# Tails of a Pet Store Worker



## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

While I was venting on another thread it was suggested to me that I start a journal here. What was I venting about you ask? The generalization that pet store workers dont know or care about bettas and the other fish in their stores. Now I know a lot of you have had a personal experience with a worker that was bad and led you to this conclusion...so have I. I just want people to remember, not all employees are like that.

I work at a large pet store company that is nation wide, that I will do my best not to name. I want to share with you what I do through on a daily basis to maybe give you some insight as to what all the workers go though as well as how a worker who cares try to help new and experienced fish owners. 

I hope you find this informative and enjoyable! Please leave feedback for me as well! I will try and post the first really entry later today.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I am looking forward to keeping up with it!


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

Woo! What a busy day! Now where do I begin...

As soon as I clocked in I was busy with children running rampent through the store as the parent thought it approate to allow them free range while she gossiped. I had to go behind them straghting shelves and making sure everything was in order. Then I had to help several customers find products and anwser questions.

Finally after an HOUR into my shift I am finally able to go check on and care the for the fish. So as you can see sometimes workers cant spend every moment with the fish and things will happen while they arn't under constant supervision. 

When I returned, sadly there were a few dead fish. Angel fish actualy. they seem to be the weakest fish that we have and sadly die somewhat often. Even though all of our levels are fine as we check them daily. 

After scooping out the newly deciesed fish I checked on the bettas. Since they are fed DAILY at my store some had some uneatten food in their cups so they and any other bettas with the slightest of dirty cups got a water change. I felt bad changing the water of the guys who had BUBBLE NESTS, which is a frequent thing at my store actually. But I gave them some clean water knowing that they can just rebuild their impressive nests. 

Unfortuanly we have 2 sick bettas at the moment. (out of 20+) they both are having tail problems. My manager actualy had me adopt one today, he has been having problems the longest. So yeah I brought home a new betta today lol. I still have yet to name him but I do have him set up in my own sick tank now. 

Later into my shift I helped a couple and thei adorable and very sleepy child pick out tropical fish for their 29gal tropical tank. They were in before getting fish for a 10gal tank which they decided to upgrade. Now they house their betta in the 10 gal tank by his self instead of the divided betta bowl they had gotten else where due to my swave skills of telling them how it was a very bad idea to keep two bettas in 1/2 gallon of water. (i am angry that those things even exist). 

So as we reach the end of my shift today I was helping a wonderful little boy look for some fish for a tank that he and his grandfather had set up. While Im helping him I hear what I've grown to strongly dislike. What I call "People playing the 'lets find the dead fish game'" They go right up to the tanks bobbing their heads around almost hoping they will find some dead fish. And of course, to my luck they found one. While I was busy helping customers find some fish and learning how to care for such fish a guppy decided to die. Of course. So I hear hushed whispers, awws, and ewws, as the guppy lays on the bottem. Before I can as the people if they need help they leave with their judging looks and hushed tones. They dont know how well I've been taking care of the fish all day, they dont know that I've been busy helping others, all they are taking away is that they saw a dead fish and this bothers me deeply. After investiating I saw how I had missed it earlier, it was hidden behind their large rock and plants and it had finaly floated around to where it could be seen. As they left and others had disbursed from the tanks I scooped out the poor guy and for the what seemed like the 100th time of the day did a check for more dead fish. Luckily I found none but im sure more people will come in to play lets find the dead fish and find more later.

Well I'm sure i've wrote too much for today but thats my shift for today. I'll be off to try and name and take care of my new guy. Wish me luck!


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

Wow. When I walk into my local Petco, I often see dead fish and criticize it with my little bro in a hushed tone. But I after read your journal and found out how it must feel for them to hear that, I won't do it anymore. Thank you for making me aware.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Sounds like you had a busy day!

I will respectfully make it known there is a dead fish and people who point them out have a valid reason to, the good of the other (live) fish in the tank is at stake. That's no reason to put down the employees or whisper about it for no reason though XD.


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

i am so glad i was able to change your view. That is what im striving for. Now some stores that sell fish such as walmart, shudders, many (not ALL) have terrible tanks and the dead fish often out number the living. At those places its obvious no one cares and I feel it is nessicary to point out to the employees the dreadful care.

Thank you for commenting! I am very glad my message is getting through.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Pfft, at most of the PET stores in my city its obvious no one cares.


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

@Mattsbettas - that's so sad  I know all of the people in my dept that I work with love fish and have fish of their own. I wish everyone who ever got hired anywhere to take care of fish had a passion for them.


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

I do want to point out that I hate the 'feeder fish' tanks. When they are full we will have fish die several at a time. Its part they arnt hardy fish and part our system is so new it hasnt cycled properly yet. When people see those dead fish in such numbers they tell me such things as "Well that just screams dont buy fish here" Well for their information our feeder tanks are a whole different system from out other fish, their water never even touches. But people either dont want to hear me explaining to them why we have dead fish or that the feeder's water isnt connected with the rest of the fish. Ugg. I just really hate it when people see dead fish in my tanks at work and assume that I am someone who doesnt care about fish. It makes me want to just go home and hug Tiberius. But I dont think he'd like that. not just because he is a fish but he has a serious bad boy persona and Id be embarrassing him.


