Ant N Posted December 7, 2008 Report Share Posted December 7, 2008 I purchased,some time ago, from LFS Synodontis multipunctatus(cuckoo catfish) turns out they are Synodontis decorus. I paid around $45 ea. now I need to shut down the tank ,I dont know what I can get for them. Also I have been keeping the pH up around 8 to suit the cuckoos (wich they are not) the decorus actually prefer lower pH. Very annoyed at Animates, Lincoln Rd . Please check ID of fish properly before committing to buying so you dont get caught out like me. I feel stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RochelleMay Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 I had exactly the same thing at Animates Albany. I didn't care what breed they were cause I loved the look of them and actually preffer them over cuckoos. But I was rather annoyed as I had made sure everything was correct for the cuckoos also and then found out when I got home they were decorus - after I googled to see if I could get another one That was maybe 6months ish ago. One of the best fish purchases I ever made though. They are so awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant N Posted February 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Yes, they are cool fish. Still have my three after selling the 500lt tank. I will need to re-house them soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firenzenz Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Don't feel stupid 'Ant N'. Feell "brassed" off-(please note that my choice of 'Brassed" is to suit Mods as my prefered word would get me banned). Retailers ( particularly the chainstores and even the old school veterans) at the end of the day are by their own actions deserved of most peoples scorn. The decorus you bought in my experience are probably worth anywhere between $35-$50 if they aren't hybrids. The simple fact is a cuckoo will more likely set you back $70-$90. They will use this argument to justify you not being ripped off because you did pay the market price for the fish you got. The fact that they used the hype and reputation of another fish to ensure a sale is underhand, and it seems, to them, no more than a game, and your rights as a consumer are negated by their actions. The policy of so many fish shops and their attitude of their staff to the people who at the end of the day pay their wages is shoddy and substandard. Ask any number of forum members here whom we know to have a knowlege greater than many of these staff members. I'm sure their response will be the same in recounting an incident where they presented to a salesperson that some Fish ID was incorrrect or that a particular fish was perhaps incorectly housed. They are seen as a trouble maker or a 'know it all' and the position of the staff member is to sit on their bottom and do nothing. Even an investigation for the pure art of knowlege would at least be a redeeming factor in their case. Whether the mistake is genuine, or deliberate in order to market a fish and ensure a sale, I sometimes feel that their lack of interest in ensuring what they are selling is in fact what they say or it is, or it is of a quality to reflect a full retail price is low on their priorties. My advice- Go back to the shop. It does not matter the time since your purchase. Any proof of sale is great. Demand your money back in exchange for the fish. Their policy on returns is just that-"Their policy"- and need not impinge on your rights whatsoever. That retailer is in breach of both the fair trading act and the consumer guarantees act. You were mislead- Their ignorance is no excuse, and definitely not a case for deffering their resonsibility to you. If you get no result then continue to ask for a more a superior person. Fill your conversation with terms like "reasonable effort", "responsibilty" and " consumer rights" The irony is that the little badges they wear as recognition of the fish course's they do, shows you that the first thing they had to study in those courses is the rights of the consumer and the legislation I have referred too. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant N Posted February 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Thanks Firenzenz, I think the fish I have are not true S.decora , but hybrid. Planetcatfish shows a picture of them identical to these. Mine do not have a long filiment off the dorsal fin. Unfortunately there is scarce info on preferred pH , temp etc. But all that aside, they were a present from my wife, so they are kinda special and I would find it hard to part with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant N Posted March 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 They are now showing signs of breeding!! Cuckoos they are not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simian Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I like your wee rant firenzenz 8) What I'd like to know from you, is are you willing to pay more for well bred fish, It is the public who dictate the market. Most people on this forum (myself included) are tight buttocked and we screw retailer down as low as we can. There are specialist places that I'd be very certain would identify fish and guarantee their lineage if people were willing to pay top dollar for that guarantee. Seriously who here would be willing to pay extra, unless you are planning to breed them. Im curious as a consumer and a breeder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichfanatic Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 Here is my rant Simian I for one am willing to pay for good quality fish. And what I pay good money for should be advertized correctly I can understand how this mistaken identity can take place when a private sale takes place as happened with Ant n. Especially when the shop sold these to him as Synodontis Multipunctatus and this obviously is not what they are. Identifying the fish correctly this is up to the shops it’s there responsibility to make sure all fish sold to customers are sold as what they are. If a fish is a cross put a note on the tank saying so. If it can’t be identified put type unknown. And then as customers yes it is also our choice to buy these. I was one person who was willing to pay what Ant n wanted for these Synodotis Multipunctatus But only if they were the real true ones. So I checked them out before parting with any cash. I say if possible buy from reputable breeders and do study up on the fish you wish to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 if the said fish is still causing grievance, surely it can be returned? you wanted to buy cuckoos and you got something else thinking they were cuckoos - by no fault of yours. in this case im sure it can / will be refunded at the purchase price. (as long as you put it on your club card or still have the receipt). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firenzenz Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I like your wee rant firenzenz 8) What I'd like to know from you, is are you willing to pay more for well bred fish, It is the public who dictate the market. Most people on this forum (myself included) are tight buttocked and we screw retailer down as low as we can. There are specialist places that I'd be very certain would identify fish and guarantee their lineage if people were willing to pay top dollar for that guarantee. Seriously who here would be willing to pay extra, unless you are planning to breed them. Im curious as a consumer and a breeder. I think there is a place in the market for more specialist breeders and suppliers and in fact they are already out there, but in the guise of private or hobbyists who are breeding and supplying responsibly out of love rather than money. I'm sure if someone here asked the forum if anyone had a certain fish then the same names would come up in the replies. More to my point was the fact that for some reason we accept business practices from a lot of these retailers that we wouldn't accept from others. Buying a brand of Stereo/car/TV to find out that it wasn't what you asked for or thought you were buying would in all probability get more of a reaction than a post on a forum. Yes the monetry value may differ but the that isn't an excuse for inaccuracy's I would suggest too that the response from a stereo retailer to a complaint over a 'misname' or 'misprice' would be a lot different from what the average fish retailer thinks he can get away with. Yet both a bound by the same set of rules in terms of consumer protection. The argument that prices would have to go up if we want to ensure that some of these retailers fullfil the requirements of what is their "core business" only illustrates how successfully they have convinced us that they are impervious to the rules of everyone else. I would say in many cases their attitude would support that. People "screw" prices down everyday in terms of getting the best price. But I still expect after doing my deal to drive off the Moyes car lot in a Holden and not a Hybrid(LOL). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 got to agree with your wee rant firenz sadly expertise or knowledge can be lacking in the retail side of fish with some shops relying on information passed on from the wholesalers, importers or country of export young fish can be hard to identify until they have some size and maturity as has been stated if you pay for one thing and get another you should be able return it with proof of purchase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeh_buddy Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 Just food for thought but sometimes its the suppliers fault too. They will often call a fish something its not but what it closely resembles. Happened alot in my experience. But in all fairness its also the shops fault too for not being able to correctly identify it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 This thread is very interesting.. Agree with all of firenzenz's comments, they should be held to pay for it, if you were buying anything else and paid good money for it only to get home and find what was advertised wasn't what you got then you would complain (unless you got a bargain..). The fishshops have got it sweet they just say "its what we brought it as" and get away with it. To me if they're a fish shop they should know better or at least take some responsibility for it, taking the fish back and offering a refund will probably end up with that customer spending that money in the shop and the fish being sold again (with hopefully a more correct name) so win win. Refusing to fix it will result in that customer not going back and also bag mouthing the shop not so ideal. The fish that I deal with are very commonly hybrids, I have brought a stack load over the years from both breeders and petshops, it has got to the stage where there are only certain places and people I will deal with.. If I have to get fish through wholesalers it is a time consuming process going through and iding the fish, breeding them keeping babies from each female separate (to ensure females are all pure) growing spawns out to verify they are a pure line. This takes time and money (in having multiple tanks setup) IMO this does not translate to selling more fish, I have seen time and time again people buying dodgy fish that are $1 cheaper than fish bred by descent breeders.. Unfortunately the quest for breeding and seeking out quality fish to spread around NZ doesn't usually work out well maybe that is why more people don't do it? At least there are some out there that care more about spreading descent fish than making $$'s. Yes the petshops can only be as good as the fish they are supplied with by the wholesalers, but if the shops were to send the fish back or stop ordering or ring the wholesalers and complain the wholesalers would be forced to look to different suppliers or at least pass onto them to stop sending them rubbish. End of the day if they fish sell the petshops will keep buying them, wholesalers will keep importing them exporters will keep sending us rubbish. There is not much any one person can do if only 1 in 10 people who brought the dodgy fish noticed or cared there there is still another 9 happy customers, if one petshop complains the wholesalers still have a heap of other customers.. It looks to be one of the problems of living in such a small country with so few fish keepers all we can do is try to keep and breed the best and pure fish we have and pass them around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simian Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 I'm gonna pose this dilemma to my LFS, they are a specialist shop so it will be interesting to see their reaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant N Posted March 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 After much deliberation I have decided to let these on to a better home..also bn as well....PM offers maybe $30 ea, bn's $10 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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