I`m going to petsmart in a little bit to take care of some fish needs and need some more of that kind of stuff.

Also, what on earth is HBH Aqua-Pure ammonia reducer? A friend of my dads gave us a 40 or 50 gal tank along with the setup, all the fish products, basically 00 worth of stuff. This product was included and I have no idea how to use it. I dont need to use it yet, but it would be a good idea to know how to.

It says to place rinsed zeolite granules in aqua-pure filter media bad of other filtration equipment. What does that mean?
No it isnt new. The previous owner had the tank for several years. She got rid of it because she was moving and didnt have enough room for it. There was only one fish left but it died.

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Whats the best water conditioner and ammonia detoxifier?

Technorati Tags: ammonia, aqua, dads, filter media, filtration equipment, fish products, gal tank, granules, hbh, little bit, petsmart, what on earth

My 28 gallon tank is still in the early cycle stages with 4 zebra danios, 3 mickeys, 3 catfish and 1 fish that the clerk at Petsmart (Yeah, I know!) told me would eat the black ramshorn snails that infested my tank. I removed the plants that had snail egg sacks today and bought new plants.

I was told that plants would help speed up the tank’s cycle and cut down the ammonia and nitrite levels. I did a 25% water change yesterday too. Do I do a daily 1-2 gallon water change for the next 3 weeks? Also my carbon filter gets gross about every 3-4 days. Do I change that often too? Here is what the Petsmart clerk told me to do: add 3 capfuls of Cycle every day for 3 weeks and do a weekly water change of only 10%. I dosed the tank with Prime instead. I have to be patient I know while the tank finishes cycling for what, the next 3-4 weeks? My ammonia detector is at "alert" and the NH3 detector is light green "stress." Daily 1-2 gallon water changes? Prime once a week? What should I do?

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How do I reduce ammonia and nitrite levels in my 28 gallon tank?

Technorati Tags: ammonia, carbon filter, catfish, egg, fish, gallon tank, gallon water, nitrite levels, petsmart, plants, ramshorn snails, sacks, stress, water change, water changes, zebra, zebra danios

my oscar has hole in the head for the 2nd time or it didnt go away completely. i used meds that i bought at petsmart. i was on a site about this and it told me some things do do naturally instead of putting meds in his tank, like taking out 30% of the water and replacing it, raising water temp to 82, putting salt in water,taking out the carbon filters,and feeding him well and a varaity of foods. does anyone have any info on this?? also it gave me a recipe for some food to make for him, it has raw beef heart and chicken livers in it along with veggies and regular people multivitamins. has anyone heard of this and is it good to feed him raw meats???

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hole in the head disease on an oscar fish?

Technorati Tags: beef heart, carbon filters, chicken livers, hole in the head, petsmart, raw beef, raw meats, tank, varaity, veggies, water temp

Hey,
So my friend is going back to college, and wants a betta fish. Well, getting the fish or not is not up for consideration, she intends to get the fish no matter what. It’s the only pet she can have there, and plans to go through with it regardless of what I say or show her ( my many guys and gals are living like kings and queens in 5 and 6 gallon filtered and heated homes).
The thing is, she’s perpetually broke.
So, I’m going to get her the heater no mater what, that’s not a problem. At the very least, they’ll be the proper temp.
The problem is the actual housing.
She wants to get either the 1.5 water wonders tank with filter http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3804454 or a larger roughly 4 gallon glass bowl she saw at Home Goods.
Either way, they work out to be about the same price, so no help there.
What’s better for the betta fish? Space or filtration?
I’m a poor college student myself, so helping out with a heater for her x-mas present is as far as I can really go (I’m tapped out after x-mas shopping).
In the long run, what’s best for the betta’s health; about 4 gallons of water to stretch his fins out so to speak, but no filtration, or a smaller tank that has a filter?
Help! I want to steer her in the best direction : (
13.99 is for just the glass, not lid, no light. and since betta’s are jumpers, that a majot no-no. a ten galloon with the cheaoest top is about 30$, beyond her budget.
And I wish any were near me sold a plain rectangular 5 gallon, but no such luck, they’re all expensive kits like the eclispe ones.

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Help! Friend issues are buggin me : P?

