is there a moral obligation...

[Nina51]

sorry if this has ever been addressed. my local Pet Supplies Plus store relocated into a new, HUGE building. they added a saltwater section, eight 10g tanks. they house everything from damsels to nems to triggers.

i stopped in last friday to pick up xmas bones for my dogs and as i always do when i'm there, i wander through the fish stuff, including the tanks. well, not actually through the tanks, i just walk past them and look. :)

i saw a huma huma trigger that was in pretty bad shape...torn fins, and it was flashing on everything from rocks to the glass, pretty much constantly. i could see a few white spots and we all know what that probably means.

another person walks up to the tank and exclaims "oh what a cool fish!". just then, a sales person comes over and says "do you have any questions?". guys says he really likes the look of that fish. sales person says oh yeah, he's a beauty! guys says his 125g is about 3 months old, his first tank, thought that would be a great fish.

i mentioned to the sales person that i saw the fish doing a lot of flashing. of course, neither she nor the potential buyer, knew what i meant. i didn't go into a lot of detail, just told them both to "look it up" and i walked away.

i SO wanted to scream at the guy "DON'T BUY IT" but, and here's where my dilemma lies, should i have been more forceful or should i have walked away and not said anything?

i hate to see a newbie unknowingly buying a sick fish but i mostly hate to know that the fish is probably gonna perish out of the buyer's ignorance.

what would you have done?

ps, sorry i got long winded. i'm at work today and nobody calls a divorce lawyer between xmas and new year's so i'm pretty bored.

[RJT]

To me it depends on ones conscience.

If I see a newbie that obviously doesn't know what he is getting I do start a conversation with him to make sure he knows. Its better for the fish, pet owner and store that a customer is happy.

In your case the only thing I would have done differently is tell them what flashing is in addition to the other issues the fish had. Telling someone a new term, without defining it, then telliing them to look it up and walking away may have made them shrug their shoulders and continue the transaction instead of heeding your valid warning. However, I do understand because sometimes we want to scream at some of the things we see in this hobby. Its great you helped before you left.

[Nina51]

yeah, i suppose i should have been more helpful than flippant but i've seen this so often, even at my regular lfs, that i feel like i'm beating my head against a brick wall.

[snorvich]

I would feel a moral obligation. That is one of the reasons I do not visit LFS.

[Nina51]

yeah, i need to just stop going to that section of the store. my regular lfs is "just ok" when it comes to this stuff. i'm gonna have to go there soon as i am thinking about an upgrade and i really need to actually see stuff to figure out what i really want.

[RJT]

At your lfs will they order fish for you?

Snorvich. Luckily two of my lfs are pretty honest. They ask what size tank and if it's reef or not for a lot of their fish. The other stores will knowingly sell you the wrong stuff and tell you they are there for you.

[RJT]

Nina. What size tank are you getting? You have now?

[snorvich]

At your lfs will they order fish for you?

Snorvich. Luckily two of my lfs are pretty honest. They ask what size tank and if it's reef or not for a lot of their fish. The other stores will knowingly sell you the wrong stuff and tell you they are there for you.

I buy all fish online. The type of fish I would consider ordering is not one my LFS would ever consider carrying. If I am going to have them order, I might as well order it myself.

[Crimson]

Did you see my poll?

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2359268

[snorvich]

Did you see my poll?

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2359268

I would never stop a livestock sale, but I cannot stand being there when an inappropriate animal is sold to a customer. So, as I stated, I don't go.

[Nina51]

Nina. What size tank are you getting? You have now?

i'm leaning toward a 40 breeder as i don't have a whole lot of wall space to work with.

right now i have a 14g biocube and a 29g biocube. both have been up and running for a little over 1 year. lots of corals in the 29g and they are taking over. i have simply run out of room and can't add another thing!

[johnike]

What a horrible problem to have with those pesky corals!
Glad everything is doing well Nina, and can't wait to visit the new tank.

You have a good conscience.

[ca1ore]

Have to say that of the three LFS I frequent! they are all pretty good about making sure their fish are healthy (and noting when not) and generally ask about tank size, other fish, etc. I also occasionally go to the 'big box' places (mainly for tanks) and just avoid the salt section because it is an absolute abomination.

I also find myself ordering livestock via the internet more and more.

[Nina51]

What a horrible problem to have with those pesky corals!
Glad everything is doing well Nina, and can't wait to come and help you set up the new tank.

ftfji :D

and i blame you and benjamin and charlie for bringing me all that healthy stuff and making me put it in my tanks. oh and that coco worm? yeah, i'm fixin' to cut zoas off his tube for the THIRD time!!

[johnike]

Just let me know, and I'll be right down to help.
Glad the Coco and Zoas are thriving, I'll take some Zoas offa 'yer hands next trip down.

[Nina51]

there will be plenty!
<a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/user/Ninapearl/media/Picture001_zps879624a7.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Ninapearl/Picture001_zps879624a7.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Picture001_zps879624a7.jpg"/></a>

i'm thinking i might put a tank where bentley's chair is right now. that way, i could see it from the sofa in the living room or from my chair in the new room. i can move bentley's chair to the wall where the 2 biocubes are. waddaya think?

[HumbleFish]

I wish I had the willpower not to visit LFS, especially Petco. Every so often my wife & I will see a fish dying in one of their tanks and she will ask me, "Do you think you could save it?"

I've resisted the urge thus far, but I think about the fish and feel like crap for at least the rest of the day...

[johnike]

Sounds like a plan, Nina.