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

MorganC2010 said:


> i am so glad i was able to change your view. That is what im striving for. Now some stores that sell fish such as walmart, shudders, many (not ALL) have terrible tanks and the dead fish often out number the living. At those places its obvious no one cares and I feel it is nessicary to point out to the employees the dreadful care.
> 
> Thank you for commenting! I am very glad my message is getting through.


Yes.

And my Petco is really understaffed anyway, so it's very understandable.

I also think sometimes at pet stores where the animals don't get great care, the employees are just not_ informed _ on proper pet care. Like at my petco, it's really obvious that the employees love the animals, they just aren't informed on the proper care. It's not like they don't bother to learn, but with tons of species, it's pretty hard to be an expert on all of them. 

I hope my post makes sense, I am a bit tired right now.


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

MorganC2010 said:


> I do want to point out that I hate the 'feeder fish' tanks. When they are full we will have fish die several at a time. Its part they arnt hardy fish and part our system is so new it hasnt cycled properly yet. When people see those dead fish in such numbers they tell me such things as "Well that just screams dont buy fish here" Well for their information our feeder tanks are a whole different system from out other fish, their water never even touches. But people either dont want to hear me explaining to them why we have dead fish or that the feeder's water isnt connected with the rest of the fish. Ugg. I just really hate it when people see dead fish in my tanks at work and assume that I am someone who doesnt care about fish. It makes me want to just go home and hug Tiberius. But I dont think he'd like that. not just because he is a fish but he has a serious bad boy persona and Id be embarrassing him.


I agree with you about the feeder fish tanks. I think though, that in order to buy fish in such great numbers and for so cheap, you probably wouldn't be able to get your hands on very quality fish anyway. Also, the type of goldfish that most people use as feeders are comets. Comets need 50+ gallons per fish, so I don't really see how you couldn't overstock a feeder tank if you wanted to supply the demands of buyers.


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

it made total sense Saphira! Thank you! and yes even at my store some of my coworkers myself included dont know everything about every fish. So I can see how an enthusist about a ceritan type of fish will view my lack of knowledge on their favorite fish disconsering. It is a bit hard to remember every fact about every pet we carry or carry supplies for.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

At a petstore here, one time I saw two employees kissing and three others standing around, even though there were customers in the store and fish that needed to be cared for. In this case, it was obvious that they just didnt care.

But then again, the manager of my favorite pet store is pretty much a genius and truely cares, he is also the president of our cities aquarium club. He even helped me successfully treat a unidentifiable parasite, which he had no obligation whatsoever to do.


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

MattsBettas said:


> At a petstore here, one time I saw two employees kissing and three others standing around, even though there were customers in the store and fish that needed to be cared for. In this case, it was obvious that they just didnt care.


Ugh. 

I honestly cant think of anything else to add to that. :/


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

Saphira101 said:


> Ugh.
> 
> I honestly cant think of anything else to add to that. :/


 hahah Agreed!


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

Sounds like a very busy day! Keep us posted on the sick betta you took home. What kind of problems does he seem to have?


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

jadaBlu said:


> Sounds like a very busy day! Keep us posted on the sick betta you took home. What kind of problems does he seem to have?


Yes, please keep us posted!


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

Yes I will! Here are some pictures. Please excuse the quality, I was trying to take them with my ipad in one and and the flash light in another.


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

He is bloated right now, the employee before me fed him a bit too much. I keep telling people they are feeding them too much and they are trying to get it right. Also his fins are missing. He is a crown tail so he is supposed to have the points but to me it looks like he has been nibbling them. But with his dorsal fins shredded too it may be fin rot. Currently what I'm doing for him is watching him in my 1 gal sick tank that has a little bit of Epsom salt in it. He was also waiting at the top for me this morn as it is past time that he usually gets fed, his bloat was down quite a bit from yesterday so I gave him a 'bite' of freeze dried blood worm. But he still seems pretty nervous from the change. I know he recognizes me tho. For the past 2 weeks I was always picking up his cup, changing his water and checking on him, so he swam up to see me but I can tell he is frightened at the moment. :/


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## BeautifulBetta123 (Aug 27, 2012)

This thread is very interesting, subscribed.


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

Thank you! I should have another journal entry Wednesday night or so


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

Good luck with your fishy! Have you tried putting a bit of API Stress Coat in his water?


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

No, I'm currently out. :/ I did of course put water conditioner in his water though. Can I use stress coat and water conditioner at the same time in a one gal? I'm worried about it making the water too slimy.


