Biggest lies my LFS told me

Between all of us, we have probably visited 100s of petshops, perhaps
1000s of times, and overheard comments which made our ears go red. Does
anyone have any favourites?

I remember overhearing :
"Goldfish can live in a bowl because they are air breathers",

- and of course the perennial classic:
"Oscars are fine in a community tank".

;~)
--
www.NetMax.tk

NetMax wrote:
Between all of us, we have probably visited 100s of petshops, perhaps
1000s of times, and overheard comments which made our ears go red. Does
anyone have any favourites?

I remember overhearing :
"Goldfish can live in a bowl because they are air breathers",

- and of course the perennial classic:
"Oscars are fine in a community tank".

;~)

"Bettas are more comfortable in small bowls."

Pointing to healthy, green Radican swordplant (Echinodorus spp.) "This
is really a houseplant." Points to pale, sad-looking Spathophylum spp.
"This is a true swordplant and will grow well submerged."

And don't forget "Neons and angels make great tankmates."
(True...sometimes).

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

Elaine T wrote:
NetMax wrote:

Between all of us, we have probably visited 100s of petshops, perhaps
1000s of times, and overheard comments which made our ears go red.
Does anyone have any favourites?

I was 9 years old when a crooked fish dealer tried to sell me an oranda
and he claimed that it was a lionhead, which is a similar looking but
much more expensive fish. When I pointed out that lionheads don't have
dorsal fins, he got very nervous and stammered 'Well, um, it's just a
different variety'. I told him 'yeah, right'.

- Logic316



"In this country, we have three ways to secure our freedom. The ballot
box, the jury box, and if those don't work, the cartridge box."
-- Senator Steve Symms, Idaho -

Then we get, "Of cause the plants will grow sir, they need a lot of water"

and [hair rises on bassetts neck, as he prepairs to bite someone]

Oscars will only eat, when there hungry, and the little fishes will move out
the way.
Bassett


"Elaine T" wrote in message
...
NetMax wrote:
Between all of us, we have probably visited 100s of petshops, perhaps
1000s of times, and overheard comments which made our ears go red. Does
anyone have any favourites?

I remember overhearing :
"Goldfish can live in a bowl because they are air breathers",

- and of course the perennial classic:
"Oscars are fine in a community tank".

;~)

"Bettas are more comfortable in small bowls."

Pointing to healthy, green Radican swordplant (Echinodorus spp.) "This is
really a houseplant." Points to pale, sad-looking Spathophylum spp. "This
is a true swordplant and will grow well submerged."

And don't forget "Neons and angels make great tankmates."
(True...sometimes).

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

"bassett" wrote in message
...
Then we get, "Of cause the plants will grow sir, they need a lot of
water"

This reminds me of a little gem I heard a few weeks ago. I was in the LFS
looking for some plants and I saw these two guys ogling the plants in the
large display tank. A worker walked by and the two guys asked him what they
fed their plants to keep them so healthy. The guy said NOTHING, just light,
that's all plants need to grow. Of course the tank was full of fish
happily pooping away, not to mention the plants probably rotate out of that
tank on a weekly basis.

Elaine T wrote:

And don't forget "Neons and angels make great tankmates."

I'm sure the Angels don't mind.

NetMax wrote:

Between all of us, we have probably visited 100s of petshops, perhaps
1000s of times, and overheard comments which made our ears go red.
Does anyone have any favourites?

On several occasions I've been in my local mega pet shop, and overheard
the clerk giving the usual BS about bettas living in puddles in the
wild, and that they prefer tiny bowls. After the clerk moved on to
misinform some other poor soul, I told those customers what bettas
really live in (rice paddys) and that they will thrive and be gorgeous
in larger (e.g. 3 gallons or more) filtered and heated tanks.

I also showed them the Eclipse 3 gallon tanks as ideal starters for a
single betta. In one case I actually 'made the sale'.


--
Eric Schreiber
www.ericschreiber.com

"NetMax" wrote in message
...
Between all of us, we have probably visited 100s of petshops, perhaps
1000s of times, and overheard comments which made our ears go red. Does
anyone have any favourites?

I remember overhearing :
"Goldfish can live in a bowl because they are air breathers",

- and of course the perennial classic:
"Oscars are fine in a community tank".

;~)
--
www.NetMax.tk

"These are dwarf ____ (fill in the species) and
won't get larger than ____ (some very small size
that's much smaller than the actual mature size)."

Gail

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 22:00:03 -0400, "NetMax"
wrote:

Between all of us, we have probably visited 100s of petshops, perhaps
1000s of times, and overheard comments which made our ears go red. Does
anyone have any favourites?

I remember overhearing :
"Goldfish can live in a bowl because they are air breathers",

- and of course the perennial classic:
"Oscars are fine in a community tank".

;~)


I miss all this good stuff. I wonder if I should listen while they
are talking.

On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 04:05:14 GMT, Charles
wrote:

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 22:00:03 -0400, "NetMax"
wrote:

Between all of us, we have probably visited 100s of petshops, perhaps
1000s of times, and overheard comments which made our ears go red. Does
anyone have any favourites?

I remember overhearing :
"Goldfish can live in a bowl because they are air breathers",

- and of course the perennial classic:
"Oscars are fine in a community tank".

;~)


I miss all this good stuff. I wonder if I should listen while they
are talking.


I have... when I have time from work at PetCo down the street.. on my
own time at !PetSmart....

quiet funny....

Actually sad... a lot of the time the big-boxes could sell more if
they educated their staff better... Like Mr. Schreiber, I have sold
their customers more product than the staff through better education.

A lot of the time customers come in bound and determined to get fish,
irregardless of anything else. let them know that their fish will be
happier, grow larger, and be better looking with proper care, and they
often pun bite /pun and buy more.......




--Tony