As sort of a follow-up to yesterday’s tip of the day in which we said people need to stop selling corals infected with parasites and pests, today’s tip will focus on the need to stop selling aquarium livestock to people who aren’t capable of caring for them. More often than not, hobbyists wander into a fish store, pick out something they like, don’t ask any questions, and just pay for their stuff and leave. Fish store employees may or may not try to engage the hobbyist in conversations about their purchase, and the two part ways. Because of this lack of engagement from either party, the hobbyist may have bought something he or she can’t take care of, either because of a lack of skill or knowledge, or inadequate facilities. If that happens to be the case, the livestock will surely die, resulting in an expensive failed experiment that gets us nowhere.
To prevent such cases, the burden falls on both parties. Hobbyists should research all of their purchases first, and have a general understanding of how to care for the fish and corals they want. On the flip side, stores should not sell to hobbyists doomed to fail. We get that there is a need to make sales and stay in business, but you have to be responsible about it first.
