# Yet another Pets At Home rant, look away now if you like the shop



## The Rook (Mar 17, 2010)

Went into Pets At Home cause I need a new bulb for a snake & crickets for my lizards. Took a look at their reptiles (leos, cresties & beardies) & their setups weren’t too bad, but dirty with dead food everywhere & no staff to be seen. Everything was way over priced, their own make starter setups are rubbish & way over priced, the cricket tubs I looked at had nothing in but dead crickets, literally, not a single live cricket, & the back & brown were mixed. Also I saw a very obese Degu & a very stressed hamster. Someone had left a net in a fish tank, none of which had cover lids & I saw a shibunkin in a tank with a side wound, barely alive on the ground, hyperventilating, obviously had swim bladder problems. I found a staff member, told him he needed to move it to an iso tank & treat it asap or euthanase it asap (I hate euthanasia in most situations, but this was basically dead), he said he'd turn off the UV lights & see if he can treat it & then walked off. A fish in that state just isn't going to survive in a place like that, & turning off the UV will cause more problems as it'll screw with the circadian rhythm & UV kills bacteria. I didn't bother spending my money on this disgraceful business & I expect that fish will now suffer & die slowly, a violation of sections 4 & 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, but I know the police wouldn't do a thing about it anyway. I was annoyed. 
Rant over.


----------



## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

A huge company like pets @ home are not good in my books but for some they are? I Suppose we will just have to accept that they look after there animals in different ways to what other specialist shops do?
For me I beleive in putting my money into the smaller businesses who work hard to give us what we need.
and you can garuntee specialist knowledge in the area you look at?


----------



## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

The police won't do anything but why not report them to the council?

Got to be worth a try?

I don't like [email protected], they all seem clueless and seem to take little interest in customers concerns.


----------



## Krista (Jul 18, 2009)

Hi,

I don't as a rule down grade [email protected] on here but on this occaision I shall. I am in total agreement with you. The livestock and feeder food are in a disgraceful state. The one up here is staffed by idiots. 

The feeder food is dead and mixed like you had noticed! Also the poor Bearded Dragon was far too far away from the heat source - food was a bowl of cabbage plus the water dish had algae growing in it. 
I did point this out in a polite manner to a bunch of idiots that worked there but for my troubles they stood and laughed at me :bash::bash: and carried on with their Friday night conversation wtf!!!! I put my stuff down and left.

I think shops like these need to have tighter rules and regs and inspected on a regular basis to make sure they are looking after the live stock!!!!!! By someone that knows what they are looking for :bash::bash::bash::devil:

Moan over........Jingle Bells.


----------



## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

pets at home thread regurge:

i don't like or dislike pets at home on the whole, i find it vairies between stores (i was very impressed with one branch in particular) and the staff make a massive difference too, one (other) branch went from excellent to rubbish to now quite good again

as for pricing: from what i'd read on rfuk i believed their prices to be absolutely ridiculous...i actually found them to be mostly in keeping with specialist shops; some things did seem a bit more expensive but at the same time some stuff was cheaper! 

tubs of mostly dead livefood is something i see everywhere tbh, really annoying - maybe it doesn't happen through all stores but out local pets at home had the "older" livefood reduced?

tis my blabbering done


----------



## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

daftlassieEmma said:


> pets at home thread regurge:
> 
> i don't like or dislike pets at home on the whole, i find it vairies between stores (i was very impressed with one branch in particular) and the staff make a massive difference too, one (other) branch went from excellent to s**t to now quite good again
> 
> ...


up this way i find them like you do but have hardly seen any live food tubs full of dead stuss


----------



## J2mes (Mar 4, 2011)

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, I have however found the Newcastle ( metro centre) branch to be full of people who really know there stuff, and are keen to offer any advice, really depends on where you go tho, as 20 miles down the road in teesside, the staff would struggle to tell you how to maintain a goldfish.


----------



## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

i hate [email protected] when it comes to how they keep anything other than the rabbits and guinea pigs round here, everything else is suffering and in the case of most of the fish diseased/dying/sold to unsuitable set-ups. there have been reptiles with no water at all, i think even algae filled water bowls would be a step-up for these poor animals :gasp: i have complained to the company via their website and so far have gotten replies everytime,although so far ive seen very little if anything change. they definitely do differ store to store, i find scun.thorpe to be one of the worst ive ever been in,but one of the lincoln stores seems better but they all leave a lot to be desired. i try not to shop there unless i need something in an emergency and my husband leaves work and its just round the corner so he can get there before it closes.


----------



## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

adamntitch said:


> up this way i find them like you do but have hardly seen any live food tubs full of dead stuss


 cools 


can't edit my original post but i should point out that when i said "everywere" i meant "both pets at home and specialist shops" not "all pets at home stores" : victory:


----------



## kemist (Jan 25, 2009)

goldie1212 said:


> there have been reptiles with no water at all, i think even algae filled water bowls would be a step-up for these poor animals :gasp:.


I dont put water bowls in with my lizards and the vet has today said thats right as not all lizards need it and the resulting humidity can actually be bad for some species. I cant commment on the rest of the issues tho. On the whole i will sit on the fence and say that from experience there are good and bad stores, and on the prices thing some of the most expensive places i've seen are garden centres with pet departments.


----------



## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

well im no lizard/reptile expert but a tub of very dried out what looked to be lettuce and no water at all but a dry bowl with what looked to be water lines where it had dried out seemed bad. it was bearded dragons in there. humidity certainly didnt seem to be an issue.


----------



## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

Mine had my total respect until the other day- selling a starter tank with a ridiculously small capacity, and telling the customers to come baack in the morning for fish:devil::devil:

The woman who bought the tank had parked beside me, so I spoke to her outside and told her to ignore whatever she had been told instore, and to do some research on cycling, goldfish size etc- made my day when she said she'd leave the fish shopping the next day and research it all first

My locals reps and other pets are all fine. Love food is excellent- anything with more than one or two things dead get 90% taken off them- works out at 22p a tub


----------



## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

hippyhaplos said:


> Mine had my total respect until the other day- selling a starter tank with a ridiculously small capacity, and telling the customers to come baack in the morning for fish:devil::devil:
> 
> The woman who bought the tank had parked beside me, so I spoke to her outside and told her to ignore whatever she had been told instore, and to do some research on cycling, goldfish size etc- made my day when she said she'd leave the fish shopping the next day and research it all first
> 
> My locals reps and other pets are all fine. Love food is excellent- anything with more than one or two things dead get 90% taken off them- works out at 22p a tub


all of the ones ive heard will happily sell those awful starter tanks and sell goldfish for them the next day. ive seen them sell tank and fish the same day too even though they go on about never allowing it to happen. apparently according to their complaints team they should always say that if its a starter tank the goldfish will need upgrading soon, but of all the goldfish/tiny tank sales ive seen/heard not once has there been any mention of an upgrade. well done with encouraging her to research and not buy right away :notworthy: we try sometimes but very few people are interested.


