Dumb stuff your LFS has done

[Beano]

Hello,

I figured since we had a "biggest lies my LFS told me" thread, I would
start this one after a little thing I saw in my LFS today.

I saw one of these
cichlids(http://bonderosa.rutgers.edu/images/Cichlid.JPG) and another
pale yellow one (don't know what, but definitely a cichlid!) in a tank
with about 15 GOLDFISH today. Interesting...

This particular shop was Pets Paradise, probably similar to the
"Petsmart" I've been hearing so much about on this news group. Anyway,
this is not a fish that Pets Paradise commonly stock, and they were the
only two, so I guess someone dumped them on the store and they had no
where to put them.

Is that one in the picture particularly aggressive? I'm not sure if it
is that one, but the bigger one of the two was yellow with pale zebra
stripes and a nice blue metallic shimmer over the top of the yellow.
Pretty...

[NetMax]

"Beano" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello,
>
> I figured since we had a "biggest lies my LFS told me" thread, I would
> start this one after a little thing I saw in my LFS today.

Oh nooo, I could write a book on dumb stuff LFS do, but most of them
would be from my own store :o(.

> I saw one of these
> cichlids(http://bonderosa.rutgers.edu/images/Cichlid.JPG) and another
> pale yellow one (don't know what, but definitely a cichlid!) in a tank
> with about 15 GOLDFISH today. Interesting...

Male Pseudotropheus something would be my guess (quite agressive), and
the yellow one either a Labidochromis caerelus (fairly mild for a mbuna)
or a Neolamprologus leleupi (can be agressive).

> This particular shop was Pets Paradise, probably similar to the
> "Petsmart" I've been hearing so much about on this news group. Anyway,
> this is not a fish that Pets Paradise commonly stock, and they were the
> only two, so I guess someone dumped them on the store and they had no
> where to put them.
>
> Is that one in the picture particularly aggressive? I'm not sure if it
> is that one, but the bigger one of the two was yellow with pale zebra
> stripes and a nice blue metallic shimmer over the top of the yellow.
> Pretty...

There is a good chance that the Pseudotropheus (zebra) is a mutt, having
been crossed with other zebra strains, or across to another fish.
R.a.f.cichlids would have more specific comments.

Dumb things the LFS has done usually involves fish loss, so I'll mention
one that doesn't. We would manually service all our floor tanks with
pythons, and sometimes we would get called away for a minute (ie: phone
call) leaving the python filling. Before returning to the tank, we could
get called on to do several more things. An older employee (I'll call
him Stan) would often forget the sequence, concentrating hard on what he
was doing before the string of interruptions. His memory would return to
the forgotten python either by a sudden change of expression, or by
walking back into the flooded fish room (fortunately we had concrete
floors, many drains and a well used vet vac). None of our staff were
immune from occasionally flooding the fishroom, but Stan managed it 3
times in one day (the record), basically keeping one full time person
vacuuming the floors most of the day.

Another one, was delivery day. I'd float the bags according to where I
wanted them. By the time the last bag was placed, it was time to start
releasing the first bags floated (40-60 bags so it was a bit like an
assembly line). Occasionally (yes - Stan), someone would lift a bag out,
drain the water into a pail and release the fish into the wrong tank! To
our credit we were also serving customers at the same time, so it was not
completely unexpected, but it was always somewhat amusing to discover
later. When the night shift would come in, I'd take them on a tour of
day's arrivals, and we would find an empty tank beside a 20g filled with
160 tetras of 2 species! Needless to say, the night shift spent many
hours moving confused fish ;~).
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Beano]

ooo I found a better picture of the blue one. The shop one looked like
this but didnt have a yellow face like that.
http://www.cichlidlovers.com/p-aurora-moz.JPG
This one is apparently Pseudotropheus aurora Mozambique

[Gill Passman]

Beano wrote:
> ooo I found a better picture of the blue one. The shop one looked like
> this but didnt have a yellow face like that.
> http://www.cichlidlovers.com/p-aurora-moz.JPG
> This one is apparently Pseudotropheus aurora Mozambique
>


Well one thing is for sure....it ain't no goldfish....

