Pets At Home Cycling Advise

[angelfishguy]

People need to research the hobby before jumping in I must say and pets at home should be selling the tank and saying this is how you cycle it and refuse to sell them any fish that day

To be fair, I didn't listen to their conversation...but they didn't look the sharpest tools in the box

I wasn't allowed tropicals as a kid because my parents admitted they didn't have a bloody clue how to keep them alive! We had to settle for goldfish that unfortunately lived their lives in a plastic bowl with no flitration. But they were regularly cleaned/water changes etc. The poor things would survive weekends in plastic bags at the fayre so they were hard anyway

God I sound old now, big 3-0 this year

The policy is that only one fish can be sold after the tank has been set up for 3 days, and they will also replace fish free of charge that have died within a week of purcahse

I think that is a pretty cruel policy Do they actually make any money on fish then if they have to constantly give them away

Can you imagine the look on peoples faces if we told them they have to leave their tank running for 6 weeks + ? We would never sell anything and would lose all competition to other aquatic stores, I'm not trying to defend the policy, but it is some pretty rough ground which comes down to ethics I suppose. I try to give people as much information as possible to ensure that they fully understand what they are taking on.

This does remind me of a question I've been wanting to ask on here for a while though, I never see anybody mention bacterial supplements, other than media specifically taken from cycled filters, why is that?

I'm told that by the time the bacteria reaches the consumer, it's most likely dead and therefore useless.

+1

They bottles need to be kept in a fridge to keep the bacteria alive but in most lfs's they are stored on a dry goods shelf

 

[Mogs26]

I have read lots on here about bacterial supplements-while I waited 6 weeks for my tank to cycle lol! I think the consensus is that although they don't do any harm, they are a bit of a waste of money, after all the bacteria in these bottles has been sitting on a shelf for months. I don't have any views one way or the other, as I have nothing to compare with, but I am sure more experienced fish keepers than me will give you their evidence

blimey am I that slow at typing-by the time I had read Liamm's post and replied there were 4 repsonses in front of me

 

[Liamm]

Because on here they're widely regarded to be rubbish!


When you advise people do you tell them they're taking on a fish in cycle and will need to do daily water changes? Maybe that would be a compromise for places that need to make money but care about the fish too.

I tell people they should be testing their water daily and need to keep their ammonia and nitrite as close to 0 as possible. In a perfect world a gentleman's agreement between aquatic stores to not sell fish to customers with immature tanks would work wonders, but that would never happen, as would bringing down the price of test kits, the majority of people aren't prepared to spend £20 + on something they think they don't really need (despite telling them how important it is).

Edit: thanks for answering my question everyone

 

[Twinklecaz]

Yeah I thinkk what you do it prob the best way to be. Coz it's true, you refuse to sell people fish until their tank is cycled and they will just go elsewhere. But give them the info they need and you've done your bit so what they do afterwards is down to them.

 

[angelfishguy]

We plan on opening a general pet shop in the near future and plan on supplying customers with seeded media if they buy the tank from us. After they take it home and set it up and temp is right (next day) to come back to us and we'll give them media and we will advise the to stock it slowly only getting a few fish every 2 weeks or so

 

[jonwhite2k]

I too fell into the trap of listening to their advice and buying five neon tetras several days after setting the tank up. Two died and also an apple snail I had in there. This was due to the levels being way out which I had no idea about. I've finally just about sorted my levels and the remaining fish seems to be healthy. Will be buying the new fish elsewhere though!

 

[Skins]

I too fell into the trap of listening to their advice and buying five neon tetras several days after setting the tank up. Two died and also an apple snail I had in there. This was due to the levels being way out which I had no idea about. I've finally just about sorted my levels and the remaining fish seems to be healthy. Will be buying the new fish elsewhere though!

"Don't blame you"

 

[SensesFail]

We plan on opening a general pet shop in the near future and plan on supplying customers with seeded media if they buy the tank from us. After they take it home and set it up and temp is right (next day) to come back to us and we'll give them media and we will advise the to stock it slowly only getting a few fish every 2 weeks or so

That is a good idea selling media!! Helps so much and saves time. I was lucky enough to get some but
Would be great if was more available. As for bottled bacteria
Just use household ammonia D id burn all bacteria in a bottle after it may have stalled my cycle!!

 

[angelfishguy]

We plan on opening a general pet shop in the near future and plan on supplying customers with seeded media if they buy the tank from us. After they take it home and set it up and temp is right (next day) to come back to us and we'll give them media and we will advise the to stock it slowly only getting a few fish every 2 weeks or so

That is a good idea selling media!! Helps so much and saves time. I was lucky enough to get some but
Would be great if was more available. As for bottled bacteria
Just use household ammonia D id burn all bacteria in a bottle after it may have stalled my cycle!!

We wont sell it, it will be free with every tank bought from us

 

[Liamm]

I too fell into the trap of listening to their advice and buying five neon tetras several days after setting the tank up. Two died and also an apple snail I had in there. This was due to the levels being way out which I had no idea about. I've finally just about sorted my levels and the remaining fish seems to be healthy. Will be buying the new fish elsewhere though!

Sometimes employees are a companies worst enemy

 

[weezawoo]

I was never allowed fish when I lived with my parents so when I moved in wih my bf we were at p@h and I saw a small 15l tank for £20 which I wanted! I am very girly and it was pink and I loved it. He bought it for me for my 21st a few weeks later. I had never had fish but the box said 3 days then you can add fish so I did as it told me. They also sold me 6 baby goldfish or the tank which I now know WAY too much bioload for a tiny tank uncycled. Needless to say they all died. I also had 2 danios for the tank. They survived and I still have them now! After this incident I went to a shop and they tested the water obs way too high. So I decided to go ahead and buy a 95litre tank and do it propery! That tank did v well and I nver buy anything fish from P@H anymore! Most of them don't have a clue!

 

[This Old Spouse]

I think it would be wonderful if every new tank setup sold at any LFS included a small API test kit! I was unaware the value of these until I started reading these posts day after day. I STILL don't have one, but I do have one on order. I have the liquid test kit for ammonia but not all the rest.

 

[Skins]

I think it would be wonderful if every new tank setup sold at any LFS included a small API test kit! I was unaware the value of these until I started reading these posts day after day. I STILL don't have one, but I do have one on order. I have the liquid test kit for ammonia but not all the rest.

Agree

 

[SensesFail]

I think it would be wonderful if every new tank setup sold at any LFS included a small API test kit! I was unaware the value of these until I started reading these posts day after day. I STILL don't have one, but I do have one on order. I have the liquid test kit for ammonia but not all the rest.

Agree

I second that! Least then when u get your fish from the store, take it home and it dies within the returns period you will save on that!! Because hopefully then it shouldn't of died from terrible water conditions!

Has to be worth it for what they probe buy them in at and they are saving a fishes life!! You just have to hope then people use the test kit and once it runs out they buy a new one!!

 

[Si_B]

Just to say, I saw the staff at my local P@H (Tunbridge Wells) refuse to sell a goldish, stating that the tank had to be set up for 45 days (I think that was the time period, I may have misheard). Apparently that is company policy. although it seems a bit too harsh for goldfish, even to me!

It looks like they at least now have a policy in place, maybe some stores are more informed than others.

Anyway, while I do out of principle, support my small lfs's, I would not refuse to buy from this particular store, as the tanks seem clean and the fish seem OK. (shrugs)

I guess it varies store to store.