# Freshwater Pet Peeves



## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

Working at a petstore I get all sorts of people coming in to buy fish, and these few things tick me off when it comes to people buying fish.

1. People buy tons of fish for tiny aquariums (ex: one lady bought 4 goldfish for her 2.5g)
2. When I ask people what fish they have at home and they tell me they mix goldfish and tropical fish.
3. People who buy fish hoping they stay their juvenile size as in our stores (plecos)
4. People who ask me if male betas can go with other male betas
5. People asking me if acclimating SW fish is "really necessary, can't I just float the bag like normally."
6. Little kids who slam the glass of our fish and their parents get super upset at me when I tell them to stop
7. People who buy fish who aren't feeder fish: bought damsel fish as food for his lionfish
8: people that want to put incompatible fish in the same tank (african cichlids, and a GSP for example)


Alright whats your pet peeve when it comes to fish, stores, or people who buy fish.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

People who won't even try to learn, who assume the lifespan of a fish is 2 months because thats how long they live in their tanks and keep buying fish without trying any changes.

Itty-bitty plastic tanks in boxes with pictures of 20 assorted fish on the box. Store employees whose advise is based on the pictures on the box or the fish in the store. "We keep 100 peacock bass in a 10 gallon, so you can too"

Wrong info in writing on display in store, on in take-home pamphlets and on products. "Yellow lab - peaceful community fish, max size 3" ", "use monthly and never change water again", "treats all diseases in 3 days", "perfect goldfish tank (on a 1 gallon hex)". 

Stores that keep massive amounts of salt in the water and don't warn customers not to drop fish directly in freshwater.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

I like the one about the pictures, and the hex tank one, that one makes me so upset


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## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

when people write on a tank " NEW RARE FISH" on a twin bar platy tank, when really its an excuse to raise there prices!


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## AvocadoPuffDude (Jan 20, 2011)

Whoa, dude, you need to seriously calm down and not let the little stuff bother you so much. I, too, worked in a tropical fish store. I would do my best to recommend to folks that seemed interested, but some folks are just insistent they want an oscar and a guppy in the same tank. It's OK. They'll learn, eventually. When I first started up my first 5 gallon tank, it was so cloudy you couldn't see the back of the tank - pretty bad for a 5 gallon! But at the time, I was so proud of my tank I showed it to everyone. And look at me now....you could read a newspaper through my tank looking lengthwise, that's 5 feet, and I haven't had any illness / fish loss in over 5 years.
If it upsets you that much, find another job. The stress will kill you.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

Ummm.....


Anyways;


1. When the store rep says, "Oh, I personally don't like guppies. They die on me, so they'll die for you too."

2. Dead feeder fish floating around in tanks.

3. "We can't sell that until the owner prices it." 

4. "You want THAT one? You mean the one in our display tank? That'll cost twice as much."

5. "That one's Australian. It'll cost you $269."


Etc. Is there such a thing as a retailer who can live with making a MODEST profit? Cut the mark up and you'll sell more!


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## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

5. "That one's Australian. It'll cost you $269."

Exactly why do they always do that. well not always just on the fish you want most lol


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

That was actually for a two inch coral frag! Does anyone know the wholesale value of some of these SW animals?


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## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

we but two inch frags for around £15 or if your lucky £10 but if it has the word "RARE" on it then BANG goes the price.

How much do you pay for the 2" frags?


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

It depends on the coral. If it looks awesome, it's about $65 for a 3" frag. If it's mouthwateringly awesome, you don't want to ask. Again though, it depends on whether it's a mushroom or a montipora. Maybe this is better suited for chat?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Stupidly is almost excusable in a job that pays so "well". Ignorance is curable, but it bugs me when people won't even try to learn. And deliberately misleading marketing bugs me. Its unethical. Stores are in business to make money. It the seller isn't greedy, he's not doing his job. But outright lying for profit is morally wrong. Super high prices are counter productive. Its better to sell the 3 fish at $70 than try to sell one at $210 and have it die while you are waiting.

Complaining is stress-relieving. Vent at what bothers you, but keep you real name hidden or end up like that teacher who blogged her students were spoiled, lazy whiners.


