# pets at home "quiz"



## sam4532 (16 Jul 2011)

popped into my local pets at home hadn’t been in a while normally go to ferry bridge aquatics , noticed some otos had been after some for while so asked the shop assistant for 3 , out popped at little note book and she asked me a few questions ,great i thought nice to think there doing there job correctly , 

q1 how big is your tank 
a 60 l

q2 how long has it been running 
a bout 2 years

q3 how many fish 
about 15

she then said i was fully stocked and wouldnt be able to sell me the fish 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


i then explained i have a external filter strong enough for tank 3 times it size i do 50% water changes a week

but nope  apparently not enough oxygen 

even worse my friend had been in the other day novice fish keep doesnt really know what hes doing
and was sold two sucking loaches 5 cherry barbs for a 20 litre tank  which allready contains a mix match of schooling fish a fighter and some angles ( im in the process of sorting his tank out)

so anoyed ther advice is so mixed how can i be denied 3 tiny otos when they selll 15l tanks and suggest a couple of gold fish
not once was i asked what the fish were in my tank 

grrrrr


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## Fred Dulley (16 Jul 2011)

Aye, very annoying. Tell them/the manager that it's good to see some staff caring but they are going over the top and should do some of their own reading on the web. Books are often filled with out-dated info.
Seeing LFS' giving out wrong, lazy, non-caring info is bad but it's equally annoying to get the opposite side too. Some LFS are too strict for their own good. Not enough oxygen   
In Plymouth I was in a shop (wont name the strain but it wasnt P&H), and the customer had a pH of 7.6. The shop assisstant said "Ooh, you'll only be wanting to keep hardy fish like Liverbearers and Danios with that water". WHAT?!


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## Johno2090 (16 Jul 2011)

dosen't help when some good practical fish magazines print outdated articles too lol! We should try and push through some sense into these shops and the hobby. Every time im in a shop and I hear nonsense about PH and test kits and de-chlorination I want to go over and just be like "Hey Actually!"


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## Fred Dulley (16 Jul 2011)

Johno2090 said:
			
		

> I want to go over and just be like "Hey Actually!"



I think this is fine to do. Most folks here would agree that it's more polite to approach the customer when the shop assisstant has left them for a moment. If it was very bad advice then I'd be tempted to jump in regardless.


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## Johno2090 (16 Jul 2011)

I do remeber once at P@H that the woman serving me asked what was in my Aquarium to which I listed my fish which included my Clown plec. She gave me a completely disgusted look and then rattled off a load of reasons why I would have to get a bigger tank or rehome it. I then pointed out that this plec dosen't ever get over 4" long and that I had been keeping fish for a long time...was quite funny another customer waiting by her was smirking away.

She's ever so nice to me now when I go in...bless her.


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## hellohefalump (16 Jul 2011)

Urgh I hate the attitude of the lady who works in our local Pets at Home.  She thinks she knows everything there is to know, and talks in a really patronising way.  Then she told me that a siamese fighter fish shouldn't live alone and needs to be in a community...  I'm not going back there even though their fishes are cheaper than my other LFS.  

Also they sell tiny baby oscars, but don't sell a tank big enough to house them as adults!!!!  Is it me, or is that just wrong??


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## ghostsword (16 Jul 2011)

*pets at home "quiz"*

You have to understand that many people that buy the fish from there (or try to) do not really know much about what they are buying.

I bought a betta from them, and after many questions to get it, I was faced with similar questions at check out. A lady asked me what fish I had on my tank, I said that the betta was to share it with 6 cardinals. She replied that it was a bad idea, they will nip him. I just smiled and told her that maybe he was confusing cardinals with tiger barbs or other sort of nippers. Cardinals do not nip bettas, and especially not if they are in a group of 6, on a heavy planted tank, with wood and rocks.

I would say just be polite, an if someone is rude ask to speak with the manager, take their name and contact regional management if needed just to stir things up.

I like pets at home, buy from them often, the becton shop.

.


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## Mark Evans (16 Jul 2011)

You think the above is crazy?...listen to this! And it's true.

My wifes friend went to P@H to buy a fish tank, and because they didn't have water ready prepared (@ home, de chlored, temp etc), they wouldn't sell the tank to them.   That's gospel too


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## Johno2090 (16 Jul 2011)

Mark Evans said:
			
		

> You think the above is crazy?...listen to this! And it's true.
> 
> My wifes friend went to P@H to buy a fish tank, and because they didn't have water ready prepared (@ home, de chlored, temp etc), they wouldn't sell the tank to them.   That's gospel too



lol you have to be kidding, I can't believe that!


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## ghostsword (18 Jul 2011)

hahaha, that is a classic one. She should have answered that the tank for was a wabi kusa, no fish, just plants and only 10cm water. 

I bought a plastic vivarium, some bogwood and a box of crickets. A sales person asked me if I was going to put the crickets on the box, and that they would need something bigger. 

I replied that the box they were at was way smaller than the vivarium, and that they were being sold to feed lizards, so me keeping them on such a large vivarium, feeding them lettuce, adding the bogwood so they had a place to hide, was way better quality of life that they were offering the animals. She looked at me, and said, "ok, makes sense."  

It is just the way it is.


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## Mark Evans (18 Jul 2011)

Johno2090 said:
			
		

> lol you have to be kidding, I can't believe that!



straight up!


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## Tom (18 Jul 2011)

Mark Evans said:
			
		

> You think the above is crazy?...listen to this! And it's true.
> 
> My wifes friend went to P@H to buy a fish tank, and because they didn't have water ready prepared (@ home, de chlored, temp etc), they wouldn't sell the tank to them.   That's gospel too



Never heard that before, that's not in any training books.


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## sanj (21 Jul 2011)

Some people seem to like P@H ..."Poundland of the Aquarium world"...not that cheap, but plenty of tack.


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## Gary Nelson (22 Jul 2011)

sanj said:
			
		

> Some people seem to like P@H ..."Poundland of the Aquarium world"...not that cheap, but plenty of tack.




I could not have put that better myself!


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## George Farmer (22 Jul 2011)

Guys, please avoid slating companies publically on UKAPS. I don't want to be sued...

Please make criticism constructive.


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## ghostsword (22 Jul 2011)

viper3770 said:
			
		

> sanj said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Again, for me it is a perfect place to take the kids to. And who here did not have a castle underwater, or a sunken ship, fake rocks, even a treasure opening with air bubbles?  

I did have all the above, and I am happy that my kids are getting into it. 

Since then I managed to grow from two tanks at home, to having 6.  slowly I am putting manzanita inside, moss, etc..  

Also for new entrants to the aquarium keeping it makes sense to cater for all tastes, we must not get on the high horse and bash out other beliefs or tastes, it is just not cool.


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