----------



## Victor Creed (Aug 25, 2010)

I don't know anything about this chain of pet stores so I won't say anything in regards to that except for that I felt a little nauseous when I was reading all the bad things people had to say about it. I will however comment on Bearded Dragons:

They should be kept a 90-120 degree F gradient during the day, and drop to 70-80 degrees F at night. Depending on the cage and how well it retains moisture, a water dish may be a bad idea, considering this desert species is susceptible to skin diseases when the humidity gets over 25%. Often, a good substitute is simply using an eye-dropper to place drops of water on it's muzzle and allow them to lick it off daily or twice a day. 

A synthetically enriched sand substrate with vitamins is the best choice, and a varied diet is essential, concentrating carnivorous food-intake mostly as youngsters, but eventually mixing nutritious greens in later on such as Romaine, shredded carrots, kale, spinach, and NOT regular iceburg lettuce. Just like potatoes, lettuce is just filler with ABSOLUTELY NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE. If you are going to feed your reptile a diet of iceberg lettuce, or any other type of "normal" lettuce, you might as well just give them a diet of WATER. Calcium dusting supplements are standard for the crickets and vegetation as well.


----------



## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

goldie1212 said:


> all of the ones ive heard will happily sell those awful starter tanks and sell goldfish for them the next day. ive seen them sell tank and fish the same day too even though they go on about never allowing it to happen. apparently according to their complaints team they should always say that if its a starter tank the goldfish will need upgrading soon, but of all the goldfish/tiny tank sales ive seen/heard not once has there been any mention of an upgrade. well done with encouraging her to research and not buy right away :notworthy: we try sometimes but very few people are interested.


I know! It made my day the fact she seemed interested- she had bought every single product going- except a decent tank!

It's not just [email protected] that are guilty of it... sadly most places are

It's sheer ignorance- the slightest bit of research would tell you that the tanks are unsuitable.


----------



## shadykkay (Oct 12, 2010)

i hate to sayh this but compared to a shop called nutcutts in cambs [email protected] look like experts unlike [email protected] they feed geckowith veg and tbh i think the gecko are nere death they look week nd dead like  ( i have told the every time im in store to stopit and they say irt for the bug a whole fod bowl yer right) and for [email protected] pricing the one nere me has red beardie for 50 i didnt think that bd i might be worng 

i never got reptyile stuff there we only go in there to see if there any animals in the aptobing part ( mainy rat as they alway give us them )

i just thourght its fair to point out there worst places also i nothere is a massive thing going to stop then selling rats which i tottly argee with  maybe if it came to tht , tht what could hsappen


----------



## The Rook (Mar 17, 2010)

I wrote up an email complaining about the conditions & sent it to DEFRA & the RSPCA ( I know they won't do anything about it, but hopefully it'll make an impression somewhere), its just such a pity that their staff are so careless & uneducated.

Also, apologies for the language in my original post, I usually censor out certain words but in my anger I seemed to have forgotten to do so, now edited.


----------



## graeme77 (Sep 7, 2010)

what get me with [email protected] is they ask how long have you had your tank running and what fish you have but when i asked have you had any deisease and what tratment they have used in the last 6 weeks they asked me to leave but they want to know what was in my tank but i whent to a local pet store not far from [email protected] they told me that they get there fish from the same place and there fish are cheaper and i got a list of what treatment they had put in there thanks in the last year


----------



## Swain86 (Jan 23, 2011)

Stop complaining about [email protected] i love it 

If you dont like it dont go to it - Simples


----------



## firebelliedfreak (Nov 3, 2008)

some are good and some are bad,
my local is terrible, alright on the fish though, BDs with vitimin deficiancies, increadibly dry cresty tanks and no water in anything

however the one a little futhur away is alot better, the reps all are really bright and healthy but the fish are slightly over stocked, about 500 baby guppies to one tank:gasp:


----------



## si-man (Aug 25, 2010)

Don't get all this [email protected] bashing. My local one is really good, all the people there are trained in the relevant fields and they have some pretty good animals there. Used to be a time when the fish were abit worse for wear, but now they seem to be getting their act together. Whenever they get new fish in, they quarantine them and stick up a sign for the relevant tank so people cant buy them.


----------



## brittone05 (Sep 29, 2006)

I don't really use [email protected] to be honest - which one was it though as i now live in Norfolk lol

i know someone who works in [email protected] up North and she is a fish person and is amazing at her job keeping it spot on


----------



## Supern3 (Oct 26, 2010)

My local - theres a joke!

U ask someone to clarify what you think you know, for reassurance, and no matter what- your always wrong! 

They would argue that your red top was blue!

I think something should be done!


----------



## Sloth (Feb 27, 2011)

I think it varies from store to store, i know the one up here has a really small rep section. Ours reduce the price of half dead food, but i've never had that issue cause i go as soon as they get the delivery in (So early sometimes i've been in trouble for routing through the box for the juciest locusts lol)


----------



## lmcalla1986 (Jul 21, 2010)

[email protected] by me are ok at best. Fish tanks COVERED with algae (you cant see through) BGKF moved around daily (she couldnt even tell me where it was at that moment) 30 min waits to be sereved as they gabble amongst themselves. Geckos missing tails, toes (it happens but for babies to be in this state is upsetting) BD's legs bent out of shape. Fishes bought weds put out for sale the same night. 
Cant believe they consider selling half dead half live food.
Problem we found is one or 2 go on 'training' and then tell their colleagues when they get back...... gives a lot of leway for things to be lost in translation. 
But this is just the one by me, but its no different to any other pet shop... some are good some are bad!!


----------



## neep_neep (Oct 18, 2007)

The Rook said:


> he said he'd turn off the UV lights & see if he can treat it & then walked off. A fish in that state just isn't going to survive in a place like that, & turning off the UV will cause more problems as it'll screw with the circadian rhythm & UV kills bacteria..


The 'UV lights' he is referring to will be the UV sterilisers inside the filter system - not the fluorescents above the tanks.


----------



## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

try working in places like these. :gasp:


----------



## Chromisca (Sep 28, 2010)

My sister works at a [email protected] type chain in the states called Petsmart, and it's basically the same over there: some really good locations and some are so horrid you have nightmares for weeks after stepping foot in there. 

Hers is pretty decent from what she's said, and since she spends most of her days working with and cleaning after animals I've given her my two cents on what I'd like to see going down in the reptile and fish departments! 

On a side note, they actually have their leopard geckos there on reptile carpet and not sand, which makes me happy


----------



## Daisy_ (Feb 16, 2011)

im no expert on prices but they are ridiculously dear. 

the main problem i have at my [email protected] is the customer service, theyre all young students and talk down to you like they know everything in the world even when you know that what your saying to them is right - your just looking for reassurance. 

a petition should be done for them to re train their staff or hire people that actually have at least a general knowledge of animals, specially in the reptile department. They sell stuff for snakes even frozen rats yet they dont have a f:censor:n clue about them :/

i heard someone asking what size rats they should be feeding their snake and the woman didnt have a clue, after speaking to the poor girl i finally told her to feed it fluffs.

its a joke haha !

i like this ranting buisness :lol2:


----------



## Katie W (Sep 16, 2010)

My local is ok for fish and stuff but not the beardies. Last time i went in 1 beardie was dehydrated and was all black and couldnt even stand, my lad questioned the bloke about the requirements and what he told us was completely wrong. I go to the reptile shop instead at least they have years of experience and i think pets at home are quite expensive too. Hope they never sell snakes.


