I can't believe my LFS said that????

salt_for_brains

Alabama Reefer
I thought it might be amusing and even benficial to start a thread like this for everyone to share some :frustrat: experiences.
I was in a big box pet store ( no name calling) yesterday just killing some time and was looking at a very nice Sohal tang when a worker walked up and asked me was I interested in the tang. Sometimes I like to test people so I said I was but I only had a 29g (which I don't) but still testing. He said that Sohal would do good in my tank as long as I fed him algae sheets. I said really but I thought they needed more swimming room? He said no, that is a misconception about tangs:shock: I asked him did he work on commission?! Then I proceeded with a few minutes of education before he quickly scurried off. Best advice----RESEARCH and no impulsive buys because you RESEARCH!

I shared one of mine so let me read yours:D
 
I'm not really sure which it was either, I only went in there once because it closed shortly after to no ones surprise. However, the guy who bought it has really turned the place around and it's now a great store.
 
My now ex wife bought me a present for my birthday...one of the few I ever got. Anyway the lfs sold her a Humu Picasso Triggerfish they told her it would do great in my 48 gallon corner reef tank. Was even better is she acclimated it and it was in the tank when I came home. He was having a great time eating everything in the tank. Lost all my live stock...when I took it back to the store and confronted the owner he's reaction was "sorry I dont know why they would have sold her that fish he is a muncher and was brought in to the store the day before because it was to aggressive for the ell tank it was in" Oh by the way I was given no store credit or money back or anything....for it or the 4 fish it killed...Was kinda happy when that store closed.
 
I've got two stories. Both involve Petco... One time I overheard the employee telling a customer that the pretty yellow tang could be acclimated to their freshwater tank (they must've wanted it really badly!) The second was a woman buying a bunch of baby clowns for "giveaways" at her kid's birthday party. Her cart had a dozen baby clowns, colorful gravel, and some tiny betta cups... Sigh.
 
I went to a fish store that was out of town, and it was the first one I've seen that carried mantis shrimps. They had 2 peacock mantis shrimps each about 5-7 inches long.

One was in a 4-5 gallon nano tank with no sand and 1 small rock. On top of that, they had strong LEDs on the tank beaming down on him. Peacocks over the size of 5 inches commonly develop shell rot, and if there is strong light on them it could form it faster and kill the mantis.

The other was in a small cage in a big tank that they stored their live rock in.

Just pissed me off:grumble:
 
I went to a fish store that was out of town, and it was the first one I've seen that carried mantis shrimps. They had 2 peacock mantis shrimps each about 5-7 inches long.

One was in a 4-5 gallon nano tank with no sand and 1 small rock. On top of that, they had strong LEDs on the tank beaming down on him. Peacocks over the size of 5 inches commonly develop shell rot, and if there is strong light on them it could form it faster and kill the mantis.

The other was in a small cage in a big tank that they stored their live rock in.

Just pissed me off:grumble:

Similar story - went in to a local store that had a peacock mantis in its SPS coral vat with 2 very strong MHs blaring down on it. The poor thing was cowering in the shade of a coral. I asked the worker how the mantis liked the lights (knowing full well they need dim lighting), and he said "Oh, he loves them!" I then said, "Oh? I thought peacock mantis needed dimly lit tanks?!" He tried to back out of it but still insisted he loved his current location. I went back to the store about a week later and the mantis had been moved to a very dimly lit cube tank.

Another story:

Over heard the owner of a different local store helping some kids (young 20s) get a saltwater set-up started in order to keep an octopus. The tank they had chosen was a 10g and the owner assured them they didn't need a lid or anything, and didn't need to cycle the tank in advance for octopus.

This same LFS regularly recommends cycling with fish and will often sell 4-6 fish to someone without ever asking the size or age of the tank.
 
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Over heard the owner of a different local store helping some kids (young 20s) get a saltwater set-up started in order to keep an octopus. The tank they had chosen was a 10g and the owner assured them they didn't need a lid or anything, and didn't need to cycle the tank in advance for octopus.

.
The stores around me won't even carry octopuses because of how difficult they are to keep. They will order one if you want one, but won't keep them in stock. I honestly feel blessed that I have decent stores by me.
 
One LFS near me used to have octopuses, but they would keep them in bug catchers in the tanks because they had so many issues with them escaping
 
I have an autistic son and before we went to the LFS I listed the possible types if fish he could choose from. You know based on our tank size, existing population etc. Well he wanted a blue fish. I had him talked into three blue chromis, not bad for our first ever new fish purchase ( the others came with the tank). Then he saw it. A tiny hippo tang. I explained how they need a larger tank than we have and can be hard to get then eating as well as they are prone to ich.

Right about the. An employee piped up and said that she would be small for quite sometime and that as long as our tank is 4 ft long she should do fine for many years. I knew this not to be true, but I couldn't convince my son. Then she dropped some pellets in and the fish ate them up. I left with a 65$ blue tang and a very sick feeling. I wanted to strangle that lady. I could have left with three very hardy chromis for less than 20$. Placed the blue tang in quarantine and two days later she was covered with ich. She is doing quite well in hypo salinity now though. Only one more week to go!
 
And by one more week to go I mean one more week and I can start slowly raising the specific gravity and watch her for a few more weeks.
 
Unfortunately, "Finding Nemo" put a lot of fish in harms way via a greedy LFS and/or a new inexperienced hobbiest. Good luck with the hippo they are cool fish!
 
Finding Nemo ruined everything. I love the tank in the dentist's office. I mean, really? A Moorish Idol?! Plastic plants and an 'erupting' volcano? A bubbling treasure chest? And all that other incompatible livestock crammed in a small tank. Thanks Disney.
 
Ok another story----- Was listening as a worker in a LFS told a customer that a tube anemone was the easiest to get clowns to host. I interrupted and said first they don't host and second if a clown tries it will be consumed:grumble:
 
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