Why I don't frequent local (or chain) fish stores

[IndyTexy]

I realy do not believe there is much different in a LFS selling a redtail cat than a online reatiler selling the same fish. There are plenty of sources for redtail cats online. who is going to house the 3ft redtail cat bought as a baby online? I agree with JayD that the LFS should be the backbone of this hobby. However they have mostly disappeared in Indy and I am sure other places as well, and if I do not want to drive 45 minutes away I am forced to order online or stop by petsmart to get basic supplies... I do not purchase fish from Petsmart. Just my 2cents.

 

[strollo22]

Please don't bash your LFSs and support them. Advanced hobbyists are already buying from the internet and LFSs aren't making money on supplies. Many independent LFSs are going under and soon you can find only PetsMark and PetCo selling only unexciting common fish. You need independents to bring in rare and uncommon species, and draw young people into the hobby. Buying fish from the internet or auctions isn't the same, as you can't see the fish in display, pick out the individuals you want, and talk to experienced shop managers. Good LFSs will hire only knowledgeable staff, only Petsmark and Petco hire fool.

Why would I go to my LFS to pay twice as much as I can get it online? I work hard for my money and I could careless about supporting my LFS if they want to rip me off. I'm not just going to waste my money to "support" somebody who's done nothing for me. Sorry, it's a cruel world. If Lfs' want to stay in business, they need to have competitive pricing. I can buy a bag of Massivore online for $23, they want to charge me $40 at my LFS. If they wanted to charge me $30, I'd probably buy it but $40, come on.

 

[zoohouse]

I have over 2500 gals worth of tanks in storage but only about 1000 gals running at the moment.

That being said.... I feel in this hobby you can either be an activist or a hobbiest. You can't have your cake and eat it to.

Now since that store has a good rep and is still able to stay in business I would say they are doing something right. More than likely they do have numerous customers with very large tanks or at least a bunch that think they do. When I had my fish shop I know for sure 75% of the fish we sold never made it to a year old regardless of the care advice we gave. You also dont know how many people have homemade ponds running in their basements/ garages.


By the way in the wild you have an even lower percentage making it to a year old, why do you think fish reproduce at such huge numbers.






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[doomiedee]

I know I am probably going to get drilled for this, and although I do agree with your line of thinking in theory, I feel to many people on this site and "advanced aquarist" do not look at it from the other side. Think about your statement "i buy most of my stuff online" this alone makes it very hard for a LFS to not only survive but thrive with stock, overhead rent etc. Next thing up is your indictment of the store carrying baby red tail cats, again taking the point of a retail establishment ,supply and demand, if this is a fish they sell a lot of and are requested they need to carry them, otherwise there potential clients would go elsewhere and not only for there red tails but also tanks food supplies etc. The next point I would like to make in regards to this, is that if these lfs do not survive, our hobby will not survive! The avg aquarist does not start by going on MFK and buying a 500 gallon tank. They start with a ten gallon and some guppies because the LFS in town is cool. I know thats how I started and I am sure a lot of you have to.. now as my hobby advanced and my means advanced my hobby grew. But without the LFS and the avg joe with his 55 the industry dies, the importers stop importing, the companies stop making new product, and all of us "advanced hobbyist' grow old and die!!! I do agree that I would love if stores employees were more educated but you are speaking of generally minimum wage earners so beggars can not be choosers.

I am in my 30's and the first red tail cat I saw was a 2 footer in Robins Pet Store in Hackensack NJ, that fish was there for years, this was before anyone could get baby red tails any time for a dime a dozen. That fish fascinated me and created my love for the hobby. And in my teens i saved up and bought a baby redtail, i think it cost me 50 bucks at the time... I was unprepared for his growth and mess and all so he died prematurely but what that did was make me figure out what i did wrong.. and my hobby grew......

If you want to get on a soap box grab all the guys trying to get 30 bucks for there used 20 and 30 gallon tanks and have them donate them to a needy kid and let there hobby grow!

+1 there's two sides to every thing. It's a unfortunate part of the hobby but it's what keeps our hobby alive. A few months ago my Lfs knew nothing of wolf fish or the variants. I asked them to order me a red hi fin wolf witch they never did but they started bringing in common wolves as they continue to bring them in for average $30 they are starting to gain popularity. When I was there yesterday getting some hornwort for my wolf three other people came in asking if it was still available. One even was trying to stuff it in a 20 long.