Technorati Tags: best direction, betta fish, budget, filtration, fins, gallon glass, galloon, gals, glass bowl, health, home goods, jsp, kings and queens, petsmart, poor college student, product index, productid, proper temp, shopping, tank

Hey,
So my friend is going back to college, and wants a betta fish. Well, getting the fish or not is not up for consideration, she intends to get the fish no matter what. It’s the only pet she can have there, and plans to go through with it regardless of what I say or show her ( my many guys and gals are living like kings and queens in 5 and 6 gallon filtered and heated homes).
The thing is, she’s perpetually broke.
So, I’m going to get her the heater no mater what, that’s not a problem. At the very least, they’ll be the proper temp.
The problem is the actual housing.
She wants to get either the 1.5 water wonders tank with filter http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.js… or a larger roughly 4 gallon glass bowl she saw at Home Goods.
Either way, they work out to be about the same price, so no help there.
What’s better for the betta fish? Space or filtration?
I’m a poor college student myself, so helping out with a heater for her x-mas present is as far as I can really go (I’m tapped out after x-mas shopping).
In the long run, what’s best for the betta’s health; about 4 gallons of water to stretch his fins out so to speak, but no filtration, or a smaller tank that has a filter?
Help! I want to steer her in the best direction : (

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Which is best in the long run?

Technorati Tags: best direction, betta fish, filtration, fins, gallon glass, gals, glass bowl, health, home goods, js, kings and queens, petsmart, poor college student, product index, proper temp, shopping, tank

This is a copy of the first page of my letter to Petsmart.

My reason for writing is this: Why does Petsmart continue to sell fish bowls when it is recognized by many aquarists that they are not suitable habitats for fish?
For the sake of this argument I’ll use betta fish as my first example:
According to Petsmart’s betta fish care guide the minimum tank size is one quart/one liter, while the vast majority of aquarists view the bare minimum as 2.5 gallons. There are multiple problems associated with keeping betta fish in small bowls.
•While the care guide does rightly state that betta fish require an aquarium heater, the smallest heater sold by Petsmart is for 3-5 gallons (The Hydor mini heater). So the temperature of a bowl cannot properly be maintained to suit the betta’s tropical needs of 76F-82F. Customers will often complain about the inactivity of their bettas, and it is easily explained by the simple lack of heat.

•Although bettas are labyrinth fish and are able to breathe air from the surface, they should still have filtration. Again, this is mentioned in the care guide, but bowls cannot be outfitted with a filter. These contradictions should be fixed, by adjusting the minimum tank size to at least 2.5 gallons.

•Lastly I’ll mention the moral issues with housing fish in bowls. Yes, a betta can survive in a bowl, but they will not thrive, and that is what Petsmart should strive towards. Betta fish will live longer lives in filtered, heated tanks. If that is how they live best, than that is how they should be kept.

By removing bowls, and amending the minimum tank size in the betta care guide, wouldn’t Petsmart make money? The total cost of a betta, bowl, marbles, betta pellets, and water conditioner is under . If associates told people to buy proper homes such as the Eclipse System 3 which is 47.99, customers would still need to buy an aquarium heater which would cost about 13.99. That makes the total just above .

As a pet care specialist I take my job seriously, and that job is to help pet parents find the perfect home for their new pets. In a perfect world people would research all this information on their own and come into the store knowing exactly they need, but that is rarely the case. People depend on the pet care specialists to give them correct information.

Any constructive criticism is welcome. I’m sure I’ve left something out, or made a few mistakes. The next page will deal with goldfish.
Rin- While it is true that Petsmart needs to make money like any other business, they also focus a lot on customer service. My store has frequent meetings where we are lectured on taking care of our customers. All stores within an area compete, and believe me, you do not want to be the lowest in the district.

Sweet Luv- I don’t have a lot of room, or money, but all my pets get what they deserve. I’m a firm believer that if you don’t have the room or the money, than you need to wait to buy pets and that is what I tell my customers.

Serena- I have dealt with those types of customers before- The old men that boast about their 8 year old goldfish back in the day. I politely smile and tell them that my goldfish are 13 years old, and have many years ahead of them.

