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Bad pet shops?

layna

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So I'm just wondering if anyone else had a similar problem, my mum and I have some fish tanks, I have Axies she has baby goldfish. We both bought some creatures from the same pet store and they are all dying! Can the pet shop have all bad fish?

My mum got some type of freshwater sucker fish (2 loaches maybe) to clean the algae from her tank and I'm quarentining some cherry shrimp for my lottles.
Both of my mums have died already.

It's really frustrating as they are not cheap and I was hoping to have millions of baby cherry shrimp to eventually feed 5 hungry axies haha!

I've woken up this morning and one shrimp is already dead and another looks like its dying...I only have 4!

They live in the same water as the axes, just a separate tub (that's dechlorinated and left for 24 hours tap water) and its all at room temp.
 

Quentari

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So I'm just wondering if anyone else had a similar problem, my mum and I have some fish tanks, I have Axies she has baby goldfish. We both bought some creatures from the same pet store and they are all dying! Can the pet shop have all bad fish?

My mum got some type of freshwater sucker fish (2 loaches maybe) to clean the algae from her tank and I'm quarentining some cherry shrimp for my lottles.
Both of my mums have died already.

It's really frustrating as they are not cheap and I was hoping to have millions of baby cherry shrimp to eventually feed 5 hungry axies haha!

I've woken up this morning and one shrimp is already dead and another looks like its dying...I only have 4!

They live in the same water as the axes, just a separate tub (that's dechlorinated and left for 24 hours tap water) and its all at room temp.

What's your water parameters like? some pet stores offer a refund/exchange if you take the dead fish back along with a sample of your water
 

ZombieAxolotl

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Did you go in just after they received new fish in?
I usually try to avoid this, I've had it happen before when i kept more aquariums when i was younger. Buying fish that are still acclimating. Then take them home to acclimate again in a 24hr period, they tend to shock and die.
Take them back for a refund.

Shrimp are even more delicate, requiring different water chemistry then axies though.
 

snuggly time

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I got my fish and shrimp from pets at home and some are a lot bigger than others making me wonder how old they are. I was in the shop a few weeks ago and the shop assistant didn't accept quite a few fish. Made me wonder what conditions they have been kept in and how long they have spent being transported around. Both my shrimp died within a couple of weeks, they're so sensitive :(
 

layna

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I used plants and substrate and water from my cycled tank and i suck up the mess on a daily basis if i can see it, i find it strange that in two separate tanks and from the same shop the fish are dying.
I have no idea when they got the stock in, but i know quite a few people have said they wouldn't buy from this place as the fish all die now im looking into it haha!
No more have died as of yet, but im hoping i have one male and one female so they will reproduce!
 

jeromeetabuzo

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I used plants and substrate and water from my cycled tank and i suck up the mess on a daily basis if i can see it, i find it strange that in two separate tanks and from the same shop the fish are dying.
I have no idea when they got the stock in, but i know quite a few people have said they wouldn't buy from this place as the fish all die now im looking into it haha!
No more have died as of yet, but im hoping i have one male and one female so they will reproduce!

Hey there did you pick your pets in the pet store or you told them the animal you want to buy? if they picked for you then they will most likely give you dying once i even bought an adf and died a week later , it's like that pet shop tactics , that is why its important to choose your own pet in the shop not the seller , sellers will most likely give you sick pets,and also never buy a pet when you see a single dead animal in its tank , as it can spread diseases. And i suggest you dont buy from that store.
Females are reddish
Males are like little ghost shrimp and might have some red spots also.
 

jeromeetabuzo

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I got my fish and shrimp from pets at home and some are a lot bigger than others making me wonder how old they are. I was in the shop a few weeks ago and the shop assistant didn't accept quite a few fish. Made me wonder what conditions they have been kept in and how long they have spent being transported around. Both my shrimp died within a couple of weeks, they're so sensitive :(

Hey there yes , maybe the shop wont sell you a few fish because it was healthy and they tend to sell you weak ones , and also i do breed red cherries last time , but they all died cause of our worker we told them to bring the red cherry tank because we will change house , and we waited and never came back , after 7 months the tank was returned it was all dead no more trace of the shrimp and yeah it kinda made me cry that day.and also red cherries should be kept on a room without aircondition , electric fan will do.
 