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[jdhuegel1]

Well, to put this all in perspective:

No matter how well you care for, and/or house your fish, large or small, salt or fresh, it's simply not natural. You may think they're happy - and they may be to an extent but it's not natural. Peacocks eating pellets, Aro's eating frozen food... I could go on forever. We put them on diets so we can afford to feed them, put chems in their water to remove chlorine, medicate them, shock them, put them in coolers and send them over thousands of miles of ocean.

The biggest, best, cleanest, freshest tank on MFK is still artificial and not how nature intended it.

 

[letstalkfish]

I realy do not believe there is much different in a LFS selling a redtail cat than a online reatiler selling the same fish. There are plenty of sources for redtail cats online. who is going to house the 3ft redtail cat bought as a baby online? I agree with JayD that the LFS should be the backbone of this hobby. However they have mostly disappeared in Indy and I am sure other places as well, and if I do not want to drive 45 minutes away I am forced to order online or stop by petsmart to get basic supplies... I do not purchase fish from Petsmart. Just my 2cents.

+1, Do you really think that the online retailers you give your money to don't sell fish that most people can't keep?

 

[Wrightt3]

Well, to put this all in perspective:

No matter how well you care for, and/or house your fish, large or small, salt or fresh, it's simply not natural. You may think they're happy - and they may be to an extent but it's not natural. Peacocks eating pellets, Aro's eating frozen food... I could go on forever. We put them on diets so we can afford to feed them, put chems in their water to remove chlorine, medicate them, shock them, put them in coolers and send them over thousands of miles of ocean.

The biggest, best, cleanest, freshest tank on MFK is still artificial and not how nature intended it.

I absolutely HATE it when people make this argument. It is great that fish tanks are un natural! you know why? because nature is cruel! Fish tanks provide a safe environment with a constant supply of food. In the wild, thousands upon thousands of fish die due to either starvation or predation. Humans live in houses, is that natural? NO but its a whole lot better than living our 'natural' habitat.

 

[tiger15]

I only buy dry good on line, rarely live fish. Adding the shipping cost, buying on line is more expensive than buying from LFSs. People bring in over grown fish to LFSs all the time, and buying big fish from LFSs is often a bargain. Another advantage of buying locally is that the water chemistry is likely the same as yours, and with a short trip to your home, the survival rate of the newly acquired fish from LFSs is much higher. So instead of picking fish from the pics, you can pick and choose individual fish from the LFSs. When my LFS brings in new stock, I usually wait for few days or weeks to observe the well being of the fish before buying.

 

[spiff44]

I absolutely HATE it when people make this argument. It is great that fish tanks are un natural! you know why? because nature is cruel! Fish tanks provide a safe environment with a constant supply of food. In the wild, thousands upon thousands of fish die due to either starvation or predation. Humans live in houses, is that natural? NO but its a whole lot better than living our 'natural' habitat.

I'd like to disagree on this...though I agree about the fish part... but for people.. I would love to see us go back to nature. I hate the direction we are going... we're in dire need of a zombie apocalypse!

 

[rodger]

Well, to put this all in perspective:

No matter how well you care for, and/or house your fish, large or small, salt or fresh, it's simply not natural. You may think they're happy - and they may be to an extent but it's not natural. Peacocks eating pellets, Aro's eating frozen food... I could go on forever. We put them on diets so we can afford to feed them, put chems in their water to remove chlorine, medicate them, shock them, put them in coolers and send them over thousands of miles of ocean.

The biggest, best, cleanest, freshest tank on MFK is still artificial and not how nature intended it.

My Fahaka puffer LOVES me. And I imagine everyone on here that has one, or an Mbu will say the same thing. They are friendlier then dogs. And they like it in their glass cages. They like to shred crawdads, and mash clams. If I am sitting in a chair watching mine and someone comes in the room I know it. He goes away until he is sure they aren't going to kill me. He just barely reacts to my wife.

Some fish like their little glass cages. They are safe, well fed and comfortable. My puffer eats the same kinds of things he would eat in the wild. He has a 150 all to himself. What a life.