I work at Walmart, I recently got promoted to the Pet Department Manager of my store. We are in the middle of a remodel and just got our live fish tanks installed a month ago. I'm looking for any advice on helping with keeping our fish alive, one of the former managers thinks it is the supplier, and we do know that we have had problems with customers adding things to the tanks. At the moment the some fish will die within a day while others from the same order will live for 2 weeks. Any advice would be vary helpful.
New walmart pet department manager
- Thread starter isenduil
- Start date
If the tanks were newly set up, they probably weren't cycled. Once fish were added, the wastes built up in the water - probably pretty quickly since usually the tanks are overstocked and underdecorated. So there is a lot of waste being produced, and not really much area for the beneficial bacteria to colonize (the majority are in the filter and the substrate). Can you test for ammonia and/or nitrite? There should be some stickies at the top about the cycling process.
Would you be able to get access to used filter media, from anyone with an established tank or another walmart or petsmart or wherever? As long as it is kept moist and only away from fish for a day or so it should help jumpstart getting everything cycled in your tanks. Just swish it around in the tanks and then put it right in the filter next to your current media. In the meantime, adding something like prime or ammo-lock will detoxify the ammonia / nitrite currently present in the system. Probably will need to change out some water as well if that isn't being done.
The other thought would potentially be that maybe the fish aren't being acclimated properly after shipping. Since they are likely being shipped in relatively crowded bags, you want to get them out of the shipping water pretty quickly once the bags are open. The ammonia produced while they are in the bag starts to become toxic once the bag is open. So you want to float the closed bag 15-20minutes (possibly longer if the temps are very different) to get the fish to the same temp. Then once you open it you're going to do a faster than normal acclimation, to get the fish out of the nasty shipping water ASAP. Add maybe 1/4 of the volume of the bag of tank water into the bag. About 5 minutes later, dump out about half the water, and replace it with that same amount of tank water you added before (1/4 of the original bag volume). About 5 minutes later add another 1/4 volume. About 5 minutes later, dump all the water gently through a net (to catch the fish) and put the fish into the tank, without getting the nasty shipping water into the tank. That should give the fish a bit of a gradual acclimation while also getting the fish out of the shipping water within about 15mins.
Can you stick a sign up indicating the area is video monitored (even though it isn't) to deter customers from putting junk in the tanks?
Would you be able to get access to used filter media, from anyone with an established tank or another walmart or petsmart or wherever? As long as it is kept moist and only away from fish for a day or so it should help jumpstart getting everything cycled in your tanks. Just swish it around in the tanks and then put it right in the filter next to your current media. In the meantime, adding something like prime or ammo-lock will detoxify the ammonia / nitrite currently present in the system. Probably will need to change out some water as well if that isn't being done.
The other thought would potentially be that maybe the fish aren't being acclimated properly after shipping. Since they are likely being shipped in relatively crowded bags, you want to get them out of the shipping water pretty quickly once the bags are open. The ammonia produced while they are in the bag starts to become toxic once the bag is open. So you want to float the closed bag 15-20minutes (possibly longer if the temps are very different) to get the fish to the same temp. Then once you open it you're going to do a faster than normal acclimation, to get the fish out of the nasty shipping water ASAP. Add maybe 1/4 of the volume of the bag of tank water into the bag. About 5 minutes later, dump out about half the water, and replace it with that same amount of tank water you added before (1/4 of the original bag volume). About 5 minutes later add another 1/4 volume. About 5 minutes later, dump all the water gently through a net (to catch the fish) and put the fish into the tank, without getting the nasty shipping water into the tank. That should give the fish a bit of a gradual acclimation while also getting the fish out of the shipping water within about 15mins.
Can you stick a sign up indicating the area is video monitored (even though it isn't) to deter customers from putting junk in the tanks?
Thanks for the great advice.
The tanks came with Bio-wheels as part of the system already soaked in beneficial Bacteria.
Usually 20-30 minutes the bags are floated to acclimate before opening and transfering the fish to the tank water. I'd like to swap out 1/4 of the water at a time but not really possible when we get 20 to 30 bags a shipment it would take a few hours to do.
Tomorrow going to test the ammonia and nitrite. The last problem I have is getting other associates from feeding the fish, someone or multiple people are over feeding them when I'm not at work mostly on my days off.
The tanks came with Bio-wheels as part of the system already soaked in beneficial Bacteria.
Usually 20-30 minutes the bags are floated to acclimate before opening and transfering the fish to the tank water. I'd like to swap out 1/4 of the water at a time but not really possible when we get 20 to 30 bags a shipment it would take a few hours to do.
Tomorrow going to test the ammonia and nitrite. The last problem I have is getting other associates from feeding the fish, someone or multiple people are over feeding them when I'm not at work mostly on my days off.
Can you dump out half the water in the bags and replace it with some tank water just once? Then transfer the fish to the tanks. It'll be at least a little acclimation to conditions.
Any way to have only one person responsible for feeding on days you are off? Someone who can stick to a proper feeding amount? Or maybe place labels on the food as to how much to feed and when. Also a little tiny spoon will work better than saying "a pinch" because that can be open to interpretation.
Forgot to ask if you're seeing any symptoms on the fish before they die - gasping or any such?
Any way to have only one person responsible for feeding on days you are off? Someone who can stick to a proper feeding amount? Or maybe place labels on the food as to how much to feed and when. Also a little tiny spoon will work better than saying "a pinch" because that can be open to interpretation.
Forgot to ask if you're seeing any symptoms on the fish before they die - gasping or any such?
I could try dumping and replacing water, but the deliveries are in the middle of the day with a store full of customers, and I usually get a crowd watching the new fish arriving.
There is one person who is the only that should be feeding the fish, but doesn't stop others from walking over and adding more food when that person is not there, on lunch, or helping customers. Just need to find who they are and holding them accountable.
Other than maybe one or two out of a bag of 100 goldfish/feeders the fish look healthy on arrival. And when one dies later on they just get slow and lethargic while the rest are energetic and breathing fine.
There is one person who is the only that should be feeding the fish, but doesn't stop others from walking over and adding more food when that person is not there, on lunch, or helping customers. Just need to find who they are and holding them accountable.
Other than maybe one or two out of a bag of 100 goldfish/feeders the fish look healthy on arrival. And when one dies later on they just get slow and lethargic while the rest are energetic and breathing fine.
You have problems with customers adding things to the tanks? Like things that would purposely kill the fish? Man that's a whole'nother level of low if so.
Are you keeping a log book / list for feeding and maintenance? Like you say though, its' gotta be tough given you can't be there 24/7. It's best to keep one person at a time responsible for the feedings.
Are you keeping a log book / list for feeding and maintenance? Like you say though, its' gotta be tough given you can't be there 24/7. It's best to keep one person at a time responsible for the feedings.
We have found everything from wads of yarn to bottles of shampoo in the tanks and even a fish in a bottle of shampoo and put back on the shelf. At the moment there is only 2 people that are to be feeding the fish me and the person over me and the fish tanks, and he just checks on the fish on my days off.