# Why do LFS sell gold fish if they are bad for fish



## sadboy (Jan 6, 2005)

I was thinking.... Why do most LFS sell feeders that contain growth-inhibiting hormones (gold fish and ect). I dont feed my P's any golds, instead I stick to smelt, shrimp, octopus, squid. Most of the LFS in my area all say that gold's are good for fish and BS. So why do they lie or misinform people about the nutritional value of gold and most of the other feeders they carrie that contain growth-inhibiting hormones. Many people who go to there LFS, only feed there fish golds and they do not know how bad it is for their fish becuase the LFS says it's okay. The other day at my LFS, a guy was asking the employee at an LFS what type of feeders to feed his fish and if it was okay to feed gold's. The employee says, that golds are great for his fish (cant remember what type of fish it was). I look over and butt in and tell the guy that golds contain a growth-inhibiting hormones. I also told him that feeding only gold's to his fish, is like feeding cheeseburgers everyday. The employee looks at me and says I'm wrong. 
So why do they do this? Should'nt LFS sell items that are health for pet fish or aleast inforum the customer about what gold and other feeders contain.


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## icedizzle (Feb 3, 2005)

why do people sell most things?

MONEY


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## sadboy (Jan 6, 2005)

I know it's about the money but why do they mis-inforum people.


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## kamath (Feb 11, 2005)

Its possible that they don't know any better.

I had an lfs guy once show me six 6" piranhas in a 29 gallon tank. Thats not even a good temporary housing for them! I warned him about it and he just said thats how they live.. in shoals.

2 days later.. i saw only 4. I doubt he sold the two.


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## KRS one (May 28, 2004)

at my lfs where i work we sell em, we do our best to tell people to used pellets or other things but some peopel are so damn stuborn, plus i think we make more mony sellgin pellets than golds


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

sadboy1981 said:


> I know it's about the money but why do they mis-inforum people.
> [snapback]969336[/snapback]​


You just answered yourself again in that question....MONEY!!!


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## richiecarw (Apr 6, 2005)

yes it most definately about the money but think about this mate:

why do most inexperienced fish keepers buy piranha? .... because they eat live fish and think its "cool". if u worked at a lfs and continually told every customer that asked "oh they're not gd for ur fish" and thier reply is "but i want to feed them live fish"
wouldnt u eventually just say yes for ease?

im not condoning it, merely trying to give a reason for it


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## rainydaze (Feb 10, 2005)

I understand the lfs gets them for cheap and makes some cents on the dozen or more. But at 10 cents per fish or less, they can't be near the money they would reap from healthier more pricey foods. Feeders don't seem like money to me. Esp. if they sold other more expensive alternatives.


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## pantast1c (Sep 7, 2003)

People want to see torture in front of thier own eyes, which feeders are for.


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## richiecarw (Apr 6, 2005)

often lfs get feeders for free, normally they are culled batches the breeders dont want so they give them to the lfs. and as they are culled batches the lfs sell them as feeders so whatever they sell them for is profit!

they can be culled batches for a number of reasons
1. too much inbreeding, due to the inbreeding feeders arent as healthy as normal fish and dont normally grow as big.

2. (in the case of guppies) the fry are not of true line, ie they arent all the same, a mixed batch, the parents arent the same strain.

i know this probably isnt 100 percent accurate but thought id share what i knew

Richie


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## NavinWithPs (Apr 3, 2003)

i've worked at a fish store, and they tell me that they actually LOSE money on feeders. the majority of feeders die within a couple days. the main reason for them selling feeders and telling them they're okay to feed is to keep customers coming in the store. People who feed live fish probably have to stop by the store 2 or 3 times a week. Most of the time, they'll end up buying other fishes or merchandise.


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## BigChuckP (Feb 9, 2004)

NavinWithPs said:


> i've worked at a fish store, and they tell me that they actually LOSE money on feeders. the majority of feeders die within a couple days. the main reason for them selling feeders and telling them they're okay to feed is to keep customers coming in the store. People who feed live fish probably have to stop by the store 2 or 3 times a week. Most of the time, they'll end up buying other fishes or merchandise.
> [snapback]971962[/snapback]​


Sounds very reasonable. This is another example why you should take LFS advice with 40 grains of salt, lousy, lying jerks


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## richiecarw (Apr 6, 2005)

you said jerk!
(again i aint immature or nothin')

i dont think it'd matter live or dead i think they'd just sink either way????
dead would abviously be less painfull on the pinky


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## BigChuckP (Feb 9, 2004)

richiecarw said:


> you said jerk!
> (again i aint immature or nothin')
> 
> [snapback]972095[/snapback]​


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## sadboy (Jan 6, 2005)

For what ever reason they choose to sell feeders. I still firmly believe that a LFS should tell their bcustomers the truth about feeders. at least that way the customers would feel better about shopping there. It would make a customer think twice and properly buy another type of food. LFS sell other types of food that cost more money.