Gill

[Gill Passman]

Gill Passman wrote:
> Beano wrote:
>
>> ooo I found a better picture of the blue one. The shop one looked like
>> this but didnt have a yellow face like that.
>> http://www.cichlidlovers.com/p-aurora-moz.JPG
>> This one is apparently Pseudotropheus aurora Mozambique
>>
>
>
> Well one thing is for sure....it ain't no goldfish....
>
> Gill


Apologies to the linguists in this group it ain't a goldfish...apologies
for the double negative

Gill

[NetMax]

"Gill Passman" > wrote in message
.. .
> Gill Passman wrote:
>> Beano wrote:
>>
>>> ooo I found a better picture of the blue one. The shop one looked
>>> like
>>> this but didnt have a yellow face like that.
>>> http://www.cichlidlovers.com/p-aurora-moz.JPG
>>> This one is apparently Pseudotropheus aurora Mozambique
>>>
>>
>>
>> Well one thing is for sure....it ain't no goldfish....
>>
>> Gill
>
>
> Apologies to the linguists in this group it ain't a
> goldfish...apologies for the double negative
>
> Gill

lol
I gotta agree wit ya, ain't no goldfish fer sure!
--
www.NetMax.tk

[sbb78247]

Gill Passman wrote:
> Gill Passman wrote:
>> Beano wrote:
>>
>>> ooo I found a better picture of the blue one. The shop one looked
>>> like this but didnt have a yellow face like that.
>>> http://www.cichlidlovers.com/p-aurora-moz.JPG
>>> This one is apparently Pseudotropheus aurora Mozambique
>>>
>>
>>
>> Well one thing is for sure....it ain't no goldfish....
>>
>> Gill
>
>
> Apologies to the linguists in this group it ain't a
> goldfish...apologies for the double negative
>
> Gill

i think you will be alright unless someone comes along and says something
like you gotta real purdy mouth or squeal like a pig! <reaches for banjo -
da da da de da......>

it is usenet after all!

[Andrew]

>This particular shop was Pets Paradise, probably
> similar to the "Petsmart" I've been hearing so
> much about on this news group.

Except, I think Petsmart is supposed to be cheaper than most LFS's.
I've bought smoked mountain trout for less than Pets Paradise sell
neons... and the trout showed more signs of life :-)

[IDzine01]

PetsMart dropped a betta in every freshwater tank they had one weekend
without considering what was in them. 6 were completely finless and
swirling around the tank some dead some alive.

[Annie]

"Beano" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello,
>
> I figured since we had a "biggest lies my LFS told me" thread, I would
> start this one after a little thing I saw in my LFS today.
>
> I saw one of these
> cichlids(http://bonderosa.rutgers.edu/images/Cichlid.JPG) and another
> pale yellow one (don't know what, but definitely a cichlid!) in a tank
> with about 15 GOLDFISH today. Interesting...
>
> This particular shop was Pets Paradise, probably similar to the
> "Petsmart" I've been hearing so much about on this news group. Anyway,
> this is not a fish that Pets Paradise commonly stock, and they were the
> only two, so I guess someone dumped them on the store and they had no
> where to put them.
>
> Is that one in the picture particularly aggressive? I'm not sure if it
> is that one, but the bigger one of the two was yellow with pale zebra
> stripes and a nice blue metallic shimmer over the top of the yellow.
> Pretty...

Couldn't find the thread "dumb things your lfs has told you ....

I have just reset up my 60gal that had been left chlorinating during a long
vacation and after cleaning, bleaching, boiling, rinsing and re-rinsing
everything, my lfs told me my "new" set up would only take 1 week to cycle.
WTF? I thought it was more like 4 - 6 weeks but no, they assure me I can
add more fish and be honky dory after one week!!

A

[Aidan Grey]

On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 08:59:19 GMT, Annie wrote:

( Snip )

>
>Couldn't find the thread "dumb things your lfs has told you ....
>
>I have just reset up my 60gal that had been left chlorinating during a long
>vacation and after cleaning, bleaching, boiling, rinsing and re-rinsing
>everything, my lfs told me my "new" set up would only take 1 week to cycle.
>WTF? I thought it was more like 4 - 6 weeks but no, they assure me I can
>add more fish and be honky dory after one week!!
>
>A
>
>

It may be safe to put a small number of fish in after week. I expect it
will take 3 or 4 weeks to cycle the tank to the point where it will carry a
full load of fish.

