# Pets at home, grrrrrrr.



## hmmm123 (Jul 20, 2008)

I now hate pets at home, yep i do well my local one at least. This is the story ok so i went to pets at home today and planned on buying 2 gold fish. This is what happened. First off i had to drive 15miles to get there so as you can imagine i wasn't impressed when i came home with no fish and that was the whole reason i went out!

So got to the pet shop this is how the convo went:

I said: please can buy a couple of goldfish, all was fine so far (apart from there was a dead fish in the tank couldn't really believe they had left it in there!) 
Male assistant said: Yes thats fine, but how long have you had the water sat in the tank for?
I said: at least 24 hours now proberly longer.
He said: Sorry i can't sell you one then, the water has to have been in the tank at least 3days before you put fish in it. 
I said: So you can't sell me the fish then?
He said: No come back in a couple of days!

So with that i left i has annoyed by this point as you can imagine i couldn't believe it, so got part way to the car and thought, no i'm not having this it's stupid, so i went back, stright away he got the manager then went and stood near the door with his arms folded like he thought i was going to run off with the whole tank or something! really not needed as if the situation wasn't difficult enough.

So this is how the convo went with the manager.

I said: Sorry but i don't understand. Does that mean you need 2 fish tanks for when you clean them then? Cos you have to let the water sit for so long?! My next point was when you change the water in the tank you maybe don't change all of it, leave a bit of the old water in, so really it should be fine if i put the water in out the bag the fish come in, it's just like cleaning them then right?

Manager said. No when you change the water you only change about 50% of it fair enough i thought i can understand that then.

Then the convo changed and she asked what tank do you have?

I said: Just a normal goldfish bowl.
manager said: Does it have a filter?
I said: No
Manager said: Well i can't sell you any fish then because you have to have a pump and filter! 
I said: You can't be serious for a goldfish!? (first i had heard of this.)

Then i just walked out before i blow my top. Since when do goldfish need a bloody filter and pump!? i thought the whole point of cold water fish was so you didn't need electric! Might as well get topical ones for what all the stuff was going to cost! 

What really annoyed me was the fact that i have a fish already (i wasn't going to put them in the same tank by the way!) And it's just in a normal goldfish bowl i have had it over 5 years! No problems and it's doing fine! So why the need for all that stuff! 

Plus not so long ago you could go to the fair and win fish! No questions asked you just took it home!

It was like sitting a test i have never none it be so difficult just to buy goldfish! I got less questions asked when i went in about 6 months ago to buy gerbils! 

Sorry but i think it's stupid, i mean i could go get a paper find a dog that wants homing ring them up, go see the dog and take it home! My point being it would be easier to buy a dog than a goldfish! 

Maybe i'm over reacting a bit, but i think it's madness! Am i the only one that thinks this?


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## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

Fact is, they have to care about all of the animals in their care. I understand your frustration, but I am glad to hear they are doing their job properly. Oh, and all my goldfish have had tanks with filters.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

Take a deep breath. Exhale very slowly. Calmed down? Thats better!! I don't know anything about fish apart from it tastes nice with some chips.

However you can't blame pets at home for mbeing responsible and doing the best for their fish.


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## hmmm123 (Jul 20, 2008)

I'm not buying a new tank for the fish i already have with a filter, it would proberly die of shock! But i'm sure that's what they would have told me to do if i had of mentioned i already had a fish!



happysaz133 said:


> Fact is, they have to care about all of the animals in their care. I understand your frustration, but I am glad to hear they are doing their job properly. Oh, and all my goldfish have had tanks with filters.


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## hmmm123 (Jul 20, 2008)

How are they doing the best for there fish though! When i walked in a kid came out crying cos there was a dead one in the tank! When i finally left must have been at least 30mins later the dead fish was still in the tank. Bit hipocritical of them don't you think!? They had no reason to leave it there that long with little kids going in and out of the shop it's not as though they where under staffed or anything, there where people just sat around doing nothing!



mrsdusty said:


> Take a deep breath. Exhale very slowly. Calmed down? Thats better!! I don't know anything about fish apart from it tastes nice with some chips.
> 
> However you can't blame pets at home for mbeing responsible and doing the best for their fish.


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## Sophiex (Jul 27, 2008)

They are very firm in there. I had a tropical fish tank and my fish died - they were from another pet shop. I tried again with the water but the PH balance was incorrect and they didn't sell me any fish. I'm glad because I was sad when my first few fishies died. I gave up with the fish in the end.


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## Jen26 (Apr 22, 2008)

its probably the way they are trained, i used to keep fish and its ideally best to let the water stand for a while 24hrs minimum to let the additives in the water such as chlorine evaporate, it is pretty toxic to fish even goldfish.

saying that you can use water treatments that remove the harmfull additives.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

My friend had this exact same problem at pets at home so she went to a pet shop and bought some goldfish they are looked after fine with no filter in their tank x


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## carol (Nov 2, 2007)

for years i had gold fish and they never had filters or pumps i changed the water often by taking them out cleaning the tank and putting them back the only thing i did was make sure all the water was of the same temp.
they were never bothered about it.


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## hmmm123 (Jul 20, 2008)

I just think they have a cheek really to be so strict, i have bought hamsters from them more than once and they have all died in the first 6 months, bought one from a diffrent pet shop (did nothing diffrent) andit lived for years shows how much they look after there pets! And no it' wasn't a one off, i know other people that have bought rodents from them and the same happened to them.

