Sharing Knowledge

So, this morning at work, I got a phone call from a customer.
Who'd just set up a tank and bought fish at our sister store.
And after getting the fish back to her tank, had ended up doing research on her fish.
Discovering that one of the fish she bought -a gourami- wasn't going to be the type of fish that she was looking for. That it would hide and eat the live plants and such.
So she was hoping to return the fish to our store.
Which since it was a gourami we could do. (there are some fish that we carry that other stores don't and viceversa)
But she didn't want to just return the fish. She wanted to talk to someone who knew a lot about fish.
Which...is basically me lol.
So I told her so, that she could come in and find me as I would be in the store until such and such a time.

And so she did. She actually came into the store while I was there and came in long before I was due to be off. Which is great, because I tell people what time I'm off and to come before that....yet more often than not they come right at that time or just after it. *shakes head*

In any case.

It turns out that her classroom had done a project where they had raised money to buy their teacher (the woman) a fish tank. (10 gallons) and one of the boys had done a ton of research on the project (not wanting it to fail) and they'd bought some fish earlier in the week.
-The gourami, a couple neons, and an upside down catfish.

And the woman was concerned that the catfish would always be hiding and she wanted to make it more active.
She wanted active fish.
Fish that would swim around, that the kids could see and watch and such.

Which is always a difficult question to answer.
Because honestly, fish react differently to different tank set ups.
Some fish will constantly move in one set up, and will always hide in another.
Plus a ten gallon ....isn't the easiest to get fish to move around in just because it's a smaller space.
*shakes head*
But I did my best to give suggestions on fish that would be active and swim around and be hardy. (Platys and GloTetras/Regular Tetras) that would also be colorful and active.
And as for her Upside Down catfish....there wasn't much I could do.
Even when we had them in the store a couple years ago, they weren't that active or visible. (hence why we stopped selling them, because they weren't selling.)
But since they'd just gotten the fish a few days ago, I suggested giving the fish a week or so to adjust to the new tank, as there are fish that won't be as active when they're first put in a tank or will hide and such until they get comfortable with their new surroundings and then they'll perk up and be more active.
Do I believe the upsidedown catfish will do this?
lol. Not really, *shrugs* But it's always possible. And I've seen it happen with other fish so maybe it will happen with theirs.

In any case.
The fact that I was able to suggest fish and give options on how to help her tank succeed and give her random fact knowledge. :)
Had her super excited that I was so knowledgeable and helpful. lol
To the point where she was like "You guys may be further away than your sister store" (as she lives up by the point of the mountain) but I'm so coming here from now on because you actually know what you're talking about!!
-They didn't believe that the girl who'd helped them at our sister store had been helpful or knowledgeable....
which really, is a matter of opinion and how you portray your knowledge lol.
Like I had no idea that gouramis would go after live plants. (maybe a small inkling of it sounded familiar?) nor that they hid as often as they apparently do....I mean they don't swim around constantly like the danios do, but they're visible.

*shrugs*
In any case, I'm glad I was able to help this customer out and provide them with the assurance and knowledge and options they were looking for. :)
Let's hope that they continue to be happy when they visit my store...
as more than likely she won't see me again since I tend to work mornings and she can't come in in the mornings lol.
But we'll see. :)

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi