I was in my local P@H last night buying some plants for my new tank as they stock ones by Tropica and one of the assistants came over to me to offer help. I had my 5 year old daughter with me who told the assistant we were just buying plants for now as we didn't have any fish yet, and I informed the assistant our tank was cycling and the ammonia was still not being fully processed within 24 hours. At this she looked at me as if I were mad and claimed in 'all her years of fish keeping' she had never heard of anyone needing to cycle a tank and that I simply needed to add some spcial bacteria to the water and within 3 days I could stock my tank. She must have nearly fainted when I told her I had used household ammonia to start the cycle.
It probably shouldn't have come as any suprise but this he really disappointed and dismayed me as no dount many thousands of people who don't use these forums will have taken what these assistants are telling people and will be putting their fish through misery and death. I know they are just trying to get you to buy stuff but I must say I haven't had the same experience at my local Maidenhead Aquatics and they have given me some great advice and actively told me at the start that I shouldn't be buying fish until the tank has cycled.
It probably shouldn't have come as any suprise but this he really disappointed and dismayed me as no dount many thousands of people who don't use these forums will have taken what these assistants are telling people and will be putting their fish through misery and death. I know they are just trying to get you to buy stuff but I must say I haven't had the same experience at my local Maidenhead Aquatics and they have given me some great advice and actively told me at the start that I shouldn't be buying fish until the tank has cycled.