I feel sorry for the little rodents in there, in a tiny space and loads of them too, with a very very vey bright light shining on them, i'm sure it's too hot for them in there i have been in more than once and they have looked like they where baking alive!

I'll stop now lol.



Sophiex said:


> They are very firm in there. I had a tropical fish tank and my fish died - they were from another pet shop. I tried again with the water but the PH balance was incorrect and they didn't sell me any fish. I'm glad because I was sad when my first few fishies died. I gave up with the fish in the end.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

What you need to do hmm123 is do a bit of research and then go back with a bit of knowledge.
The staff of pets at home have been on a budget 1 day animal awarness course so get the knowledge and be prepared.
They may well be correct but do some research and find out.


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## Sophiex (Jul 27, 2008)

jens4cats said:


> its probably the way they are trained, i used to keep fish and its ideally best to let the water stand for a while 24hrs minimum to let the additives in the water such as chlorine evaporate, it is pretty toxic to fish even goldfish.
> 
> saying that you can use water treatments that remove the harmfull additives.


I used all those treatments. The water even had an antibiotic tablet and it was never ok enough to introduce new fish into the tank. I was gutted. I spent a lot on a tank.


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## helz (May 24, 2008)

Oh its not about them caring for the animals, or trying to do the right thing, they are just on mini power trips. Should have gone away, put on a fake tash and gone back with the 'correct' answers.

I had goldfish when I was younger, no filter, just a bowle. When i cleaned them out, I would fill the sink with water, plonk them in there and wash out their bowle with all new water. They lived for years no problem.


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## guineapigqueen (Jan 12, 2008)

I personally feel that all fish should have a filter within their tank/bowl. We sell the set ups for goldies at work and little filters that would filtrate a good size bowl for only £6.99. I also agree with adding decholorator to the bowl also as the chlorine and chloriamide(sp?) can burn a fishes gills and cause them to die.

Saying that my aunty had a fish from the fair and it lived for 20yrs in a bowl un filtered un treated etc.


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## hmmm123 (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh no! they were not that cheap in there! She wanted me to buying one of there tanks that started at about £50! That wasn't happening.



guineapigqueen said:


> I personally feel that all fish should have a filter within their tank/bowl. We sell the set ups for goldies at work and little filters that would filtrate a good size bowl for only £6.99. I also agree with adding decholorator to the bowl also as the chlorine and chloriamide(sp?) can burn a fishes gills and cause them to die.
> 
> Saying that my aunty had a fish from the fair and it lived for 20yrs in a bowl un filtered un treated etc.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

pets @ homes ave neva looked afta their animals...i recon they was afta u buying stuff of them, thats telling ya straight.
ther trained to try thro all the boll**ks at ya to sell there stuff.


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

Its over 25 years since I had cold water fish, 2 goldfish, 2 fantails, and a black moor (not sure of the spelling).

I had a proper fish tank suitable for tropical fish, a filter and a pump, gravel in the bottom, plants and ornaments for them to swim under through and over.

As for the water whoops, I had a second tank I filled with water took the fish out of one tank straight into the other, cleaned the main tank re-set it up and put the fish back in.

When I bought my fish bearing in mind it was over 25 years ago I was told to keep them in the bag and place the bag into my fish tank for an hour or so then release the fish.

My hobby started as a kid when both my brother and me won a gold fish each at a local fair now that's going back to the Jurassic era, dad bought us a fish tank as he preferred us to have a tank to a goldfish bowl.

Sue


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## Fireblade (Sep 7, 2008)

happysaz133 said:


> Fact is, they have to care about all of the animals in their care. I understand your frustration, but I am glad to hear they are doing their job properly. Oh, and all my goldfish have had tanks with filters.


I do like your avatar, do you have greyhounds.xxxx


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## guineapigqueen (Jan 12, 2008)

I have seen a tank in there for around £30 which was plastic and included a stingray filter, they are pretty good. [email protected] always want you to buy the best of the best as they get paid to do so. I love the bio-orbs but I would never pay the prices they are asking for them.

Is there not a local fish store near you? I have around 4 in my area, they would be able to sort you out something cheap, if you wanted to go the filtrated route. Put a search in yell.com for Aquarium & Pond Supplies; Pet Shops

Dont get me started on rodents and there suppliers for [email protected]

Emma x


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## hmmm123 (Jul 20, 2008)

No like i said that was my nearest pet shop and it was 15miles away i would have to travel a lot further to get to another shop that i could buy glodfish from. I went there cos i thought it would be better for the fish the less distance they had to travel, nomally i wouldn't go near there anymore to buy pets after what happened to my hamsters.

Why not get you started on rodents? lol.



guineapigqueen said:


> I have seen a tank in there for around £30 which was plastic and included a stingray filter, they are pretty good. [email protected] always want you to buy the best of the best as they get paid to do so. I love the bio-orbs but I would never pay the prices they are asking for them.
> 
> Is there not a local fish store near you? I have around 4 in my area, they would be able to sort you out something cheap, if you wanted to go the filtrated route. Put a search in yell.com for Aquarium & Pond Supplies; Pet Shops
> 
> ...


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

PAH are crap. Everytime I go in there the staff are advising people on stuff they know nothing about and it always ends in them trying to sell something. 