Start with something like a few feeder guppies, where you will not
loose to much if they die.


Aidan Grey

[Elaine T]

Aidan Grey wrote:
> On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 08:59:19 GMT, Annie wrote:
>
> ( Snip )
>
>
>>Couldn't find the thread "dumb things your lfs has told you ....
>>
>>I have just reset up my 60gal that had been left chlorinating during a long
>>vacation and after cleaning, bleaching, boiling, rinsing and re-rinsing
>>everything, my lfs told me my "new" set up would only take 1 week to cycle.
>>WTF? I thought it was more like 4 - 6 weeks but no, they assure me I can
>>add more fish and be honky dory after one week!!
>>
>>A
>>
>>
>
>
> It may be safe to put a small number of fish in after week. I expect it
> will take 3 or 4 weeks to cycle the tank to the point where it will carry a
> full load of fish.
>
> Start with something like a few feeder guppies, where you will not
> loose to much if they die.
>
>
> Aidan Grey
>
>
>
Huh? Sterile tanks don't cycle in 3 weeks. That was the whole point of
the post! Also, as long as the chlorine is gone, why do you suggest
waiting a week to add fish? As soon as temps are up and filters are
moving water, the tank is ready for fish and to begin a new cycle.

Also, many stores keep feeder guppies under poor conditions. Cycling
with feeders may introduce diseases that can cause problems later. If
you know how to cycle a tank properly (low fish load, plants, salt,
water changes) there is no need to kill anything.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[default]

Elaine T wrote:
>
Also, many stores keep feeder guppies under poor conditions. Cycling
> with feeders may introduce diseases that can cause problems later. If
> you know how to cycle a tank properly (low fish load, plants, salt,
> water changes) there is no need to kill anything.


Yup, I'll second that notion. I cycled a 55g with about $100 dollars
worth of African cichlids. _I_ thought I was crazy! Everything worked
out just fine however. I used sponges from two cycled tanks filters
and threw in a wad-o-java moss and clump of java fern. I did measure
nitrites on 3 days and used water changes with Amquell to nullify.
Everybody's happy and healty 3 months later.

steve

[Eric]

On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 11:04:10 -0500, Aidan Grey wrote
(in article >):

> It may be safe to put a small number of fish in after week. I expect it
> will take 3 or 4 weeks to cycle the tank to the point where it will carry a
> full load of fish.
>
> Start with something like a few feeder guppies, where you will not
> loose to much if they die.
>
>
> Aidan Grey

I haven't seen feeder guppies in these parts for many years. Seems they've
been replaced by tuffy minnows. In any case, I agree that it will take at
least a month to get more than a very light fish load in there and probably a
little longer to get it fully stocked.

BTW, try cycling with white clouds. They're tough as nails and will tun into
a beautiful school when they grow up.

-E

[Annie]

"Eric" > wrote in message
. sbcglobal.net...
> On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 11:04:10 -0500, Aidan Grey wrote
> (in article >):
>
>> It may be safe to put a small number of fish in after week. I expect
>> it
>> will take 3 or 4 weeks to cycle the tank to the point where it will carry
>> a
>> full load of fish.
>>
>> Start with something like a few feeder guppies, where you will not
>> loose to much if they die.
>>
>>
>> Aidan Grey
>
> I haven't seen feeder guppies in these parts for many years. Seems they've
> been replaced by tuffy minnows. In any case, I agree that it will take at
> least a month to get more than a very light fish load in there and
> probably a
> little longer to get it fully stocked.
>
> BTW, try cycling with white clouds. They're tough as nails and will tun
> into
> a beautiful school when they grow up.
>
> -E

Sorry, my bad! I am using 6 "hardy" fish to cycle my tank but was told that
it would only take one week to cycle and after that week, I would have my
full load. Last time I cycled my tank (around 18 months ago), they gave me
6 or 7 goldfish, 2 mollys, a couple of tetras and a couple of other fish
which all went in with the 7 guppies my kids had bought from a local school
fete. It was then that I discovered the world of newsgroups and got some
very helpful advice from the goldfish group and quickly returned the
goldfish to the shop for a refund -- they do have a tit for tat replacement
to assist with cycling, holidays, etc!!

