Poor LFS Advice

It is a common occurence to get people new to the fishkeeping game to come on forums like this and ask for advice after getting into trouble following poor advice from their local fish shop.

A survey carried out by PFK, in which undercover 'spies' went into various lfs and asked for advice on cycling a tank has shown that in 96% of cases they got advice which would have caused harm to the fish. 42% of stores told people to cycle using fish. One 'reporter' told PFK that she had been told just to put the gravel, ornaments plants in, fill with water and add the fish. She was not advised that the water needed to be heated before the fish were added!!

42% told people to cycle their tank using an off the shelf bacteria supplement, and only a small number of stores, just 4%, advocated the fishless cycle regime.

The poor advice was given not only by small lfs, but by the larger chains Pets at Home and Maidenhead Aquatics too.

It really is no surprise so many people end up with dead fish.

On a positive note, if you live in Peterborough, the Notcutt's Pet Centre was mentioned as giving really good, safe and sensible advice.

Well given that I was also one of the victims of poor LFS advice, it doesn't surprise me. Only 4% eh? It's going to be a long, slow process convincing the other 96%...

Isnt it just. No wonder so many people have so many problems. Poor fish!

It just seems weird to me that eeryone on here recommends the fishless way so strongy but the so called experts at the shops ignore it!

It's not that they're in denial - just slow to convert from the "traditional" way of cycling with fish, even if it means losing fish to the Nitrogen Cycle. Wouldn't it be marvellous if they started stocking bottles of ammonia? It would make things so much easier.

I think there are two big factors going on really. Firstly, a lot of them just dont care about the livestock they sell. They do not care if the fish die, are used to cycle a tank full of ammonia. This leads on to the second factor - money.

Every time a fish dies and has to be replaced then the lfs makes money, every time a fish gets sick, they sell medicines to get them well.

Add into that mix the fact that many of the staff are porly trained and know as much about fish as i do then all in all it's a shamblers!!!

Fishfan wrote:

staff are porly trained

This may be true, however after my first visit to the LFS (few weeks ago)i came away with a date! Never happened before. She kept talking but I wasn't really listenting to what she said

Wow, fast work GD!! You'll be able to take advantage of the staff discount too! :lol:

Well believe it or not, she asked that while out on the first date

It must be the Geordie charm :lol:

Btw, is there a list of LFS which were checked in various areas up n down the country?

I know I am really lucky that in my LFS (all of them!) there are decent knowledgeable staff who are genuinely happy to help, even at our Pets at Home!

Ironically so far the 1 LFS locally I would not return to unless I had NO choice is the one recommended by PFK

I have heard staff in each of them advising people against bad choices, insisting customers buy test kits and refusing to sell 12 fish on the same day a tank is bought so quite glad I live near enough to some decent places!

The annoying thing that really gets to me is that foolish people like me really rely on these places for help and advice (until they find somewhere like this ). We then have to put up with all the worry about the sick fish, fish dying, getting ich etc, all because we haven't been given the right info to start off with.

thats why places like this are so important tbh, there isnt the financial imperative driving it on.

I'm not happy with my lfs - they always have the odd dead fish floating about every time I visit them, and once I went into their back room and there were loads of tanks jammed packed with fish. They werent for sale yet - dont know why but they didnt seem to be in very clean water.