If they are so interested in animal welfare they should start practising what they preach, not sell inbred small furries and keep them in better conditions for starters.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

ajshep1984 said:


> PAH are crap. Everytime I go in there the staff are advising people on stuff they know nothing about and it always ends in them trying to sell something.
> 
> If they are so interested in animal welfare they should start practising what they preach, not sell inbred small furries and keep them in better conditions for starters.


thats rite.

very much agree....and their overpriced lol.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

you don't need a filter for the goldfish.


go to a garden centre see if they sell them


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## guineapigqueen (Jan 12, 2008)

hmmm123 said:


> Why not get you started on rodents? lol.


Their rodents and rabbits come from a couple of main suppliers within the UK. I have been told that once a guinea (my animals of course) have reached a certain age or litter number they are killed and used for frozen feed instead, talk about recycling!!!

A few years ago when I was at my peak of guinea pigs(50ish) I used to take the odd one or two I couldn't take to other local pet shops, i do prefer them going to the local ones, I took them to [email protected] they gave me £5 per pig and that was a good deal compaired to some places and recently they have stopped doing this and buy from a commerical breeder. This commerical breeder doesnt give a monkeys about who is related to who as long as they can fill their orders of rodents and rabbits. Hamsters seem to no live as long and Guineas are missexed and sold pregnant, or a missexed pair. Some I have seen are more like a rat face than a guinea face. Most of these pigs you buy have never been handled.

If I ever did breed again, currently I do not have the facilities to accommodiate show babies so I wont bother, what would I do with my extra piglets? Not many people are interested in finding a hobby breeder like myself who actually cares for the piglets, handles them at least once a day and know what the hell the are doing with them!

Rant over, hehe!


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

my sis had a goldfish in a bowl for years...she used air tablets, it done brilliantly.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

I was out at my uncles farm the other day and hes got a rather large pond well about 300ft x 600ft approx. There are loads of gold fish in there.

so where is he to put the filters, or the pumps or the pH control systems or the ammonia correction, phosphate correction or the temperature control.

I had better go to pets at home and ask their friendly 1 day course staff, but i would probably come away with some hamster food tat i was told i needed instead


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

so why cant the shop keep a tank or bucket,with 3 day old water for customers. easy no profit.


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## guineapigqueen (Jan 12, 2008)

rocky said:


> so why cant the shop keep a tank or bucket,with 3 day old water for customers. easy no profit.


I honestly dont think you want any of [email protected] water, lol!!
The fish come in so highly packed that most of them die on their way to the stores, if I remember correctly you lose around 15% of each stock you buy in!


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

point taken


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

guineapigqueen said:


> Their rodents and rabbits come from a couple of main suppliers within the UK. I have been told that once a guinea (my animals of course) have reached a certain age or litter number they are killed and used for frozen feed instead, talk about recycling!!!
> 
> A few years ago when I was at my peak of guinea pigs(50ish) I used to take the odd one or two I couldn't take to other local pet shops, i do prefer them going to the local ones, I took them to [email protected] they gave me £5 per pig and that was a good deal compaired to some places and recently they have stopped doing this and buy from a commerical breeder. This commerical breeder doesnt give a monkeys about who is related to who as long as they can fill their orders of rodents and rabbits. Hamsters seem to no live as long and Guineas are missexed and sold pregnant, or a missexed pair. Some I have seen are more like a rat face than a guinea face. Most of these pigs you buy have never been handled.
> 
> ...


we wanted that for our hammys, found someone - no reply.
so we had to get em from [email protected]

i nearly got a syrian,felt so sorry for it, it was so bored, was licking the window to escape. =[
nearly got a rabbit as well.
he ws friendly...and cute...but we had no where for him...(or her)


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

Lol, they were probably trying to make you feel as though your equipment wasn't good enough so then you'd go and spend a fortune in there buying new tanks, filters etc etc . I agree, PAH staff can act like they know it all, when most of the time they don't.

Often reminds me of going into a PC World, you go in to buy a laptop and they try and convince you that YOU HAVE TO BUY a new anti-virus and all sorts of sh*t even though you already have it. Also, you ask them a question about something and they're meant to know, but fill you with aload of b*llox that's not even true or completely wrong. PC World and PAH have too much in common imo lol.


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## Rosikus (Aug 10, 2008)

I got my rats from breeders, heard all the bad **** about pet shops.

But also, I know some people who work in [email protected] that I went to college with studying animal management. So they're not all bad.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

Rosikus said:


> I got my rats from breeders, heard all the bad **** about pet shops.
> 
> But also, I know some people who work in [email protected] that I went to college with studying animal management. So they're not all bad.


Yes, I should edit my post... because I agree with that. Not all of them are bad.


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## hmmm123 (Jul 20, 2008)

Well there maybe not all bad, but they have deffo lost my custom for a good while!


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2008)

pc world near me - of ur dressed just normal - they treat u like crap - go smartly dressed - best service. i purposely dressed really smartly once just to go there XD


wonder if they are owned by the same person???


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## Quak Ai Chin (Sep 4, 2008)

happysaz133 said:


> Fact is, they have to care about all of the animals in their care. I understand your frustration, but I am glad to hear they are doing their job properly. Oh, and all my goldfish have had tanks with filters.


Yes, goldfish have had tanks with filters! Thank god they didnt sell u the fish! kekeke


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2008)

Rosikus said:


> I got my rats from breeders, heard all the bad **** about pet shops.
> 
> But also, I know some people who work in [email protected] that I went to college with studying animal management. So they're not all bad.


i know it dont make them bad..BUT...their there to do a job and if its not done propa then ya out lol.

so at the end of the day, wetha ya good or bad, youve still gotta do wat [email protected] want ya to do...and thats sell their poor animals and sell their stuff.

kekeke???


