Anyone have funny pet store/beginner stories?

[MSB123]

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[Shaina Carey]

Not saltwater related, but I was told I could have my betta in an unheated tank. Now my betta's are in heated tanks

 

[Greybeard]

My wife kept a male Betta in a water pitcher, no heat, no filter, 100% water changes every week... For 9 years

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

My puffers (GSP) love to not only play tag but play fallow the laser beam. I found this out when my nephew was playing with our dog having it chase the laser beam. I guess not seeing any harm he flashed it at the sandy bottom of my tank and my puffers immediately went after it. I later got one of my puffers to do donuts trying to get it. Made him spin around so fast he stopped swimming and just sat there for a bit.

LFS story, my local fish store tried selling my friends a few things that weren’t compatible. I stepped in and gave guidance boy weren’t they happy. It’s also happened to me where they try to sell me things I don’t need and when I turn around and tell them what I know they keep there distance.

The pic was taken today he was just chilling.

Also my fire arms include a ruger .40 and ruger 9m. Love home safety lol.

Very cool picture, something from National Geographic Magazine

 

[Dr.Xipoles]

I once overheard a older lady infront of me in line at the counter buying some corals and she was "babying" them like they were a puppy or kitten saying stuff like "oh aren't you cute and pretty" and tickeling the bags.

You could tell from a mile away that she was a beginner and that these were her first corals ever.

Her total came up to over $400 for a handful of frags and i felt so sad for her cause i knew for a fact they were going to die.

 

[Forsaken77]

When I was 17 I worked in a pet store with fish, small animals, reptiles and a masturbating monkey that we had to keep a diaper on so he wouldn't freak out the customers. He was in a large bird cage.

We got these catfish in, two of them, and I was cleaning their tank. We had gotten all sorts of odd animals at this place. The label said "EL Catfish." I thought it was spanish for "THE Catfish."

This was at the time of non submersible heaters. I stuck my hand in the tank and got zapped, bad. I ripped the heater off the tank and threw it across the back room for zapping me.

I stuck my hand in a second time and was zapped so bad it knocked me off the step stool I was on. After falling off the stool and into a big pile of inventory boxes, another employee comes over. I was like "dude, don't touch that tank, there's something really wrong with it."

This guy starts laughing and said those are electric catfish dummy! I was sooo mad... I said "did the magic marker charge by the letter that you couldn't spell out the whole word?!! They couldn't pay me to touch that tank again. I never felt such pain.

The monkey was a whole other thing. Teenagers used to come in and try to peel his diaper off if he was by the side of the cage so he could start going to town again. He was like the store mascot in a way.

 

[Jayy21]

Few years ago, was at a LFS here on Long Island.. came across a tank with a pricey blue eyed Pleco.

I was immediately approached by one of the workers who I quickly told I was only browsing - while looking at this pleco. He replies, “I love this fish, I actually caught him myself.” I look over at this awkward, young, seemingly unaware employee who I had just overheard giving terrible advice to another customer and now I’m being led to believe he somehow caught this fish himself... so now he has my attention, I can’t wait to hear this one..

He continues.. telling me how he catches some of the fish they sell in the store and that by pure luck he was able to hand-catch this Pleco while recently scuba diving...off Montauk Point. I literally didn’t know how to respond.. I turned and walked out of the store.. haven’t been back since.

Knowledgeable, quality employees..

 

[ThunderGoose]

I've been keeping fish since I was in 3rd grade so, of course, when I was in college I worked at a pet store. The vast majority of the time people came in with fish issues (we only did freshwater) I would ask how often do you do water changes and get a blank look. If explaining the merits of water changes didn't seem to get through to them I would sell them a drug. Now was this drug useful? I dunno. But what I DID know was that the instructions called for a water change before treatment and regular water changes during and after treatment. Plus it turned the water green so they thought it was doing something.

It was my way to trick them into doing water changes.

 

[lukejohnson1022]

On several occasions, I've seen high school age idiots that try to sell something, even if it's _not_ in the buyer's (or the animal's!) best interest. I've always had a bit of a problem with that.