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## Danio king (Feb 25, 2011)

The guy who bags my fish puts an Oscar in with ghost shrimp that im buying for two separate tanks so by the time i get home...no more ghost shrimp. same thing with tiger barbs and angel fish they cant be bagged TOGETHER!!!


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## ftsdeploy (Feb 5, 2011)

The younger girl that works at my LFS that told a young couple that tiger barbs and angel fish were perfect tankmates


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## platies pwn (Nov 29, 2010)

at my lfs some little girls mother was looking at a dwarf lionfish and said,"ohh thats pretty.im gonna put that with our goldfish."


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## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

platies pwn said:


> at my lfs some little girls mother was looking at a dwarf lionfish and said,"ohh thats pretty.im gonna put that with our goldfish."


lmao.....

My favorite thus far was these two wanting to start up a fish tank. They bought a full brand new setup (55 gallon for $450 at petsmart) filled it with water, didn't wash the gravel, didn't rinse the HOB filter, and came back buying african and central american cichlids in with swordtails, glofish and a comet feeder.

I about peed my pants in laughter.

The person helping them at petsmart said, Oh wow that would look awesome and they will all be best buddies!!!!!


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Aussie fish and inverts cost so much more because they cost a bleeding fortune on the wholesale market even BEFORE being shipped halfway across the planet. The restrictions and regulations down under are mindblowing, and the small handful of collecting permits renewed each year ( not issued, renewed. They don't even issue any more new ones ) cost the collectors thousands. It's no ripoff to say that an aussie fish costs more; it's just the way it is for those.

As for the profit... all the money is in FRESHwater fish. Saltwater stores aren't making a dime. Well, actually, they are making a dime, but not much more than that. You will never get rich selling saltwater fish unless you catch them yourself, and even then it's iffy. There simply IS no appreciable markup on them, and the losses are high, to boot! They are sold mainly because people just have to have them, and it helps the stores sell the equipment, which does help them pay the rent. Every time you buy your equipment online or from some catalog, while buying your fish locally, you are NOT doing your local fish store any favors, and soon they will be out of business.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

Thanks TOS, that is so true, I saw a mom and pop shop go out of business because they sold SW fish only... It was sad.

And the one about cichlids and comets, HAHAHAHAHA, its a shame that people do that, I sold a young couple some angels and a few larger tetras, they wanted neons, but I told them the angels would make a meal of the neons and guppies. I try to be as helpful as possible, even if I dont work at the fish part all the time, but here's me boasting, you have been warned, there is a guy who comes in once a week and spends around $800 on SW fish and equipment, and he only buys them when I'm there because according to him "you're the only one who gives good aquarium advice." I was super happy!


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## sm1ke (Jul 27, 2009)

My biggest pet store peeve is when there are fish that are visibly dead floating around in the tank, or stuck in the filter.

I've also seen a foot-long ID shark stuffed into a 29 gallon with other large fish


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

sm1ke said:


> Is that really necessary? Why not just say "girls" and leave it at that?


Glad I'm not the only one who thought that. 

Anyway, my peeve is when I try to get advice to someone because they are about to make a bad decision, and the salesperson argues with me about it. I'm sorry, even if you DO have tanks at home, you should not be buying pacus and putting them in a 10 gallon. Obviously I know more about fish than you, so why start something?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

what i really hate is when some stupid old man goes into the fish store and insists that otocinclus are south american catfish and not african cichlids as the store clerk informed him...
another peeve is when someone dishes out advice on a fish they have probably never even seen let alone kept for any period of time..

oh yeah....blindkiller....that was a nasty comment so i deleted it...i found it extremely offensive..would you also please change your little citizen sig to something more appropriate for childrens eyes....


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## sm1ke (Jul 27, 2009)

Thanks lohachata, Super Mod to the rescue! lol. I edited my post too.


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## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

lohachata said:


> oh yeah....blindkiller....that was a nasty comment so i deleted it...i found it extremely offensive..would you also please change your little citizen sig to something more appropriate for childrens eyes....