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## JANICE199 (Feb 1, 2008)

SazzyB said:


> pc world near me - of ur dressed just normal - they treat u like crap - go smartly dressed - best service. i purposely dressed really smartly once just to go there XD
> 
> wonder if they are owned by the same person???


pmsl.hey my grandson works for pc world.


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## sullivan (Aug 29, 2008)

You can get solutions from most fish stores that nutralise the water and make it fish safe but i would reccomend a filter its so benifical to your fish and they will be a lot happier. Happy fishing.


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## firestormkitty (Apr 27, 2008)

hmmm123 said:


> Oh no! they were not that cheap in there! She wanted me to buying one of there tanks that started at about £50! That wasn't happening.


50 quid is cheap


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## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

I have always been impressed with my nearest [email protected] (Inverness). Their rabbits and guinea pigs always have a lot of space to run around, full dishes, waterbottles (filled and clean) and toys for stimulation. Their hamsters are in small glass cages, however its only during the day, when most of them are sleeping, they don't need a lot of stimulation. Plus, I don't think they are ever in there long enough to even notice. 

Most of my small critters have been from pets at home and all have lived long lifes. My rabbit from pets at home lived until 7 years.


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## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

hmmm123 said:


> I just think they have a cheek really to be so strict, i have bought hamsters from them more than once and they have all died in the first 6 months, bought one from a diffrent pet shop (did nothing diffrent) andit lived for years shows how much they look after there pets! And no it' wasn't a one off, i know other people that have bought rodents from them and the same happened to them.
> 
> I feel sorry for the little rodents in there, in a tiny space and loads of them too, with a very very vey bright light shining on them, i'm sure it's too hot for them in there i have been in more than once and they have looked like they where baking alive!
> 
> I'll stop now lol.


All the hamsters I have had and known to come from there have lived long healthy lives. Maybe the [email protected] up here is better than yours, the one here doesn't have lights shining on the hamsters.

And do you think maybe it was something to do with you, if all the hamsters you had died within 6 months?


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## sullivan (Aug 29, 2008)

ajshep1984 said:


> PAH are crap. Everytime I go in there the staff are advising people on stuff they know nothing about and it always ends in them trying to sell something.
> 
> If they are so interested in animal welfare they should start practising what they preach, not sell inbred small furries and keep them in better conditions for starters.


So true i was naieve and got my rabbit from there some years ago im sad to say he was so ill in the end he had to be PTS. I feel that they are not trained enough in some of these stores. {sorry to any PAH staff out there ]


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## sullivan (Aug 29, 2008)

One of the previous hampsters of a friends almost turned in side out i think they put it down to a prolaspe. I suppose it could have happened anywhere but she got hers from PAH. They have started a rescue rehome of pets that can be adopted though and i do feel that this is a good thing. As long as there animals are cared for and the staff are at least knowledgeable.


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## Sophiex (Jul 27, 2008)

sullivan said:


> So true i was naieve and got my rabbit from there some years ago im sad to say he was so ill in the end he had to be PTS. I feel that they are not trained enough in some of these stores. {sorry to any PAH staff out there ]


There are some poor staff who give advice and don't know what they're talking about. However, I've had some very good advice in there and spoken to staff who are fantastic and really did know what they're talking about.


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## binxycat (Mar 15, 2008)

guineapigqueen said:


> Their rodents and rabbits come from a couple of main suppliers within the UK. I have been told that once a guinea (my animals of course) have reached a certain age or litter number they are killed and used for frozen feed instead, talk about recycling!!!
> 
> A few years ago when I was at my peak of guinea pigs(50ish) I used to take the odd one or two I couldn't take to other local pet shops, i do prefer them going to the local ones, I took them to [email protected] they gave me £5 per pig and that was a good deal compaired to some places and recently they have stopped doing this and buy from a commerical breeder. This commerical breeder doesnt give a monkeys about who is related to who as long as they can fill their orders of rodents and rabbits. Hamsters seem to no live as long and Guineas are missexed and sold pregnant, or a missexed pair. Some I have seen are more like a rat face than a guinea face. Most of these pigs you buy have never been handled.
> 
> ...


Yeh, we bought two "female" gerbils at PAH, ended up with 17!!!!!


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2008)

happysaz133 said:


> All the hamsters I have had and known to come from there have lived long healthy lives. Maybe the [email protected] up here is better than yours, the one here doesn't have lights shining on the hamsters.
> 
> And do you think maybe it was something to do with you, if all the hamsters you had died within 6 months?


I too have had quite a few rabbits, guinea pigs (sp?), rats and hamsters from my local PAH and I'd say they were all healthy and lived to a good age. Never had a problem with any. Also, they don't have harsh/shining lights on the hamsters at my PAH. So could just be different stores do different things I suppose.

Most of the staff at my local PAH are very polite and helpful, but I just feel that some aren't very knowledgeable in certain areas... but make out they are. Which is fine, if you, the customer know what you're talking about. But for new inexperienced pet owners, they could easily be fooled or fobbed off.


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

SazzyB said:


> pc world near me - of ur dressed just normal - they treat u like crap - go smartly dressed - best service. i purposely dressed really smartly once just to go there XD
> 
> wonder if they are owned by the same person???


