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Average Member
 
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 8/21/2011 7:52:03 AM
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ooohhhmyyygooodness. this is going to be long, just as a warning...
So, yesterday, I went to petsupermarket to pick up some fish food and some cories "if they were still there." They were. and, as I was patiently waiting for some service, there was a man and his daughter asking what to feed their "Siamese fighting fish." I kind of sensed there would be some trouble just based on that question and the synonym he used for betta. So I eavesdropped, as always lol. The employee, kudos for her honesty, told the man that she wasnt really sure, she was new, it wasnt her department, etc, i'll go find someone who can help you. She also told the man that people sometimes feed them goldfish flakes. ...what? the first thing that popped into my mind was that goldfish were pretty herbi/omnivorous whereas bettas are pretty carnivorous. when she left to get someone, I turned around and told the man that there is food specially made for bettas and he held up a package and said his fish wasnt eating them, to which i recommended dried bloodworms saying that they shouldnt be used as a complete diet though. then he asked if more could be kept together, i said its not a good idea, def. dont keep two males together, "how can you tell?", "well..." and went off talking about betta compatibility. he asked me if i worked there x) and then said i should. then told the poor employee about all my help and how i should work there >.< that was kind of the start of the oohhhhmyyygoodnesss-ness. then i needed my fish... i probaby should have come back when a new girl was not working. cory cats. theyre speedy little guys. first problem, she wasnt sure what i wanted. i didnt really want to complicate things by saying "those false-bandit cories" 1, they were labeled "assrtd. cories" and 2, i didnt really think that would do any good anyways. so i said, those three catfish. the only three fish that could possibly resemble a catfish in the whole tank of black mollies. ...she nets me a pleco. thanks, but no thanks. so i point out the fish again. so, when she finally knows what shes going after, it isnt long until every sword plant along the back of the tank is unrooted and floating. so she takes those out of the tank. im was also a little baffled about how much gravel she was netting. then the thing that shocked me was, when she finally had a fish flopping above the gravel in the net, even when the fish was already in the little container she still poured in all the gravel! i was just......idontevenknow. then i suggested she used two nets and she did. well, that only meant twice as much gravel. but she reassured me that she would take out the gravel. thanks, i feel so much better now -_- ... so it took about 15 mins until there was about 3 inches of gravel, 3 cories, and 3 black molly fry in the container. ya know... i used to ask if i could get some of the fry sometimes and they would say, well if it ends up in the bag, its yours. i never thought that was possible.... now i know... Luckily and surprisingly, my cories are doing very well along with the 3 new fry (just what i need >.< theyre in my 29 gallon for now. but, i have never seen such a struggle to net fish! it was memorable, indeed. Unfortunately, however, it did change my whole perspective of that store. because, even the lady at the register was new and she had trouble too. i mean, its understandable. but, dont they go through training?? i think bagging fish properly and efficiently should be part of that training and not restricted to the fish department person, especially if youre going to send the new kid over there to fill in because no one is working in that area at the moment.
sorry its a little long. i know no one else would get it, so i had to tell you guys x)
feel free to share any of your pet store experiences, good or bad 
29 gal: 2 mollies, >15 guppy fry, >10 molly fry, 1 farlowella cat
20 gal: 2 pearl gouramis, 7 cherry barbs, 1 female crowntail betta, 6 female guppies, 1 albino bristlenose pleco, 1 bumblebee catfish
10 gal: 2 black kuhli loaches, 11 male guppies
10 gal: >15 guppy fry, 1 rubberlip pleco, 1 nerite snail
5 gal: 1 celestial pearl danio, 1 male 1 female guppy, 1 nerite snail
2.5 gal: 1 male crowntail betta
Pond: some sunfish, some flagfish
Container Pond (20g): least killies
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Senior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 12/5/2012 4:02:38 PM
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at my petsmart I usually get so caught up talking about fish, that I once stayed about a half hour after closing.
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nano reefs are fun
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Advanced Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 5/6/2012 12:15:29 PM
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| Cliff-notes version please...
