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Things I should know before working at fish/reptile pet store


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I recently put in an application for a local pet store. I love animals and have had dogs,cats,birds, and snakes. So I am looking for information about fish. So what temperature should their water be? How often should the water be changed? What should I do if fish get sick? What are the best fish for beginners? What should happen if all the fish in the tank die?

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You want easy answers to hard questions. There are no easy answers. The preferred temperature for fish varies from fish species to species. Some like to be kept cooler, some warmer. Even a general statement like "normal room temperature" is pointless as many people keep their homes at different temps. I've known a few people who keep their homes in the fifties or sixties year round which is cooler than most tropical fish could tolerate. I've known others who keep their homes in the eighties.

How often should water be changed? Once again, it depends. If you have one neon tetra in a 125 gallon tank, the answer is never. That tetra would die of old age before his water would need to be changed. Put a hundred neon tetras in a five gallon tank and you might as well hook a hose up and be changing the water constantly.

What to do if the fish get sick? Find out what they're sick with. You've got bacterial illnesses (often treatable if caught early and you choose the right antibiotic,) fungal illnesses, parasitic infections, and viral infections. All pretty much need to be treated differently. Some can't be treated.

What fish are good for a beginner? A properly informed beginner should be able to keep most fish alive and well. I would steer them away from the monster fish like red-tailed catfish and the like, but the reality is good fishkeeping practices will let pretty much anyone keep pretty much anything alive. Bad fishkeeping practices will kill even the hardiest of fish.

What should happen if all of the fish in a tank die? Remove the dead bodies. Clean the tank. And figure out what went wrong. Did the heater malfunction? Did the filter malfunction? Was there an ammonia spike? Was it caused by a disease? Was it caused by negligence? Once you know what happened you can take steps to prevent that from happening again. 

 

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On 6/28/2021 at 4:46 AM, Newpetstoreworker said:

I recently put in an application for a local pet store. I love animals and have had dogs,cats,birds, and snakes. So I am looking for information about fish. So what temperature should their water be? How often should the water be changed? What should I do if fish get sick? What are the best fish for beginners? What should happen if all the fish in the tank die?

Fish can be very different depending on what type the fish are and where the come from. Most answers in fishkeeping have some sort of 'it depends' in the answer. But here are a few general guides.

  • Most fish kept by hobbyist are okay with a temperature in the middle 70s, goldfish are okay with cooler, discus with warmer
  • Water changes are strongly debated by the fishkeeping community, changing a little every week or so won't hurt, but may or may not be needed
  • If a fish is sick, the most important thing is to determine why. Often it isn't a disease, but poor water conditions. Continued poor water conditions can also lead to disease
  • Livebearers like guppies and platys are colorful and easy. Egglayers like white clouds or zebra fish are hardy

 

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Water temp is dependant on species but ranges from 75-81 usually for most tropical fish you will find in a pet store.

Water changes again depend on the tank but in a pet store setting minimum 2-3 times a week. 

If a fish gets sick ...try to identify the illness and treat appropriate for the illness...If the tank on on a shared water system the whole system needs to be treated.

If all the fish in the tank die....your out of a job so do it well...their lives depend on you. 

Edited by ARMYVET
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It all sounds daunting in the beginning but rest assure they will not hire you to run the fish room all by yourself...you'll start out slowly and learn as you go.  If you see a problem or think there is one ...go get your supervisor ...they are there to help you.  They want you to learn to they are eager to teach. 

I can honestly say it was one of the best jobs I have ever had.  And there are times I really miss those times. SO enjoy these if you get the job.  Im hoping you do! 

Keep us posted!

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I will attest to what @Guppysnail said...if you watch every video @Cory has put out....you will learn a butt load of great information.  I have been keeping fish since I was 8....or basically ...a very very very long time...but I still learn something from all of his videos.

You will enjoy watching them and he actually makes learning new info fun.  I look at his success and say to myself look how successful he is...he must be doing something right so I listen even more and learn.

 

 

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By the way...I APPLAUD you for taking the time to ask and caring enough about the aquatic lives you will be caring for!  Your desire to do right by them will go a long way in your success...good luck and let us know when you get your own tank...it’s ADDICTIVE 

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I think most important will be good googling/internettin skills. I look at it kind of like programmers. There's countless languages out there and once you know the basics it's not too hard to transition to a new language. But a big part of it is knowing how to find the answer to what you don't know. Forums like this one are kind of like the fishkeeping version of stackexchange.