I can't believe you said that how uncanny, a shopper was completely ignored and yet the assistant couldn't be more helpful to me. I had to laugh I was only looking the other shopper had cash in hand ready to buy. Needless to say they lost a potential sale. I think that's what the guy meant as he walked out. (can't repeat his actual words )

Sue


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2008)

Makes me laugh (well not at the time) when you go into these kind of stores and actually want help from a staff member or to ask a question and there's no one to be found, or they're all busy.

Yet when you go in JUST to look and take up a bit of time you get hounded by staff "are you ok there?" "do you need any help?" - "NO I do not!!!"


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2008)

SazzyB said:


> pc world near me - of ur dressed just normal - they treat u like crap - go smartly dressed - best service. i purposely dressed really smartly once just to go there XD


That's why I get ignored there then. 



sullivan said:


> So true i was naieve and got my rabbit from there some years ago im sad to say he was so ill in the end he had to be PTS. I feel that they are not trained enough in some of these stores. {sorry to any PAH staff out there ]


We've had a few pets from PAH to be honest, never again though. They were all very healthy but hearing other peoples horror stories has put me off. We bought a female hamster from there, named _her_ princess only to realise later she was infact a boy. 

Sorry to hear about your rabbit! 

I see there's another thread started about PAH now!


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## guineapigqueen (Jan 12, 2008)

You are all saying your animals lived happy long lived lives from [email protected], its only been within the last 2yrs they have started buying in from Commerical Breeders. 

I have a Guinea called Fred, she was a [email protected] special and she will be 7 this January, she was sold to them before the commerical breeders started suppling them, like probably alot of your pets you have mentioned.


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## mshaw86 (Oct 10, 2008)

Hi there, came across this thread on a google search and registered just to reply to this thread. I've been keeping fish for a long time and the misinformation in this thread is actually quite worrying. . .

1.) This whole run the tank for a week business fish shops tell you to do achieves nothing, you cannot begin biological filtration until there is some sort of waste product such as ammonia in the water.

2.) It has nothing to do with the age of the water, the reason they ask if your tank has been set up for a week is to determine whether your filter has had the chance to begin biological filtration (again, this is nonsense as a full cycle can take up to 8 weeks to achieve).

3.) All fish should have a filter, saying you can keep any sort of fish without a filter is technically correct but without the bacteria in the filter breaking down ammonia, nitrate and nitrites from the fishes poop and urine they're essentially swimming in their own ****. Sure you can keep a goldfish like this but why would you want to when you can buy a £15 filter to improve it's standard of living.

I urge all you people who try and buy fish the day after you have bought your tank, or those of you who say you can keep a goldfish without a filter to read the various methods of fishless cycling.

Frequently asked questions on fishless cycling | Practical Fishkeeping magazine

Fair play to the person who said their aunty/gran or whatever had a goldfish in a bowl for 20 years or so, thats definately an achievement, but think of all the people who don't care enough to change the water every few days, who's goldfish probably lasts a few weeks at most.

With all my tanks I can get away with changing about 10% of the water a week, minimal cleaning and the water is crystal clear, with no traces of ammonia. you can't get that without a filter, they are the key to a long happy life for a fish in your home.


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## Jacqui_UK (Oct 7, 2008)

Well I see why they are doing it, but next time just lie say it has been left and you do have a filter then if they die it is your fault.


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## 3 red dogs (May 17, 2008)

i'm going to do something i never done on here before, and put my head on the line.
I work in an Store which does sell fresh water, tropical, and marine fish, although i do admit i do not work within that particular dept. 

What the manager was saying is pretty close to how things are going with in that area of retail, and all for the sake of pet welfare, so it seems. 
THe paper work involved in selling fish is beyond believe, every tank, has to be tested for about 6 different things on a daily basis, and the results all written down, and kept till hell freezes over. New Fish that arrive can not be sold for 3 days, and kept in Quarintine .. Salt content of the water is cheaked, fiddled with, and changed also on a daily basis to. We are not only talking fish here, we are right down to some of the oldest orgasms (had to spell that right) like Corals and crustaceans. So, provided this store ( not come across it myself) has done all that work, i can sorta see where they are coming from. 
And if the fish have been 'looked' after to this degree in the shop, and then just put in what we all know as a 'fish bowl' this can have a detrimental effect on the fish. 

We all know that a fish is just a fish, with a brain cell count lower then one, but it is after all still a living thing, and there fore should be treated just like our favourite, dog, or cat. After all you wouldn't go and buy a kitten from a breeder that has keep it in a warm cosy house with a wee tray, and a bowl of food, and then take it home and throw in in the garage would you??

Regards
3reddogs
( Waits for Guillotine to fall)


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## Ladywiccana (Feb 24, 2008)

*Well Red that's a bit of an eye opener! I can understand it with tropical fish and other ones i dont know about lol.
Do they even have to do that with plain and simple goldfish doe? lol*


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## 3 red dogs (May 17, 2008)

ladywiccana said:


> *Well Red that's a bit of an eye opener! I can understand it with tropical fish and other ones i dont know about lol.
> Do they even have to do that with plain and simple goldfish doe? lol*


Yep, weather there indoor tank goldfish, or ya outdoor pond fish.. there are alot of new laws coming in now on the sale of fish. I think to a certain extent its a good thing, at least the customer is getting what they are paying for, Healthy Fish.. and it does the retailer some good to, because he is not losing fish, left right and centre, and its almost sure that if a customer does come back with a dead fish, it's more then likely that its the customers fault and not the retailers, We also offer a FREE servive to test a sample of the customers pond/tank water.


