A General overview of Petsmart products
Petsmart is a group of private American pet superstores that offers the buying and selling of pet products, pet services, and pet products. This can be broken down, by saying they help in grooming pets, providing pet hotels, organizing doggie day camps, and likewise responsible for dog training and sometimes veterinary care through an in-store third-party clinic. All pet product accessories like cat furniture or tower, dog bed and furniture, dog treats, litter boxes, cat litters, aquariums, etc can be found in their stores. Examples of small pets you can buy from their store are fish, birds, dogs, cats, small pets, and little reptiles.
Petsmart was founded in 1987 under the leadership of Jim and Janice Dougherty and was named Petfood warehouse with two stores in Phoenix, Arizona. A year later, the store undergoes bankruptcy and was then brought under another leadership, and the name was changed to Petsmart and from warehouse stores to an attractive pet store that sold different types of pets and their accessories and products.
Does PetSmart do water tests?
Petsmart is known for the numerous services they render, and one of their services is water testing. Yes, PetSmart does water testing for their clients. The main reason the water test is done is to help you identify an existing problem that you may or may not be aware of during the process of water supply hence, helps you to guarantee that the water supply that is going inside your aquarium is properly protected from any potential contamination, and if it does have a problem, a pertinent treatment or solution is being applied.
Petsmart has a policy, it is called free water testing. It is a new plan that started in 2022 for only their existing customers, due to their loyalty to small pets and their owners, the company advises that their aquarium water quality should be checked every week in other for them to have a healthy and thriving home for their fish. A healthy home brings a happy pet and also a happy family.
How to do water testing for an aquarium by Petsmart?
We have deduced that a healthy fish leads to a happy family, how do you want to achieve that happiness from your pets? It is done by maintaining your water quality. Maintaining good water quality is a single daunting task that people find so challenging, though the job may sound easy, it is indeed a crucial but stressful task because water can have a wide array of chemical and mineral characteristics, and that is why PetSmart offers a free water testing for their customers, or if you can not wait for that specific day then you can go to their store or order a water testing kits from their website and follow the procedure written on it.
What does PetSmart water cycling and testing entail?
Water cycling is the removal of harmful contents that can cause damage to a fish and its environment, it is done by using a biological filtration system, and during this process, various things will get tested at intervals. This includes your water PH, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, carbonated water hardness (alkalinity), and the water general hardness. The following bullet point will help you determine how to test for this element and how the impacts of the final results on your water.
1. PH
PH is used in the measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of water. PH has a scale range from 0 to 14 in which 0 means the water is at the grandest peak of acidity, while 14 indicates that the water is at its greatest alkalinity. It has a median range which is 7, which refers to water being neutral, so if you want your freshwater to thrive, it must be between 6.6 and 7.8 respectively. Failure of being in that range will increase the stress level of fish living in that water. PH up or PH down is a chemical product found in stores to help you maintain consistency in your water PH.
2. Ammonia
It is another element that is extremely toxic and can cause the death of living things in the water within a short period. It is something that must be managed because unfortunately, it produces waste when uneaten fish food breaks down. There are chemical products that can be bought at your pet store to help you break down the ammonia present in the water, and this product should be added in little portions because it is only imperative for hard fish alone.
3. Nitrites
Nitrites are formed as a result of the remaining parts of ammonia that were broken down. This element is a little toxic compared to ammonia, but it must be broken down before it accumulates into something bigger. This can be done by changing the water in your tank or aquarium regularly (weekly or biweekly), or addition of salt at 0.1 to 0.3% to remove the nitrate toxicity present in the water during that period.
4. Nitrates
Nitrates in the end products of the ammonia are broken down (ammonia>nitrites>nitrates). This element is not considered harmful to the living things in the water but if present in high amounts, it can help increase the stress level of the fish therein. The solution to this is a constant water change, and the normal results should be between 20 and 40 ppm.
5. Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
This test is used to determine your water’s ability to maintain a normal PH. Low alkalinity indicates that the water PH will fluctuate hence, increases the stress level of the fish, low alkalinity can sometimes also lead to stunted growth, or most, the death of the fish. Good alkalinity is between 7 and 14.
To keep a thriving and healthy environment for your fish, you must maintain the necessary process, and this is done by performing a regular water quality test which has been listed above. Petsmart has a company produces different products that will make your work easier and more comfortable.
