Hmmmmmmm Who’s Right Me Or Lfs

[piper]

I’m new to all this but have been researching for about 3months before starting my first Tropical Tank. I’m hoping to start cycling my 70 Gal (US) tank next weekend. So thought I would pop into my LFS and get some ammonia so I can start cycling as soon as I’m ready.

After asking for ammonia for a fishless cycle he looked at me and said I got it all wrong and need to get some fish and stick some “Cycle formula in” with them.

I tried to explain what I thought was right about the ammonia acting as fish (or fish poop) and that this would allow bacteria to build up in the filter media, which would then start to kill of the ammonia, allowing me to safely add fish a few weeks later.

He insisted this was wrong, so I made my excuses and left him with his formula.

Well was I wrong, is this not how a fishless cycle works

 

[WILDER]

No you are not wrong, as you won't be going to the lfs to replace the dead fish the cycle killed, that's all he bothered about.

 

[prankster705]

You were right he just wanted to sell some of that stuff to you.

 

[kris-b-]

No LFS will have household ammonia which is what you need! Try Homebase or Boots

 

[Rodders]

Got mine from Hombase.

 

[kris-b-]

I'm sure you probably have read it by now but here is the thread about fishless cycling...

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

 

[timmystood]

Your right.

 

[piper]

Yeah I read that thread thanks Kris (and many others like it).The joker at the store just made me reconsider my knowledge, we were in quite a heated debate before I left him to it.

Cant belive I forgot about Homebase, I worked there for 7 years LOL

 

[rdd1952]

Unfortunately, quite a lot (won't say most because I don't want to offend our members that work in fish stores) of the people who work in LFSs (and especially LPS that sell fish) don't know a lot about the hobby. You would think that a true LFS would go to extra lengths though to make sure their employees were trained and knowledgable but I guess it's just like most businesses. They give new employees a bare minimum of training, just enough to make them dangerous.

 

[piper]

Yeah I understand that in any business there are people that don’t know what they are doing. But the person I was talking with wasn’t some spotty 16 yr old; he was the owner of the store.

 

[modernhamlet]

Yeah I understand that in any business there are people that don’t know what they are doing. But the person I was talking with wasn’t some spotty 16 yr old; he was the owner of the store.

That can be worse, in my experience. Many of the "old school" LFS owners are very set in their ways and want nothing to do with new technologies or techniques. If they way they've always done it works for them, it's the only way.

It's the "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" theory at work...

 

[trace1]

yeah i can get with the lfs old school thing, i had an argument with my lfs the other day & he said that you couldn't cycle with ammonia as you need a source of bacteria to get rid of the ammonia. didn't seem to matter that i had bought plants from him ( source of bacteria ) cos he had 20 years of experience

 

[_Cal_]

In my experence its the independent stores that are better, knowledge wise, in fact my favorvite store only hires people with experence and keeps any agressive and rare fishes in the back, and you can only get them if you ask. Fir the most part most have experence and very few dont now nothing at all and give bad advice.

 

[bunjiweb]

you don't even have to go through the trouble of getting ammonia. You can use fish food or something like a frozen prawn to decompose in the tank creating ammonia, This will act the same as fish poop or pure ammonia.

Remember though, if you have a tank up and running already you can steal gravel or filter media from it to give yourself an instant bacterial colony, which means you can stock with a couple of fish straight away.

Ben

 

[piper]

That wasn’t an option for me as its my very first tank.