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## jeanie (Nov 11, 2007)

I have kept goldfish in a tank with an under water filter and pump , so does my sis, hers are ten years old and doing well, mine lived to be about 8 yrs too, but i didnt buy them from pets at home though in our local one you get really good service and the animals always look fine the pigs and rabbits have lots of room always water and food in there, my grandaughter has two hamsters from there they are over 2 yrs old and doing well , in ours they are always ready to help with food and stuff so i cant complain .


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## guineapigqueen (Jan 12, 2008)

Your store sounds interesting 3 Red. 
There is a few fish shops around within the local area but not any pet shops that stock Marines as they are time consuming work. I know I used to keep them a few years ago and expensive!!!!!! 

Emma x


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## MrAnnonimous (Sep 25, 2009)

I know it probably seems unfair the way you
have been treated at Pets At Home but they have to abide by there terms
and confitions of there Pet Licence which is Issued by there Local Authority 
(Council) they also have regular checks completed by the Council and Pet 
Welfare institutes life RSPCA. Next time you are near one you should pop in 
and pick up there leaflet on setting up your new Aquarium its full of good
information and it tells you about the 7 day setup cycle. Why you ask??
The new tank setup has lots of bad chemicals like Chlorine, Ammonia, Nitrate 
and Nitrites (this is normaly caused by the chemicals which are placed in at 
the water plants to ensure the water is safe for us to drink. Down side is 
that its leathful for the fish. By running the cycle for 7 days you are building
up good bacteria which fights against the chemicals making it safe to add 
fish. Tank Size is all a vital point. Most Coldwater fish (Goldfish can grow to a 
wapping 37cm - Fantail a wapping 18cm). If you had a goldfish bowl and your
goldfish grew to 37cm it would not be able to move (Kind of like you being a 6
ft person and the box was 6ft (Not Very fair). Pets At Home do regular Dead 
Fish Runs I believe it is every hour, This is where they check all there tanks 
for dead fish and remove them. They mave have missed one on there last 
check or somebody might have done it after you left the second time. The
manager that you spoke to however said you should remove 50% of the
tank water that is bad!!! You are effectivly removing 50% of all that good
bacteria that protects them and keeps them alive. I would say no more than
10-15% every 3-4 weeks although that is dependant on the size of the tank 
how many litres it hold and how many fish you have. With regards to
your last comment about getting fish at fair grounds I think you will also find
that is now against the law and they can be prosecuted for doing it. Any
other questions give me a shout I will be glad to help.



hmmm123 said:


> I just think they have a cheek really to be so strict, i have bought hamsters from them more than once and they have all died in the first 6 months, bought one from a diffrent pet shop (did nothing diffrent) andit lived for years shows how much they look after there pets! And no it' wasn't a one off, i know other people that have bought rodents from them and the same happened to them.
> 
> I feel sorry for the little rodents in there, in a tiny space and loads of them too, with a very very vey bright light shining on them, i'm sure it's too hot for them in there i have been in more than once and they have looked like they where baking alive!
> 
> I'll stop now lol.


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## littlekitty (May 5, 2009)

I bought fish from [email protected] about four years ago and did notice a dead fish floating in one of their tanks and after picking out our fish (from the tank with the dead one in, the girl didn't even take it out).
Before we got the fish they did ask about our tank at home and were aloud to take fish home as our one had been running for 6 months.

Needless to say one of the fish only lasted a few days, so we took it back and they did exchange it for another one.
I also got a couple of budgies from there, about the same time, but most of the budgies were sick with scaly beak, but I was told that there were some that were well enough to rehome. 
Picked out two, a yellow and a green/yellow (male and female) for my daughter and took them home.
The green/yellow one became sick after a few days, and the vet said it had scaly beak, but the bird died the next day. So back to [email protected] with remaining bird and got to see the manager, and he said the birds should never of been sold because of the disease, and refunded my money.

They no longer sell birds at all, and only have a few bunnies/gunieas and hammies/fish in.


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

I am sorry OP but I would not sell you a fish either.
Fish bowls are cruel cruel places to keep fish and there is definitely no room for 2 goldfish in one. Common goldfish can grow huge.
They also produce far too much watse to be kept in such a tiny space without a filter.
Fish bowls should be banned.

I suggest you join a fish forum and learn as much as you can before going to buy some fish.

And if you just go back and lie about having a bigger tank then you should not have pets at all. Pets at home staff ask these questions so the fish are not sold into unsuitable environments.
Yes, sometimes a fish dies. But it could be a number of reasons. Mostly its because of overcrowding (unfortunately the high number of fish in the tanks isn't illegal) or stress at being transported.

Go out and get yourself a bigger tank and let it cycle properly or don't bother at all. Bowls are not meant for fish!


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2009)

hmmm123 said:


> I now hate pets at home, yep i do well my local one at least. This is the story ok so i went to pets at home today and planned on buying 2 gold fish. This is what happened. First off i had to drive 15miles to get there so as you can imagine i wasn't impressed when i came home with no fish and that was the whole reason i went out!
> 
> So got to the pet shop this is how the convo went:
> 
> ...


I had two fantail goldfish and decided to get another so I got one from my local pets at home and Called him Keiko. He didn't last long. I got him in october 2008 and all the fantails died in one go in December 2008. Two months after I got Keiko.