----------



## nicnet (Apr 3, 2011)

J2mes said:


> Everyone is entitled to an opinion, I have however found the Newcastle ( metro centre) branch to be full of people who really know there stuff, and are keen to offer any advice, really depends on where you go tho, as 20 miles down the road in teesside, the staff would struggle to tell you how to maintain a goldfish.



The teesside P&h is a total mess, staff are clueless. They once advised me to buy a lone chiclid that they had no idea what it was. It was a PACU. Not even a cichlid and they grow huge, fast. Pacu are also noted as the only fish able to crack a brazil nut in the wild for food. Watch those fingers. 

The fact that I had my own fish shop at the time and was doing a factfinding mission on local rivals doesnt count lol. 

This was recommended for a 3ft tank, Pacu need a minimum of a 6ft or bigger.

Place was dirty, smelly and the livestock looks really unhealthy.

Do then as I did, take pictures and report them to the licensing board, while your at it, report them to the RSPCA, who can force the licencee to retrain all staff. If enough people report these places they may start to clean up their act.

Also report to their head office with pictures attached and inform them that you have reported to local authorities. Head office can down on them like a ton of bricks from what I hear. They did get better for a while but seem to be backsliding again. Maybe time for another visit ;p


----------



## J2mes (Mar 4, 2011)

Re, nicnet, I was in there the other day and they had 2 dead bearded dragons in the reptile place, truly woefull, I'll stick to getting my fish from paddock farm


----------



## nicnet (Apr 3, 2011)

Paddock farm are great, Mark knows his stuff and his staff are all well trained. Just a pity they dont do reptiles also.

For fish I dont think there is any decent alternate in the area at all to get good advice from.

(Hey mark, we get discount for free advertising here? haha)


----------



## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

They've dropped the beardies from 85 to 50 at mine.


----------



## Dlanefox (Feb 5, 2011)

Our local [email protected] is useless, I was in there a few weeks ago cos they have companion care vets there who on the whole are great with you average cat/ dog, while waiting I went to look at fish as I have been keeping an eye on a young Oscar fish they had, one of the staff was trying to sell it to a young boy who was buying a very small wouldn't keep tetra in it type tank, when I pointed out how big they grow the staff member said " well he'll have to come back and get a bigger tank"
for those of you who don't know what fish I am talking about here is one of my adults,








He's about 10 1/2 inches and over 1 kg


----------



## nicnet (Apr 3, 2011)

ooo he's a beaut. Confirmed male? Looks like possible female to me unless just eaten she looks full of eggs.

We once had a guy come into our shop. 2ft tank with problems. he had bought, on same day as the tank. Two baby sailfin plecs, one discus, one oscar. two angels and a dozen tiger barbs. needless to say. angels had no fins left. discus was dead, and oscar had a tiger barb stuck in its mouth.

We ended up having to house his fish for him until we got the tank cycled and then kept the ones that were left and gave him some community fish that suited the tank. Oddly it actually cost us more than we made lol. doh. He ended up with about £14 more worth of fish than we kept off him, but alas £14 for a long term customer is not a lot to pay for word of mouth advertising really. Look after your customers and they will look after you in the long run.

Not pets at home, but another long time fish shop in middlesbrough area. Sometimes the old shops arent always good for advice either.


----------



## Dlanefox (Feb 5, 2011)

No shortly after did massive poo lol!


----------



## Dlanefox (Feb 5, 2011)

He gets really bad wind too! It's his party piece, the amount of people that have said to me " did that fish just f:censor:T!"


----------



## Swamp Thing (Apr 4, 2011)

I guess [email protected] is kind of like Pet'smart here in the states. They are absolutley ridiculous. Everything is dead or dying and the staff have no knowledge at all. I refuse to shop that store. I'd rather pay a little more and go to a private exotic shop than there, and the service is way better.


----------



## Dlanefox (Feb 5, 2011)

Think they are pretty much the same, most of them are run pretty much by kids and managers only interested in turnover it's really sad.


----------



## nicnet (Apr 3, 2011)

Dlanefox said:


> He gets really bad wind too! It's his party piece, the amount of people that have said to me " did that fish just f:censor:T!"



If he's getting bad wind then he is gulping air when he feeds, try avoid top feeding him if you can, hard I know since he is probably sticking his head out the water before you even get the tank lid open, drop his food at opposit side so its in the water before he gets it.

Shouldn't harm him but in some species it can cause major problems. Frontosa are one of them, they end up bobbing around on top of the water for a day till they get rid of all the air.


----------



## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Chromisca said:


> My sister works at a [email protected] type chain in the states called Petsmart, and it's basically the same over there: some really good locations and some are so horrid you have nightmares for weeks after stepping foot in there.
> 
> Hers is pretty decent from what she's said, and since she spends most of her days working with and cleaning after animals I've given her my two cents on what I'd like to see going down in the reptile and fish departments!
> 
> On a side note, they actually have their leopard geckos there on reptile carpet and not sand, which makes me happy


[email protected] used to be owned by petsmart.



Dlanefox said:


> He gets really bad wind too! It's his party piece, the amount of people that have said to me " did that fish just f:censor:T!"


oscars are known for that!



Swamp Thing said:


> I guess [email protected] is kind of like Pet'smart here in the states. They are absolutley ridiculous. Everything is dead or dying and the staff have no knowledge at all. I refuse to shop that store. I'd rather pay a little more and go to a private exotic shop than there, and the service is way better.


over here, [email protected] used to be petsmart.


----------



## neep_neep (Oct 18, 2007)

wilkinss77 said:


> [email protected] used to be owned by petsmart.


Not quite - they are different entities. Pets at Home is a British company and actually existed alongside Petsmart (an American company), but Pets at Home only had a few stores due to the competition. When Petsmart pulled out of the UK market, Pets at Home presumably negotiated to take over their UK property leases, so were able to expand massively and fill the gap that Petsmart vacated : victory:


----------



## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

Either way... the only way to stop these mass producing, mass selling pet supermarkets is to support your local pet shop!

This company is killing all your local pet shops and aquatic shops, and all those people who say 'oh i wont buy my fish from there but now and then i pop in just to buy dry goods'... well whats the difference, you are still supporting them!

Stop using Pets @ Home and start using shops that actually care about something other than turnover and profit (which while are very important foundations in a business... shouldnt have to be the ONLY thing a shop cares about)


----------



## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

YESSSSSSSSSSSs. Support your local small shops. better advice and more healthy creatures. And often better prices.

My local Pets at Home sell medium Angels for £14.99 each.

