Do you leave your local fish store disappointed? Why is that?

[LadyMac]

For me that depends on several things. First off let’s talk my official local fish stores. There’s two; a local feed store that just so happens to sell fish and other small animals and A chain store.

The chain store has some things I’ll go to for, frozen foods. Maybe some fruit flies for the bettas, and the occasional thing for the dogs. Never really get anything else their because the prices and quality, as well as selection. Most of the times the fish are healthy, but I’m not after what they carry.

The feed store is.... well I won’t go in there any more. The last time I did was at the beginning of the Covid outbreak. I was after frozen food and Petsmart was out. I saw five containers of beef heart, and asked the price. The answer was this “Well I really don’t have any for sale, that’s for the fish we have here. But if you insist I can sell you a pack for $18.99.” I don’t think so... The fish he was referring to was a few quarter sized discus who I almost cried over. You could see how skinny they were some feeders in a tank with a clearly evident bacterial bloom. Sick and dying overpriced fish in every tank. A dead rodent, stressed birds and a poor snake with a stuck shed. So clearly my disappointment was in their care level and trying to sell me something way overpriced due to the supply and demand. They lost my business permanently.

Now onto my unofficial LFS, RG and OF. Let’s talk OF first. Also note that these are three towns over so not quite local, but the only place to get salty stuff.

So OF is pretty great. They sell fresh and saltwater fish and supplies. Their prices are a bit much on some things but stock is mostly healthy. They do well for themselves and I’ve only seen one issue with a tank having aiptasia on some rocks. So I won’t buy rock from there. Otherwise I leave disappointed that I can’t afford stuff lol.

RG is my store. They sell(and sold) Waterbox aquariums and supplies, a MAJOR plus for me since it’s easier to pick up the right socks from them. They are kind and always helpful. Beautiful fish, beautiful corals and nice selections. I’m always very satisfied when I make a purchase. Really the disappointment is in having to leave lol.

 

[Midrats]

They NEVER have what I need. Need an emergency return pump? Nope. Maybe a T5 bulb? Nope. How about a 1" bulkhead? Nope. I pretty much have to order everything online. Lucky for me BRS is as good as Amazon Prime. My goods get delivered the next day most of the time. Battlecorals is right down the road, but not a walk in kind of place, especially these days.

 

[Paul B]

I am always disappointed when I go to a LFS. I will be going to one today just for kicks but I am sure they will have no livestock I would buy. I am looking for rare or odd. No tangs, angels wrasses etc.

I want weird pipefish, gobies, clingfish etc but stores rarely get that stuff any more.
I have all of these in my tank now, but hard to come by any longer.

 

[Noob_reefer]

I live here in fort myers Florida. I'm quite fortunate to have around 10 stores in a 30 min drive radius. They all have pretty decent selection but I tend to go to boardroom aquatics a lot more than the others

 

[dbowman5]

For dedicated LFS's there are two local and two more within driving distance. i chose sometimes. my favorite has had some personnel changes and apparently some direction changes. I went in yesterday for some hermit shells and the sales person said they had none. Except they have two display tanks that are full of discards that,,, well, never mind. I see tanks of corals that are identified as "Assorted Corals $59.99" I bet someday i will be able to identify most of them by sight and know what conditions they need, but for now, they are safe from me.
There are a couple of chains, too, who have interesting things.
On the other hand i am blessed with an active club who encourage, inform, share, post, and retail livestock that they are knowledgeable about.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

It's an awesome thing to have a local fish store that carries healthy fish, beautiful coral and all the supplies that you need! But in reality this isn't a reality for must of us. We all know there are MANY of these amazing local fish stores in the world, they exist, but for most of us it's not the truth. So what is so disappointing about a lot of these stores? Let's talk about it today!

1. What are the most disappointing aspects that make a local fish store bad or makes you leave disappointed? (no names please)

2. Do you have an amazing LFS near you and if so why are they great?

@TopShelfAquatics store

1. What are the most disappointing aspects that make a local fish store bad or makes you leave disappointed? (no names please)

Horrible customer service, when you call and they have your phone number because you've been dealing with them for a long long time and they tell you the product is in and you get there and you travel at least an hour's drive to get there, we don't have a local Reef store near us period come to find out the merchandise is not there and the workers don't even get up to help look for it and you have to look for it. Leaves a bad taste in our mouth. We don't go there now and as they say in marketing and sales, it costs more to get back that customer one loses. So they'll never have our business again.

