Don't forget about the single most important thing in your fish tank.

The fish!  Many people will look for days for the perfect pump or the perfect rock to sit in the bottom.  But they will go to the local fish store and buy fish that are sick to begin with or they will buy the goldfish feeders for there $100.00 dogface puffer. 

Let me give you a tip; If you see more fish floating on the top of the water than you do swimming don't buy these fish to feed your expensive fish.  Your better off using a clean substitute such as frozen prawns.  I lost a blue throat trigger fish named Belinda to this mistake.  That fish was hardy and lived in a move from Boston to Pennsylvania into a new tank (She made the ride in a 5 gallon pail.) and made the cycle all over again.  6 months later and one bad goldfish and she was gone the next day.  At a national pet store at our strip mall it had so many dead goldfish in the feeder tank I said to the manager "You know you should be ashamed of this tank." His response was less than appropriate by saying "What do you want me to do put a person here all day to scoop them out?" Well my response was "Gee why not give them good enough water to live and thrive in?"  Naaa. 

Our national pet store had a tank of damsels for $2.99 each and I thought what a deal!  I looked at them and they were covered with ick and all malnourished. Go to the little guy who has nice clean tanks and who owns his shop and actually cares if your fish live or die. 

Did you know most pet shops don't really care if your fish live or die?  If they live and thrive how will they make any more money from you?  From upgrading all that lousy filtration stuff you bought silly! I have been all over the USA and seen some really great pet stores that were big and really great small stores too.  But for the most part 4 out of 5 pet stores that sell all types of pets sell less than adequate filtration methods as well as having a staff that for the most part is totally unqualified and knows nothing of fish tanks.  At least stick to the fish only store unless its a super store like "That fish place" which I will talk about later. But only time and your money will tell you if you made the right choice. Or take someones advice who has allready made the wrong choice!

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