Do you interfere?

[ichthyogeek]

Let's say that you're shopping for your aquarium. You overhear an employee talking to a customer, and notice that what's coming out of the employee's mouth..is absolute nonsense. Maybe it's really outdated information. Maybe it's something you know will be bad (like keeping mandarinfish with anemones). What do you do? Do you interfere? Or do you just keep shopping? Do you secretly talk to the unknowing shopper and tell them what to do like Robert Parr does with the old lady at Insuricare in The Incredibles?

 

[heathlindner25]

What do you mean..." like keeping Mandarin fish with anemones"?...?

 

[ichthyogeek]

What do you mean..." like keeping Mandarin fish with anemones"?...?

mandarinfish could get caught in the tentacles and eaten by the anemone. Although I think that most are smart enough to not go near the 'nems.

 

[moondoggy4]

I will only talk with them outside.

 

[CStrickland]

Hehe someone with graphics skills should make up a little file you could download and print off business card type things with the address of the forum on them and a little note about not believing everything you hear in a store. We could sneak them under the windshields of cars or into the pockets of shoppers at shady lfs's

 

[PhaneSoul]

im pretty good acquaintances with both of my lfs's but if I ever hear stuff like this I like to join in the conversation by looking at livestock close to them and then turn to them and ask a question that disproves what they just said.

 

[Docdiggy]

I see that all the time. I don't interfere though.

 

[kmbyrnes]

im pretty good acquaintances with both of my lfs's but if I ever hear stuff like this I like to join in the conversation by looking at livestock close to them and then turn to them and ask a question that disproves what they just said.

I like that idea!

 

[AUFishGuy]

Absolutely, but i do it in a respectful way to the store that i am in. But yes and i think everyone should. This is an expensive and vast hobby, it can be extremely overwhelming to a newbie, I am speaking from experience here, and not saying something can make it that much more expensive and frustrating than it should be. With that said i usually give my experience and then stress that they go to one of the reputable forums online to research their issue.

 

[Sk8r]

I'm respectful of the store...but if somebody is trying to buy something as wretched as a 'fish to cycle with' I will say something. If the shop owner seems reasonable, I'll talk to him and maybe suggest he recommmend RC as a source, because if I can convince him, I can save multitudes of fish---and he'll get customers who stay in the hobby.

 

[CHSUB]

imo, if you want to be a "helper" and save the world, start somewhere other than the LFS.

 

[KingTriton1]

Interfere for sure. I wouldn't tell the other person on the side as you need to go to the source and stop further production of the matter. Just hop on in there and correct him if he is over-sensitive about the matter than is that really your problem? However, people respond better whenever they think its coming from a good place and not just a power trip. So no finger pointing... lol

 

[PhaneSoul]

no ones talking about saving the world, were talking about the spreading of bad advise

 

[KingTriton1]

no ones talking about saving the world, were talking about the spreading of bad advise

Thanks PhaneSoul for acknowledging this.

 

[heathlindner25]

mandarinfish could get caught in the tentacles and eaten by the anemone. Although I think that most are smart enough to not go near the 'nems.

I've never heard of this especially since most Mandarin have a poisonous slime coat....
when I worked at a local fish store I tried to feed a dead mandy to a anemone and it would not eat it.

 

[johnike]

I got asked to not come back to a joint once for that.
Screw 'em, I tell everyone I can about them.

 

[kegogut]

Ive never done that at an LFS but Ive done it at a store where I noticed someone about to drastically over pay for a TV wall mount. I suggested to them they they might wanna do a little research online before they made their purchase.

 

[davocean]

I got asked to not come back to a joint once for that.
Screw 'em, I tell everyone I can about them.

Yeah, I once had an LFS accuse me of trying to horn in on their tank maintenance gig, really they were just giving bad advice to a really cute girl I didn't mind helping out!
I do my best to help anyone that may need it, but I do try to be discreet.
I try my best not to burn bridges, it never fails that place may just have that certain thing I've been searching high and low for.

 

[pmcarbrey]

I've never heard of this especially since most Mandarin have a poisonous slime coat....
when I worked at a local fish store I tried to feed a dead mandy to a anemone and it would not eat it.

I haven't heard this either. Google couldn't find anything on it either so....

 

[pdiehm]

I was in Petco the other day, and the store help was talking to a woman about the Yellow Tang. Woman goes, we only have a 29 gallon tank, and the store employee goes, this fish will be just fine in there, perfect size tank for this fish. I said, wrong, that fish (mind you I don't have a tang yet) needs at minimum 4' tank, preferably 5 or 6'. I said, sure, at 3" as it is now, it'd be ok in a 29. When it gets to be 6-8" it won't be.

I think she got the Tang anyhows, but I digress.