Fish Store advice... UGH

[bluerose]

So I went to a different fish store today to see their stock and got the bright idea that perhaps somewhere on their HUGE wall of products they might have the right kind of ammonia (which I have yet not been able to find).

I asked. Mistake.

The salesperson told me that the best way to cycle, and the way they cycle, is to put in 'a platy, a molly, or a swordtail, because they won't die from the ammonia'. And 'wait 6-8 weeks for the tank to cycle, and if you don't want to wait that long, add the fish you want and put in a bunch of Bio-Spire'.

Ehm, what?

'Don't add ammonia, that won't work, just put in a platy, molly or swordtail and wait.'

OK then. Customer lost.

On an additional note, though, if you have a lot of plants in the tank to help with cycling, can someone add a few hardy fish and support them with an additional product and not have hideous results? My tank's been set up for a bit and the ammonia levels are really quite low (there was some used gravel that went in and there are a couple of snails as well as a bit of algae growing)... yes, I'm impatient! (mostly because the tank is being moved mid-Dec and I would like to enjoy it before then!!)

 

[Purrbox]

The Bio Spira that was recommended is a good product that works well when stored properly. So their advice wasn't totally bad except for the part about specific fish not being able to die from ammonia poisoning. It's not at all uncommon for LFS not to have heard of fishless cycling and react badly to the idea of adding pure ammonia to an aquarium.

Live plants will help with the cycle. The trick is to pick the right plants (fast growing stem plants or floaters) and provide good growing conditions. I wouldn't recommend this if you're doing a fishless cycle as high levels of Ammonia + Light = Green Water more often than not. Check out the Planted Tank forum for more info on growing live plants.

 

[bluerose]

It was mostly his attitude that irritated me- he was rather 'I am the employee I know what I am doing'...

So, in theory, if I plant a tank pretty heavily and add a couple of fish and Bio-Spira- I could be ok? The fish in question would likely be a betta and a few compatible schooling fish (would love oto cats or cory cats but am having trouble finding them).

 

[QTOFFER]

BioSpira is an excellent product - I used it when I started my first aquarium in 2003. It contains live bacteria suspended in buffered water.

The IMPORTANT thing about BioSpira is that it must be kept refrigerated in the store AND it has an expiration date.

You can add the tank's full bioload at the time that you add BioSpira regardless of whether it's planted or not. The plants will provide more surface area for the bacteria to adhere to and of course, will take up nutrients that would otherwise fuel algae growth. They look nice too!

If you get a betta, you will be a bit limited in terms of tankmates. Corys and otos should be OK. Most bettas will ignore them, but there are always exceptions since every betta has its own personality. Small tetras like neons and perhaps harliquin rasboras may work with a betta. I would buy the fish from a place that will exchange them if they clash with the betta.

Good luck!