I live in a small country town so have to rely on the one local shop for
stock, equipment and accessories. Fortunately, I am able to access info and
ammo here prior to visiting -- they don't have a large variety at any given
time but the guy who runs the shop (part time) is a fanatic and knows his
stuff, it's a pity his staff aren't quite up to speed!!
A

[scrappy]

"default" > wrote in message
ups.com...

Elaine T wrote:
>
Also, many stores keep feeder guppies under poor conditions. Cycling
> with feeders may introduce diseases that can cause problems later. If
> you know how to cycle a tank properly (low fish load, plants, salt,
> water changes) there is no need to kill anything.


Yup, I'll second that notion. I cycled a 55g with about $100 dollars
worth of African cichlids. _I_ thought I was crazy! Everything worked
out just fine however. I used sponges from two cycled tanks filters
and threw in a wad-o-java moss and clump of java fern. I did measure
nitrites on 3 days and used water changes with Amquell to nullify.
Everybody's happy and healty 3 months later.

steve


> I did the same thing. I cycled one of my tanks with my sand/gravel mix
from an old tank and a sponge from one of the filters for over night and
added my cichlids. I lost one but I think I would have lost that one
anyway. Store replaced it for free.

[Gill Passman]

Beano wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I figured since we had a "biggest lies my LFS told me" thread, I would
> start this one after a little thing I saw in my LFS today.
>
> I saw one of these
> cichlids(http://bonderosa.rutgers.edu/images/Cichlid.JPG) and another
> pale yellow one (don't know what, but definitely a cichlid!) in a tank
> with about 15 GOLDFISH today. Interesting...
>
> This particular shop was Pets Paradise, probably similar to the
> "Petsmart" I've been hearing so much about on this news group. Anyway,
> this is not a fish that Pets Paradise commonly stock, and they were the
> only two, so I guess someone dumped them on the store and they had no
> where to put them.
>
> Is that one in the picture particularly aggressive? I'm not sure if it
> is that one, but the bigger one of the two was yellow with pale zebra
> stripes and a nice blue metallic shimmer over the top of the yellow.
> Pretty...
>

How about "we don't treat for white spot/ich as the blue water puts the
customers off" - young lad in LFS - did he ever consider what the spots
and sick fish would do to the customers!!!!! or that the blue from meds
like protozin are not apparent after an hour or two (evening doses) BTW
they do treat the tanks coz I checked with the store manager but I guess
he is now an ex LFS lad as I haven't seen him for a while....

gill

Gill

[Beano]

ha! that's hilarious!

[Ross Vandegrift]

On 2005-10-08, Beano > wrote:
> I figured since we had a "biggest lies my LFS told me" thread, I would
> start this one after a little thing I saw in my LFS today.

I was in my LFS the other day (it's a new one since I recently moved)
and they have a tank that's probably about 110 gallons. They have a
grouper of some variety in the tank that was very nearly three feet
long. Poor guy was too big to turn around in the tank.


--
Ross Vandegrift

"The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who
make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians
have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine
man in the bonds of Hell."
--St. Augustine, De Genesi ad Litteram, Book II, xviii, 37

[Beano]

my usual fish store (not Pets Paradise) always have big fish in small
tanks. They currently have a really huge wild caught oscar in a little
tank like they keep the stock of neons in. They also have a giant
gourami, but it's in a slightly bigger and taller tank which is built
into the wall.

They are currently trying to sell the giant oscar for $450. I thought
this was a bit excessive given that you can't tell how old the fish
is...

[Beano]

Ok,

Got a new fish store to talk about this time. This one I've only been
to twice - the first occasion I thought it was fantastic, the 2nd time
they had at least one dead fish in each tank, half the tank lights were
off, they had a super overstocked neon tank with such powerful
filtration the neons were just flying around the tank, a few were just
coated in white spot. In another small tank they had about 40 oscars
about 4inches long each. Then in yet another small tank they had 4
slightly larger oscars which were selling for only $10, presumably
because one had severe HITH and the others were completely shredded -
Someone please tell me what kind of a fish store discounts a fish that
hasn't been treated and is clearly diseased with HITH!!!! They
shouldn't have even been on display!! What is going on here! I'm so
not going back...