome the fish then the fault must fall to them.

 

[justonemoretank]

Believe me. I am one of those uneducated people that bought a fish and didn't know its true possible size (yes, I'm stepping up here... feel like I'm at an AA meeting). A year later, I have a 1,000 gallon pond in my bedroom, because I figured it was my responsibility for buying a two-inch RTC (don't get me wrong, I LOVE him). No one mentioned the fact that he would grow to be bigger than my three cats (house cats) combined when I purchased him. I found that out later. But now, I'm an MFK'er and loving it. Who says good things don't come in small packages?

 

[snyder810]

Believe me. I am one of those uneducated people that bought a fish and didn't know its true possible size (yes, I'm stepping up here... feel like I'm at an AA meeting). A year later, I have a 1,000 gallon pond in my bedroom, because I figured it was my responsibility for buying a two-inch RTC (don't get me wrong, I LOVE him). No one mentioned the fact that he would grow to be bigger than my three cats (house cats) combined when I purchased him. I found that out later. But now, I'm an MFK'er and loving it. Who says good things don't come in small packages?

like i said personal responsibility! some ppl have it others don't. wish more people were like you