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## hayleyb (Feb 10, 2009)

if youd have gettin the fish theyd have been dead within a week. then you wud have complained about them sellin you them.

the same thing happened to me 2 years ago i had to keep my tank and filter runnin for a week b4 they'd sell me any. then i cud only buy 1 every 2 weeks to add.

the guy was jst doin his job.


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2009)

I have to agree with some of the previous posts, I too wouldn't sell a fish without any knowledge on the tank, including the size, filtration type and a full set of water parameters. If you can't tolerate being told 'no' by the staff then tough, in fact I'd give the man a gold medal for common sense and for once putting the welfare of the animals before profit.

Keeping fish is a fairly big responsibility and goldfish in particular have the capability to grow fairly large. To be perfectly honest I wouldn't recommend goldfish to beginners, contrary to popular advice. The reasoning behind this is because the prospective owners aren't aware of their actual requirements, and end up being told by the staff that the fish can be kept in tiny bowl or one of the so-called 'starter tanks'. The worst example of this was a particular store advocating the use of coffee jars for fish. 

Unless you have a 6 x 2 x 2ft tank with a cycled filter then I'd look for a different pet. There is a fair amount of science behind fishkeeping.


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## owieprone (Nov 6, 2008)

i agree with pleccy. (just realised where you got your name btw..lmao)

as a new owner of a large marine tank, i wouldn't dream of getting ANY inhabitants without making sure the tank i have is up to spec for all my denizens and would be very annoyed if i was sold anything without the seller making sure the tank was suitably equipped. it is infact dry at the mo cos we haven't got a filter yet, without one of those we wouldn't dream of even putting water in it.

we've not only bought books on fish, but invertbrates too so that we know exactly what will fit when it's fully grown but what won't eat or target other inhabitants.

just because you want/have goldfish doesn't mean you shouldn't read up on exactly what they need BEFORE you get started. 

As is seen time and again on here, just because loads of people keep cats and dogs, it doesn't mean that all owners know how to keep them properly, don't assume a pet is easy to keep just because they are popular.


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## xgemma86x (Feb 13, 2009)

hmmm123 said:


> I just think they have a cheek really to be so strict, i have bought hamsters from them more than once and they have all died in the first 6 months, bought one from a diffrent pet shop (did nothing diffrent) andit lived for years shows how much they look after there pets! And no it' wasn't a one off, i know other people that have bought rodents from them and the same happened to them.
> 
> I feel sorry for the little rodents in there, in a tiny space and loads of them too, with a very very vey bright light shining on them, i'm sure it's too hot for them in there i have been in more than once and they have looked like they where baking alive!
> 
> I'll stop now lol.


I don't know much about fish as those are my dads pets. However I have had 6 rodents from PAH and only 1 has died,the other 5 are still living. Infact we have had our syrian Ben for just over 12 months and he is in perfect health,he has so much energy and is very friendly (as are the 4 robos). I really don't think it's down to the PAH store when your rodents die,personally i'd put it down to bad luck

I have had problems with my local PAH recently concerning a hamster cage that I attempted (and later did) buy. They soon resolved my complaint and in a way that I was pleased with so they aint all bad


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## bexy1989 (May 10, 2009)

PoisonGirl said:


> I am sorry OP but I would not sell you a fish either.
> Fish bowls are cruel cruel places to keep fish and there is definitely no room for 2 goldfish in one. Common goldfish can grow huge.
> They also produce far too much watse to be kept in such a tiny space without a filter.
> Fish bowls should be banned.
> ...


I totally agree with you.

if the OP had gone into where we get our marine fish from they would have been told they needed to buy a brand new tank with filters etc.

Quite simply a bowl is far to small to keep fish in. We spent £250+ on our marine set up, and that was with everything included.

The guy that sells us our fish gets us to take water in on a regular basis to check the PH and Nitrates that are in the tank. He wouldn't let us have anything in the tank until he was happy that everything was perfect!


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## Nicky09 (Feb 26, 2009)

This is a very old thread but yeah its cruel to keep goldfish in a bowl or any animal for that matter. I would be getting them a huge tank all the filtration and everything if I ever got them again.


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## MissG (Apr 18, 2008)

The OP's last activity was over a year ago.....so I don't think they are going to log on anytime soon, Mr Annonimous.

I was a bit surprised I have to admit that [email protected] were actually being responsible.


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## Miss.PuddyCat (Jul 13, 2009)

Well Ill tell you guys this.

A few weeks ago I went to a friends house before we headed out. I had only for a second seen her family HUGE fish take before so I wanted to check it out. I enjoy watching fish as I find it relaxing and I had had a stressfull day. Well You could barely see the actually fish (sword fish) The take was crawelingin green guk, the water was cloudy, and apparently the fish are repoducing as there were tiny ones. They only clean the tank out once a year and they dont feed them because the fish feed off of what ever is growing in the tank. It does have filter and all the other stuff.

My friend doesnt care about the fish and needless to say she nearly got me killed later that night


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## charlie9009 (Nov 24, 2008)

I agree that a bowl is not good enough for a fish to live in, and I was suprised (and pleased) to hear pets @ home didn't just sell the fish, but I would like to say that a normal cold water tank doesn't have to be as perfect as a tropical marine tank! 

Yes, they should have a filter, and be cleaned out often, but the PH and other things don't have to be perfect, which is why most people have fresh water fish before a marine tank. Most fresh water fish are quite tolerent of changes in the water, unlike marine fish.


