"pump priming" insanity at PetSmart

[Tostada]

I was in PetSmart a couple days ago looking at the fish, and about every minute the filter would shut off. All the tanks would get quiet. Then a couple seconds later WOOOOOOOOSH! the filter outlet in each tank would just blast water into the tank. It was crazy. So many air bubbles that you couldn't see anything for a couple seconds. The force of the filter was so great that several of the tanks (the ones where the filter outlet was angled slightly downward) had blasted all the way through the substrate and you could see the glass bottom of the tank. Obviously, most of the fish were pretty freaked out.

I asked the manager what the deal was, and she said, "That's just the pump priming." It was going on for at least 15 minutes ... and when I got there, the fish were already acting crazy and had big holes in the substrate, so who knows how long it was going on before I got there.

That can't be normal, can it?

 

[Codefox]

It could be normal for them

 

[Toirtis]

Sure...they must have shut off the system briefly for some maintenance, so the pump was priming and ejecting air in the system....smae thing as what happens with a canister filter, but on a much larger scale, hence the time required.

 

[Elmware2000]

I wouldn't suggest buying the fish on that day as they may be stressed from it. Come back to buy them later when they are not being spooked out.

 

[Thebluyak]

depends on the filter, my xp3 auto primes and doesnt make many air bubbles at all when i turn it back on

 

[odessadude]

I never was a fan of any store (National Chain) pumping through one filter. The better stores, mostly independent, still use single tanks and at least in my area, the fish are allot healthier.

 

[Tostada]

I guess it was only half the tanks that were actually doing it. Today I went back in there at 8pm and the other half of the tanks were doing it, but it wasn't quite as bad.

I only got fish from the tanks that weren't doing it, but they're still probably stressed since today is the day they get new fish in.

 

[odessadude]

One thing I learned from a LFS. If you place an special order for fish, DO NOT allow them to put it in their tanks. Tell them you want to pick them up in the original bag they were shipped in. The less they get moved from one tank to another, the better off they will be. You will have to meet them down there when the little guys show up.

You may have to pay more for this, but the rewards of disease free fish are worth it!