Fat Fish is a little fish store along the Gulf Coast. I bought my lionfish there and I now realize that I rescued it... I really needed a job for a lot of monetary reasons, and I liked that place because they have marine fish and supplies close to home. Mum made me go in there often so they would know I was serious about the job. Finally I got a call. The interview went well despite my sweating like a nervous pig due to my high level of social anxiety. I guess it was the wrong job to apply for... I just figured I'd like it because I could care for the fish. They hired me and my first day went well. I cleaned some tanks, wiped the glass, caught and bagged fish and invertebrates, etc. My second day didn't go very well. The manager told me to look for dead fish in the fresh water section, flush them and note their death on paper. There were several casualties. She checked on my work when I told her I was finished. I mentioned an Oranda goldfish with "the bends" (a swim bladder problem most often). She took a look at it and said "he's a goner." She told me to flush it! She didn't want the customers to see that poor fish struggling to stay in an upright position. I told her I couldn't flush it because it was still alive. I think she found this strange and annoying. She helped me find a bucket to put it in. I told her of how I care for fish... I even force feed if I have to and I've pulled some fish from the brink of death from diseases such as Dropsy. I didn't want to let this poor little Oranda go. I checked on it 3 times. I went to check on it a 4th time and ask if I could just take it home, but the bucket was gone. SHE FLUSHED IT!! She told me it died and she took it out of the water and it wasn't breathing. How stupid does she think I am?!?!? I know what was wrong with that fish and it was NOT dead! I thought this was cruel but I kept it to myself because I really needed the job and hoped I could save other fish somehow. Later in the day she told me to feed all of the fish and how to do it. She told me to only feed their Bettas 2 pellets. (all of the fish except lionfish were fed pellets of very SMALL size) All of the fresh water fish were to get 2-3 pellets per fish, along with the salt water. This is simply inadequate. Mum and I thought we mis-heard the woman when I bought the lionfish that it got half of a Silverside every other day. We feed it 3-4 Silversides EVERY day and it still looks for food. Fat fish starves their fish! There was a Brown Tang over there so thin that each and every bone in its body was protruding and there was no meat! No wonder they loose so many fish! If shipping isn't stressful enough... they get starved! Here's what she told all of her customers if they asked about fish feeding: "Only give them about 2 or 3 pellets per fish. Size on a fish is age. I've had some of those fish in that tank for a few years and they haven't grown. A hungry fish is a happy fish." CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?? A HUNGRY FISH IS NOT HAPPY!That place should be called Skinny Fish, or better yet, Bonsai Fish!! She wanted me to flush a live Firefish Goby also, and again, I wouldn't do it. Sure, it may have been "a goner," but I'd rather the fish die in a more natural and peaceful setting than participate in it's conscious experience down the toilet express! I got fired after that day... only my 2nd day. I was told it was because I wasn't outgoing enough with the customers and the incident when I pulled my back picking up a 6 gallon container full of water and loading it onto a truck. Right... She knew I had no previous customer experience before she hired me and said it was fine and that I would learn. That completely contradicts her reason for firing me because I WAS LEARNING and she even said I was getting better... which I was. I could go on and on about it and the things she said that were just stupid and delusional (the woman had just had a baby), but I won't because it would take up too much space. I tend to think she fired me because I won't flush live fish and would rather try to save them. Let's look at this logically: Fat Fish is suffering financially and looses quite a few fish. She knows that I know a lot about fish and that I'm good with identifying diseases/saving fish... and most importantly that I care about the fish. That being the case, me saving fish would actually save them money. I think she made a big mistake... and she definitely lost a customer!
Is there anything that I can do about this cruelty?
Comment by PetBrags Pet Lovers Paradise on June 15, 2008 at 1:43am 
You need to be a member of PetBrags Pet Lovers Paradise: Pet Community for All Pets to add comments!