Worst instance was nearly twenty years ago now, at an LFS in KC, long since out of business, thankfully. Kid, probably 12, and his mom were at the shop, picking something to put in his new 20g saltwater tank. They'd sold him a damsel a couple weeks before, wanted to get something interesting. Kid locked in on a blue ring octopus they had. Yeah, you don't see 'em anymore, but they used to be fairly common. Anyway, idiot high school kid was gonna bag it up and sell it to mom, without ever mentioning the fact that the dang thing was lethal. I said something, lady grabs her boy and leaves, kid is mad at me for killing the sale.

Saw a kid talk his mom into a cute little lizard once. Boxed it up, and walked out of the store, guy at the counter never said a word. Baby water monitor. In a year, it would have outweighed the kid. Oh well. Every chance the kid killed the monitor before it was big enough to eat him.

I get it... LFS's are in business to sell stuff... but I'll never understand why they'd do this sort of thing.

It's not just pets. My other hobby is firearms. Young woman goes in saying she doesn't feel safe at home alone. Guy at the counter nearly always grabs a compact .22 pistol off the shelf. Worthless, for self defense.

Kids buying pets they don’t know anything about is a big problem but it’s not always kids! I made an emergency run to Petco just yesterday and an employee was about to sell a yellow tang to an older couple for their “saltwater fish bowl.” They employee just said A SALTWATER FISH BOWL SOUNDS COOL. And he proceeded to bag up a yellow tang. There were also several other adults at the store buying fish for the first time but they were buying their tank in the same trip as their fish!!! Water conditioner?, we don’t need that. Eyesore neon pink multicolored gravel?, throw it in! A heater?, nah we’ll just put our brand new 10 gallon OSCAR tank next to the space heater. I cannot make this stuff up!

The people LFS and pet stores hire is ridiculous! I’m a 16 year old reefer but I knew 3 times as much as that employee who had been working there for 4 years. I was 15 when I started but I did at least a year of research before getting into freshwater, let alone saltwater. I might still be a kid but I know what I’m doing. I have acros that are doing great and I do all the proper maintenance and everything. Quiz me! I know my stuff! [emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Jeep Girl]

I worked in a pet shop during the early 90s

Pannicked call from a kid "My snake just ate my mom's bird, how do I get it out?" It was a really uncomfortable conversation as I tried to explain that the bird was already dead...

Random call from a witch "Do you sell leaches? I want to use them for holistic healing purposes."

"I just bought this fish and it died within 15 minutes, I want a refund" she bought a clownfish and put it in a goldfish bowl... Long before Finding Nemo came out

I bought this fish and it ate all of my fish in 3 days, can you take it back? 7" tiger Oscar.

And so many more....

 

[Oliver d]

Worked in a LFS a few years ago ,in walked a family came over to me and said they wanted a nemo started asking them about their set up they turn around telling they do t have a marine tank but they saw on you tube nemo living in a goldfish bowl and that is what they wanted.I told them no I won t sell them one.They went to the owner and he sold them what they wanted and I got a lecture that I must sell whatever the customer wants even if I think its wrong to do it.A week later I quit

 

[Forsaken77]

Few years ago, was at a LFS here on Long Island.. came across a tank with a pricey blue eyed Pleco.

I was immediately approached by one of the workers who I quickly told I was only browsing - while looking at this pleco. He replies, “I love this fish, I actually caught him myself.” I look over at this awkward, young, seemingly unaware employee who I had just overheard giving terrible advice to another customer and now I’m being led to believe he somehow caught this fish himself... so now he has my attention, I can’t wait to hear this one..

He continues.. telling me how he catches some of the fish they sell in the store and that by pure luck he was able to hand-catch this Pleco while recently scuba diving...off Montauk Point. I literally didn’t know how to respond.. I turned and walked out of the store.. haven’t been back since.

Knowledgeable, quality employees..

What fish store? I live on LI also.

