Bad LPS is Bad

[Edifiler]

So today i went to my LPS to pick up some more stress coat and some betta fix for my bettas as well as food. And i decided to buy some algae eaters to help clean up my tank. When i got home, i cut open the bag and let them sit in the water to adjust to the temperature. 2 minutes later, they were on their back and dead.
So i went back to the pet store and i told them about it. The sales woman then claimed that these fishes were "boiled" and ask what temperature i keep my fish in. I told around 78-80F and she snapped back at me saying " i dont know how much in Fahrenheit, in Celsius"
So i said idk and she said they kept their fishes at around 26degree Celsius before reluctantly changing my 2 dead algae eaters for 2 new ones. She also started questioning me about my Ph level and if my testers were right ( which i bought from their store)
When i got home i checked my betta tank temperature and it was at 27 /28 degrees Celsius and the sales woman claimed i boiled my fish? An increase of around 2-3degrees? Not to mention the fish didnt even swim in the tank water, it was merely bobbing in it with the disgusting water that they came in.
Talk about bad customer service. The people there probably dont even know what their talking about when it comes to fishes. Anyone else got any bad experiences?

[Edifiler]

Oh i also forgot to mention that the 2 new algae eater they replaced for me are living happily in the tank with no problems from the bettas at all. "boiled", what a joke.

[1fish2fish]

What kind of algae eaters are these? If they're chinese algae eaters your going to want to return them. They get huge and stop eating algae and instead suck th slime coat off your fish. They definitely get big enough to eat a betta and require large tanks.

Its a misconception that adding bottom feeders "cleans up the tank" all its doing is adding more bioload and most tanks don't have enough algae to support the nutritional needs of the fish so supplemental food will need to be fed.

As to why the other fish died I can't tell you. Did you slowly acclimate them to the new water as well as the new temp? That slight change in temp wouldn't have killed them.
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[Pitluvs]

OP said he didn't even add them to the water yet, just floating. I would be worried about the transport home, is it colder out? Maybe it was just the stress of moving from the store to home? Poor things...

And also, if those algae eaters are plecos, those grow way to big for any Betta tank :) I agree with 1fish, any algae eaters will produce their own bioload so really what they clean they end up putting out in waste :)

Congrats though! My store is just as bad, when I took Sheldon back they said they wanted a test of my water so I showed them a picture of an ammonia test DARK GREEN (high ammonia) and they said "There's your problem right there, he died of ammonia poisoning" to which I replied "Yep, that's the water you sent him home in, mine reads zero as the water was changed daily"... I got my replacement no questions asked.

[Edifiler]

Erm, the algae eaters i got werent plecos but they were indeed chinese algae eaters ;X Ive removed them from my betta tank and into my spare 10g tank which im currently getting the equipment and for it to cycle for to turn into a sorority.
As for the travel home, it was kinda warmer outside but not by much since i was in the car for about 5 mins tops so it couldnt have gotten too cold or too hot.
Well by the looks of it, i wont have any need for these chinese algae eaters and no point in returning it since the LPS probably wont accept so i'll just use them to cycle my 10g tank.

[tpocicat]

Not all plecos get really big, although you're right that a common pleco will get huge! I had one that was sucking the slime coat off one of my oscars. Bushynose usually stay under 6 inches.

[Pitluvs]

Originally Posted by tpocicat

Not all plecos get really big, although you're right that a common pleco will get huge! I had one that was sucking the slime coat off one of my oscars. Bushynose usually stay under 6 inches.

We call those Bristle Nose haha But yes, they are smaller but still require a 20g tank. I think clown plecos are smaller at 3-4".

[Edifiler]

i did some research on the CAE and apparently they can grow up to 30cm long and be as thick as an underarm ._. thats not what i want in my betta tank.

[Pitluvs]

Originally Posted by Edifiler

i did some research on the CAE and apparently they can grow up to 30cm long and be as thick as an underarm ._. thats not what i want in my betta tank.

[Luimeril]

i had a pleco when i was a kid. dunno what kind, just the usual, most common i guess. his name was Oscar. he lived in a 29 gallon with my fair prize goldie, and was well over a foot long when he died. o_o shockingly, he didn't both Goldie until Goldie got sick, which was when he'd be trying to suck the slime coat off the poor guy. :< they both lived over 11 years. so.... i don't recommend ANY kind of Pleco to anyone who has a small tank under 29 gallons.