totally bites when you think about it!!. in my constant search for quality fish and other things for my tanks i came to the sad realization that the "mom and pop" fish store is pretty much extinct. these past 2 weeks i have driven through 3 counties here in south florida, dade, broward and palm beach, and you know what there isnt even 10 shops. everything is petsmart, petco and pet supermarket. when you walk in one you might have well as walked in em all. same junk, same heinous fish, same bland lack of any passion to the hobby fish departments. call me old school if you want but why cant i walk in to a shop have the same people help me that have some knowledge and understanding for the hobby?. Man i miss living back in NYC. Between there and jersey you can find just about anything. Oh you guys in california have it good too.
What a shame!!
- Thread starter TAT2DRAGON
- Start date
I've never had a 'good' LFS, I live in Raleigh and there are really NO good LFS for tropicals that i've found, the only stores we have are saltwater, and even then its really really limited. When I was a little kid there used to be a great store in a shopping center near my apartment but it isn't there anymore.
lol... it don't even matter most of your "mom and pop" stores are complete garbage anyways... even if they carry some of the more rare species most still don't know crap and if your lucky one person who isn't there everyday may know what they are talking about.... we are lucky to have the internet this day in age because you can buy straight from the source overnight at way cheaper prices and if you have any questions you can go onto forums and get answers from very knowledgeable people... although some people will have a killer LFS most of them can g2 hell imo... and 450 for a fx5 at the LFS... yea got mine off amazon with next day for 260...... you need to become more comfortable with the internet... price of fish plus shipping will be way cheaper than LFS everytime... unless the internet source someone else might be ordering from is your LFS...lol otherwise INTERNET FTW....
the good LFS here in so cal are getting fewer and further between. we used to have 2 "mom and pop" LFS' within 2 blocks of my house and now the closest thing is a Petsmart.
i have to go down the hill into Riverside to get to a real LFS with knowledgeable folks. i think if they close my next stop is gonna be the OC.
i have to go down the hill into Riverside to get to a real LFS with knowledgeable folks. i think if they close my next stop is gonna be the OC.
i do use the internet to purchase things but not everything, not even close. In fact the the only thing i purchase on the internet are all of my eheims and thats because no lfs can even spell eheim no less carry them for sale. everything else i much rather purchase at a local shop. as far as price difference except the eheims there isnt that much money to be saved as compared to the convience of just walking in and walking out with what i want when i want it. I mean really how much am i saving on air pump and heaters. my lighting was purchased locally also but they negotiated the price knowing full well how cheap i can buy from the internet. I mean how can i expect to have local mom and pop shops if i by everything online?. as far as fish my rarer and more expensive fish and i mean a few hundred a piece and up have come from internet sources but only from people i have dealt with or have friends who have dealt with them before. Otherwise i much prefer walking in and picking a specific fish from a mom pop shop. its not about how much knowledge the guy has its his caring and passion for the hobby that makes the difference. i dont know everything and neither does anyone else but being able to talk fish and other things just like we all come to this site to do is only possible at mom and pop stores not the corporate chains
Two words: fish club
Members trade / sell fish and supplies among themselves...and do group orders for fish / supplies to cut shipping costs.
There are clubs in both NC and FL...
Matt
Members trade / sell fish and supplies among themselves...and do group orders for fish / supplies to cut shipping costs.
There are clubs in both NC and FL...
Matt
ive only ever been in one lfs in florida and it was great... not sure where it was though.
keep looking
keep looking
I find Petsmart to be expensive compared to other stores but they are farther away from me.There are a few mom and pop spots around here and most of them are fairly decent.manlyfish;4681126; said: