Dont Trust Your Lfs (even The Good Ones)

[ir0n_ma1den]

After reading a post in here about cycling aids and stuff like stresszyme being useless i don't think I can ask an LFS any question without them lying and trying to sell me something expensive.
When I went to my LFS, The Centreville Aquarium ( much better stock of fish and REAL plants!), I was buying things for my soon to be first 10g planted tank (cant wait for the plants to arrive!). Anyways, I was talking to the cashier and told him what i was doing. First of all, He told me that fishless cycling doesn't work, its a joke, and its useless! I almost believed him.
Then he told me that I should buy some 'amazing high quality cycling chemical' for like $20! I mean don't get me wrong, they have great fish, and plants, but they are pretty much out there to get you to buy more stuff.

If I have a question I'm going to stick w/ you guys and not my LFS.

 

[stang1]

It's always best to do your own research before buying anything and this site is a great help but not all lfs are the same. Yes, a lot of them are only out to make money but there are some great ones that will give you all the help and advice you need.
The best way to find out if the lfs is any good is to do your research and see how the info compares to what you are being told by lfs staff.

 

[rdd1952]

Some of the expensive ones actually do work or at least there are some who have success with them. Personally, I haven't tried so I can't speak from personal experience. The ones I'm speaking of are Bio-Spira (in the US only I think) and I think it's called Bactinettes (UK I think). They must both be kept refrigerated at all times though.

As for the LFS employees, most of them have no experience in keeping fish and are only guessing.

 

[three-fingers]

Just remember when getting advice from here not to always take the information as correct unless you have good reason to believe that the contributing member is experienced and feel you can trust his/her info.

There has been worse advice given by some posters here than I've heard in any lfs.
Also, you get people from these lfs and chain pet stores that are members here too, I admire that some people working at these places do actually want to help, but their advice can be very off .

 

[thegnu]

i go along with doing your own research but i don't think the internet is the best place to do it. ive read loads of crap on the net. one guy stated he keeps his blue rams in brackish water, AND THEY ARE DOING VERY WELL!!!! now if a beginner reads ####e like this how are they going to know any different. imo you cant beat a good book!

 

[three-fingers]

The trouble is actually finding a good book .
All of the books I've had either contained very out of date info, or the kind of rubbish info you would expect from irresponsible websites selling fish.

IMO, good fish keeping magazines generally have the best and up-to-date facts and guides (it's like the the info her but without the crap), they are nowhere near ideal if you are looking for something specific though.

 

[rdd1952]

Hopefully, anyone that is doing research doesn't just find one article and take it for the truth. When I am researching something and find an answer. I always want to find same thing a second time to confirm or validate it. Surely if their doing research they wouldn't just believe the first thing they read but you never know.

Edit: I agree about books. Most are outdated and were written before anyone knew anything about testing for ammonia, nitrite, etc. And also nothing at all in them about fishless cycling.

 

[stang1]

I agree about finding a good book, we've brought ones that have given out wrong information. I think the net can be a good resource for iformation providing you do plenty of searches.
We tend to use the web, books and this forum and if need be, draw our own conclusions. You will always end up with conflicting advice but a lot of it stems from peoples own experiences. What works for one prson may not work for another.

 

[three-fingers]

All of the books I've had either contained very out of date info, or the kind of rubbish info you would expect from irresponsible websites selling fish.

Actually, that's a lie - I have Takashi Amano's Nature Aquarium World which has very good and relativity up to date info, and I can think of lots of other fishkeeping books that have great info too, but all just on specific subjects (plants, or specific types of fish).
I've never seen a book talk about fishless cycling for example, which is probably because the books are done by companies like interpet or something.

Still, even these books are better than the info from places like pets@home.

 

[Darkehorse]

Fishless cycling is a relatively new phenomenon (I would guess it hasn't really gone mainstream since the new millenium). My internet reading says the procedure was first 'published' only in 1999. Basically, unless you have a new book about aquariums, or unless you read a lot on the internet, then you'd probably never heard about it. Established LFSes already have cycled tanks (especially those using a central filter system), so why would they have use for fishless cycling? So you can imagine if someone of the street comes in talking about a way to cycle a tank using ammonia that they read about on the internet, it's going to sound like a whole lot of bunk (you know, the internet, source of never ending pornography, illegal mp3s, blogs and not to mention plans to make that time machine you always wanted). Also, the LFS has rows and rows of all these products that are supposed to do exactly what you claim, because the labels say they do! Can you really fault the LFS employee for being skeptical? (I know I was skeptical at first. The thought of pouring a poisonous substance such as ammonia into a fish tank was absurd!) The best thing you can do is educate them. Print out a good article about fishless cycling and take it to them. If they refuse to heed the advice, then the burden of all those potentially dead fish is on their hands. In all honesty, some LFS probably don't care. The more fish that die, the more you buy. Hopefully this is the exception and not the norm though. We'd like to think the LFSes opened because they had a passion for keeping fish, not just to turn a buck.

-Darke

 

[Teri]

I think I must be lucky with my lfs, the "fish man" always goes through all the options with you, and usually tries to talk you out of buying anything at all, unless its' obviously necessary. Which is surprising, as its only a tiny shop, and there's a really big, and cheap pet shopopened just behind, that stocks everything but the animals.
The other staff are pretty good too, if they're not sure of anything, they'll admit it, and get you to phone steve (main fish guy)when he's around for advice.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

it all just proves you should do your own research. no one person knows everything or is right all the time. people in lfs's don't know everything, people on forum's don't either.

i like forum's as you get a lot of responses, if you ask a question of 1 person and get one answer the chances of it being wrong are relatively high, ask it of 20,000 people and the chances of getting 3/4 people who can agree and back up what they've said with appropriate evidence experience etc is a lot higher.

just don't assume that any one answer you get is correct, open up google and check out the facts that people give you.

 

[jimw13uk]

Well i'm lucky cos my LFS is brilliant - Anglo Scottish Aquatics based in Codsall Wolveryhampton.
They really know their stuff and they wont sell you incompatible fish etc.. My son desperately wanted a Paradise fish and they refused to sell it to him cos of what he had in his tank already
Over the last few years got to know them really well and they are excellent - highly recommended.
They cater for the "tropical" fish mainly - no Marine and only a few Cichlids (Firemouths , Rams , Duboisi , and a good few Africans) - buit they are always spot on and will order anything for you.

Anyway i've always thought it would be handy to be able to review your LFS and then be able to search for LFS by area and see the rating /reviews. Does anybody know of anything like that - if not I may have to write a site then to do it.

 

[PufferFishRule]

my LFS is decent the fish guy has been into aquatics and marine sciences for 10-15 years and hes very good....although the other fish guys there are really dumb-founded...i only buy from the smart guy though he wont let me buy nothing that he wouldnt use or fish that my tank or skill arent quite there yet....i only use ma/paps shops for fish...petsmart and petco staff for fish suck..all of em prolly dont have tanks of there own..all of em are highschool kids who dont care all they want is a paycheck

 

[Rex740]

My lfs is great. I know the manager. If im buying a fish that i rly want that im not sure wouldsurvive or do well in my tank he gives it to me for free!!!