Does your LFS offer refunds?

[Liz Sagara]

A healthy fish wouldn't die when being placed in a new tank. Most of the time it will be user error. Improper acclimation can kill a fish, even though your water parameters could be perfect (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates). The problem lies in your water's hardness level (kh and gh). Floating the bag in the tank for 15 minutes isn't gonna do much.

Very true. My last comment wasn't at you so much as it was at people wo take a tank and a fish home at the same time. If you feel it was directed at you I apologize. Most of the time it is user error. That's why I drip fish that aren't in the same PH hardness at the store. If my tank is brackish I drip. I drip for all my cichlid tanks that I use rock to buffer PH high in. It's just a good practice.

 

[Antithesis123]

If you buy a fish and it dies right away, that means you didn't acclimate properly and sent the thing into osmotic shock, simple as that.

No, that's very short sighted. I am a responsible fish owner and so are a lot of other people. Sometimes fish die or are sick when you buy them or are stressed. Sometimes responsible fish owners get screwed.

I agree with you Jcardona though but there is a line somewhere that an lfs might do well consider looking at.

I bought fish from aquariafish.net and a dead one showed up in the mail. You know what they did? Sent me a new fish and a free bonus fish and Nevin Bailey talked to me on the phone personally For a half hour assuring me that he wanted my business and was super friendly.. all NO CHARGE. I buy from them now and I spend a lot of money. I never would have looked on the net if my lfs considered me for one moment. I have seriously spent over a 1500 dollars with him in 2 yrs. His loss.

 

[k0y0te]

one of lfs will give a refond up to 24 hrs but the catch is you have to bring a cup of your tank water in before you purches and when you bring the fish back. if it dont match previous then its on you and no refund.

 

[jcardona1]

Most pet store have huge markup on live fish.

Right, all LFS owners are filthy rich. Even if they did have huge markups, that means they should pay for your mistakes?

 

[Liz Sagara]

one of lfs will give a refond up to 24 hrs but the catch is you have to bring a cup of your tank water in before you purches and when you bring the fish back. if it dont match previous then its on you and no refund.

good idea. Most of the people who don't care wouldn't shop at the store which is just fine. I wouldn't mind doing that. It's not hard and I don't go out to get fish before the tank is ready.

 

[jcardona1]

are sick when you buy them or are stressed.

True, this is why finding a good LFS is important. Even then, watching the fish for a few minutes will tell you a lot. It's easy to spot a fish that is sick. If you're in doubt, ask them to feed the fish. I rarely buy fish from my LFS anymore. Not that the fish are sick, but I'd rather go the source and get them from a vendor. Or better yet, another hobbyist that's taken care of the fish for a long time.

 

[Liz Sagara]

True, this is why finding a good LFS is important. Even then, watching the fish for a few minutes will tell you a lot. It's easy to spot a fish that is sick. If you're in doubt, ask them to feed the fish. I rarely buy fish from my LFS anymore. Not that the fish are sick, but I'd rather go the source and get them from a vendor. Or better yet, another hobbyist that's taken care of the fish for a long time.

I do this too. I watch them for a good 20-30 mins before I buy them.

 

[chris.clay11]

Yeah that just sounds unreasonable of them most as you know require a water check to see if you are at fault that would make sense then but to just say not is dumb.

 

[jcardona1]

A sample of your water proves nothing really. If I wanted to, I could bring in some aged and/or treated tapwater and make it appear as if my tank's water is pristine. There's a lot more to the story than just a small water sample.

 

[Liz Sagara]

A sample of your water proves nothing really. If I wanted to, I could bring in some aged and/or treated tapwater and make it appear as if my tank's water is pristine. There's a lot more to the story than just a small water sample.

That's true. They're not fool proof. Short of them coming to your house they can't really ensure that the fish is going in that tank. I could bring in a sample of my cichlid tank that's cycled and then go home and put the fish in an mud hole and then when it dies take it back with a sample of the cichlid tank again... No way of really knowing.