Taylor- Thank you very much. I can’t tell you how on the verge of quiting I was. I am so tired of people not caring about their pets. This hobby is fun but it takes a little work, just like any other pet.
Blowhole- I know Petsmart is far from perfect.
I always politely thank a customer who points out a dead fish, and I do wait until they leave to remove it.
If you were not satisfied, next time please ask to speak with the pet care manager.
Fish Man- Thank you. I knew I was forgetting something. I’m starting with Petsmart because I work there, and can’t stand it anymore. So, no Petsmarts, Petcos, or fire bellied toads?
AliDawn- I am well aware that I may be fired. I have another job lined up.
Blowhole- Please do send that letter. There are a few people I work with who certainly should never have been hired. But pet care associates are supposed to be standing at the podium while customers are looking at fish. Also please do not dicriminate against teens, I’ll be one for another few months.
JohnKinley- I shop for my three dogs, two cats, 1 parrot, 1 tree frog, 1 leopard gecko, fish tanks, and pond. The quality of the products is worth the price. I’ve been working at Petsmart for nearly two years. Who says we "have to take the good with the bad and deal with it as best we can until we can come up with something better"?

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world" ~Gandhi

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Once again concerning fish bowls…First draft?

Technorati Tags: aquarists, aquarium heater, bare minimum, betta care guide, betta fish care, bettas, care specialist, contradictions, eclipse system, fish bowls, inactivity, labyrinth fish, marbles, moral issues, pellets, pet care, petsmart, suitable habitats, tank size, water conditioner

1. How many pellets a day should i feed a 3 inch oscar fish ( tiger oscar )
2. Do oscars like blood worms as a treat once or twice a week?
3. Can i feed my oscar house hold flies?
4. How much generally do young ( 2-3 months, can eat pellets ) tiger oscars cost at petco or petsmart?
5. How long does it take for an oscar to get to know you ?
6. If I clean my oscars tank once a week, how much water should I change?
7. Do oscars have good eye sight?
8. How much does a plain 30 gallon oscar setup cost? ( standard, i already have a filter that outputs 190 liters an hour, not sure in gallons , is that enough? )
9.Do oscars like aquariums with just gravel and a few large rocks a fake plants or do they like more ornaments and plants?
10. Is it alright to pet your oscar? I heard it removes their slime coat therefore lowering their immune system.
11.How long does an oscar live if he lives in a 30 gallon tank with thoroug filtration and weekly water changes and fed a varied diet? He will get lots of attention
This is a bit off subject, but do Goldfish like bloodworms
Sorry for so many questions but anyone who answers them all will for sure get 10 points.
12. do oscars need bubblers if they have filtration?
13. do they actually like to play with ping pong balls?

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oscar fish professionals please!?

Technorati Tags: 30 gallon tank, aquariums, blood worms, bubblers, eye sight, fake plants, filtration, goldfish, good eye, liters, oscar fish, oscars, pellets, petco, petsmart, ping pong balls, slime coat, tiger oscar, tiger oscars, water changes

Hello again! Recently I have been having some trouble with yellow cloudy water in my aquarium. In my first aquarium (10 gal) I had some plastic plants and a couple rocks. I didn’t cycle it properly with all of the water changes and tests so the water became incredibly yellow and cloudy. I decided to start over in a new 15 gal aquarium. It was my fathers when he was a kid and is a solid 33 years old. It was in perfect condition after being neglected in my grandparents basement for the last 20 years! No cracks or anything! Well anyways, the water is getting cloudy in this aquarium too! It has been open for 3 weeks. Currently it is being properly or rather, more properly cycled. Unfortunately, I had to add all eight fish I had in the ten gallon the day after I opened the 15 gal. So now, all of the levels are a tad high. my levels are:
Nitrate- 5.0-8.0ppm
Nitrite- 0.25ppm
PH- 6.4 (went low after a water change)
Ammonia- 0-0.25
I think the fast transfer of all of the fish contributes to the cloudiness. Now as soon as I name the fish I know u are all gonna bug me about how over stocked I am! I KNOW!!! Gosh! Try to retain yourself: 2 serpeas, 2 redeyes, 2 mollies, 1 pleco, and 1 kissing gourami. Ok so now on to equiptment. For filtration I am running an aquaclear 150 with two sponge inserts and 1 carbon. I run it 24/7! For oxygen I am running an air pump with and airstone. This is a planted tank with co2. I am running a DIY co2 system until I get my hands on one of those high end pressurized systems. I do have a check valve in the tubing so I don’t wanna hear anything about that either haha! I don’t have a diffuser yet but I am using another airstone. The plants are: an aqua fern, another fern, a grassy plant, an anubia, and another stem plant that I cant remember the name of, all from petsmart. I also have some rocks in the tank which until recently relized are spray painted. They came with the tank originally. Also another note: All of this stuff worked perfectly for the tank when it was originally run in my house! Although we didn’t have any live plants. I decided to use a fluorite substrate both for looks and functionality. It has the worst dust problem though! (any ideas on that?) As for lighting. I have the original, yes, original fluorescent bulb that came with the hood in like the 70’s! Just to make it even better it doesn’t have a wattage label on it! It is fairly bright and the plants aren’t dead so I think im good. Well I need two answers answered.
1)Why is it cloudy?! Over stocked? Dust problem? Just cycling? Leave it alone and it will go away?
2)How can I get the cloudiness out?!
Please help and sorry for the novel of info above! If you need any more info please let me know!
Thankyou!

