ACBlinky
01/17/2007, 04:06 PM
I just returned home and want to share my frustration with people who understand. It's been about six months since I last visited this LFS, and I can't believe how far they've slid downhill! I've seen quite a few rants here on RC, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but this used to be a half-decent store.
The first thing I noticed was that the tanks were a mess and half the stock wasn't priced. Then I saw two clear food storage containers upsidedown in a 60g tank, and a pricetag for octos -- presumably the poor things were being kept in these tiny tubs to prevent them from escaping. There was a blue-spotted ray in the same tank, along with a miserable looking jawfish.
Then I saw the big reef tank, which used to be gorgeous. Now it's 220g of dying corals and fighting fish. I didn't see ONE healthy coral -- everything was bleached, with tissue recession or retracted polyps, it was sad. The worst part is that they weren't even willing to let the sick corals go for low prices -- there was a tiny open brain with absolutely no colour, its condition was so bad that most LFSs would probably have thrown it out or sold it for $5, they wanted nearly full price for it. I don't think the guy selling them even knew how sick they all were, it was heartbreaking.
One of the employees was scraping a thick coat of green algae off the sides of the 220g, and when I pointed out a 1/2" nudi and mentioned that he might want to get it out of the tank, he laughed and said 'no way, that's a baby spanish dancer!' I could only roll my eyes -- it was clearly the type of predatory nudi that feeds on leathers, I've found a few (along with the damage they cause) on newly acquired leathers before. He proceeded to tell me that there were 'loads of them in there, and when they grow up they get all purple and orange.' As I held my tongue, he said 'it's amazing, we have no idea what they're eating, but they're living!' *Sigh* I bet those droopy, chewed up leathers know what the nudis are eating :rolleyes:
Before I left, I took a look at an interesting rock that had shrooms, leathers and a few other frags attached. It was pretty, until I noticed that it was positively crawling with predatory flatworms.
The last thing I saw as I hightailed it out of the store was a tank stuffed with dying 3/4" baby ocellaris clowns. They were scrawny and breathing rapidly... and no doubt spreading whatever illness they were carrying throughout the entire, connected system of tanks on the same wall. I don't think I'll ever go back, everything I saw was awful. It's stunning how people can treat animals so poorly and still sleep at night.
The only good thing to come out of this experience was how happy I was to come home to my own tank -- it's far from perfect and may never be TOTM, but at least I can say that everything's thriving and healthy.
The first thing I noticed was that the tanks were a mess and half the stock wasn't priced. Then I saw two clear food storage containers upsidedown in a 60g tank, and a pricetag for octos -- presumably the poor things were being kept in these tiny tubs to prevent them from escaping. There was a blue-spotted ray in the same tank, along with a miserable looking jawfish.
Then I saw the big reef tank, which used to be gorgeous. Now it's 220g of dying corals and fighting fish. I didn't see ONE healthy coral -- everything was bleached, with tissue recession or retracted polyps, it was sad. The worst part is that they weren't even willing to let the sick corals go for low prices -- there was a tiny open brain with absolutely no colour, its condition was so bad that most LFSs would probably have thrown it out or sold it for $5, they wanted nearly full price for it. I don't think the guy selling them even knew how sick they all were, it was heartbreaking.
One of the employees was scraping a thick coat of green algae off the sides of the 220g, and when I pointed out a 1/2" nudi and mentioned that he might want to get it out of the tank, he laughed and said 'no way, that's a baby spanish dancer!' I could only roll my eyes -- it was clearly the type of predatory nudi that feeds on leathers, I've found a few (along with the damage they cause) on newly acquired leathers before. He proceeded to tell me that there were 'loads of them in there, and when they grow up they get all purple and orange.' As I held my tongue, he said 'it's amazing, we have no idea what they're eating, but they're living!' *Sigh* I bet those droopy, chewed up leathers know what the nudis are eating :rolleyes:
Before I left, I took a look at an interesting rock that had shrooms, leathers and a few other frags attached. It was pretty, until I noticed that it was positively crawling with predatory flatworms.
The last thing I saw as I hightailed it out of the store was a tank stuffed with dying 3/4" baby ocellaris clowns. They were scrawny and breathing rapidly... and no doubt spreading whatever illness they were carrying throughout the entire, connected system of tanks on the same wall. I don't think I'll ever go back, everything I saw was awful. It's stunning how people can treat animals so poorly and still sleep at night.
The only good thing to come out of this experience was how happy I was to come home to my own tank -- it's far from perfect and may never be TOTM, but at least I can say that everything's thriving and healthy.