My price for the same angel is 4.99 without chewed fins or whitespot or being massively stressed being forced to live with 4" tiger oscars.

I could rant for ever about kids and lack of knowledge but you all know that so get down to the local shops and pay that extra bit for live food that has been gutloaded and is alive and kicking.

Serious warning. If you dont there will only be Pets at Home to go to. Like Sainsburies and Tescos.


----------



## Stephen Nelson (Jun 21, 2010)

I am in total agreement in regards to supporting specialist shops over chain stores and for the most part where I do my shopping reflects this. I'll admit I have used [email protected] on the odd occasion and tbh the one nearest to me is ok not great but ok. 

I don't however think its great they sell livestock as they can't regulate it properly and the knowlege in terms of set ups is sketchy at best. They had firebelly toads in an arid set up with a tiny exo terra water bowl.

I genuinely think that the best thing to do though if you do notice something wrong in one of their stores is to report it to them. Should you encounter a member of staff with a shitty attitude get their name, lodge a complaint with their supervisor and get the number or address of someone more senior. Ultimately these places are only going to be as good as the staff they employ. A slack manager leads to a slack store so if needs be take it over the managers head. Enough complaints about a particular store or member of staff to head office might mean something gets done about it. They are a business afterall if someone somewhere is loosing them custom I'm sure they'll be more than happy to get rid. Sadly i doubt it will ever be for the animals benefit but ya gotta take what you can get as the RSPCA clearly haven't got the power to do much of anything when it comes to huge companies like this one.


----------



## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

All pet stores are policed and managed by the local authority.(The Council).
Councils have animal wardens who should be regularly inspecting all pet shops and issuing licences to sell animals.
These wardens do have the power of enforcement and can take the licence away which then makes it illegal for the shop to sell animals.

So if you ever see a shop that is not looking after a creature properly report it to the council who can and normally will take action.

P


----------



## Stephen Nelson (Jun 21, 2010)

Yes. It certainly can't help to report it to the local council as well. It's just that with the amount of stick this place gets and obvious problems in some stores I have yet to hear of one that has had it's animal license taken away from it so was mearly suggesting an alternative approach. Obviously where an animals health is at risk you should report the problem to anyone and everyone you can untill you see it resolved.


----------



## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

eughh.. i refuse to buy livestock from pets at home.. 'where pets come first' my bum 
i frequently see goldies, riddled with white spot, in a so called treatment tank, which is on the same filter system as the other tanks..
i only support my 2 local shops now.. swallow aquatics and ark aquatics, swallow is dead clued up on not only fish, but inverts too


----------



## Lucifus (Aug 30, 2007)

The one on newport road cardiff is quite well kept. Not really had a complaint about the store apart from finding a staff member is near on impossible. :lol2:


----------



## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

Christ these [email protected] threads bore the arse of me!

[email protected] Don't own any of the fish in their stores. They belong to two well known aquatic wholesalers and are sold on a commision basis. One in the south and one in the north. I have an account with the wholesaler in the north, and visit it frequently where I see tanks of fish labelled up for the chain store.

It always amuses me how people say their fish are crap and then compliment some very well known aquatic retailers (PFK awards etc) on the quality of their fish whilst blissfully unaware that they have come from the very same fish farms in the far east via the very same logistics company before finally passing through the very same wholesaler and shipped to their final destination on the same van runs!

People should test the water quality from the bad they buy their fish in and compare it to these prestigous PFK award winning LFS. There really is no difference in quality. I'm a member of SVAS a pretty big and respected fishkeeping society. Our members have spent time advising [email protected] staff on fish care etc. Some of the staff are every bit as competent as those that work in other LFS.

As for small independants going bust, well if that happens then they deserve to! The t'internet means that any shop now has a UK wide customer base (Has anyone noticed the increasing number of small shops now trading on Ebay?). If they don't learn to adapt, find niches and ensure repeat custom through good service, correct product selection and keen pricing then they deserve to go bang. Anyone who disagrees has obviously never ran their own successful business!


----------



## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

Well, then if [email protected] buy their fish from the same suppliers, it obviously just goes t o show its their care of the fish that is just shocking. But thats not really surprising.

Not all fish shops buy from the same suppliers (same as not all fish come from the far east), there are a LOT of fish farms and breeders all over the world, same as their are a LOT of different wholesalers.

We dont use the same suppliers as Pets @ Home in a lot of cases and certainly not the same wholesaler. But its the care of our fish that obviously is far better.


----------



## akuma 天 (Apr 15, 2008)

My local [email protected] is really good. Never once had cause for concern about the way they look after there stock.

Really does show that its the individuals that work there, and not a general bad store policy.

So rather than Pets At Home being bad, its the lazy :censor: that work there!


----------



## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

As a rule i always like to buy from smaller independent retailers - this doesnt just go for likestock but for all my shopping needs. i will avoid the majority of superstores and search for smaller local shops that can provide me with good quality products. 

the issue i have with large chains such as pets at home is the quality of training for staff and how soon after being employed they recieve training. 

In my experience many of the pets at home stores staff have little knowledge on how to care for the animals in their stores and those that do are unwilling to take any advice. 

it is of course down to the individual store and its management and i have seen in the last six months that they are making an active effort to employ staff with specific knowlege on animals and that have qualifications in animal care. Though this most certainly does not seem to be for the full time staff as many of the more experienced staff are in education and use this chain as a part time job. 

is part time quality care sufficient? i think not. 

They also have on site vets who check over the animals on a weekly basis. i think that considering pets at home have such a range of animals and so many unqualified staff with a huge turn over they really should be paying for more then a weekly vet check, especially when it comes to animals that do require more advanced understanding on how to care for - such as reptiles and fish requiring UV lighting and heating. 

Considering that their places are often inflated, i would assume one of the reasons for this is for the payment of regular health checks on animals. 

I believe that the products they stock are very good and this applies to the live stock. they appear to source their animals from reputable breeders/ wholesalers. 

in some stores their live food is in peak condition however many of the stores i have visited are very poor when it comes to keeping live foods LIVE. 
i would suggest to anyone who has animals that require live foods to have properly sourced a consistant and reliable retailer for thier live foods in the very early days of having their pet, if not before. 
do not expect to be able to pop to a chain store and get good quality live food. its like going to costcutter and expecting a nice range of fresh fruit and vegtables.

maybe as exotic pets are becoming ever more popular we will one day be able to do this but it is really important to consider what it is your putting in your animals because the quality of their diet has huge impacts. 

why not try breeding live foods at home? your save yourself a bundle in the long term and you really know what your feeding your rep?

my suggestions would be to be a pain in the backside. every time you see an animal in unsuitable conditions, write a letter to the HR department or management of the store if it is not a chain. 

this way you can vent your fustraitions in a constructive way and you dont have to deal with the confrontation of speaking with staff about your concerns. 

I do speak to the staff in these shops and for me, it is true to say they dont take on what is said. but if HR's of big companies keep recieveing letters of complaint about specific stores then action will eventually be taken. 