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2009)

charlie9009 said:


> I agree that a bowl is not good enough for a fish to live in, and I was suprised (and pleased) to hear pets @ home didn't just sell the fish, but I would like to say that a normal cold water tank doesn't have to be as perfect as a tropical marine tank!
> 
> Yes, they should have a filter, and be cleaned out often, but the PH and other things don't have to be perfect, which is why most people have fresh water fish before a marine tank. Most fresh water fish are quite tolerent of changes in the water, unlike marine fish.


We all know how messy goldfish are.


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## Zayna (Apr 19, 2009)

I remember i once went to the petshop to buy a rabbit for my sister.I picked out one that I liked and asked the man if I could take it. He told me to come back with my parents as he couldnt sell me the rabbit if I was on my own. I informed him that I was 24yrs old and showed him my ID to prove it. He still wouldnt sell me the bunny and said that he would have to speak to my parents first to check that I had permission to bring the bunny home! Despite me telling him that I had my own flat and my parents had nothing to do with me having a bunny he insisted that he would sell me the rabbit until he had spoken to my parents. I had to ring my dad and get him to speak to the man to assure him that I would look after the rabbit properly! 

I got my bunny in the end although the guy was very reluctant to sell it to me! 
I was quite offended that he thought I couldnt look after a bunny properly!ut:


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## Nicky09 (Feb 26, 2009)

I would rather have a pet shop say I couldn't look after an animal than sell them to anyone personally. I would be offended but I would be happy they were finally being responsible.


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2009)

Nicky09 said:


> I would rather have a pet shop say I couldn't look after an animal than sell them to anyone personally. I would be offended but I would be happy they were finally being responsible.


The problem is they do take things a little too far sometimes...


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## MissG (Apr 18, 2008)

Zayna said:


> I remember i once went to the petshop to buy a rabbit for my sister.I picked out one that I liked and asked the man if I could take it. He told me to come back with my parents as he couldnt sell me the rabbit if I was on my own. I informed him that I was 24yrs old and showed him my ID to prove it. He still wouldnt sell me the bunny and said that he would have to speak to my parents first to check that I had permission to bring the bunny home! Despite me telling him that I had my own flat and my parents had nothing to do with me having a bunny he insisted that he would sell me the rabbit until he had spoken to my parents. I had to ring my dad and get him to speak to the man to assure him that I would look after the rabbit properly!
> 
> I got my bunny in the end although the guy was very reluctant to sell it to me!
> I was quite offended that he thought I couldnt look after a bunny properly!ut:


LOL, that is crazy?!!? Since when did being 24 make you a minor?


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## Zayna (Apr 19, 2009)

I know! I mean I do look young for my age but not that young! Besides I had my ID to prove how old I was! Still at least that guy cared! I work in a drug clinic and a few months ago one of the clients came in, off her face on heroin and clutching two baby guinea pigs she had just bought from Pets at Home! We could not BELIEVE that the staff in there had sold those guinea pigs to her the state she was in! I dread to think what kind of life those poor little animals will have. I mean some of those people cant even look after themselves!


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## Yorkie404 (May 28, 2010)

I too now detest pets at home, and have come to the conclusion that its easier to adopt a third world child then it is to purchase a £1.99 goldfish from pets at home. And the girl who refused to sell me fish said my tank had to be established at least 7 days before introducing fish. Now I could actually buy fish, as I've been keeping fish for a number of years, and met the requirements, but in the end I got annoyed at being talked down to like a small naughty child, and commented on that, at which point some YTS told me she didn't believe me and refused to sell me a fish. I hope they go bust!!


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## oakleyj (Jun 27, 2010)

My family had a goldfish that lived for about 10 years and we didn't have a filter in their tank so I don't think you NEED one, just advised to get one.


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

This is a really old thread but I think it might be interesting to see peoples opinions on what the OP wrote 

I actually agree with [email protected] being strict about their fish... I mean, how many of you would whinge and moan if [email protected] sold fish to someone who turned out to be live feeding them to their cat or BBQing them for fun??? What would you do then? You'd shout for tighter restrictions on selling the fish and say that [email protected] are irresponsible for selling them to anyone. Yet, because they have taken precautions against something like that happening which makes it slightly more difficult for a few of you to buy an animal, it's innaproppriate and unfair.

You can't have one rule for one and one for another.

I just wish they were this tight with all their other animals. And changed their suppliers to reputable breeders. And sold more suitable animal housing... oh well, you can't have everything


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2010)

I know these two members are now guests, however I thought it would be important to answer these posts; for the record.



SazzyB said:


> you don't need a filter for the goldfish.


Yes, you do need a filter for _all_ fish. The amount of metabolic and fecal waste produced by goldfish is absolutely phenomenal. Metabolic waste substances such as ammonia are invisible when dissolved in water, so you often don't see the damage it can do even in small concentrations.

There is a large amount of science behind fishkeeping. If nobody believes that, go and indulge yourself in good chemistry and biology books.



rocky said:


> so why cant the shop keep a tank or bucket,with 3 day old water for customers. easy no profit.


Contrary to popular belief, water holds very few filter bacteria. The bacteria that carry out biological filtration need to colonize a hard surface, not the water. This is the exact reason why most filter cycling agents (i.e Stress zyme, Nutrafin cycle) fail to work properly. If you want the tank ready for fish in three days, obtain some well matured filter media from another fishkeeper.


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