I have to vent

kram138 · 08-14-2003, 09:53 PM

I know we just got through a thread where everyone was telling stories about bad experiences with their LFS. And I know not all fish shops are bad. BUT I have to tell you about the experience I had this week with a new-to-me LFS.

I won't mention the stores name out of respect but I will say it is in Redondo Beach for any of the So Cal people out there.

Upon first inspection, the shop looked pretty good. Clean tanks, no dead fish, large selection of coral resonably priced and in good shape. Then I came across the live rock holding tank. I was looking for a couple of small pieces to use for fragging shrooms when I spotted the first of what turned out to be dozens of aiptasia anemones. There were some really big ones in there. I mentioned to a guy that works there. He sounded concerned and said he would pull the rock and put it in the big tank with a copperband. I was happy and I felt i did my good deed for the day.

I went in there a couple of days later (today) and went striaght to the live rock tank. The offending rocks were gone. i went to the tank with the copperband and he was still there but no rocks. I approached the same guy and he seemed to recognize me but when i asked him how the aiptasia breakout went, he acted like he had no idea what I was talking about. Here is an almost word for word account as it is still fresh in my memory.

me-were you able to get all of the glass anenomes off the live rock?
him-what glass anenomes?
me-the ones that were in the live rock tank.
him-I didn't see any
me-well the rocks not there anymore.
him-I must have sold it
me-with the glass anenomes on the rock?
him-(shruggs shoulders)
me-well somebody is about to have a bad outbreak
him-(shruggs shoulders again and turns around to help another customer)

I walked out without even buying what I went in there to buy.

There is no moral to this story. It just frustrates me to think I found a good LFS close to where I work but if they are willing to sell aiptasia covered rocks, what else are they willing to do? Its not like he didn't know how to fix the problem. He is the one mentioned the copperband. I think he had an opportunity to sell the live rock before he pulled it and went for it. JMO

Anyway, sorry for the rant. Had to get it out.

Mark

08-14-2003, 10:01 PM

if i may say one thing......

lr has a ton of nasties on it.....do you expect them to zap them for you??? now i have seen some places where apstasia is out control... and if you were going to get a bulk order i can understand your upsetness.... but you were just getting rubble..... and you didnt even get that..... when i got to a lfs to buy lr..... i EXPECT apstasia....heck i expect it if i buy any coral attached to lr.... i personally dont think it is wise to expect the lfs to get rid of apsatsia.....
#1 cost.... few peperment shimp and or kalk....after a while that adds up....
#2 time.... like the owner is going to pay some kid to go kalk em.... takes someone off the floor...and most kids would prolly injure himself and now he has a lawsuit......
now with all that being said i do agree that it looks awful....... but if you buy a bunch of lr and have to go kalking think of it as a time to personally check over your purchase and you can get a feel for how it all might fit together... if you do a online lr order id bet youd get some apstasia

kram138 · 08-14-2003, 10:11 PM

I 100% agree with you. In fact the live rock I bought to cycle my tank had aiptasia anemones on it and I knew it but I figured they would die off in the cycling. Which they did.

Under normal circumstances, I could accept a couple of small aiptasia anemones. But this looked like they were breeding the darn things.

And really what it boils down to is trust. He could have told me in the beginning what you just said. All live rock comes with hitchhikers and expect some nasties. But when he says he is going to take care of it and doesn't, that's what gets my goat.

Maybe I'm old fashioned or spoiled because my friend had a fish shop for so long but I expect honesty out of the people I am going to be doing business with.

Really, you should have seen the state of this rock. terrible

BTW, I think you said more than one thing LOL

08-14-2003, 10:23 PM

i usually do that... i start to think and all these thoughts start flowing.... hehe

p.s. and yes johnny i do think.... and no i wont hurt myself

yardboy · 08-15-2003, 05:30 AM

I know I wouldn't buy it if I could SEE the nasties on it. One lfs I went to a distance from here, had a 20 gallon (no sump) "complete reef" setup for sale for $350. Two leathers, a clown and a tank full of aiptasia. Wish I had a picture. It wouldn't be pretty to me.

crab0000 · 08-15-2003, 11:11 AM

An LFS that I used to go to actually sold aipstasia as glass anemones. Luckily I knew better by then than to buy them, but I didn't go back there much after that.
Steve

rogerthmyers · 08-15-2003, 11:47 AM

what do they look like?

kram138 · 08-15-2003, 11:52 AM

They look like this...

http://www.aquarium.net/faqs/aiptasia.shtml

tdwyatt · 08-15-2003, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by crab0000
An LFS that I used to go to actually sold aipstasia as glass anemones...

Heh, I can top that...

I certain regional aquarium had a display intended to demonstrate clownfishes in symbiosis with host anemone...

Glass anemone...

...a WHOLE TANK of BIG ones... (numbering in the 100's)...

rabeiler · 08-15-2003, 01:16 PM

I think I hava small one of these growing in my fuge. Is this a problem? Can I put a peppermint shrimp in the fuge? Only have macro algae growing in the fuge.

Thanks
Ross

tdwyatt · 08-15-2003, 01:22 PM

should not be a problem with adding a shrimp to the sump, just make sure it is a Lysmata wurdermanii, two or three will supply your tank with plankton as they attempt to reproduce.