So please everyone that writes a rant about chains, or any specific stores on here, please also do it in letter form to the company because otherwise your voice will not be heard and those animals will continue to suffer. 

It is also useful to contact the local police station to the store and make a report. if several reports are made action will be taken seriously. 

this will also support your case when writing to HR's and the police when building a case for an investigation into animal welfare. 
the police do have specific units allocated to animal welfare. 

it may also be worth while looking into local animal charities - sometimes these charities can have some real welly and if they recieve alarming infomation, they will investagate which can put your mind at ease. 

*so hopefully we will see less rants on here and more action being taken in stores like pets at home because we will all be writing them stern letters?*


----------



## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

create a my rspca account and alert them to your concerns https://www.rspca.org.uk

or call their cruelty line 
_0300 1234 999_


----------



## Graylord (Jul 17, 2007)

The OP isn`t quite as smart as he thinks he is . The reason they would turn the Uv off is that it interferes with some cures. Not that i think for one moment the fish was treated sounded like a case for being bonked on the head to me .


----------



## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

Moogloo said:


> Well, then if [email protected] buy their fish from the same suppliers, it obviously just goes t o show its their care of the fish that is just shocking. But thats not really surprising.


Your use of the word 'obvious' shows your real lack of knowledge. There is nothing obvious about it. You need to read my thread again. The fish in a P&H store are not inferior to fish in an independant. I've seen many fish of appaling quality in other shops. Have you visited every P&H store and compare their stock to every independant? I suspect not. Therefore it's very silly to draw such conclusions.



Moogloo said:


> Not all fish shops buy from the same suppliers (same as not all fish come from the far east), there are a LOT of fish farms and breeders all over the world, same as their are a LOT of different wholesalers.


I know. I've imported from South America, North America, Asia, Africa and eastern europe. Hell, I even used to buy in british bred coldwater fish a long time ago. The fact remains though that a disproportionate number of fish come from the far east. Especially when discussing a retailer that focuses on bread and butter species. You do know almost all of those common tetras native to south america and africa are now mass produced in the far east don't you? And to be fair, when you consider the amount of retail outlets in the UK there isn't really that many wholesalers. Realistically there are three contenders. And a few more smaller outfits. You wouldn't really count a specialist such as Neil Hardy when talking about bread and butter fish etc..



Moogloo said:


> We dont use the same suppliers as Pets @ Home in a lot of cases and certainly not the same wholesaler. But its the care of our fish that obviously is far better.


I'd bet you that you have sold fish produced by the same farms and that have been imported into the UK by the same specialist freight service / transhipper outfits. Some P&H fish are very good. If you're in the aquatics industry long enough every retailer will at some point receive poor quality fish. 

What I have noticed with all these anti P&H threads littering the internet is that gripes are often made by youngsters often studying to work in the pet industry or shop assistants in rival shops. They're never made by experienced and knowledgable business owners. 

Each and every bad point aimed at P&H applies to another LFS at some point. Example :-



nicnet said:


> The fact that I had my own fish shop at the time and was doing a factfinding mission on local rivals doesnt count lol.


Here we have an LFS ower (Or ex owner) then... 



nicnet said:


> This was recommended for a 3ft tank, Pacu need a minimum of a 6ft or bigger.


This pet shop owner is suggesting that a 6' tank is acceptable for a species that will grow to 100cm in lengh. See fishbase here :-

Colossoma macropomum, Cachama : fisheries, aquaculture, aquarium

Then we read this...



nicnet said:


> Do then as I did, take pictures and report them to the licensing board, while your at it, report them to the RSPCA, who can force the licencee to retrain all staff. If enough people report these places they may start to clean up their act.


The RSPCA are a charity that has no legal right to force anyone to retrain their staff. So if we have this LFS person giving dire advise about fish welfare and clearly having no clue about the law, what makes them any different to the staff at P&H?

Harsh but true.....


----------



## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

I know a lot of fish are bred in countries other than where they originate from, Singapore seeming to have a lot of fish farms.

I never said [email protected] are of a worse quality, but if they are from the same suppliers and yet time after time after time we have people with problems and sick fish from them, it means there is something very wrong with the care of their fish.

Yes, we often have 'bad batches' of fish, some dont travel well, some probably end up travelling for far too long, some farms are just hopeless at bagging up fish for such long journeys. 

But long time care, feeding the fish instore to get them to a good weight, removing sick or dead fish promptly (whether to euthanise or to treat it or at least put a sign on it so people know you are aware).

When in a store, i told a member of staff (very politely) about a tank that had a few very sick and dying fish in it and she just looked at me sadly and said "yes i know, im waiting for it to die, we arent allowed to move them until they are dead". What!?

I've been to some noteably good stores in terms of fish, the stores in Hemel and High Wycombe are very good, its just their ethics and knowledge that are sadly lacking! And for such a large company, they really ought to employ people to actually do some cleaning/algae wiping.

I cant complain, they do me a favour, customers go to them, buy a tiny tank, get sold 3 fancy goldfish 3 days later for their 15 liter plastic tank, the fish die.... they are fobbed off or give replacement fish... which once again die.... they come to me, I explain why their fish have died and everything they need to know and 9 times out of 10, i sell them a larger tank and they become repeat customers. 

My only comment abut [email protected] at work is "it wouldnt be proffesional of me to say anything about them" usually says more to the customer than me slating them.

Ages ago i tried to get a job with them and got turned away for being 'overly qualified for the position'...as aquatics manager... lol

I was desperate for a job and would love to have proved my point. Its their training, management and habit of employing people who just need the money but dont care about the animals.

Their rodent supplier is far from ethical IMO. Subsideries of Simons Rodents. *shakes head sadly...whole other story*

Used to use [email protected] in Dunstable as it was open for me to get livefood on my way home after work, one of their most dire stores, i saw the aquatics manager selling an old gentleman a parrot cichlid (the manky orange one not H.Psittacus sp) for his goldfish bowl >.<

But i was in there most days, i popped in to chat with one of the ladies, totally lovely woman, admitted their training was awful, i showed her how to handle the rodents, the obvious signs of problems, sexing them after yet again the supplier got it wrong... and i even took in some of my own animals for her to see (i had show quality hamsters bigger than their guinea pigs). 

-------

All that aside, i think involving the RSPCA would be laughable, they go by the opinion of 'if it doesnt have fur, it doesnt matter', if they cared, they would work for a ban on goldfish as prizes at fairs.

[email protected] are big enough to worm their way out of most problems. If i like something... i tell them... if i dont, i make one heck of a fuss.

TBH my biggest upset with them was the way a manager spoke to a new member of staff who on day 3 had had no training and i bagged my own fish up (i couldnt leave the poor angelfish with no fins in a tiny tank with a big mob of tiger barbs bigger than it). The manager told the staff member to 'shut up whinging, and idiot can put a fish in a bag, though obviously not him because he is a complete moron' said in front of me and another pair of customers (whom he had sold a marine Toby to a reef tank and it had *surprise* eaten the shrimps and polyps and they wanted to return it... hewas saying they were lying).

I had actually asked this new member of staff what species one of their unlabled tanks of cories were, thats what he wanted to ask his manager.

The poor guy was so upset! I was fuming, i showed him how to bag up fish, told him i appreciated his help and went to the tills where i demanded to see the shop manager and when i realised he was there, i saw the area manager too. Ranted like mad, think i scared them LOL got my fish for free and whatever else they could shove in my hands, buying me off... just great...

Needless to say that poor member of staff doesnt work for them any more, they have a far happier job with us. Gave him our card that i'd written 'apply here' on. Dont think the manager barely got a slap on the wrist for inconvieniencing the managers for having to waste their time with me. He is still there giving out poor advise. He is also more than happy to badmouth us to customers and outright lie about us. Good thing they drive their customers away themselves really.


----------



## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

Wow... that was long 

This post is a rant about [email protected] you shouldnt be so confused as to why everyone is so focussed on [email protected], i could quite happily rant about a lot of independants, have seen some really shocking stuff but thats not what this thread is about.


----------



## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

to put salt on wounds there are 280 stores in the uk and there op[enning 40 more this year eek:gasp:


----------



## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

how dull, isnt rfuk supposed to be a positive forum where we all share interests in exotic animals? were we give constructive advice to one another? some people seem to be angry and defensive - chill out man! lets not put each other down - LOVE PEACE HARMONY AND ALL THAT HIPPY SHIZ!
i know i dont come on here for more agro - i like this forum because i can learn from others in a pleasent way, where i can share concerns and thoughts. 
this online bullying and rudeness is so childish.


----------



## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

Moogloo, for commercial reasons I can't mention, I'm aware of the training the aquatics staff are given within this chain. I'm aware of their fish stocking policies and I understand how the commercial relationship between them and their suppliers works with the fish they sell on behalf of them.

Their staff would not sell a parrot cichlid for a goldfish bowl. They don't sell fish on the day they enter the store which is much better than may independants who will do. 

As I said, the vitriol shown against the chain stores is usually from people studying some form of animal management course, or an inexperienced sales assistant. A little knowledge is a very dangerous thing. People in these two categories seem to take great pleasure in demonstrating their knowledge in an attempt to criticise a very successful company.

If they were anywhere near as bad as many want others to believe they wouldn't still be in business. The advise I listened too (deliberately) in one of their stores was very good, with a sales assistant explaining why a customer would need to soften his water for the fish he needed. There are other examples I've seen also. 

You even attempted to get a job there. You can'y really think that little of them. Or did they knock you back?


----------



## beardys (Sep 28, 2009)

never been in a pets at home store since they've been selling reps as i'd prob get thrown out with what i hear gos on in those stores with the keepings of reptiles. as said i too like to keep the independant small shops in buisiness. the smaller shops not all but know there stuff. if in doubt then stay away.


----------



## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

> Their staff would not sell a parrot cichlid for a goldfish bowl. They don't sell fish on the day they enter the store which is much better than may independants who will do.


Well, they did sell the parrot cichlid to the goldfish bowl, possibly not helped by the fact that the member of staff thought it was a goldfish :bash:

And im pretty sure i said that they are happy to sell fish to a tank thats been up and running for a day or two (i believe i said 3 days in my post, cba to go back and look).

Yes i applied for a job, half heartedly as i had a job, i was just curious as i wanted to experience their 'oh so amazing' training. I was told i wasnt gonig to get the job as i was over qualified for the position. Id hardly say it was a knockback, im in a better position than what i was applying for (i just have to travel a long way which was a pain). As i said though, it was a few years ago i applied. 

Possibly also got turned down as they made the mistake on their application form of having the question "if you worked for us, how would you improve the store?"... 2 A4 pages later and that was one question down... LOL. They dont take critisism happily and i think they were probably right, id have been far more work, far easier to employ some 16 year old who doesnt actually care.

-----

To the other member, lovemysnakes i think, there isnt any bullying going on here, im interested in whats being said (and more so whats not being said lol) and its interesting to see other peoples opinions, thats the whole point of the forum... sharing opinions.... if you dont like it, go read something else?

-----



> As I said, the vitriol shown against the chain stores is usually from people studying some form of animal management course, or an inexperienced sales assistant. A little knowledge is a very dangerous thing. People in these two categories seem to take great pleasure in demonstrating their knowledge in an attempt to criticise a very successful company.


It doesnt really matter what qualifications or jobs people do or dont have, everyone is entitled to an opinion and entitled to be able to share it. It is all opinion, same as you have yours Mynki. Though i dare say you sound more like someone who is very closely involved with Pets @ Home and is understandable why you would be very defensive. But there really isnt any need to be so full of yourself and belittle other people.

You have no idea what qualifications or experience I have at all.

Just because [email protected] is a large company and are 'successful', it doesnt mean they look after their animals particularly well or have a particularly good grasp on the ethic of keeping animals. It just means they are good at selling. They no doubt make their money on the dry goods more so than the livestock.

The comment that springs to my mind when people mention the name Pets @ Home is "Jack of all trades, master of none". They do a little bit of everything so they can cater for a huge range of customers, they just dont do anything to a high standard, they specialise in average.


----------



## Graylord (Jul 17, 2007)

Mynki said:


> Christ these [email protected] threads bore the arse of me!
> 
> [email protected] Don't own any of the fish in their stores. They belong to two well known aquatic wholesalers and are sold on a commision basis. One in the south and one in the north. I have an account with the wholesaler in the north, and visit it frequently where I see tanks of fish labelled up for the chain store.
> 
> ...


Is this the wholesaler from Sheffield or has it changed?


----------



## m4rky (Nov 26, 2007)

I work for [email protected] and I have a BSc and MSc.

From my experience, they were eager for me to suggest improvements when I had my interview, so I would say based on this that qualifications and experience don't count against you when applying for jobs with them.

Did you ask for some feedback on the interview you had, most employers I have had interviews for have been forthcoming with feedback and I have altered the way I fill in application forms and interview technique based on this.


----------



## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

im sure any general pets store opening a new department would be very keen to take on staff that have experience actually owning the animals that would be in that new department - say reptiles. 
they will use your knowlege which is a brilliant thing, however my concern is the range of reptiles they have compared to the experience of every memeber of staff working with those reptiles. 

in my experience collegues are not always happy to take on a new member of staffs advice, even when they do have more experience. it can make more work involved for other staff that maybe are not as dedicated as yourself? 

ive noticed many of the staff in my local stores are part time employed, it is impossible to provide the best care to animals when the 'well informed/experienced' staff are only there half of the time. 

they have many rarer species of reptile in my pets at home and i am not convinced that the three members of staff they have on that department know everything about the individual care of each species. 
i believe that they are providing BASIC CARE - not adequate care for some of the species that have more complex needs. 

i spoke to several members of staff at two seperate flag-ship pets at home stores, the staff allocated to reptiles and not one of them seemed to have as much knowlege as i do and i do not consider myself experienced. 

that dissapoints me, i just want the best for all reptiles. 

ive also had to write letters to local council licensing department regarding smaller pets shops that decided they could earn some money selling reptiles when they really didnt know enough to care for them while in their care. 

though saying all of that, my local PAH has a couple of brilliant staff that work with the rodents, but then saying that i think generally animal people know a quite a lot more about mammal care - it isnt anywhere near as complicated!


----------



## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

I know this started as pointing out poor care in store, which is fine but...

with those discussing poor advice given I always come back to the same point of view. You don't expect the Tescos staff to teach you to cook so don't expect the Pet store staff to teach you to care for the pets you buy.

The sooner people in pet stores stop trying to give advice the sooner muppets will realise that they will need to research BEFORE buying


----------



## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

the last comment is fair but if the staff dont know how to look after them then how do they get looked after while they are in store?
i expect tesco staff to know where the keep their products to keep them fresh, i expect pet stores to know how to keep animals healthy?
but yes it is the responsability of the buyer to know their stuff before getting the animal. 
i wouldnt buy a pair of gucci shoes if the salesman didnt know what type of leather they were, how long they would last with regular wear or what products to use when cleaning them. 
which once again brings me to my point of not purchasing from stores that dont care for thier stock properly. but people continue to buy from shops they dont like... ??


----------



## beardys (Sep 28, 2009)

Kare said:


> I know this started as pointing out poor care in store, which is fine but...
> 
> with those discussing poor advice given I always come back to the same point of view. You don't expect the Tescos staff to teach you to cook so don't expect the Pet store staff to teach you to care for the pets you buy.
> 
> The sooner people in pet stores stop trying to give advice the sooner muppets will realise that they will need to research BEFORE buying


you're supposed to know your products and there for any live animale that you sell:bash:


----------



## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

Graylord said:


> Is this the wholesaler from Sheffield or has it changed?


One of the fish suppliers to P&H has premises close to Sheffield.


----------



## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

Moogloo said:


> Well, they did sell the parrot cichlid to the goldfish bowl, possibly not helped by the fact that the member of staff thought it was a goldfish :bash:
> 
> And im pretty sure i said that they are happy to sell fish to a tank thats been up and running for a day or two (i believe i said 3 days in my post, cba to go back and look).
> 
> ...


Moogloo, I'm guessing you're very young and have not ran your own successful company yet. I realise that may come across as fantastically patronising, but it's a reality check.

First of all I have no business connection with P&H. I have noticed that people who refuse to slag them off and point out that there is little or no difference between a P&H shop and an independant are often accused of bein g an employee of theirs! To me this is nothing but idiocy. 

I do know how they operate. And I'm on first name terms with the people who supply them. These people also supply hundreds of other companies including many highly regarded independant shops. I'm also very aware of how it's common practise within the pet industry for shop staff to slag off their competition. It's all very pathetic and petty. 

As for your qualifications, I know all about the qualifications available to aquatic industry staff. The person who wrote the OATA courses for people in your proffesion is an associate of mine. As for experince, your posts suggests you have very little.

I've scanned through the thread and see that you feel P&H put little independants out of business. I understand your concern, but I'd put this to you...

If your shop is any good, if the staff are motivated, intelligent, have good customer service skills and sales skills as well as an ability to convey an etical approach to customers, why can't you lot get of your arse and open a second, third and even fourth shop at some point in the future? 

In this day and age there is no excuse for not being able to succeed in business. 

All that said, I do like your attitude. I can see you have a passion for fish welfare. If you have a genuine interest in this, drop me a PM. I'm involved in a project (some way from going public) to try and improve fish welfare within the industry / hobby. You might like a lot of our aims and may even be able to help.


----------



## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

Mynki said:


> Moogloo, I'm guessing you're very young and have not ran your own successful company yet. I realise that may come across as fantastically patronising, but it's a reality check.
> 
> First of all I have no business connection with P&H. I have noticed that people who refuse to slag them off and point out that there is little or no difference between a P&H shop and an independant are often accused of bein g an employee of theirs! To me this is nothing but idiocy.
> 
> ...


:gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp: Almost a helpful post!


----------



## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

caribe said:


> :gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp: Almost a helpful post!


Haha! Has your tiny 4" dovii spawned yet? LMAO

Nope? Can't think why!!!


----------



## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

Mynki said:


> Haha! Has your tiny 4" dovii spawned yet? LMAO
> 
> Nope? Can't think why!!!


No but since you know it all as other people have already pointed out.... AGAIN ..... :notworthy: you will know why they havent. (remember its because I dont have a clue what I am doing)

Just got to go and move my Oscar back into the Bi-orb with the Yarelli cat :whistling2:

funny that you ask, there both displaying great colours through the divider and eating like pigs. So there getting there. Thank you for your interest I will send you some fry when they do.

Love you lots scrubber xxx



Oh and went in to pets at home to get some frozen rats and they had lots of julidochromis marlieri labeled as Kribensis....


----------



## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

"But there really isnt any need to be so full of yourself and belittle other people."

Couldnt have said it better myself......


----------



## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

caribe said:


> No but since you know it all as other people have already pointed out.... AGAIN ..... :notworthy: you will know why they havent. *(remember its because I dont have a clue what I am doing)*


I know they haven't as they're way too small. Is it fair to say that Mary Bailey is one of the UK's most respected cichlid experts? I think it is. Maybe I'm doing her a disservice by saying UK and not globally. Anyways, you reckon your 4" dovii are about to spawn. Only anyone who knows anything about keeping big cichlids knows this is far too small and the fish will not be sexually mature. Nowhere near in fact. But like you admit, you're clueless as this artical will prove :-

The 10 biggest cichlids | Features | Practical Fishkeeping

Or to quote Mary Bailey on Dovii "
The best way to get a pair is to start with half a dozen youngsters, unless you come across a second-hand adult pair. They start to breed at 30cm/12" plus, so it is quite feasible without needing a swimming pool of a tank."

But like you said, you don't have a clue so it's not surprising you have no idea on cichlid behaviour. If they're only 4" they're very young. You only really know about a species when you've kept them for years if not decades. Adding a pair of babies into a tank does not make you an expert.




caribe said:


> Just got to go and move my Oscar back into the Bi-orb with the Yarelli cat :whistling2:


With your proven lack of knowledge who knows if this is a joke or a serious comment?



caribe said:


> funny that you ask, there both displaying great colours through the divider and eating like pigs. So there getting there. Thank you for your interest I will send you some fry when they do.*)*


The dovii again? See above. How stupid do you look now? :whistling2:




caribe said:


> Love you lots scrubber xxx.*)*


Soz fella, I like women. But check the 18+ sub forum, you may get a result there. :Na_Na_Na_Na:





caribe said:


> Oh and went in to pets at home to get some frozen rats and they had lots of julidochromis marlieri labeled as Kribensis....


Can you tell the difference anyway?


----------



## Viva (Apr 19, 2010)

I never go to PAH now. I knew little when I went there about fish but I still knew more than they did and that was saying something!


