Back stock or bad water?

[Dragonslair]

I have just come home from the metro centre in Newcastle with guess what...more fish . However I did have a slight disagreement with the Lps manager. I should have been their store fish advisor. I'm a novice compared with some of you lot but I knew more about fish husbandary than all their staff put together. People were coming in and asking questions about fish and how to keep them and someone said their fish were diseased and what treatment etc. etc. The salesgirl looked blank. This is where I stepped in.(knight in shining armour..I don't think!) It was shocking how many people see pretty fish in a tank and just buy one or two of them without thinking about their environment.I asked about their water quality and did they have filters. Huh!!. The majority of people looked blank. Even the staff didn't understand the principles of filters. They just knew all their tanks had them. I asked to net my own fish, as I was astonished at the way the staff were sweeping the net(s) around the tank chasing the occupants.Fish were jumping out of the water..can you believe it. (One fish lept out onto the floor,the salesgirl picked it up and plonked it back into the tank.) I was shocked and asked for the manager. The reply was it was not their policy to let customers catch their own. After a little persuation, and one manager later, I caught the specimens that I wanted and did it my way! The fish swam into my net not the net into the fish. Time consuming but a lot less stressful for the fish. I also had the fish I wanted and not any old fish that just couldn't swim away fast enough.
Conclusion: If you don't insist you will never know what you are capable of. Advice was given freely also to anyone who wanted it and I tried to drum up a few new members in the process.lol :laugh:

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Was just about to ask if you pointed them our direction

I'll read back your post and answer your question above

 

[Great Lakes]

Dragon, have you thought about getting fewer fish next time? Try ten instead of thirty. This way all the shock is lessened during transport and acclimation, and you have a good reason to go to the lfs three times instead of one!

 

[adeyc]

You'll need to go back and set up an aquarium advice stand in the store. then we can all come down and charge peeps or the place for loads of free advice. I think it's PFK that do courses for stores etc in how to keep fish and they get a fancy certificate at the end, it may be an idea mentioning this to the manager.

 

[Davy Reynolds]

PFK dont do it. It's OATA that do the courses.

Plus if the shop in question is a member of oata they could be breaking several rule

 

[adeyc]

K thats the one it was just the mag dose a lot of promoting the course and the ones who pass. Well they mention such and such a place passed the course every so often.

 

[Davy Reynolds]

A sticky Gold star is on the way to you :grin: :laugh:

 

[Macquatic]

Dragonslair, as an aside to your poor stock, I noticed that your ammonia readings are starting to climb. I also see that you were using ammo-rocks. You will need to watch out as the rocks are removing the ammonia before your filter can utilise it and get properly mature. It may be better to use a product called Ammo-Lock which renders the ammonia harmless to the fish but your filter can still use it to mature. Mac.
p.s. You will still get positive readings on your test kit using Ammo-Lock but it's OK.

 

[Dragonslair]

Thanks to all contributers to my question. Davy/Adeys I will see if the LPS is registered ,and who with. Macquatic, I have seen ammo-lock, but I thought that the ammo rocks would do the same job. Obviously not??? Great Lakes your comments too have been duly noted, unfortunately it too late, but I will remember to only get a few at a time.
My other question was how long should I leave the Liquisil in the tank before returning the carbon etc into the filter?
Is there a right time or is it just a "gut" feeling. I get a lot of those...must be the vindaloo.lol :laugh: :laugh:

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Refit it when the treatment has stoped and the fish are better. If you have stopped adding it and are doing water changes, this will remove the chem anyway

 

[Dragonslair]

Ta, very much! :love:

 

[Duncan]

I've got a shop 12 miles from my house, it started off as a florists (still is), then they took in pet food, then some tanks were arranged along the wall now would you believe it they now sell veg :what:

I'm surprised that health and hygiene haven't put a stop to this.

The tanks are filled with snails, the waters are a bit murcky, the gravel looks yucky. The only things I've bought from there is a theremometer and two books, won't buy their fish nor their plants, and their is a musky smell near their tanks

My sister is a wee bit peeved with the shop where she got here tank, they said add this stuff and you can put fish in your tank in a weeks time. Her nitirites are high and she wasn't told that it could take around 36 days for the filter to kick in - I did tell her to wait before putting ish in, but nope she's lost some fish to new tank syndrome

Duncan

 

[Davy Reynolds]

To answer a couple of point in your post. The Enviro Health will only get involved if there is a complaint. The fish thing is up to the council licenceing board, and they only review it every year.
Org's like OATA have strict rule covering the membership of shops, you can view them on there site, I'll try and find the link. So if a shops a member of them and start this sort of selling you can report them and get shamed 8)

 

[Dragonslair]

Duncan Two points
1. My learnerd friend is correct is his assessment of the situation. Does the council even know that the shop has tanks. Whilst it was a florist their was no danger to health and safety, but now there are foodstuffs then a whole new law kicks in. Check with your local council. Most councils are on a website. Contact them via the web. I have done in the past and received a favourible response.
2. Is your sister a member...if not.WHY NOT? Get her in.
AND here endith the lecture for today.

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Most councils make you disply the licence in clear view. The licence should be to sell small pets, or other words to that effect