layna

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Oh haha its not hot here, I don't have air conditioning. Well there was just loads of shrimp on the fillter and they scooped 4 off :O I think I might possibly have 1 male and 2 females left then, hopefully it will work :)
 

hannahll

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How about you check your water parameters and then if they turn out ok, you can blame the pet shops. Pretty sure i've never tried to sell people dying fish because then we get bad reputation. And the people that come in regularly know when fish order day is so they don't buy an excessive amount of new fish.
 

layna

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Because im using water out of my cycled tank for their water changes and I know its in safe parameters as I test it every day
 

FX1C

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Because im using water out of my cycled tank for their water changes and I know its in safe parameters as I test it every day

Is this water from the same tank you've had so many problems cycling? Why would you test it everyday - that is unnecessary if its cycled properly.

I think you'd be better off adding fresh aged dechlorinated water for water changes - swapping water from one aquarium to another is just transferring potential problems from one tank to the next.

Shrimp are very sensitive & need heating, not an ideal companion planting with axolotls :eek:

If you're wanting shrimp to keep your tank clean you'd be waiting a long time for them to carry out the tank maintenance. You still need to remove as much as you can manually & do regular water changes - both things will disturb the shrimp.

The ideal is to have a separate shrimp tank & transfer a couple to your axie tank just for munching. I have a separate guppy tank & transfer fry across to be lunch. I had the guppies sharing with the lotls but found the food for guppies makes a lot of mess in a bare bottomed tank & now that we're going into winter it's not fair on the guppies to not be at a temperature they are happy with. It's the same with shrimp.

The good fish shops I go to all work on the theory that they try & sell the best fish in the tank - that way the next customers always get the best ones in the tank - good shops will offer refund for fish as long as you bring a water sample from your tank.





<3 >o_o< <3
 

layna

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The shrimp are in their own separate tank, I test the water everyday as like you say my cycle crashed and I had problems so for a couple of weeks I want to keep an eye on it.
I'm just asking if anyone else has similar problems as I know of at least 6 people who say this is a very bad shop and they have all had their fish die they got from there and wondered if it's a common occurrence.
I'm not trying to start a debate on the standards of fish shops, some are excellent I admit that.
 

jane1187

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Just wanted to point out an issue with the UK water supply. Many areas have nitrate levels of up to 50ppm coming out of the tap. Freshwater invertebrates are generally very sensitive to nitrates and need no greater than 20ppm. Check the water from your tap, nitrates of over 20ppm won't kill an axie but they'll kill shrimps. Could be that?
 

layna

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My water parameters are all good, i tested before i started using it for my axies. Hmm just mysterious.
I bought 4 more so i now have 7 and theyre all female
 

Oleson29

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There is a pet store here that has 3 tanks of axolotls and the tanks are maybe 10 gallons, tall but not wide, and they have 5 axolotls in each one. They don't have hide outs or anything. They are all stressed and nipped at and bright lights on them. I feel so bad for them. Some even look like they have a fungus. Their other fish all look horrible too.
 

shazza

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It may just be a case of stressed out animals or just bit of bad luck.. We are lucky here our pet stores are heavily regulated. I am in a moderate sized town. Quite a few petshops here. But it doesnt take much to get a bad rep, they end up out of business. I to have had fish floating within days. Thankfully my axie has been alright.

That said u are also purchasing sensitive creatures. Even birds can go belly up days after. I have also had a friend many years ago purchase a very expensive horse, about 30grand. Vet checked and all, died of a blood clot 5 hrs after she gets him home.
 

pondweed

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Layna, do you have a Pet's Corner anywhere near you? In my experience, they're pretty good about their care, and don't sell their fish until they've monitored them for a while first. (Or maybe that's a general regulation for all pet stores I don't know about.)
 

layna

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no my nearest fish store is maidenhead aquatics, then after that it's pets at home and I'm not even sure pets at home stock shrimp :O
 
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