FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I was in the middle of a mad dash to buy a new light for my 80 gallon . I was looking all over town, even the pet stores that sell sick fish and poor quality kit as I was having troubles finding a light. I was talking to the owner of one of the better store and I told him that I was at the store that has the promotion buy a fish and get some Ick for free. Of the ten or so stores in my area he knew which one I was talking about. Now what is it that make a pet store have near illness free fish and others that always have sick fish? Suppliers, treat the fish for illnesses before selling them, quarantine before selling them?

Its probably got a lot to do with the maintenance of the shop's tanks. Poor water quality and stressed fish make sick fish!

---

Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Theres one simple answer money........

If they are not owner run & managed it is a who cares attitude usually staffed by people with litle or no knowledge of fish care.
AS R pointed out it is money buy sick fish then come back and buy medical supplies and more fish.

I had one LFS close to me and the sales girl did not know one fish from another and the shop actually stunk, dead fish were often left in a bucket under the tanks and forgotten about some were found when the shop was closed and stripped down

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

I find that the shops that have 15-25 foot tanks with dividers in them are bad for disease. One type of fish will have something and the fish 10 dividers over will get the same thing as they are sharing water.

hello, Id like to add a to this thread.
As I work in a LFS, and have been keeping fish for over 25 years, I never knew the fish industry like I do now, and never imagined it like it is, as Ive seen.
I look after the fish department, and do the ordering twice weekly.
As Im sure you can agree dipping into a tank, netting cleanning, adding fish 2-3 times in one week takes it toll on the fish left and the ones going home with the customer.
It hard..
As much as we schedual the maintence of tanks, its still very hard to get it right everytime its needed, and its done by the part time staff. As I know in the past things have be half A$$ done.
As far a fish suppliers.. well dont go looking for much there..pardon the expression, little china men running around with a net on a wet slippery concrete floor.
These fish are not feed AT ALL THERE, and are not checked for anything before they are bagged. Ive seen it for myself believe me.
If they did check them I would have not recieved 10 each, Blk neons, bleeding hearts and red tails completly every fish was covered in ick in the bag. That is clearly not a breakout of ick due to being bagged.
I am ashamed to say that there is clearly not enough time in a day to get the proper maintence done thats needed in my store, with all the other work that is to be done.
This time of yr is bad for Ick out breaks due to the temp changes up and down and the water sources being that as well.
Tonight I was back there and was looking at the cold water tanks and noticed a brown circle on the back tail of a chocolate goldfish, scraped it off, turns out to be fish lice. First Ive ever seen of this.. added a week ago 4 black moors to that tank.. probably came from them.
we could use more staff and readily excessable to our room, which holds our supply area.Its frustrating!
there are a number that do care, like myself, but can only do so much. If it were up to me well..
I look after 5 tanks at home ranging from 10gal to 80gal and its time consuming as Im sure most here can say yes to that. I keep Discus in a BB tank close to daily w/ch there..
well 2 ppl 3 times a week looking after 55 tanks is just not near enough time that is needed and its stop and go in between customers..
sorry for the long post..
oh btw this is a pet store not all fish..

oh and Im not the store that is selling fish with free ick , just to clear that up!!..
I just come across this thread and thought Id post..
Gosh sure hope ppl do know what to look for when buying fish...tell yah though alot dont!!.. most dont even want to listen to you..there the ones that call back 2 days later saying one fish has died and it all our fault!!..lol..
lady did today..she bought 4 blue gouramis and 4 something tetras, and more of something else to go in a 35 gal, which she said had guppies about 10 and some other shoaling tetras, and foot long pleco..lol...NOoooo ! its not her fault possibly..its all of ours we sold her sick fish !..lol.. she told me shes had fish for over 20 yrs..has she not learnt the basics by now!!..lol, some ppl