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## fredweezy (May 27, 2004)

The LFS that I usually go to actually told me feeders where bad for my fish so just like it has been stated they arent all just out for the doughlo.


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## armac (Nov 28, 2002)

Why does McDonald's sell Big Macs, they ain't healthy, it's all about the money


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## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

money money


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## BigChuckP (Feb 9, 2004)

QUOTE*
I was thinking.... Why do most LFS sell feeders that contain growth-inhibiting hormones (gold fish and ect). I dont feed my P's any golds, instead I stick to smelt, shrimp, octopus, squid. Most of the LFS in my area all say that gold's are good for fish and BS. So why do they lie or misinform people about the nutritional value of gold and most of the other feeders they carrie that contain growth-inhibiting hormones. Many people who go to there LFS, only feed there fish golds and they do not know how bad it is for their fish becuase the LFS says it's okay. The other day at my LFS, a guy was asking the employee at an LFS what type of feeders to feed his fish and if it was okay to feed gold's. The employee says, that golds are great for his fish (cant remember what type of fish it was). I look over and butt in and tell the guy that golds contain a growth-inhibiting hormones. I also told him that feeding only gold's to his fish, is like feeding cheeseburgers everyday. The employee looks at me and says I'm wrong. 
So why do they do this? Should'nt LFS sell items that are health for pet fish or aleast inforum the customer about what gold and other feeders contain.
QUOTE*

Perhaps the guy was just very misinformed.


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

Its got nothin to do with the money, I worked in my walmart fish dept for 2 years they bought the goldfish for 24 cents a piece and sell them for 26 cents. Oh yeah they are makin a killing on them.









The reason I sold them to people is because you can tell them all day and night that they are bad for your fish, but people want to see them eat live fish and they are also cheaper than buyin pellets and such. So just to save myself the arguments I just didnt give a sh*t and sold them anyway.


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## rchan11 (May 6, 2004)

If gold fish have growth-inhibiting hormones, why do Oscars on GF diet get to be so large?


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## FormulatedFire (Jan 3, 2005)

even if they arent making money off the goldfish it self when u feed ur fish a diseased one and it dies and maybe has the chance to kill everything in your tank are you not going to go by more fish......


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## armac (Nov 28, 2002)

psychofish21 said:


> Its got nothin to do with the money, I worked in my walmart fish dept for 2 years they bought the goldfish for 24 cents a piece and sell them for 26 cents. Oh yeah they are makin a killing on them.
> 
> 
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> ...


I am sure a Wal Mart stockman is wise to the wholesale price WM is paying for it's product. A feeder cost less to anybody here (than 26cents) if we buy in volume. You have just shown us why *YOU* worked at Wal Mart, you are not real sharp, did you work overnight?


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## sadboy (Jan 6, 2005)

psychofish21 said:


> Its got nothin to do with the money, I worked in my walmart fish dept for 2 years they bought the goldfish for *24 cents a piece and sell them for 26 cents. * Oh yeah they are makin a killing on them.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Are you sure of the price? A large feeder only cost me 9 cents, thats 12 large feeders for $1 at my LFS.


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## therealedharris (Apr 8, 2005)

i didnt know that comets were bad too, i mean, to be honest, i just knew that goldfish were bad, my red belly just ate 2 (and a half) i know they were disease free but i didnt know about growth inhibiting hormones, will it be okay if i don't continue feeding him comets? also, what about danios? they are fairly expensive (79cents) for feeders but they have the advantage of being available later at night than at a pet store. he's gone through thre danios and two and a half comets in a week. now i'm all worried. what kind of fish should i be feeding him if i want to give him live food?


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## sadboy (Jan 6, 2005)

I only feed live fish once a month as a treat. I throw in a lot of guppies. Try feeding smelt, shrimp, octopus, squid.


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## Oramman87 (Feb 22, 2005)

Iam not gonna lie when i first got my p's all I would feed them is gold fish. But when i bought some gold fish and didnt notice they had ick till i got home i knew i had to stop feeding them goldfish. Now iam feeding them beefheart and I have noticed that they are growing alot more now.
They also seem to be more active to me.


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## wacb (Jan 1, 2005)

At my LFS they actually feed the P's in the tanks goldfish feeders, and as far as I know, they don't know they aren't good, I didn't even know until today...

They were overstocked when I went today and I got 24 goldfish feeders for 3.00$CAD (the guy actually gave me ~30)... wicked deal.


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