Support the LFS

[Reefrats]

How do you balance supporting your local fish store with buying online - especially with anticipated Black Friday sales - when starting out in this expensive hobby? My gut is to get the best deals I can so I can get my new 130.4 up and running but I know I need to support and rely on my LFS.

 

[New&no clue]

My LFS has a great selection of fish, and a good quarantine process, I still QT at home as well, however, they are lacking in coral selection. They have some equipment but mostly the basic models. I try to buy what I can from them and for higher end or specialty items online.

 

[CheckeredPants]

I’m grateful to have a LFS that is run out of a mixed used property so there isn’t the overhead of a brick and mortar since it’s run from a residence. Pricing matches or beats online for most things. Otherwise, I say save your money and shop online wherever the best prices are.

 

[Murica]

If the store is good enough, you’ll want to go there. If the store stinks, you’ll want to order online. Kind of a blanket response but, as much as i love supporting small business, it’s not worth jeopardizing my tank by forcing myself to visit a LFS if they’re bad.

I do the vast majority of my shopping online, but i love going to the stores for the experience. However if the store’s i went to were terrible, i wouldn’t go. I guess it’s kind of situational dependent and personal preference.

 

[tdlawdo]

I have no LFS. But there is one a few hundred miles away that I really like and when I’m driving through there I stop and buy all my frozen food from him. But I have bought everything else online.

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

I have one LFS by me, so I would have to travel to Atlanta, Ashville, or Columbia to go to one. That is one reason why I started up this business. I hope that next year I will be able to open a store in this area and be more active in the community. In all honesty, most business comes from out of state, but I sure do love interacting with local people.

 

[ChadmRoman]

It’s your money spend it how you see fit.

 

[Reefrats]

My LFS would like to order equipment for me. They have good quarantine and a nice selection of fish and corals. I don’t mind paying for corals and fish from them. It’s the ordering equipment part I’m struggling with. He had something in stock and I looked it up on my phone and would save $50. And it’s not Black Friday yet. I don’t have that kind of money to waste as much as I would like to support the LFS.

 

[MrsBugmaster]

I spend some at LFS and some online. I like to spread it around. :) And I can't always find what I want at LFS. If the price is a large saving I get the cheaper priced one. Living in a larger city I have a few LFS options also and some will price match if you ask them.

 

[BeejReef]

I try to buy maintenance type stuff from the LFS, as well as common fish, CUC, and if there's a coral or two that really catches my eye. Not as blingy as online, but, honestly, the frags are 3-4x the size for similar money. I actually should shop there more considering how often I'm underwhelmed by online purchases.

 

[Indytraveler83]

I usually give my lfs the first chance to sell me something if possible. He usually can match or beat most online pricing.

In my situation though, I’ve found through experience that while he claims he can special order, it usually doesn’t pan out. So if it’s not in stock, I’ll go online.

I say feel out what your lfs can do, let them serve you if possible, but there’s a limit to “supporting.” You can’t let it hurt your system or prevent you from doing what you want to do.

 

[BloopFish]

I gave the two most notable LFS multiple tries and I'm sad to say that I highly distrust their livestock. One store seems to always have very sick fish and frags that are covered in god knows what. The other store has given me false info, mislabeled stock, and has even overcharged me before. They're also not very affordable, due to the nature of the area I live in. Needless to say, I get corals from individuals rather than local fish stores and for fish... I guess I'm going to have to depend on online orders for that too.
It's a shame, my LFS from where I used to live was great. They had great livestock, nice selection, excellent price, they knew me very well and we've even exchanged personal numbers. I believe in supporting local fish stores, but only if they meet a certain standard of quality.

 

[X-37B]

I am lucky to have a dedicated reef only lfs that knows what they are doing. If they dont know something they will say so.
Good friendly people and quality frags.
If your from the sacramento or bay area in ca you should drive north to Norcal Corals in Redding. Its worth the drive.