It is quite amusing (in a sarcastic sense) of how many different opinions and views I have recieved from different LFS as a rookie in the world of, I call it aquariumology (seems to be it's own science).
Two different stores, two different opinions on, 1) Tank Cycling: Shop 1 - Running a week eh, bring me your water values, (looks quickly), aha, seems okay, what fish do you wan't. No questions concerning tank size, they wanted to provide me with fish that should never go together in the same tank, let alone share the same water preferences. Example: Cardinals (White Cloud Minnow) were suggested as a starter for me, I said my tank is small and my water temperature (room) was 23°C, and is that not a tad too warm not to mention what will happen in the summer, reply was we keep them between 25 and 26°C without any problems!
In the end I had the feeling I knew a bit more than the sales people concerning some of the fish. and Shop 2) You have to cycle your tank at least three to four weeks before adding fish, all fine and dandy, but they never said anything about adding a bit of ammonia to simulate fish waste. Maybe not as bad as shop 1, but they make up for it by being much more expensive. In a nutshell, it became a game of hit and miss and 30% water changes every 2-3 days as well as constant monitoring of water values. Too bad I located this website 1 month after I started my tank, it sure would have saved me a few headaches.
P.S All my fish are fine (knock on wood)!
Nice to be part of such a cool forum, Kudos to the Mods and members!
Two different stores, two different opinions on, 1) Tank Cycling: Shop 1 - Running a week eh, bring me your water values, (looks quickly), aha, seems okay, what fish do you wan't. No questions concerning tank size, they wanted to provide me with fish that should never go together in the same tank, let alone share the same water preferences. Example: Cardinals (White Cloud Minnow) were suggested as a starter for me, I said my tank is small and my water temperature (room) was 23°C, and is that not a tad too warm not to mention what will happen in the summer, reply was we keep them between 25 and 26°C without any problems!
In the end I had the feeling I knew a bit more than the sales people concerning some of the fish. and Shop 2) You have to cycle your tank at least three to four weeks before adding fish, all fine and dandy, but they never said anything about adding a bit of ammonia to simulate fish waste. Maybe not as bad as shop 1, but they make up for it by being much more expensive. In a nutshell, it became a game of hit and miss and 30% water changes every 2-3 days as well as constant monitoring of water values. Too bad I located this website 1 month after I started my tank, it sure would have saved me a few headaches.
P.S All my fish are fine (knock on wood)!
Nice to be part of such a cool forum, Kudos to the Mods and members!
