A Little Freaked Out

I went to a LFS today just to take a look around and I noticed something that was a bit disturbing. There was a tank that had 2 beautiful looking blue hippo tangs in it. One was swimming around and the other was dead. I know fish die, but what the worker there told me freaked me out. He said the tang had been swimming funny for about a week, and he thought it was about to die.

First thing that caught my attention is the dead fish was in the tank that was plumbed with other tanks. These tanks are not QT tanks. If this fish had some kind of disease that others could catch, they would probably all die.

Second thing is why didn't they have this fish in QT? If the LFS guy knew the fish was not doing well, why let it die?

I guess I am just to sensitive about fish. My wife said "It is just a fish." I told her that it was a pet just like a dog or a cat. I don't think people would just turn their heads if a dog or a cat was treated the same way. Animal cruelty is, animal cruelty, no mater how you put it.

Sorry I just had to rant a minute.

 

i fill the same way went to a few different stores today in about 150 mile radius. i know i got bored today. and some were the same way drove me nuts i wish i could buy them and try and save them but i wouldn't have any luck or the means too.

 

I just dont understand it. I guess they dont want to spend the extra money on them.

 

I saw something similar today at a local shop. It looked like it had brookinella. It was on a system with about ten other tanks some with fish. It was barely living. The owners were over in the corner talking like nothing was going on. Have bought anything there yet. Probably never will.

 

Some people seem to feel that a creature of lesser intelligence is not worthy of sympathy.
The ammount I care for something is not based soley on my estimation of its intelligence.A life is a life.

 

Same, here. Unfortunately, animal rights activists and law enforcement apparently feel differently. I've never heard of an LFS being prosecuted for the conditions of their aquariums or the mistreatment of aquatic life. Even reptiles and rodents get more attention than fish, but it's still far less than cats or dogs.

 

Yeah imagine the outcry if keeping dogs or cats for a few years was considered a success.

 

Just curious if this was at a bigger chain type place ,or a little privately owned shop..
We have all been to the big fish and pet stores where the tanks are just awful ..
The small local places seem to care much more ..At least my little place does ..
I get what your saying though and it bothers me too,but for most people that don't keep these wonderful creatures,well, they just don't get it..
I think they only feel a connection to pets they can hold ,pet ,play with or take places ...To most, fish are something we eat and plentiful ,and just disposable, which is wrong.

 

The store I am talking about is not a big chain store. It was a small LFS, well a big LFS, it has a lot of stock. But I do not understand the irresponsibility of the employees.

 

IME, that's the majority, unfortunately. I've never seen any LFS with a QT, and most have entire blocks of tanks tied together with one central sump, the only separation being between the FO tanks and reef systems. The majority also have their share of dirty tanks and/or dead livestock lying around and employees who don't care. Many don't even acclimate which can cause pH or salinity shock, a condition that can go unnoticed until the fish dies several days later "for no apparent reason". And if the shock doesn't kill them, the stress can spring dormant ich parasites back to life and cause a major infestation. As most of us agree, if it were cats or dogs instead of fish, someone would be in jail for cruelty and neglect; aquatic life just seems far more disposable.