The Shop Won't Take The Fish Back

[nckate]

So, I talked with the guy at the lfs who's telling me that he keeps a tank full of arowanas and all kinds of cichlids and doesn't even have a filter -- just the gravel. he apparently does a water change every few months. He told me to leave the tank ALONE, quit doing any water changes, just let it sit for a week.

I know this is bull$&*. I know, but there doesn't seem to be anything else I can do.

I'm going to be out of town for the weekend, so I just did a huge water change and full gravel vac. This will set the "cycle" back, I know, but there was such crap in there. Ammonia was 1.5 ppm today, still no nitrites. I'm using Prime as my dechlorinator, and Greenville does use chloramine in their water. I have no idea what's going on, and am reluctant to buy anything more from that store.

To make things worse, I think one of the gouramis might be a male after all, and he's really bullying the other two. I'm going to get some more (fake) plants to stick in there, maybe that will break up the territories and give the smallest one somewhere to hide.

Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[scorphonic]

What reason did he/she give you for not taking the fish back? That LFS guy is pretty stupid, being in his line of profession he should know about cycling a tank...Wonder if he just wants to let your fish die so you keep going back to him to buy more??

Its ok for a new person like myself to ask questions like "what is cycling" but WTF!! Hes a fish shop employee!!!

 

[aquaticadmirer]

The shop wouldn't give you a refund, or they wouldn't take the fish back at all? Because while they may not refund your money, most places will take some fish off your hands if you're giving them up for free. If this particular shop won't do it, maybe you should try another one.

Fishless cycling really is the best option since you won't risk killing any fish when the chemicals bounce up and down. If your fish are showing aggression towards each other you'll probably have to seperate or get rid of them at some point anyway.

 

[nckate]

I asked him if hecould jsut take them back for a few weeks and hold them for me, but then he started telling me what not to do, etc.

And not to listen to anything I heard online.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

eh, that sort of attitude isn't uncommon among older fishkeepers. its not entirely unfounded as the old techniques don't always result in the horrible death of one's fish, but they do limit one's ability to keep rarer (see: more fragile) fish and also generally result in sub-par specimens.

do a big water change immediately before leaving and don't worry too much about it. when you get back, keep doing substantial water changes and only feed every few days (the fish will be fine on a limited diet). the tank should ultimately cycle just fine.

ask the guy at the LFS if he could provide you with a handful or two of his gravel. it's probably full of nitrifying bacteria and will greatly speed up the cycling process. pour the gravel into a clean, brand-new, thoroughly rinsed knee-high stocking and add it directly to your filter. (the stocking is just to make it easier to remove the gravel later; it's optional if you don't mind picking out the gravel by hand in a few weeks.) the bacteria in this gravel will jumpstart the colony growing in your filter. keep up with the water changes for the next 2-3 weeks and you should see some definite improvement by then.

 

[Amunet]

Try to get ahold of some Bio-Spira. It's kind of expensive but if you get a fresh packet of some, it could help your tank cycle quickly so your fish won't be stressed.
You can go to the marineland website and check the store locator to see if there is a supplier near you. I'm rpetty sure that I saw some stores in NC that does carry it but not exactly sure where.
Or you could call around to some shops and ask if they carry it.
If you do get ahold of some.. do a large water change.. try to get as much of the ammonia out as possible.. refill then add in the Bio-Spira right into the filter. It will take time for the bacteria in BS to establish so it would be best to not do any water changes for about a week.

If you can't get ahold of some though.. you could also try squirting some Prime right into the aquarium to try to help detoxify the ammonia and nitrites if you're getting those readings. According to the product it doesn't harm cycling. *shrugs*

It's really up to you though. That employee doesn't know what on earth he's talking about. I doubt that guys fish are healthy with a nonfiltered tank he only bothers to change once every few months. That's just disgusting.

 

[rdd1952]

While you are gone, add Ammo-lock to the tank. It will make the ammonia non-toxic which should prevent any problems. The Prime may do the same thing. It's sad that so many fish store owners don't really have a clue about things. There are a few around Charlotte like that. Went in one a while back (fortunately, it's now out of business) and the owner had 3 bettas in the little cubes (about the size of a Rubics Cube) sitting on the counter. He said that was the best way to keep them and that they really didn't need much room.