----------



## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

Mynki said:


> I know they haven't as they're way too small. Is it fair to say that Mary Bailey is one of the UK's most respected cichlid experts? I think it is. Maybe I'm doing her a disservice by saying UK and not globally. Anyways, you reckon your 4" dovii are about to spawn. Only anyone who knows anything about keeping big cichlids knows this is far too small and the fish will not be sexually mature. Nowhere near in fact. But like you admit, you're clueless as this artical will prove :-
> 
> The 10 biggest cichlids | Features | Practical Fishkeeping
> 
> ...


Yeah a Krib is bright orange with green stripes and purple earings.... and the Juli normally wears hats.... thats how I normally tell the difference.

Did I say that the Dovii are spawning ...... no I didnt! I said there colouring up nicely and eating well.... so who looks like an idiot...... that would be you scrub a dub.

Anyway rather than spam someones post its better to PM me thanks god.

Love you xxx


----------



## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

caribe said:


> Did I say that the Dovii are spawning ...... no I didnt! I said there colouring up nicely and eating well.... so who looks like an idiot...... that would be you scrub a dub.


Yep, you did. In your shouty little PM. Remember, in your 'Stupid Fish' thread that got pulled becaasue of your abusive language you wrote about how a fish in your care was being attacked. You were advised why, but didn't accept the explanation through ignorance.

You also told me you they were 'ready to spawn' in your PM to me.



caribe said:


> I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS REQUIRED TO KEEP MY FISH HEALTHY! SHE IS READY TO SPAWN AND HE IS NOT HENCE WHY THERE WAS CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE PAIR. THEY ARE NOW SEPARATED AND BOTH DOING FINE!
> 
> YES I HAVE KEPT CICHLIDS FOR 20 YEARS AND YES I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING SO KEEP YOUR COMMENTS TO CONSTRUCTIVE THINGS RATHER ON THINGS THAT REALLY .


I've removed the abusive comments. But if anyone want conclusive proof that Caribe is now lying and trying to back down after being proven to know nothing about Cichlids I'll gladly forward on his original PM to show how much of a liar this poster is.

Be wary of his advice all.


----------



## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

Mynki said:


> Yep, you did. In your shouty little PM. Remember, in your 'Stupid Fish' thread that got pulled becaasue of your abusive language you wrote about how a fish in your care was being attacked. You were advised why, but didn't accept the explanation through ignorance.
> 
> You also told me you they were 'ready to spawn' in your PM to me.
> 
> ...


Her breeding tube is down and has cleared her pot out. I also just had her out the tank and measured. 5" nose to base of tail.... So i slightly under estimated her size. so they IMO are showing signs. They are not spawning, I have not said that they are!!!!

SIGNS ARE NOT DOING.......

I also said that SHE seems ready not him, testing his strength and he is not interested. You said in post to me that because 2 cichlids fight that they are not being taken care of..... 

That is the biggest pile of sh*t I have ever heard! Your saying that fish get along all the time and if they dont then something is wrong.... she chased him and gave him a beating during the night of which he has fully recovered.

You saying that ther is not enough cover in the tank, despite there being plenty of rocks, pots, branches and plants. When 2 fish are pretty much the same size how do you make somewhere that 1 can go that the other cant.... You cant unless you divide the tank and seperate them for a bit. They will be added again together in this tank and then the 800 litre and then into the 1300 litre. You seem to be the only person who has never heard of this dividing method.

Even when I said about the 1300 litre tank that they were going into, you still kicked off. But not once have EVER said what they actually need to be kept.

Oh and in regards to PM's and abusive language, lets not start with yours matey.

Again if you want to chat then please PM me. I could use some of your great knowledge. But since I am just a chav as you say with your other stereotypes i may be out mugging old ladies cause thats what people like me do apparantly..... chavy car (Mercedes e320) Chavy dog (2 x spaniels) and chavy job (IT tech and advanced driving instructor)..... oh yeah I am a proper chav!!!!

Can live up to my Glasgow roots though.....

http://www.albadornadairstreetkombatclub.co.uk/


----------



## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

Yawn...........

You described your fish as stupid. You had to remove one before it was damaged or killed. In a correctly sized tank with sufficient cover this would not be needed.

If there was enough cover the male who was being attacked could get out of the way. It's still a baby fish. She is not physically capable of spawning yet. I knew that when I read your post and from your description I can interprate their behaviour. 

You seem to think you know everything and become abusive if people disagree. PM'ing in caps just makes you look like a moron, not someone interested in serious discussion on fishkeeping.

No idea what the link is for. Never heard of a Glasgow fishkeeping club for neds before but theres a first time for everything.


----------



## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

mynki - you seem sooooo angry. chill out man! he was giving HIS advice - we are not all experts and everyone that takes advice on here should consider it for themselves and reflect upon its value. 
it seems to me as though you were looking to upset him from the very start with negative comments. there is a more mature way to educate people or give out your advice and concerns. you dont have to be such a big bully! if he annoyed you that much then you need to consider why your letting things get to you so much! thats your problem not his. we all learn new things in time and all have different opinions, if you cant accept other peoples opinions dont go on a forum where opinions are shared! 

why not just be nice? is it that hard? are you that pent up inside? PLEASE CHILL OUT - for the sake of your health and everyone on here!


----------



## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

your as bad as each other - GROW UP! or have this argument in PM's


----------



## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

lovemysnakes said:


> mynki - you seem sooooo angry. chill out man! he was giving HIS advice - we are not all experts and everyone that takes advice on here should consider it for themselves and reflect upon its value.
> it seems to me as though you were looking to upset him from the very start with negative comments. there is a more mature way to educate people or give out your advice and concerns. you dont have to be such a big bully! if he annoyed you that much then you need to consider why your letting things get to you so much! thats your problem not his. we all learn new things in time and all have different opinions, if you cant accept other peoples opinions dont go on a forum where opinions are shared!
> 
> why not just be nice? is it that hard? are you that pent up inside? PLEASE CHILL OUT - for the sake of your health and everyone on here!


I think Moogloo already pointed out to you that there is no bullying going on.

I'm not even slightly miffed, let alone angry, I've seen dissagreements on forums go on for over a decade now. In that time I never have used to use lots of smilies.  If I did, you wouldn't misinterprae everything. Possibly.....

When someone like Caribe offers really bad advice, he needs to be corrected so that others reading don't make the same mistake. I need to correct another thread of his later, when I have time. Have a good weekend.


----------



## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

there are better ways of 'correcting' people though. more constructive ways? i thought you would know that considering youve been using forums for over a decade. 
and what do you mean someone like caribe? do you know him personally? what is so special about him?

those questions are rhetorical, i thought it best to make that clear before you continue saying negative things about one another. 

did you know they say sarcasm is the lowest form of whit? oh silly me, im sure you did know that already. you do like to go on about how much you know. i wonder what drives that eagerness to let everyone aware of just how amazing you are comes from? 

i expect my weekend will be pretty good thank you, and i hope yours is pleasent also.


----------



## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

I don't see this going anywhere constructive.


----------

