Loading ...A couple years ago an LFS in my area accused a former employee of stealing frags. The accusations stayed that way and it was likely a case of sour grapes, but it made for a lot of drama on my local board.
Now, an Akron, Ohio LFS named Aquatic Interiors Seacave was broken into and has thousands in livestock losses.
From the article (the comments at the bottom are a big *headdesk* so be forewarned):
An aquarium owner said a customer who was angry because his fish died caused $50,000 of damage and killed hundreds of fish in his store.
*snip*
Mills said he is still trying to pick up the pieces.
“It was just awful,” he said. “I sold him an exotic saltwater fish for $150 last year. The fish died three or four days after he bought it. I told him he should have started out with a less expensive fish — these are sensitive and difficult to raise.”
Mills said Davis wanted a replacement, which he refused.
“He didn’t call me until days after the fish was dead,” Mills said. “I went to his house and asked him what he thought I could do at that point, with a decomposing fish. I asked why he didn’t call me when the fish was sick, I might have helped. He was pretty angry with me.”
I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often: expensive fish + dead soon after aquiring + hot-headed reefer = $50k in damages
In the hobby since 2001, and has seen all kinds of fads come and go. As he gets older, Jeff is developing more and more of a conscience towards environmental concerns, especially towards reefs. Currently, he writes from Ontario, Canada, but would rather be snorkeling on a reef.
okay, I am stop selling picasso clownfish now…..
… yeah alot of pretty crazy customers in the hobby though.
The comments section derailed pretty quickly. Quite sad to hear of this devastating event.
I’m always amazed at how many consumers actually expect there to be a warranty on live stock especially in the marine fish and coral industry. It’s a wonder the fish and coral even survive the journey let alone many of the sub standard aquariums they are kept in. I wonder how well some of these people would feel after being dumped out of the house, spending 10-15 hours in a plastic bag with nothing more than news paper and styrofoam to keep warm, moved into a new environment, then captured again and moved to another environment. I suspect most would flip out and end up dead….end rant…
Awesome rant Mike. I agree 1000%. The comprehension, of the travel by any of these animals to get to their usually unsuitable tanks, is quite remarkable. There is still a lot of ignorance in the hobby, unfortunately.
@M007 to be fair, I’d like to put some of the onus on the store owner (and I’m not condoning the guy’s behaviour at all. He’s a fool.) He should have asked a few questions about where the fish was going to end up. Especially on such an expensive fish.
There really needs to be a “I know this much” marker for buying marine livestock.
poor LFS guy, I have sympathy for him.
interestingly enough , you clearly see a $1500 CurrentUSA orbit still hanging there while these dummies take only the livestock which are perishable.
I hear ya Jeff, if we ignore the insane behavior of he perp and the tragic aftermath of his rage there is an underlying responsibilty on the LFS to sell fish that have a decent track record for survival and to make it perfectly clear to customers who purchase marine fish and coral that they do so at their own risk. Personally all high end / high risk fish should be held by the LFS for at least 7 to 10 days before sale or delivery to the consumer provided its eating, in a perfect world that is…….
Ugh this makes me sick to hear of destruction like this. I live on the ground floor of an apartment (without bars) and I fear that someone might rob my place. Next to hurting my cat, I’d freak if they decided to smash my tank for kicks.
As for selling fish at LFS it makes me sad to see all the wasted livestock that get transported across the world only to die in a poorly maintained Petco tank or the tank of someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. I personally buy 80% of my fish tank bred or hand me downs. I’m getting a pink spotted goby tomorrow from a fellow reefer!
Wow, thats a sad story. It’s sad that so many other fish had to die because of his incompetence. Who buys a $150 fish as their first fish. I hope he’s charged to the full extent.