Newbies of the world unite!

[Tetratastic]

Ok, sorry for my rant, but...

Why is it that so many pet stores rarely mention cycling to new customers? And why isn't something about cycling included in aquarium instructions?

I got my very first tank and bought fish at the same time. The store has a 14 guarantee on fish, and of course, when they died I took the first batch back to be replaced, and of course they also died. It wasn't until I took the second batch back that someone FINALLY asked me if I'd cycled the tank.

I now pick my fish stores by whether or not they ask when I buy fish (my store of choice asks tank specs/tank mates each time I purchase fish).

It just seems to me more newbies wouldn't get discouraged (and less fish hurt) if they had this simple info. :(

[ChilDawg]

I hate to say this, but it's pretty easy to make sales if they (oops!) "forget" to tell you about cycling. However, it is supposedly common knowledge that cycling is a necessity, so maybe some of the shops don't mention it for that reason? I'll work with the pet stores in my area to get them to remember about cycling, whatever reason they forgot...and, if we all do that, we might never have to worry about people not understanding the cycle.

[RENEGADE]

i'm with you tetra but my petco told me i had to cycle befor i got fish(well the one guy did and he knows what hes talking about, the other one are useless)

[Pam Lowrey]

Hi all,

Mot of you probably already know this, but it depends on the person you talk to at the LFS, especially the larger chain ones. Of the 3 fish/pet stores I've been to here in town, the best info I've gotten actually comes from a manager at PetsMart. His advice runs along the lines of what I've seen on this forum. (There's a 4th one here, but I haven't been to it for fish info yet.)

I was at one of the smaller mostly-fish stores yesterday & noticed a couple of fish in one of their tanks that had been dead for more than just a day (practically skeletons). Before I saw this, I had a high opinion of that store & was thinking of buying fish there when I get another setup (not anymore, though).

Anyway, my point was that if you don't know someone personally at the LFS, try to talk to a manager - they're (usually) a little more knowledgeable than most of the Teenagers working there.

:)

[ChilDawg]

Good call, Pam! It's a lot easier at non-Wal-Mart locales, though, as the individual Wal-Marts decide whether or not to hire enough people with fish experience to keep that department staffed full-time. I agree with you on trying to find the experts at all places, though...we just have to hope that they are there.

[GEV83]

I went to a petco near where I live and this couple walked out with a 10gal and like 2-3 koi. No one told them about cycleing or the size of the fish being to big for the tank. I dont think cyleing is common sence I never knew about it till I got the internet. I always thought the only worry's were algea and ph never knew about benifial bacteria ammonia and all that other stuff.

[ChilDawg]

Which is why I said that it is supposedly common sense, not that it is common sense.

[GEV83]

Oh it was you who posted that. Sorry miss read it. Just zooming by threads trying to catchup.

[caz]

i dont think many people know about cycling when they first start out. i know i didnt, but once your fish drop like flies, you do a little more research on it, go back to the same pet shop, buy more fish, and buy all the expensive meds, and tank essentials. i think thas how LFS make money isnt it? not on fish, but stuff to keep your fish alive?

[ChilDawg]

They make some decent money on fish, too...especially if you kill off a set or two before finally establishing the tank.

[GEV83]

You know I never had a fish die in a non cycled tank. They all did really well. Well that is till they get sick from water temp going up and down then the result was ick and then death. Now Im not as dumb im dumb but not that dumb. Know what im say jellybean.

[val]

I think the reason is that the good pet stores, and the ones that seem to have survived, have been around for a long time. I look at the two good one in my area, and I know neither of the owners spend much time on the internet, if they even have a computer. 10 years ago, no one knew much about cycling, and yet most people were able to keep fish just fine. When I started out, I lost my first pair of GF within a month or two, and since then I've started half a dozen tanks w/o cycling and w/o losing abnormal amounts of fish. Good advice is good advice and if they help you choose appropriate fish for your water and tank size, they may not feel the need to get involved in the discussion about cycling. Cycling would have been an impediment to my getting started in this hobby.

Val

[GEV83]

It be nice to know info before hand though. LFS would get more of my money if they were honest for the simple fact that I would trust them more. Thats why my favorite petshop is like 15min away from me by car then the one that is five minutes away on foot.

[Tetratastic]

Yeah I agree that they're probably making money on the fish meds and such, but they're most likely losing money on the fish if they're guaranteed for any length of time (I would imagine anyway).

I just think it's tragic that you get more detailed care instructions when you get sea monkeys then you do when you get fish. Even house plants come with care instructions. Way back when I bought that first tank (long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away) I thought it was just:

(1) Buy tank,
(2) Add water,
(3) Add fish

And ultimately it's just the poor fish that suffered. :(

Thank god for everyone at this site for all their help and patience!

[Pam Lowrey]

Originally posted by ChilDawg
They make some decent money on fish, too...especially if you kill off a set or two before finally establishing the tank.

Only if they don't guarantee the fish or the fish die outside of the guarantee. If the fish die within the guarantee, reputable places replace them for free & that ends up costing them money.

And if the fish I bought from somewhere kept dieing off, I'd probably quit buying them there after the first couple of rounds of dead fish.

But anyway... they buy in such large quantity they might be able to afford replacing the fish b/c it cost them less than half of what they charge. I don't know for a fact, though b/c I've never seen what price fish go for wholesale.

:rolleyes:

[Tinycl]

In the area where I live,I have to drive 45 min. to the nearest LFS.There is also two LFS in two different towns 1 hr. and 15 min. away plus Wal-mart.None of which I trust for answers.Wal-mart sold me a jack dempsey and said it was a convict 5 years ago when I didn't know any better.At that time I thought I could trust that they could sell me the right fish.

Since then I have found sites like this that I can get answers and do the research needed.One of the drawbacks to living in a rural area.This place has been a life-saver,literally.

I am temted to do all my fish buying on-line now and forget the LFS in my area.
:p

[Matak]

Don't let the FSG (Fish Store Guy :D ) tell you that you need to add "cycle" or any other shortcut in a bottle to your tank to speed up the cycling process. They aren't proven to work and pretty well every post I have seen on the subject suggests that these products are snake oil - just a waste of money.