My Anti Petsmart Rant

[Stephan]

So I went into petsmart today with some water for a test. I have API master kit nut just wanted to check another way.

First she told me my ammonia was a little high at .5. But not too bad. I asked her if she knew that was enough to kill fish. Her response was that yes since I have a higher ph then it could but not with a lower ph. Mind you she was the one all the other workers were asking for advice. Happily it turned out her pack of test strips had gotten tainted and I didn't really have any ammonia.

Then she looked at one of my tanks nitrate reading and said that it was pretty low and I wanted to be careful not to let it get too low because it meant I had too little biology in the tank. Better not change the water too often. Of course I advised her not to worry since my bacteria colony lives in my filter.

It's amazing how in a few short months on this forum those you once admired are exposed for what they really are.

 

[Mikaila31]

I don't see much wrong with that. Not her fault for tainted test strips. As far as nitrates if you have live plants then having no nitrates can become an issue. I add nitrates to a few of my tanks. I prefer they stay above 10ppm.

 

[STEWARDSONS]

in a way she is right, if there is no nitrates then the filter isnt dealing with the nitrite.

 

[raptorrex]

in a way she is right, if there is no nitrates then the filter isnt dealing with the nitrite.

not necessarily, as the above post, points out.
you can also have low nitrates, if you have an efficient water change strategy. but your bio colony would be fine.

nitrates are only used, in a tank, by plants. so there is no point having any, significant, amounts in you water.

if you have a cycled filter and no plants. low nitrates are a triumph, not a sign of problems.

I agree with the OP, advice is confusing, at best.

 

[Stephan]

Wait the faulty test strips were not her fault. That's not the complaint. The comPlaint is that when she thought it was .5 ppm she thought it was no big deal

 

[Harlequins]

At the end of the day,her advice is better than some i've heard of,Not all stores have staff trained fully in the upkeep and conditions of fish/tanks,so most will readily sell you fish even though your readings are high,or the sell you a bottle of 'bacteria' to get money out of your pocket...

Fair enough she originally said 0.5 'not too bad' compared to some tanks thats good in a strange way,although she is right the ph does make a difference to whether its a harmful level or not(not sure the ins & outs,but i'm sure someone can enlighten you more if needs be)Strips are inaccurate anyway,what did you make your readings to warrant you going to the lfs anyway? just wondering?

 

[Stephan]

i was going to the store anyway, so i just brought water along. some things the api kit doesn't have like chlorine etc... and why not calibrate...

she wasn't the worst... i guess that's what worries me. if the one's who aren't that bad are giving out such bad advice, what are the others giving? b/c I'm sorry ammonia at .5ppm is not acceptable any day of the week. i would have sped home to do a water change if it were true.

 

[raptorrex]

At the end of the day,her advice is better than some i've heard of,Not all stores have staff trained fully in the upkeep and conditions of fish/tanks,so most will readily sell you fish even though your readings are high,or the sell you a bottle of 'bacteria' to get money out of your pocket...

is this not the problem though?
why are LFS allowed to work to the , lowest common denominator?
if you go to a "fish specialists" (LFS). should we not expect a basic level of useful information, from them all?
not just a few, "good ones".

 

[Symo420]

I also have given up on the big chain pet stores. Locally we have Petstock, and have had a range of problems such as fish in poor health and inaccurate advice. It's not always the employees fault, it's a multi-national so sometimes education and care takes a back seat to profits. That's why I've discovered a local Aquarium, not always the cheapest, but I'd prefer giving my money to someone who has a passion for the hobby and actually knows what they're talking about.

 

[Harlequins]

At the end of the day,her advice is better than some i've heard of,Not all stores have staff trained fully in the upkeep and conditions of fish/tanks,so most will readily sell you fish even though your readings are high,or the sell you a bottle of 'bacteria' to get money out of your pocket...

is this not the problem though?
why are LFS allowed to work to the , lowest common denominator?
if you go to a "fish specialists" (LFS). should we not expect a basic level of useful information, from them all?
not just a few, "good ones".

I agree it is a problem that should be addressed for all lfs incl specialists & local pet shops to have fully trained staff who are knowledgable to how to care for fish & aquariums and not think of ££ or $$ signs,but unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world and the fish will continue to suffer and fish keepers will continue to be given bad info from them...
After all if you went to the RSPCA for a dog/cat/rabbit etc you go through all the works so why don't it apply to fish...

 

[Rynofasho]

I don't see why everyone gets so worked up about it. You have to remember that at the end of the day, they are all salesman. It's a pretty universal truth across any good or service that you purchase, that sales people will try to sell you things that aren't in your best interest because it is in THEIR best interest. Can you imagine running your own fish shop and then every time someone wants to stock fish in a setting that you don't agree with, that you refused to sell them to them? Your shop wouldn't be in business very long, that's for sure. You can always encourage people but they will do as they please, and sometimes people are just going to try to make a sale at all costs.

At the end of the day, as with any industry again, whether you're purchasing a mobile phone, a car, stocks, etc. -- it is your responsibility as a consumer to empower yourself and walk in the store with the necessary knowledge. You'll make mistakes along the way and you'll learn from them, and people on forums like these will help you to learn what is best because we aren't selling you fish, we just have a passion for them.

That all said, you're never going to find your 'perfect fish shop' who only sells Clowns to people with 6' tanks or who refuses to sell Corys in groups of 6 or less. That's a fairyland. So, do your own homework and take responsibility for creating a healthy environment for your pets. If others can't be bothered to do that, then they'll kill a bunch of fish and give up which means more fish for all of us.