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yellow cloudy aquarium water AGAIN?!?

Technorati Tags: 33 years, ammonia, aquaclear 150, aquarium, check valve, cloudiness, cloudy water, co2 system, filtration, gonna bug, grassy plant, nitrate, nitrite, petsmart, plastic plants, pleco, redeyes, sponge, water change, water changes

Hello again! Recently I have been having some trouble with white cloudy water in my aquarium. In my first aquarium (10 gal) I had some plastic plants and a couple rocks. I didn’t cycle it properly with all of the water changes and tests so the water became incredibly yellow and cloudy. I decided to start over in a new 15 gal aquarium. It was my fathers when he was a kid and is a solid 33 years old. It was in perfect condition after being neglected in my grandparents basement for the last 20 years! No cracks or anything! Well anyways, the water is getting cloudy in this aquarium too! It has been open for 2.5 months. Currently it is being properly or rather, more properly cycled. Unfortunately, I had to add all eight fish I had in the ten gallon the day after I opened the 15 gal. So now, all of the levels are a tad high. my levels are:
Nitrate- 10.0-20.0ppm
Nitrite- 0.0ppm
PH- 6.4 (went low after a water change, currently working on it)
Ammonia- 0-0.25
I think the fast transfer of all of the fish contributes to the cloudiness. I have 8 fish in the tank. I am under all circumstances overstocked. I have: 2 serpeas, 2 redeyes, 2 mollies, 1 pleco, and 1 kissing gourami. Ok so now on to equiptment. For filtration I am running an aquaclear 150 with two sponge inserts and 1 carbon. I run it 24/7! For oxygen I am running an air pump with and airstone. This is a planted tank with co2. I am running a DIY co2 system until I get my hands on one of those high end pressurized systems. I do have a check valve in the tubing! I ran the co2 directly to the input on my filter. The plants are: an aqua fern, another fern, a grassy plant, an anubia, and another stem plant that I cant remember the name of, all from petsmart. I also have some rocks in the tank which until recently relized are spray painted. They came with the tank originally. Also another note: All of this stuff worked perfectly for the tank when it was originally run in my house! Although we didn’t have any live plants. I decided to use a fluorite substrate both for looks and functionality. It has the worst dust problem though! (any ideas on that?) As for lighting. I have the original, yes, original fluorescent bulb that came with the hood in like the 70’s! Just to make it even better it doesn’t have a wattage label on it! It is fairly bright and the plants aren’t dead so I think I’m good. As for chemicals I use jungle brand start right, stress zyme, and nutrafin plantGRO iron enriched. Well I need two answers;
1)Why is it cloudy?! Overstocked? Just cycling? Give it time?
2)How can I get the cloudiness out?! Water changes? More chemicals? To much chemicals?
Please help and sorry for the novel of info above! If you need any more info please let me know!
Thankyou!
the filter is rated for 10-30 gallons so i think its sufficient. Im by no means a fish expert though…
the filter is rated for 10-30 gallons so i think its sufficient. Im by no means a fish expert though…

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white cloudy aquarium water?

Technorati Tags: 33 years, 5 months, ammonia, aquaclear 150, aquarium, check valve, cloudiness, cloudy water, co2 system, filtration, grassy plant, mollies, nitrate, nitrite, petsmart, plastic plants, pleco, redeyes, water change, water changes