2. Do you have an amazing LFS near you and if so why are they great?

The other one I wish I would live near is pet world and they're very knowledgeable, great selection and pricing.

 

[DC Reefer]

I have two LFS that I frequent. The closest one's owner is extremely knowledgeable. He has a good selection of fish and corals. I don't buy corals there anymore because the tanks have too many pests. The fish system is well kept and have had good luck with the fish. The other one I visit is always extremely clean and well maintained, good selection of softies and LPS, but minimal SPS.

 

[KorD]

I’m in the Northern DFW of Texas.
I have sworn not to visit three LFS’s again, another two are disappointing at best, and there is only 2 others I have found useful for stuff but over priced.
All but one store is 1 hour from my house.

I would love to find a store that treats a customer as a person, and not a paycheck. (Had two Awesome stores in Wi I loved when I lived there)
The stores here do not care about your hobby unless they are hired to come care for your tank and service it for you. The line hobbiest is blasphemy here. They refuse to talk shop, can’t answer simple question anyone in the hobby can and should be able to answer, and will sell anything anything even if it’s not compatible with your tank.
I am seriously thinking I would drive 23 hours to my old LFS store if I can to buy from them. They at least cared, asked questions, and gave pointers.
Sadly I can not even find a reef club here that has not gone dormant two years ago.
I am actually all alone with my newest tank, no one to help or get quality stuff from.

 

[Thunderrap]

1. What are the most disappointing aspects that make a local fish store bad or makes you leave disappointed? (no names please) Most of the time their coral selection is drab and not varied, there are a few exceptions to this and I've been able to get a couple of pieces at a decent price. Their tanks have sick, dying, or dead fish in them as well so it's hard to get livestock from there.

2. Do you have an amazing LFS near you and if so why are they great? I wish I did. If I had the time, money, and experience I would just open my own and make it a place we're all looking for but seem hard to find.

 

[Variant]

1. After moving to LA, I was surprised by the conditions of LFS near me... some things I have observed and disappoint me are that... (1) dead fish in tanks that they failed to remove, (2) fish with ich, (3) no QT for their corals or fish, (3) algae, bryopsis, dinos all over their frag plugs, (4) telling me to wear orange sunglasses to view their corals, (5) not being able to properly ID species, (6) unwilling to bring in specific species for you since you are just one of many customers, and others...

2. I don't have a favorite LFS but rely on a few LFSs that are not local to me but are willing to ship.

 

[DungSl1nger]

I have a PETCO, which is where I got most of my common fish and corals for a decent price. What they lack is selection outside of clowns. My nearest fish store is 2 hours away. They have a good selection of corals and fish but have some crazy prices.

 

[GuppyHJD]

Before I retired, I lived near a large city and had several LFSs to visit and a warehouse type supply store about an hour away. Having that many stores made it more likely to find the livestock I was seeking, there were several sources of good information and help. Having the stores also kept the prices reasonable.
Unfortunately, now that I am getting back into the saltwater community, I find the LFS near me is not large enough to deal with the major labels and I find their information often is focused more on the products they have on hand vs a good reference to what is the best solution.
I am also finding more MAP pricing on the hardware that has me just reducing my expectations and goals. My original plan for tank, filtration and lighting has been cut in half and am thinking of going smaller.
I find myself driving 3-5 hours to visit major LFS and laugh at the totally different information and recommendations I receive from them.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Some of my reasons are:
- when your trip is an hour away and you check to see if they have a certain fish and tell them you are on your way And get there and can’t find it to be told “ sorry, it sold 15 mins ago “.
OR

to stop in and see everything looks sick. Are you not watching your tanks?

AND ....... don’t tell me this fish should be ok when you darn well know it’s going to eat every dog gone zoa in my tank

 

[brett_schn]

1. What are the most disappointing aspects that make a local fish store bad or makes you leave disappointed? (no names please)
No I always leave happy because I always buy something. But Yes I leave disappointed because I always buy something and bring 17 only working 10 hours a week doesn’t support me well enough to be going there all the time lol! I’m trying to pickup more hours but between Highschool online college and flight school I have little free time

2. Do you have an amazing LFS near you and if so why are they great?
yes I have one of the best LFS right down the street from me. Elite Marine Life in pompano beach. They actually quarantine their fish and don’t let a single fish or anything leave with a parasite. They always have great prices and they treat me like family. The owner is a very knowledgeable individual who is an expert and loves this hobby! Highly recommend visiting them. And also recommend buying from your lfs when possible. Support local businesses especially in these tough times