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Average Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 1/4/2013 1:37:45 PM
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some fish stores do train there employees well. at the store where i work, i had to train and then observe other employees for at least 2 weeks. and it was probably three weeks before i was able to net fish or wear an employee shirt. sooo many packets to read through. haha
4 gallon Finnex pico aquarium- Iwagumi tank with orange eye black tiger shrimp.10 gallon- Planted Asian biotope with CPD's, sparkling gouramis, and a breeding pair of Betta albimarginata. <link to pics of my tanks- http://board.fishchannel.com/Topic225475-16-1.aspx>
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Junior Member
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Last Login: 11/10/2012 1:41:26 PM
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I really don't like the people who work at my petco. They always give out false information...ugh. Also, whenever I see people looking at betta fish I am always wondering how they are going to keep them. My bettas tank is 2 gallons, it's not that big but he's doing great! It's kind of sad because where I live we don't have a mom and pop fish store, you know one of the really nice little shops. All I have is Petco, PetSmart, and the internet
20 gallon: 2 pristella tetras, 2 flame tetras, 1 painted platy and fry, 6 ghost shrimp, 2 female bettas (Athena, and Alectrona) 6 gallon (Fluval Edge): breeding tank, 1 cherry barb5 gallon (Fluval Chi): 1 double-tail male betta (Sephora) 2 gallon: 1 red male vieltale betta (Balboa) 2 gallon (Fluval Spec): 1 male halfmoon betta(Shawano)30 gallon: 2 fantail goldfish, 1 pleco Future Tank (far away future...): 75 or 100 gallon planted tank with 6-8 discus (undecided types of them), a school of red phantom tetras, some loaches, a pair of rams, and a school of rummy nose tetras
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Starting Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 3/14/2013 5:28:01 AM
Posts: 111,
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| Thank Goodness Ive got a fishfarm nearby (k 30 miles away but thats nearby right?). Although I am pretty sure the employees must hate me because I ask for very specific fish in tanks that usually have a couple of hundred fish in them. There was this new girl last week I went and she really couldnt get the fish I wanted and once she did she almost squished the poor thing so I very calmly told her not to get too pissed up at me but to get someone else or to hand me the net because I wasnt paying to get sushi thanks. I hate it when the person bagging the fish has no clue to what they are doing. Fish gets knocked around or falls on the floor ohh dont worry it will be fine. No idiot it will not, how would you feel about being thrown out of a great height into pavement, huh?
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New Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/1/2012 9:16:05 AM
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Yeah i can sort of relate to diru's experiences... ( except it was fish error not human) when i got my opline gourami the lady did a good job scooping the fish... and right when the lady was about to pour it into the bag it jumped and fell splat to the floor!! Luckily the lady quickly and calmly pick up the fish and put it in the bag.... and she was actually HELPFUL and she said do you still want the fish? after a couple minute just to make sure it was still okay i bought the fish... Gemini is a very happy ( and spasmatic) Opline Gourami
Fish are like potato chips, you can't have just one
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New Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 10/31/2011 8:53:53 AM
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Ok so I have to be that guy. I work in the aquatics department of the Altoona petco and I can befor and against both sides of the argu meant I will definitely agree that there are some people who are in no way shape or form qualified to give any information about any type of pet. I look at my co workers some times and think ... Really you just said that? And now on the other side it's really hard when people come in thinking that they know all there is to know and they wont let those who are there to help give any well "help" haha. Pet stores are definitely hard.. I think we need to come together and make one place where the proper training is required to be able to work at that specific store it would make the pet trade erupt with proper pet care
The First Tank Ever
6 Gallon Fluval Edge:
3 White Cloud Tetra
1 Blue Columbian Tetra
1 Cobra Male Guppy
1 Female Guppy
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Starting Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 2/21/2012 1:37:51 PM
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| would like to add my tow cents worth. as to Daisy Mays comment about employees giving out false info. I know many do not get the proper training but there is another side to it. at some big chain stores there is alot of pressure to give out certain info that may or may not be accurate due to the pressure to push a certain item. way back a long time ago when I was working PT at a certain store i was told by manegement that salt water fish were not good to keep since the store did not carry them. this statement is only partially true in a sense (you know what i mean) also I did not agree with alot of advice that was encouraged to give to folks new to the hobby. also It can be a bit intimidating for a first timer to catch and bag fish. even though on my first time i knew how to net most types of fish I had never bagged any before. I have the fish in the bag and stuck in the airhose and shut the bag. the airhose was the type hooked to an O2 tank with a high pressure nozzle. I gave the nozzle handle a squeeze and POW. I had water flying all over and a couple of not so happy swordtails on the floor. the bad part was my co worker said oh just scoop them up and throw them back in the bag. I said no way and tossed place them in a hospital tank and bagged some different fish. Bri
I Never met a fish I did not like, especially wrapped in seaweed and a little soy sauce.
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4/14/2012 8:46:34 PM
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Just one more reason I go to aquarium only type pet stores. At least there if you go in and watch, you quickly learn who knows what about what! And you see first hand just how they handle their fish prior to buying any yourself.
My mind always tells me I'm young.......yet every morning when I get out of bed.......my body proves I'm very very old!
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