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## BettaFran (May 22, 2013)

Being an obsessively care oriented person and having worked for a brief time in a tiny fish shop, I'm so glad you took the brave risk of pointing out the "other side of the story", Morgan! Even in small shops, the daily chores, always "interrupted" by customers, makes even routine things difficult. Even more so dealing with sick fish. One thing you didn't mention along these lines is that a lot of the fish deaths and illnesses are down to the way they were transported...esp if from long distances away or traveling in extremes of temperatures and sitting on the tarmac or shipping trucks! Then there's also the almost physical impossibility of having quarantine tanks, no matter how much you'd like to. Finally, I'd also like to mention on your behalf, and for others' consideration, that large box stores have no monopoly on bad fish husbandry advice! Nor do all mom and pop shops always provide good advice! Actually, I have received equally good advice from either; what it mainly comes down to is researching on our own first, before we even buy any dry goods, much less actual fish....then talking to several staff. That way you can get a really good feel for who seems to be most knowledgeable and try and stick with that person. You also might have something new and valuable for them to learn, which I've found almost every one of them was at least willing to hear, if not actually put into practice. The only way we can improve fish husbandry on a large scale is to stop making broad, preconceived generalizations, and work together and share knowledge. May we be blessed in doing so!


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

MorganC2010 said:


> No, I'm currently out. :/ I did of course put water conditioner in his water though. Can I use stress coat and water conditioner at the same time in a one gal? I'm worried about it making the water too slimy.


I use both SeaChem Prime and API Stress Coat+ in my 2 gallons. I'd normally just use Stress Coat, but my tap has ammonia in it and Prime's the only thing that'll take it out. :/

Also, Stress Coat can just be used on its own, unless like me you need to use Prime as well. Stress Coat removes chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals all on its own, in addition to having that wonderful aloe vera.


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

Thank you BettaFran! Yes, I didnt cover the shippment issues. I was probably going to talk about it in fridays upcoming post because our shippments come in on thursday morning. But since you brought it up, I'd like to mention it now. 

The store I work at is in Ohio where I also live. Our fish supplier is in Washington DC and that's where our shippments come from. With the exception of the feeder fish and usualy guppies, all of the fish survive the trip but the damage has already been done. By the time they reach us their water is filthy, not to mention full of chemicals designed to make the fish calm and sleepy during the trip. when we receive them we open the bags and have large nets over 5 gallon buckets that we dump the fish into so the nasty water doesnt go into our main system. Unfortanly due to the amount of fish we get in all at once we are unable to acclimate them properly which causes more to die. So with all of that trama leads to more dying throughout the week as well. 

So I am glad you reminded me of mentioning that process. Also you mentioned getting good and bad advice at both chain stores and small local stores. That reminds me of a friend of mine who swore to me that you can keep 2 bettas in a half gallon tank with a seperater. She also said that all bettas need to eat are freeze dried blood worms. Where did she get this information? Thats right, a localy owned fish store. I mean all this place had was fish and they didnt know how to properly take care of bettas. *facepalm*

Saphria - Ok, all I would need is the stress coat then. I've actually been meaning to switch to it once my water conditioner ran out because the API Stress coat is all we use at work. Especially when bagging fish to go to their new homes. Thanks for your advice. I still need to name him as well. My coworkers said I need to name him mackerelmore because we where just talking about the rapper mackelmore. Now I cant get that name out of my head so it may end up being his name lol.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I think the fish needs a name. Comet or Cosmo comes mind when I see him. However, name can be very personal but those are my suggestions.


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

As of right now it's Mackerelmore,the post above yours explains it a bit. But Im kinda hoping something better comes to me. Sometimes a name just gets stuck to a fish for me and Mackerelmore did that. While he was still at my store a while back I had woken up in the middle of the night with an awesome name for him but by time I had woken up again I forgot it. :/ Do you have any suggestions?


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

I like Comet! But still Mackerelmore is sticking with me. Sometimes a fish just says yeah thats my name and thats whats going on with the name Mackerelmore, even though it's not my favorite. Do I make sense?


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

Yes. I think Macklemore is a great name!


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

Well now I'm kinda torn between Ziggy Stardust and Makerelmore lol. I just wanted to let you guys know that there will be no update today as I am off today, and yesterday I wasn't in the fish department. So look forward to an update tomorrow 

I also posted in the disease and emergency section about his possible fin issues but no one has responded yet :/ could some one maybe take a look over there and give me some input? http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?p=2344202


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

Ok, First I want to give everyone an update on Mackerelmore then I will have a post on my day coming up next.

So I got him a heater today so as soon as I got home I did a 100% water change, added some aq salt and quick cure to his bowl. He still isnt in it yet as I want to let the heater run for a bit to make sure it is working properly before I add him. Mackerel (His nick name) Has being doing great though! He has been acting happy and healtly,still a bit bloated. His fins obviously arnt magicly back overnight but I dont think he is loosing any more which makes me happy. But he sure is a spunky little guy, so cute! He has also been experimenting with bubble nests. He had little ones all around the tank lol. Any who I'll stop rambling, get something to eat then post an update on the day.


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## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

wow, im so frustrated. I just typed for like 15mins and somehow lost it all. :/ Im going to take a break and try and retype it later. ugg.


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