Lfs And The Fishless Cycle

[Mr-Xoc]

As my cycle finally seems to be comming to an end, I was just curious what you guys say to your local LFS when they ask if you have cycled your new tanks (those LFS that advocate the old fishy cycling).

Do you tell the truth and try to convert them to fishless. I have had a LFS (not my local thankfully) go a bit funny when it slipped out I was doing a fishless cycle. He gave me the usual dont trust anything your hear on the internet, everyone giving out advice on the net could be 6 years old etc (anyone want to own up to being only 6 ). Or do you guys simply lie and say your have cycled with fish / have a mature tank already.

I dont really want to wind up a good local source of fish by telling them their jobs and I seem to find it a bit hard arguing a point with someone who says they have 30 years of experience.

The only fish I have kept up to now is the standard kiddies goldfish tank around 20 years ago, so this place have been a great source of info

 

[Miss Wiggle]

lol i wish i was only 6.... 25 in a couple of months

our lfs's are quite open to talking through newer ideas like this with us and i guess we were lucky, they know what fishless cycling is.

yes the bloke in the lfs's may have 30 years experience, but there's plenty of people on the internet with at least as much and more.

i think any decent lfs employee should be open to this sort of discussion, go into the shop when they will be quiet as he's less likely to take the time to listen on a busy saturday with 20 custmers waiting to be served, and just talk to him about it. arm yourself with all the facts and evidence, don't present your view as the best way to do cycling, just as an alternative. I'm confident most people can be convinced of it's place at least as an option even if they don't do it themselves.

however if he's really a grumpy bugger and you've no chance of convincing him, just tell him you cycled it with platies and danios

 

[doresy]

Hi, when I was trying to locate some ammonia I asked in a LFS. Big mistake! I think they thought I was a bomb maker or such like! Anyway, I came to the conclusion that "fishless cycle" is a relatively new concept in the fishy world. If you believe in what you are doing then you should not feel the need to lie about it. To cycle a tank (filter) successfully without killing fish is something to be proud of. If the "Old School" still wants to drive to work following a man with a red flag that's his choice and if they don't want to keep up with new ideas then they should not be in a position to advise others.....(steps down from soap box).....oh and by the way....I'm seven

 

[Amunet]

Yeah, I don't see the need to lie to anyone.
Some people just need to learn to be open-minded and learn new things as new techniques are found.
I mean could you imagine a doctor using old-school methods just b/c he did them when he first started practicing?
"Hangnail??? Well cut that leg off! Cause I've been a doctor for 40years and that's how we did it in oldin' times!"

Heh seriously though.. if they don't agree with it, that's their choice and their loss.

 

[sketchy]

i decided to lie, after some new girl in the shop started asking questions, and even when i clearly knew and understood what i was ranting on about she decided to stand there and argue.! and then when she realised, she decided to pretend to know exactly what i was rambling on about and just started agreeing with me...! that is the number one way to really annoy me, so now i just tell them its all mature. (not that i will be buying any fish for a while...)

 

[Squid]

Let the stats do the talking. Take some of your water in, show that the ammonia and nitrites are 0 and that the nitrates are present. Hopefully that will prove a point.

Squid

 

[Rooster]

Its true that there IS a load of BS on the net, but at the end of the day you either CARE for fish, or you care about money... when you bring home a new baby, do you :

A: Buy a ton of stuff, and prepare for its arrival
B: Panic buy the wrong stuff once you get it home - then stuff it in a drawer lined with a blanket ?

At the end of the day the LFS's are there to make money... ask them what "wastage" they get, it would make a grown man cry. (one I spoke to would think nothing of loosing 20% - imagine chucking one fifth of your tank away EVERY WEEK)

In my experience, a good honest shopkeeper is hard to find, but when you do find him - stick to him like glue, and support him - theres the crux, SUPPORT ...these days saving 50p on a fish is more important to some folk !

 

[Arimus]

Hm.... B - keeps them out of the way so I can enjoy my cats, fish and snake

 

[OohFeeshy]

Nobody generally asks.