 

[Dark_Knightt]

I remember the day that I went to pick up my clownfish about 7 months ago. For the previous 2 motnhs I had been doing research, graphs, presentations and more to convince my parents to let me have clownfish, let alone a fish tank. Plus i had to pay for most of it *what i didnt expect was the extra cost of basically everything lol** SO then i called the LFS i had been going to (Big Als Mississauga in ONtario) and they said they had clownfish. I was super excited to go because i had set my tank up, it had almost finished cycling and i was STOKED to add my first livestock. So I got to the store with my mom, we went to the back where they had all the fish, I went to the clownfish section, and they had about 4 like 75g tanks FULL of clownfish. I told the guy there that i wanted to pick up 2 clowns and he said "Oh sorry those arent acc for sale right now, theyre still being quarantined." Like i didnt really care because i was going to quarantine them at home, but he wouldnt sell. I was super bummed, plus my mom had driven 2 hours out of her day to get there and back, but she could tell i was really sad. So she said we could call a different Big Als, in Newmarket Ontario. I asked the lady on the phone "Do you have any clownfish in stock" She was like yes we have lots. I said" ANy that I CAN BUY TODAY!?" "Umm yes we have tons." SO i was super hyped, we got home, then took my brother to work and then headed to the LFS. It was slightly smaller but everyone was super helpful, and the guy there. Jeff, could tell i was super hyped. I picked my clowns, brought them home, acclimated like i had seen in about 40 videos during my research, and then added them to my tank, and i was like "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" Hard work pays off. Now me and Jeff are friends, he gives me discounts and free corals, and is always helpful. So yeah thats my story.

 

[andrewkw]

I'm not saying I've never been disappointed by a shipment but I absolutely LOVE the feeling of walking into an LFS, it's like nothing else. Particularly when new stuff has just come in and you have no idea what you're going to find. Coming in for one thing and leaving with something completely different. For the record I consider myself an experienced hobbyist and it's generally safe for me to buy something unexpected, I'm not going to get a unicorn tang for my 112 gallon tank ect.

It pains me to say it's been almost a year since I've been to an LFS. While technically I don't have any since moving out to the middle of nowhere I still consider my former LFS's to be my LFS's even though they are 7hrs away. While I love to pick out my livestock in person I also love to see high end stuff that I would not purchase in person. Also really weird stuff that you only run into if you frequent stores that are constantly getting new livestock and occasionally get weird random stuff thrown in their orders.

 

[j.falk]

When I go to the nearest fish store it's always a gamble...sometimes they have good quality stuff...most times it's things I'm not looking for or the fish look unhealthy. When I come home empty handed after driving an hour one way to get there, it's always disappointing and makes me question why I bother going back.

 

[725196]

1. What are the most disappointing aspects that make a local fish store bad or makes you leave disappointed? (no names please)

We have a lot of LFS around us in Tampa. I can't say we have too many bad stores, although there are some I would not walk in even if they were the only store. The "good" stores, to me, are the ones where you get to know the staff/owners and they are friendly. Sometimes I just want to talk tank... The only time I leave disappoint is when I can't find what I want, but that is not directed at the store or staff.

2. Do you have an amazing LFS near you and if so why are they great?
I have about 15 LFS within 25 minutes of me. 3 of them are what I would call grade A stores. If they don't have what is wanted they will order it if they can.

 

[ScubaFish802]

I'm in VT and we only have one LFS here. Always disappointment is an understatement lol

There's just not enough demand in this area for saltwater anything

 

[terraincognita]

1. What are the most disappointing aspects that make a local fish store bad or makes you leave disappointed?

Not to be unrealistic, but if I was a LFS, I would have a QT section.

I'm still like 99% set on retiring and opening my own LFS, and when I do I'm going to strive for as much perfection as possible with my live stock. I don't think LFS's realize if they really, really, really took a step up, they'd draw SO many more customers for their dry goods and food (where they make most of their money in all honesty) and while it's more work and more money, I think the return would be worth it from the goodwill.

Additionally, the lack of care extends to if I owned and LFS I would set up a marketplace IN PERSON and allow for reefers to come try to sell their used equipment in store, and I'd just take a commission fee.

Again! You'd pull so many more customers.

Hope someone steals all my ideas before I have ot make it on my own.

2. Do you have an amazing LFS near you and if so why are they great?

Otherwise a lot of them in my area do maintain a good selection and I possted a list somwhere of all the good ones in LA