 

[Eastlake]

Worked in a LFS a few years ago ,in walked a family came over to me and said they wanted a nemo started asking them about their set up they turn around telling they do t have a marine tank but they saw on you tube nemo living in a goldfish bowl and that is what they wanted.I told them no I won t sell them one.They went to the owner and he sold them what they wanted and I got a lecture that I must sell whatever the customer wants even if I think its wrong to do it.A week later I quit

I go a similar lecture from the "new" owner of the store that I worked at, the original owners sold it while I was at school and I didn't find out until I showed up for work on the weekend. I told some folks that it was a bad idea to put a jack dempsy in with their school of cardinal tetras, boss man pulled me aside and told me to sell them whatever they want, ignoring boss man I sold them more appropriate fish for more money that the dempsy was worth and darn it wouldn't you know they came back because someone was honest with them? Funny how that works. He also told me to not do water changes on the discus tank where he mixed wild caught fish with captive bred fish, no chance wild parasites could run a muck in the captive bred population. ALL of the fish get stupid sick and start dropping like flies so he tells me to throw a sheet over the tank and let them die in peace. Once again, ignoring boss man, I do almost daily 50% water changes, bump up the temperature, and dose with aquarium salt. A customer saw this and checked back weekly to see how the discus were doing, after they were back to health he bought the 10 remaining fish. Boss man asks me, did all of the fish finally die? To which I replied, no I got the remaining fish healthy and sold them. It's amazing how customers will come back if they find out that there are people around who care for the animals that they're selling and not only trying to make a buck. If anyone is interested in hearing more horror stories from that jack ***** reign of idiocy let me know and I'll keep them coming. But, to put minds to ease the store closed long ago and the "owner" was deported because he owed a lot of money to a lot of people and had to go hide somewhere.

 

[Eastlake]

Oops, sorry for the swear, I got a touch carried away as it broke my heart when the previous owners sold the store to the person that they did and he ran, what a lot of people in my area considered, an aquarium institution into the ground.

 

[Lasse]

Some kids stories and a typical aquarist - **** happens:

Back around 1980 I and my eldest girl visit a LFS- she was around three years old. At this time I was holding and breading Tanganyika Cichlids. Among them, Tropheus duboisi. As juvenile - this fish is among the most beautiful fish ever. I was standing in front of a new species in a tank and suddenly recognizes a older men and his 10 years son in front of a tank with juvenile T. duboisi. They was discussing what it was - they had no single idea. I was just to open my mouth and explain when I from the level of my hip hear a shrill girl power voice saying - Do you not see that it is a duboiseeeeeee fur sureeee!!!!!

One late night a friend of me phone me up and ask what I know about "White algae". White algae - never heard about - I doubt it exist white algae. It does - he said. No - it must be overfeeding I said. No - No - I was doing a 50 % WC the other day in my Tropheus tank and as usual put in 1 Kg of salt (NaCl) afterwards. I feed sparingly - you know that. Yes I said - but white algae does not exist as I know - it must be some sort of organic waste. No. No - we talk for 1 hour - it was still white algae. However - I did not hear anything more about this new species of algae and phone him up 2 weeks later and ask how it works out. Good he say - I took away all the white stuff and it did not come back. He did not mentioned white algae and I ask if he knows the reason for this white stuff. Yes - I think that. - silence - and what. Two day´s after - he say - my girlfriend try to find the 1 kilo of fructose that she had put beside my salt package in the cabinet. She was not glad when he explain that it was in his Tropheus tank.....

Many years later I was helping my friend in his store. A boy - around 7 years old and his father was looking at the saltwater section. The boy pointed at a fish and proudly say - There is a guppie. No - it is not a guppie his father told him in a voice that fathers often have to their children or wifes. It is a guppie was the sons reply. He did not give up stating that. The father try to explain for him that a guppie is a fresh water fish and they was looking at a saltwater tank. The boy did not give up - it is a guppie. I was standing a bit away and looking at their fight knowing that it was a first generation endler guppie that was adapted to saltwater. At last - the father turn to me - saying to his son that this guy know a lot about fresh and salt water and he can explain for you that this is not a guppie Yea - I would gladly do that if he is wrong - but he is not - It is a guppie. I have never seen a more surprised father and such a proud son with the whole face shining like the sun. I bet that the son still remember his father about this

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Some kids stories and a typical aquarist - **** happens:

Back around 1980 I and my eldest girl visit a LFS- she was around three years old. At this time I was holding and breading Tanganyika Cichlids. Among them, Tropheus duboisi. As juvenile - this fish is among the most beautiful fish ever. I was standing in front of a new species in a tank and suddenly recognizes a older men and his 10 years son in front of a tank with juvenile T. duboisi. They was discussing what it was - they had no single idea. I was just to open my mouth and explain when I from the level of my hip hear a shrill girl power voice saying - Do you not see that it is a duboiseeeeeee fur sureeee!!!!!

