If Only Lfs Sold Mature Media

[ellena]

Do you think this will ever happen? They could have a few tanks running fishless cycles and sell the media with new tanks. Send someone away with a tank, media, test kit and instructions, and once everything's settled, they come back and buy fish.
I've found 2 LFS who had posters about fishless cycling in their shops, so maybe they're coming round?

 

[keenonfish]

It's a good idea, but whether it would be seen by many as good business sense is another matter! Also it would rely on the customers following some very strict instructions to keep the media viable!

It's more a generation thing really I am sure the next generation of shop owners will move on from current thinking and might adopt something similar!

 

[shelaghfishface]

be a fab idea, but i think they would need a tonne of tanks to be able to replenish, there is a thread somewhere if you are seeking some media * members willing to donate mature media* dont have time to look sorry

shelagh xxx

 

[tom_os]

i think they could make alot of money off it beacuse people who have just bought their first tank, especially children are desperate to put fish in. so if they sold a piece of mature sponge for £10 loads of people would buy it and they could get fish the next day in a fully cycled tank

 

[tenohfive]

I don't think you'd need many tanks - theres no reason why you couldn't have several internal filters running on one tank. Hell, they could just whack them into existing tanks (already on their own sump system thing) and the media would mature in that.

I vaguely recall someone mentioning an LFS that did sell mature media - I could be wrong though.

 

[pscl227]

My LFS gave me a huge chunk of filter floss and a few bio balls when i was starting out, all for free!

 

[tenohfive]

Actually matured?

I can see the business potential of it - sell a tank, filter, substrate etc - run the filter with the new media for a day until the waters cleared then come back and pick up fish and mature media at the same time. Switch media over, instacycle.

Not to mention people like me who are forever aspiring to have a new tank.

 

[CeeJayy]

My LFS sell squares of mature media (sponges) for £3. Bargain!

 

[Mikaila31]

One of mine sells it too. They don't advertise it, but if I ask they will usually give or sell me some. Usually they try to get me to buy things like biospira, before giving me the mature media. A lot of the store won't sell it around her because they don't actually use sponge media, but run alot of UGF. They will offer me gravel though.

 

[keenonfish]

Unfortunately most fish shops would rather your fish go through a fish in and die prematurely rather than give you mature media. Importance of nitrifying bacteria is well known in the pet trade and has been for decades so if this is the case why aren't lfs's doing this already?
Probably because you won't be back for meds, ammo-lock test kits and replacement fish. Also they would have to develop a tank / filter system that could quickly mature new media and would have to dose ammonia or something to keep it that way.

I am sure it will happen as fish in will eventually go out of fashion I am sure but until then I will remain quite skeptical tbh.

 

[rabbut]

It is possible, only for some shops. If you run UGF for all your tanks, how can you have any media, aside from usually horribly messy gravel, to offer a new customer? There aren't going to be many customers that would like to add a ag of filthy gravel to the filter, because you know, a filter must be spotlessly clean for it to work (think back to when you were a newbie with little clue about what was going on...) most would just either walk away without it, or stick it on top of the rest of their gravel, where it will do little to nothing...

For a centralised system, you can easily incorporate a mature media section. Just set-up 1/3 of the sump as a dedicated "mature media sales" section, where you go through in order pulling and replacing the media bit by bit as required, such that the media sold has been in for a month or more. You also get relatively clean media and the ability to offer different media types. You are however prone to introducing disease into the tank via this method, as UV comes after the filtration bit, to avoid clogging the UV with rubbish.

It's a good idea, but how can you make it practicle and safe for the customer?

All the best
Rabbut

 

[saltynay]

You can use a sump as standard which polishes the water, then the Uv section and then another sump filled with coarse sponge to sell as mature media. Therefore having dual sumps without issue of disease or improper filtratio when large quantities of the mature media gets sold.

 

[Honeythorn]

They could run several basic internal filters in any display tanks ( particularly tanks containing messy fish like goldfish and plecs ) alongside the main system. Just cut sections off the sponges and replace with new sponge. Or use floss.

A poster next to the tank explaining/showing cycling, and what a filter does and why this media is needed is also a good idea. As many people just think filters are a pump to circulate water and think the sponges are just to trap dirt and nothing else.

 

[bae1994]

my maidenhead sells it

 

[Mikaila31]

Unfortunately most fish shops would rather your fish go through a fish in and die prematurely rather than give you mature media. Importance of nitrifying bacteria is well known in the pet trade and has been for decades so if this is the case why aren't lfs's doing this already?
Probably because you won't be back for meds, ammo-lock test kits and replacement fish. Also they would have to develop a tank / filter system that could quickly mature new media and would have to dose ammonia or something to keep it that way.

I am sure it will happen as fish in will eventually go out of fashion I am sure but until then I will remain quite skeptical tbh.

I don't blame shops for the way they do business. They are there to sell fish, its not their responsibility to educate people on how to care for fish. Yet most do offer pretty good advice, even if it is to recommend fish in cycles. It is the responsibility of the person who buys them to know or learn how to provide the proper care. In my mind that usually mean a couple days or more of research, when deciding to get a new pet. Lots of fish die because of a lack of knowledge from those who bought them. Those people are at fault there was no wrong doing on the stores part.

Even if all stores sold and advertised mature media, how many just starting out would know to buy it.