I have seen it many times, but still I am upset when it happens. I was standing in an aquarium store waiting to check out when I overheard a question asked by another customer. The store employee replied in a very confident and assured manner with an answer that was just plain wrong. I am not sure if this was because the employee really didn’t know the correct answer or that he was just trying to make a sale without consideration of the customer. Regardless of the reason, if the customer followed the employee’s advice, the fish he was about to purchase was doomed. So when the employee went off to get something else for the customer, I corrected the information. I am sure the employee was a bit confused when he returned and the customer had decided not to purchase the animal that had been recommended.
Unfortunately, the dissemination of inaccurate information happens more often than we would like in some retail stores. While there are many store employees who know their stuff, there are many who only have a moderate knowledge of tropical fish and some who know virtually nothing. This is an unfortunate situation because the customer expects and relies on them to provide accurate and useful information. One should always remember that keeping fish is a store and keeping them in a home aquarium are two very different things. Stores do not generally have fish for a long period of time so the truth is no matter how bad their water conditions are, unless the store has a very bad turnover rate, the fish are not likely to show the results of poor husbandry in the short amount of time they stay at the store.
Having said that, I would also like to say that most stores are very conscientious about their water quality, but unless there is obviously something wrong with the fish when they arrive at the store, it is not likely that they will become ill during their short stay. As a result, many store owners and personnel do not have and excessive experience in dealing with the problems that aquarium keepers face. The bottom line is that you should always verify what you are told, regardless of the source but especially when you have no knowledge of the level of expertise of the person providing the information. Research it before you purchase it!
What do you think? Please leave a comment below.