Good morning all! I’ve stumbled into what i consider to be an exciting opportunity. I got a job at an opening-soon pet store! What this means, thanks to a super receptive Manager and owner, is that i have a chance to offer valuable input and help sculpt the beginning of how fish are cared for here at the store. I believe that it is extra-critical here at the very beginning in order to not create work that will need to be re-done later.
So here is the setting: all of the tanks are currently running empty with no fish nor substrate, in typical pet store heavy duty racks. I haven’t seen the entire system yet, but so far i can tell that there is a large tray sump on the ground that is currently empty of bio-media, that is fed by a huge drain spout that runs through a few layers of course filter floss. That water is then pumped back up to be re-used, and im assuming there is auto-water-changes done with the pumps in the back room containing the QT area. Any and all advice is extremely appreciated by myself for taking care of this system, and id be happy to reference your comments to the owner and my manager. In addition to any tips you have, there are a few prompts id like some reassurance on:
Currently there is no substrate nor does the manager know if she should add any. Its just glass bottoms with gravel-stickers. Should we add substrate to all/some of the tanks? I’ve never had success with bare-bottoms but i don't know if there are any major advantages that should be considered before i suggest we add any.
live plants. I’m a huge proponent for live plants. I couldnt imagine running one of my own tanks without a few. But in a store-setting, is it more appropriate to keep all the live plants in one tank with no fish? this way the hard-scape can simply be removed from the tank for easy fish collecting. Personally id rather deal with moving plants, but personal advice is appreciated.
Golden tank mates! Im deathly afraid if when folks will inevitably come in to select a guppy, 2 different cichlids, and a gold fish. Are there any great and personable conversation tactics that i can use to steer folks into the right direction? personally i think im comfortable doing this, ive helped several friends and family get started and i know what its like to not know any better, but if theres any tips id love to share them with my manager for training.
Anyones personal accounts are also greatly appreciated, Im anxious but excited to get started and i love shaping things for the better. This seems like a great place to make an impact on new hobbyists.