[mistermikev]

No sir, (as she's pulling the orange finger sponge out of the tank) these guys won't die if they touch air.

[mistermikev]

The potters angel is actually the least likely angel to nip at corals.

[mistermikev]

Since, as you pointed out, it has lost most of its color... I'll knock it down to $40.00

[mistermikev]

"Sure you can put a chocolate chip star in your reef tank... as long as it doesn't have corals in it".

[mistermikev]

Oh yeah, the hoeven's wrasse will do fine in a reef tank.
-the "but your corals won't be" must have been implied

[Blennie]

LOL mike.. i haven't been told anything that bad at my lfs but last week i saw a $100 price tag on a blood shrimp.. i am heading there tonight, lets hope i get some good material for this thread.

[mistermikev]

wow $100 for a fire shrimp?! I paid $30, and I thought $51 at my LFS was outrageouse.

[mistermikev]

I often go in to a LFS and see bleached out skeletons and just for fun ask how much. Often times I am quoted a price so I say, "geez, how much is a live one?"

[sihaya]

"I don't know exactly what it is, but it's yours for $10..."

[mistermikev]

Nice (I don't know what it is...). I go to my LFS (1 of 6 of em) two times a week and get live brine(I know I could make it myself)... anyone else sick of hearing "Nemo! Nemo!". Wonder how many clown fish deaths that move is directly reponsible for a year?

[Blennie]

LOL $100 for a blood shrimp, $40 for a cleaner shrimp, and $15 for a peppermint shrimp.. if i was the peppermint shrimp i would kinda be insulted.

have you even had them tell you to come back the next day when the "fish expert" will be in?

i have 2 lfs in my town, one is a superpet and one is a privately owned. i don't go to the superpet anymore, got tired of the kids working there getting all excited when i bring up the word reef.

the privately owned one is the place with the crazy prices, they know what they are talking about at this place.. kinda, but my god with the prices you think they guy is diving the reefs himself.

[charlie]

An undergravel filter will work just fine for a reef tank.:slap::slap:

[mistermikev]

Typically the ones who charge more know more and their fish look better in my experience. We have a privately owned store here and they wanted $90 for some extremely pink zoos. I'm not sure whos worse: them for charging or me for paying.
I keep going there because they buy anything aquacultured. I like to support that... save the reef.

[Reefland]

How about selling rocks with those pretty [Aiptasia] anemones on it?

[Reefland]

Originally Posted by mistermikev

Typically the ones who charge more know more and their fish look better in my experience. We have a privately owned store here and they wanted $90 for some extremely pink zoos. I'm not sure whos worse: them for charging or me for paying.
I keep going there because they buy anything aquacultured. I like to support that... save the reef.

It's important to support local (good) stores in my opinion. Their prices are usually high in order to recover money on DOA's and hell, it's not easy to make a profit in this industry when competing against all the online places which most don't have store overheads.

[mistermikev]

I'll tell ya, I like to use the LFS's stupidity against them. For instance, I found a coral I wanted that happened to be right behind a sticker for a coral that was similar. By accident I thought the sticker for "staghorn" was for a piece of blue "fuzzy" staghorn(not sure of the real name). The one was $80 and the other was $50. I went and found the dumbest sales person I could find and walked him up to the glass and said "I'll take that peice of staghorn for $50" as I pointed out the fuzzy (more expensive horn). I know, I know, carma's coming after me, but I figure if they aren't smart enough to know better... they will learn the hard way. That's one for our team.

[Poseidon]

How about:

Alkalinity? long pause..... "You don't need that."

Or recently at a new pet superstore:

Me: Do you use copper in your fish only systems?

Them: Blank stare, "Uh, I don't think we put any pennies in there on purpose."

Or how about:

"It is dangerous to use Calcium Hydroxide as a tank additive, we prefer Kalkwasser, it is much safer."

[isaac]

OK i got 1

Me: do you test for Calcium?
Them:..... um..... i dont think ive heard of that being used in saltwater.
Or

Me: do you sell do you have any clownfish comming in anytime soon?
Them:...Um..*scratches head*... OH you mean Nemos?

[almostdiva]

here are some. I've overheard most of these, not had the conversation personally:

• the panther grouper will be fine in a 40G tank
• sweetlips are very hardy fish once they acclimate
• that (fill in the blank) coral doesn't need a lot of light

Rebecca

[mistermikev]

Nice posts. I've actually had a fish sto tell me (as if it were a positive thing):
"We get all our fish straight from the wild... we don't get anything aquacultured, that's why are fish look so good. Our fish don't sit around in a quarantee tank loosing their color, the grab them from the ocean and immediately ship them overnight."