Visible Pests at LFS

[Greybeard]

Being way out in the woods, the 'local' in LFS is a bit of a stretch...

There's a shop about 40 minutes away run by a guy who's primary business is maintaining tanks for people. It's not bad, but kinda pricey, the owner is seldom there, and stock is _very_ limited. There's aptasia... I wouldn't buy coral from him anyway, and have never had any luck with fish from there. I bought some rigid air line tubing from him a few weeks ago... I think that's about all I've bought from him in the last couple of years.

There's a petco about the same distance, new store... guy they hired to run it is a hobbiest. No corals, but their fish seem OK. Tanks are clean, but as I said, it's a new store. A friend bought a purple tang from them for $60. That was a couple months back, tang is doing nicely, thanks.

A very small shop a 20 minutes further out is only open on Saturday... the owner is a hobbiest. Does the best he can with it. I doubt he's making much of anything on it. Still, his selection is decent, better on corals than fish, and he's always willing to order something in for you. I try and buy from him when I can. Like everyone else, he struggles to keep the systems clean... you can usually find _something_ that you'd call a pest, if you look hard enough, but it's pretty clean.

A very local friend opened a shop in my home town a couple years back. Was open for 6 months, moved to the nearest 'big' city, open for another 6 months, and closed. He lost his shirt on the deal. Opening your own LFS is a chancy proposition. Look back over the last decade or so... how many LFS's in your area have made it that long?

With online sales being as good as they are these days, the risk in opening a LFS is even worse. BRS, Marine Depot, not to mention Amazon, are impossible to beat on selection and price. Convenience is about all a LFS can offer that you can't beat online.

You want nice, healthy animals from a well stocked LFS? PAY THE PRICE! You wouldn't believe how many times I hear people at the LFS saying 'I can order that online for cheaper'. Yeah, you probably can. Go ahead... but don't complain when that LFS closes their doors, or lowers their costs by eliminating maintenance, display tanks, etc. Me? I _know_ I'm going to have to pay a bit more for a fish at the LFS. That's OK. Being able to SEE the animal before I buy it, keeping the option to NOT purchase something, even if I'm the one that asked for it, is worth that added expense. If I order a fish at the LFS, I expect that he's going to keep it for a couple weeks, make sure it's eating, see that it's not obviously infected with something... BEFORE I buy it. That is a service they are providing, and it is worth the added cost... to me, at least.

 

[Breadman03]

'I can order that online for cheaper'. Yeah, you probably can. Go ahead... but don't complain when that LFS closes their doors, or lowers their costs by eliminating maintenance, display tanks, etc.

I don't worry too much over price. I don't want to overpay dramatically, but if that extra $5 means that I can wander around the shop and see the stock, I'm willing to part with it. I also typically only get 1-2 fish at a time and shipping kills any price bargains for the stock that I'm looking at.

Living near philly there are a few stores that are on top of this. TSM in NJ is awesome and runs a facility that looks immaculate. Then there's That Pet Place and a few others in the area that are nice too. I try to avoid the stores where I spot major problems even if it means a further drive.

That area may not be as great as some areas, but Philly has a nice hobbyist population that keeps some good competition going. I make 2-3 trips per year down there just to hit a few LFS.

 

[Mick1of10]

I have found a new (at least to me) reef shop. I get ALL of my livestock from them, if something goes wrong, and I didn't cause it, I know where to go. This has also helped with communication between myself and their staff. They'll order just about anything I want - with a small deposit, of course.

 

[PedroYoung]

I travel from Panama City Beach, FL to Paducah, KY for work. I check out LFS' in every city I visit. I've found a couple good ones, but on the whole I don't buy coral at any of them. It's really frustrating when I see some really nice frags of an unusual chalice or Blasto, but the frag right next to it has aptasia. I have instituted a strict "no buy" policy if there are any visible pests in any tanks. Those stores use the same equipment to do water changes, hold stock and everything else. If it's in one tank, it's in all of them (or soon will be). We had a great store open here in B'ham 4 yrs ago by a hobyist who got great corals in, and had some great show tanks, but after a yr or so the aptasia plague swept his tanks and he didn't do anything about it. A yr later he closed.

 

[OctoPaige]

Props to all of you who are understanding with your LFS! As a veteran employee of a fish room in a local pet store, I am in charge of our saltwater section. In my case, I inherited an impressive amount of pests from the previous SW managers, and have been swimming upstream, if you will, against well established intruders.
Most LFS are not educational or laboratory centers, and the staff are only as well trained as their management allows time for, plus whatever knowledge they bring in with them. There is rarely time or tolerance for in-depth studies. I was an immune chemist for 7 years, and have three degrees in biology, but that doesn't always translate to knowing what the heck that little wormy guy is, and how to remove him.
Also, in contrast to home hobbyists, the budget constraints are intense. For example, I cannot invest in new lighting systems, without four (FOUR!) levels of management checking it off. This is made harder by the fact that I cannot say if it will be better than my existing system, but the only way to learn is to try it. If it were my personal tank, I have the freedom to try whatever I like, and do not have to explain my mistakes to the holder of the checkbook.
Finally, most LFS cannot justify the expense (space, water, electrical) of extensive quarantine systems, especially considering that corals are ordered by the dozen. Oh, how I dream of being able to do the preventive measures I preach! But retail is all about the bottom line, and if the improved health doesn't increase profits within 6 months, it's considered a failure.
I just try to be humble with my customers, always listen carefully to their insights and suggestions, and try my best with my extremely limited insights. Not all salespeople are like me, but I'm not offended when someone points out a pest, if they're not a d!ck about it, and appreciate their tips and honesty. It helps me problem-solve.