My local Fish Store told me today......

[freshwaterfishlover]

That you can not cycle your tank with out fish. I thought the best way to cycle your tank was without fish?

[Algenco]

I guess that shows you how little they know, or, they want to make money selling you fish every 3-4 days while the tank cycles

[freshwaterfishlover]

The person that told me this was a employe. He has 4 tanks. He told me you need to have fish to make Amonia that turns into Nitrate. He also said you need to add Cycle to the tank.

[Chrona]

Well tell him to go to a hardware store and stare at the rows of ammonia in a bottle (without surfacants mind you) and then tell you how that is any different from the ammonia fish produce. Fishless cycling is the exact same as fishless cycling in regards to building nitrifying bacteria. Please download the free ebook on the menu bar to the left and read up on the nitrogen cycle.

Cycle doesn't do anything to speed up the cycle from my experiences. Only Biospira.

Oh and probably one of the first pieces of advice you'll get as you do research is to never listen to LFS employees, heh. Just because he has 5 tanks, it doesn't mean he knows what he is talking about. Case in point, you have 6 tanks but are unsure about the nitrogen cycle. No offense or anything.

[freshwaterfishlover]

I know you can do fishless Cycle. I was making Conversation and thats how he told me to do a Cycle. I know how to do a cycle.

[Chrona]

I know you can do fishless Cycle. I was making Conversation and thats how he told me to do a Cycle. I know how to do a cycle.

Ah ok, sorry then. But the LFS employee clearly doesn't know what he's talking about.

[cocoa_pleco]

Ah ok, sorry then. But the LFS employee clearly doesn't know what he's talking about.


agreed, he doesnt seem to know what hes talking about

[gm72]

It is this kind of ineptitude that perpetuates misunderstanding in this and many other hobbies. Truly ridiculous. Glad that you are smarter than the LFS guy.

[Severus]

Glad that you are smarter than the LFS guy.

Unfortunately this happens a little too often

[Lady Hobbs]

Did you mention that you can cycle with pure ammonia? You should write down how to do it as maybe he doesn't know how himself.

[kenyth]

Pet store jobs don't pay a whole lot. Therefore, you usually won't have well experienced people with a gifted intelligence working there. There is the occasional exception, but that's just the way the economy pans out. The owner of a LFS is probably your best shot for good advice. Here too of course! ;)

[cocoa_pleco]

i know one store here where i get my saltwater fish that has smart people. They know everything and the store itself is well taken care of. All the fish and corals are quarantined in the back room in several 55-200G tanks for 2 weeks to make sure theyre healthy and eating, and then they get put out on display.

[Lady Hobbs]

Pet store jobs don't pay a whole lot. Therefore, you usually won't have well experienced people with a gifted intelligence working there. There is the occasional exception, but that's just the way the economy pans out. The owner of a LFS is probably your best shot for good advice. Here too of course! ;)

I have never been able to figure it out, either. A guy walks in to apply for a job that knows everything about the place, knows all about fish, keeps the tanks clean, store clean, place well stocked but wants $15 an hour is turned down for the job because he wants too much money. But the owner will pay $5 an hour for 3 kids who don't do S***, knows S*** and spends all their time out in back smoking instead of taking care of the tanks. Who ends up losing on the deal in the long run?

[cocoa_pleco]

i easily would work at petsmart, but to my current job it would be unfair. They have so few people working that im called every day being asked to work and they are so short staffed that they offer to pay alot

[kenyth]

In chain stores, how good everything looks on paper is just as important as how it works out for real. If corporate says this is what we start at, then that's all they'll pay. More lower paid part-time employees are preferred over less higher paid full-time employees. Overtime is strictly "verboten" and the biggest concern is the names filling the blanks on the schedule. Scheduling problems have to be covered by Management and they don't like that.

[Drumachine09]

I was in petsmart one day, and the manager had to cover the fish section by himself. I was just browsing, and he had a LINE of people trying to ask his questions. I pretty much stepped in and lightened his load. When the mob left, we got to talking. The guy that was supposed to cover that shift calls in sick too often, so the manager said he was going to fire him. He noticed that i actually knew something about fish, and asked me to fill out an application. So i started filling one out, and it turns out you have to be 17. Howver, he told me to come back in a year and try again.

Most of the LFS that arent chain stores have knowledgable employees around here. There are a couple people that i wouldnt trust with a pet rock though.