One late night a friend of me phone me up and ask what I know about "White algae". White algae - never heard about - I doubt it exist white algae. It does - he said. No - it must be overfeeding I said. No - No - I was doing a 50 % WC the other day in my Tropheus tank and as usual put in 1 Kg of salt (NaCl) afterwards. I feed sparingly - you know that. Yes I said - but white algae does not exist as I know - it must be some sort of organic waste. No. No - we talk for 1 hour - it was still white algae. However - I did not hear anything more about this new species of algae and phone him up 2 weeks later and ask how it works out. Good he say - I took away all the white stuff and it did not come back. He did not mentioned white algae and I ask if he knows the reason for this white stuff. Yes - I think that. - silence - and what. Two day´s after - he say - my girlfriend try to find the 1 kilo of fructose that she had put beside my salt package in the cabinet. She was not glad when he explain that it was in his Tropheus tank.....

Many years later I was helping my friend in his store. A boy - around 7 years old and his father was looking at the saltwater section. The boy pointed at a fish and proudly say - There is a guppie. No - it is not a guppie his father told him in a voice that fathers often have to their children or wifes. It is a guppie was the sons reply. He did not give up stating that. The father try to explain for him that a guppie is a fresh water fish and they was looking at a saltwater tank. The boy did not give up - it is a guppie. I was standing a bit away and looking at their fight knowing that it was a first generation endler guppie that was adapted to saltwater. At last - the father turn to me - saying to his son that this guy know a lot about fresh and salt water and he can explain for you that this is not a guppie Yea - I would gladly do that if he is wrong - but he is not - It is a guppie. I have never seen a more surprised father and such a proud son with the whole face shining like the sun. I bet that the son still remember his father about this

Sincerely Lasse

Lasse, does your eldest daughter enjoy aquaria. Please don't say she's a marine biologist. Please tell

 

[kirstyflash]

Loving these stories. We don’t have any marine stores locally anymore. We asked the only store in town why they don’t stock anything marine anymore and the guy said that he can’t handle people coming back and complaining that their clowns had died when they put them in with their goldfish. I really can’t believe how stupid people can be to not do any research before buying a pet. I kept goldfish as a kid and we have only had marine for around a year now. My 8 year old asked for a fish tank for his bedroom. I thought a Goldie would be nice and easy for him to have. I remember when I was little, mum threw the goldies in the tank the same day it was set up and used tap water for the tank! We got our 8 year old to research how to look after a goldie and what they ate. We used RO for the tank and went to a lot of effort to ensure his tank was cycled before we got him one. This is Google

 

[Lasse]

No - she is not a biologist at all. She working with human resources instead Every time my oldest girl see an aquaria shop - her comments is - this the way I growth up

You know - it is two gen sets making a new person - all my kids has get a very low content of "fishy" gens like mine but a lot of human genes from my wife . But my youngest grandchild seems to have picked up them. There is hope for the future
Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

We used RO for the tank and went to a lot of effort to ensure his tank was cycled before we got him one. This is Google

You should not use pure RO in a fresh water tank. It needs some salts/ ions in it because of osmotic problems for the fish. You can ad a spoon of saltwater salt / 100 liter ( around 26 gallon) to make it usable for freshwater or some of the freshwater mineral salts that exist in the trade.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Beth Villmow]

Anyone remember Woolworth or Montgomery Wards for fishes and diner/cafeteria to eat.

I remember Woolworths having assorted birds. They had abig black bird named Amos who talked. I loved that bird!