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Watch all the videos you can on stocking 5-55 g tanks as those are the most common sizes customers will come in for. YouTube has tons from @Cory, Prime Time aquatics, etc. Be prepared for customers wanting to put the biggest fish in the smallest glass boxes because by nature most humans are cheap and won’t want to buy little Johnny the right size tank. You’ll sell a lot of bettas, goldfish, and live bearers. You’ll get “bros” coming in wanting a killer fish or an Oscar like their buddy has and want to put it in with a bunch of other fish in a 10 g when a 40-55 g is the minimum for 1 Oscar. 

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On 6/28/2021 at 11:16 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

Watch all the videos you can on stocking 5-55 g tanks as those are the most common sizes customers will come in for. YouTube has tons from @Cory, Prime Time aquatics, etc. Be prepared for customers wanting to put the biggest fish in the smallest glass boxes because by nature most humans are cheap and won’t want to buy little Johnny the right size tank. You’ll sell a lot of bettas, goldfish, and live bearers. You’ll get “bros” coming in wanting a killer fish or an Oscar like their buddy has and want to put it in with a bunch of other fish in a 10 g when a 40-55 g is the minimum for 1 Oscar. 

...and come back a week later and want to know why the only thing left in the tank is a very fat Oscar...ROFL

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Thanks for asking! You came to the right place for lots of answers. 😄 

I completely agree with @Trish that learning about cycling, or beneficial bacteria, and deciding on an easy-to-explain cycling method for your customers, will go a long way. It may be hard to convince people who thought they were coming in to buy everything they need including the fish, that they have to set up their tank and wait for several weeks before putting the fish in there. If so, that’s a good time to sell them on bottled bacteria and water test kits! 😀

And of course research. It feels awkward to pull out your phone to google when a customer asks you something, but you can always say, “I’m not sure, but I can do some research or ask my friends who keep fish (i.e. us here on this forum 😉 ) and get back to you. What’s your email/phone number?” Then get back to them—during work hours if possible. Or just direct them here! We’ll help anyone!

I’d also recommend reading this thread: 

It will probably help you guide the newer fish keepers that come to your store.

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 A couple general thoughts:

* Working in any animal care capacity can be tough and you need a degree of emotional armor and detachment.  I've known two different people that were once veterinarians with their own practices and both ended up suffering mental health crisis and quitting because of their clients poor decisions and bad actions.  Make sure you're up for the challenges people can present.

* @Cory made a comment in one of his videos that was something along the lines of "My job is to help people enjoy this hobby the way they want to rather than the way that I think they should" (apologies if I got that wrong or totally butchered it).   I wish everyone that sold anything had to hear this advice.  Treat a customer with some trust and suggestive guidance and you'll have a lot more success than trying to dazzle or police them with your expertise.

* Don't be afraid to ask your customers about their knowledge or experience- they can be a great source of information and learning.  I offhandedly mentioned that I had bought an uncommon aquatic plant to one of the aquatic experts at a Petco and she must have asked me 10 minutes worth of questions.  The next time I stopped by the store,  she remembered me and talked for another 10 minutes about what else she had learned about the species and put in her own her home tank.  This type of connection is what at the hobby is all about to me.

* Build a network with other employees and at other LFS if you can.  If you don't carry a product or don't know the answer to something, but can send me to someone trustworthy that does,  you've still provided a high value to me and I'll keep coming back to you.

* It pays to treat customer interaction is a potential audition for something bigger.  My LFS had a younger guy that had a great demeanor, ton of enthusiasm, and just plain kind of fun to be around.   He decided that he wanted to try his hand at saltwater (which he'd never done before), had books he would read when there were no customers (happened a lot with COVID), and would always chat upon customers buying saltwater fish.  Ended up that one customer was the director of the aquarium at the local zoo and offered said sales guy an apprenticeship there.  Super happy for him.

 

 

Edited by NanoNano
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@NanoNanoi second all you said. A young guy in the PetCo aquarium section was cleaning and treating some tanks and we struck up a conversation. I guess he figured out I was a Nerm because next thing I know he was picking my brain about livebearers and I taught him how to sex them, the different groups - poecelia, xiphophorus etc and discussed their affinity for hard water. He was eager and next time I saw him he told me I’d helped him sell a bunch of fish and hit me up for my cichlid knowledge. We’ve probably done this 4-5 x now. 

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With local pet stores, I am curious to know how easy it is to recognize regular customers. I have visited and said, “I’m the planted tank guy who sometimes buys out all your Neo shrimp.” (It is a small store!)

This is a nice shortcut from the customer side. They just ask me how I want them separated.

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