Well I apologize, and sure I'll change it. It was one of those instances that I deemed qualified that comment. Would explain why, but then it would just be deleted over again.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

"Restricted Bordem"


You crack me up.  It's people like you that make forums like these so funny to read. Ahh, Blind Killer. You just keep slaying them. If only for me to laugh to myself.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

That whole "any 2 random fish will be best buddies and keep each other company thing". You can tell the seller is really a dog person. They don't get that different species are actually different and a bad combo is like putting a rabbit and wolf in a cage together. 

My pet peeves that aren't people related:

Heaters that cook fish
blue-green algae
bba
green spot algae
loud filters/impellers
filters that don't restart after power flickers
air-pumps that shake themselves off their perch and fall down.
air-stone/air-line that clog.
water spots in otherwise good fish pictures.
fry that get siphoned out and take 3 days to find in the bucket.
fish that jump out through closed lids


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## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

funlad3 said:


> "Restricted Bordem"
> 
> 
> You crack me up.  It's people like you that make forums like these so funny to read. Ahh, Blind Killer. You just keep slaying them. If only for me to laugh to myself.


I do what I can, sometimes.....But as long as you're laughing by yourself and you don't care, then more power to you as you don't bear shame in admittance of frivolous things. I'm the same way, and why I don't really care what people think of me. For crying out loud when I was 10 I got a fixation that I was a dog. I walked everywhere hands, knee's, barking, whining, crying the whole nine yards. Mom even got a leash and collar. Did this for close to a year straight, even in school. Then I passed the advance placement tests for accelerated learning, IQ of 160, everyone about had a seizure out of shock.

BTW did you like my last title? And do you know where it's from? 10 points to who gets it without googling it ( though there's obviously no way to prove it )



emc7 said:


> Heaters that cook fish


How about heaters that don't cook fish, but electrocute them and yourself. Had that happen to me, minus zapping fish.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

No, I don't know where that's from, but it still amused me. You do remind me a lot of myself. I don't like being "Normal". I'd rather be seen as strange and laugh at everyone else's reactions.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

wow we got off topic there, but yeah some fish kinda get on my nerves. when it comes to the livestock themselves I really dislike those tiny snails that breed out of control


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

plastic lids that fall in the tank when you open them and/or have 2 fragile plastic bumps that break off and leave you with 2 half-lids.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

Or hand cut acrylic lids that fit perfectly at first, THEN warp and fall in the tank. Cough.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

customers that have no idea how to keep fish: 

true story, this lady came in yesterday and started gaping at one of our $30 clown triggers, So i asked if she had any questions about it or if she wanted it, so she decided on buying it, but I had a pang of fear, so I dared to ask what size tank the trigger was going into, to my shock she replies, "a 2g, Hex tank, with some danios" I stood there and didn't talk for about 5mins, she just had no idea what to do, after explaining to her all the maintenance and differences between a trigger and a danio, she was adamant and told me she wanted to buy the fish, so I told her I wasn't going to sell it to her if she didn't know how to take care of it properly, so she called my boss over and he told her the same thing, upon she replied, "its fine I'll just buy one off the internet ,"and stormed off

WOW!


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

AND triggers are SW!!!


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

Let her buy it off the internet, it will cost her more, it will die wether she buys it from you or the internet, at least you dont have the guilt and then you have the pleasure of knowing her mistake cost her more.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

well it costs our store too, we have 15day guarantees on all our fish, and 30 on other animals, but I just hate stupid people like her, i feel bad for the trigger she buys, I mean our triggers is the dimensions of a 2g hextank (a betta tank) I mean the poor thing wouldn't even be able to move


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

You could have just mentioned that it was a SALT water fish and shut her up immediately without looking like a jerk to her.

Aside from that, I would also gape at a Clown Trigger that only costed $30. Do you guys know how to ship fish???


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

hes a tiny clown trigger, odds are we probably sold him, i can ask tomorow. And i did mention it to her.... about 4 times!


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

alright I texted this guy from work (hes good at SW) he told me that the clown trigger we have is a fish somebody gave away because it was mean (no duh its a trigger), and we normally sell them for $60+ but since he didn't come from our supplier he's half off.


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