shut this place down

[SplashOfColour]

.iv been into **** ** **** a few times over the past year, only for food and poly pads in emergencys. everytime i have been in there, there has been sick or dying fish, of all species, due to a number of diseases and just poor keeping. seeing fish struggling to swim and fighting for their lives in large numbers isnt something you'd expect to see from 'a leading pet retailer' who 'care for their fish' and wont let you buy them if they think your tank is too overstocked, or if there fish hav died that you have brought, wont let you purchase anymore! coming from a store that keeps in some cases 30 fish in small tanks. anyway, i went in the other day and looked in a tank, full of corydoras at 2cm and gouramis at about 6 cm. i looked closer to find two dead fish, and several with finrot, one with only hours of life left, being attcked by gouramis. this was the case for a few others too. i then looked in a tank full of neon tetras to find two small sterbai corydoras very thin and struggling to live in the tank also. i then looked in their main tank, full of gouramis, tinfoil barbs, big plecs, xl corydoras and angelfish. i was shocked when i saw an angelfish being chased around the tank with an eye missing, fins torn and constantly being bombarded by tinfoil barbs, every fish keeper knows barbs will attack in groups. i then took a closer look to see another angelfish being pecked at by the barbs, and it had wedged itself underneath bogwood to get away from the attacks. this was very distressing and i had to leave. the next day i went in out of emotion and guilt to 'rescue' the sterbais, and when i pointed out that the fish were ill, he wouldnt sell the fish to me, as they needed to be isolated. i also told him about the angelfish, and they were both found dead, which he said he noticed that they were ill from when they were first put in the tank. i then questioned why the fish hadnt been isolated sooner, and he said he wasnt there, but regular checks should be carried. the bottom line is the fish are all in bad quality, and the place just do not care.

[ady]

i was in my local shop recently...and had to stop someone buying fish...the member of staff said it would be fine to use 5 bala sharks to cycle a 54 litre tank...holy shite,where did they get trained??....

told the buyer..a lad of about 14 with his parents,not to touch em,as they get huge.

also i was gonna get some plants,but they were infested with snails...about 3 varieties and i mean infested.

in balance i did buy 2 female kribs from them ages ago and they going strong...but in general i vote with my feet,drive 20 miles to swallow aquatics in aldham (colchester)....thre you find tip top fish and staff that refuse to sell you fish if you dont have the tank to hold em.

this hobby needs a proper regulator and not summin dreamt up by a government quango or toal F-WITT....so it has real teeth and not as much use as neon tetra with tits....

you wouldnt keep a dog in a cupboard would you,so why are fish allowed to be mistreated???....

[SplashOfColour]

i couldnt agree with you more, its a total disregard for life and lack of intelligence, truth is they just are not trained and they just see them as 'fish' but its more than that, iv had a rant on about someone i know in 'freshwater discussion' take a read of that!:S

[donna121kitten]

I have a swallow aquatics in Rayleigh(essex) and the fish are all so well looked after, the tanks are always clean and nver to meny in any one tank. I think its best you have a look around for a differnt shop. and i would write a letter to the manager saying how bad things are there..

Donna.

[PeterMcgee]

I have 2 * * * near where i live and no matter which shop i visit theres always dead fish in many of the tanks with staff talking little or no notice of them, problem is that places like this are just pet supermarkets and rarely concentrate on just particular pet.

If you want good healthy fish go to a place that only deals and sells fish the staff will have more and better knowledge especially for the begineer, you may pay a bit more but in the long run you will see the benfits rather than the "buy 1 get 1 free" syndrome you often see in general pet shops.

[csquadqb17]

My LFS is one of the better ones I've seen around the country. I've only seen one dead fish ever, and everyone there gives great, successful advice. Plus, the two owners are always there to help.