Vendor/Breeder Vs Petsmart Vs Lfs

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I have seen some of the best looking JD's from petsmart. There are good midevils there too. Once in a while, I will see a Green Terror with an awesome nuchal hump. The managuense there look pretty good too.

I agree with those that said its all about what you look for. Once in a while, there will be good looking fish there. I am there to buy my supplies mostly. Barely do I buy fish there.

Also...12 years ago, I remember when they had various vieja species, texas cichlids, carpintis, true red terrors and some real looking trimacs. That was awesome. They were cheap and affordable at that time too.
 
Ctrl_Alt_Dlt;5156750; said:
I have seen some of the best looking JD's from petsmart. There are good midevils there too. Once in a while, I will see a Green Terror with an awesome nuchal hump. The managuense there look pretty good too.

I agree with those that said its all about what you look for. Once in a while, there will be good looking fish there. I am there to buy my supplies mostly. Barely do I buy fish there.

Also...12 years ago, I remember when they had various vieja species, texas cichlids, carpintis, true red terrors and some real looking trimacs. That was awesome. They were cheap and affordable at that time too.
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yeah they have had to drastically reduce their stock lately because of the economy (and things like RTs are no longer commonly available, especially for a low price), they had to do this with reptiles as well, my petco actually has some pretty knowledgeable people and i am looking into getting a B&W tegu and asked them if they could order some and the manager said they actually used to carry them but that they couldnt anymore because of the economy
 
My local Petco has a stunning saltwater display. The aquatics manager is a member of one of our local Reef clubs - needless to say all of the tanks at this place are in pristine condition with accurate tags on each tank. However the selection is limited because it's a small store.

My local Petsmart has a bit better selection, specially for SA/CA fish. Tanks are rather clean and there is very minimal amount of sick fish - only thing I've seen in their tanks is some ich on clown loaches (which is common) and the other week there was a little Oscar that ate one of his/her tankmates so it had a tail sticking out of its mouth.
 
The majority of my fish have come from vendors and other hobbyists. A lot of the things that I am willing to spend good money for generally come from reputable people. Most of my local LFS don't carry anything that interest me. But I do buy schooling fish occasionally from Petsmart when they have their sales. Sometimes they are too good to pass up. I'll be headed there this weekend to add some Mollies to my Multispinosa tank. My Midas/RD came from Petsmart. He's far from being F1 but I like him nonetheless. Some of the less common cichlids are best bought from vendors and hobbyists IMO to increase the chance of receiving the right fish in a healthy state. Buying fish from a random LFS can often leave you with less money for the wrong fish. The countless people receiving Mayans labeled as Festae is a good example of this. At the same time I'm not a person that looks down on people that buy all of their stock from chain stores. People should keep what they like and be happy with it. I've found that some WC cichlids from vendors can be very beautiful and nervous at the same time, while the same fish from a less expensive source can be both beautiful an outgoing. It all depends on what you want, what you can afford, and what's available to you.
 
BillyBlanco;5155408; said:
My question is, What do you choose to do when you say you want a managuense, green terror, etc. Would you spend a little extra cash and go for a f1 or wild caught or 100% pure breed. or would you stop by a Lfs and pick up whatever your local fish store thinks is 100%(can often times be questionable at best)
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If a was looking for a managuense, I'd would look toward a reputable brreder or source for quality stock, regardless if wild or how far removed from wild. That said, there is one LFS that I would trust to bring in quality stock of the common-type cichlids, such as managuense, so I would look to that store as a source as well. I assume you are not lumping, but I do not consider a Petco, Petsmart as a LFS, and I would never look to those stores for any stock.

BillyBlanco;5155408; said:
What are the differences and experiences you have?i know a WC could be a bit more shy or totally HATE you based on the species. a lfs fish is so domesticated it will probably not be shy at all (based on species). would that be worth it? just wondering how people weight in on this? do you get better colors out of more legitimate fish? aggression? personality traits?
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I don't think you can draw any generalizations as to fish behavior whether wild caught or tank-raised.
 
well i stopped at a larger chain store in between my 2 lfs that i rarely go to. To my suprise they had alot of large nice cichlids, some that i have never seen in my lfs either. Then upon further ispection they all had shredded fins, some had ich, some had eyes glazed white over and foggy looking, deformed looking lips and so on. It was pretty upsetting to see all these nice fish in such poor condition.
 
I use chain stores for schooling fish. They color up and look great after frequent water changes and good food.

Almost all of my cichlids come from reputable vendors or other Hobbyist. If I'm breeding something I don't want to take a chance on quality. If I was not breeding the fish then I would not care as much.
 
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