What's missing in your LFS?

[Devaji]

for me my almost LFS is 2 hours away I do drive down from time to time.
they are pretty good they have a nice selection of corals and do auctions once a month or so. and have a web page that they update often that is a big plus around these parts where everything is so far away. that said most of my live good come from online vendors just for the east of it.

my wish list is more BIG LPS and LPS in general.
special order large quantities of reg. IO salt mix I would buy several 200 gal box at a time

 

[harrylikesfish]

Well my LFS doesn’t carry anything except Fluval for freshwater and Red Sea for saltwater. I think they’re a bit biased...

 

[Pntbll687]

for me my almost LFS is 2 hours away I do drive down from time to time.
they are pretty good they have a nice selection of corals and do auctions once a month or so. and have a web page that they update often that is a big plus around these parts where everything is so far away. that said most of my live good come from online vendors just for the east of it.

my wish list is more BIG LPS and LPS in general.
special order large quantities of reg. IO salt mix I would buy several 200 gal box at a time

By large quantities of IO what do you mean?

I work in distribution and get you some good info to use if you're actually looking at large quantities.

 

[Malevolent]

Well it’s hard for me to complain, not that it would do me any good. I only have one LFS here where I live (Alaska) and it’s hard for me to just walk in and start thinking of ways I would rearrange the place and make it more appealing to me and the products I would stock. The reality is, even though they stay busy with shorter hours/days due to the current crisis, the majority of there business is fresh water. I understand you have to emphasize on what makes you money to stay open. As for corals and fish, they have a high turn overate which from what I gather is due to the fact they do mostly special orders. I always see tanks with “Hold” or “Sold” or the fish/coral just isn’t in the tank. The people are very knowledgeable and the owner is constantly spending time in places like Florida bring back rare corals for the store. They know me by name and always ask how my tank is doing and wanting new pictures. When they are in my town they always ask if they can come over and check my tank out. They always give me the pros and cons to everything I buy from them and share customer reviews and their personal ones. “Sounds like I’m writing an add for them”. I just wanted to share first my experience with my local and only LFS in my area.
I would like to see my LFS have larger selections of corals and fish for a few reasons. Main one is QT. I have to be there on Thursdays when there shipment arrive just to get a chance to see what’s available “which normally leads me to a bad impulse buy even with there warnings”. When new frags come in I start purchasing corals I already have or don’t really have a spot just because I know it will be sometime before I see another one “.
Point here is, I don’t trust any out of state wholesalers and my LFS never gets a chance to QT and evaluate. So I spend a lot of time at home with QT tanks. I am not saying it’s not a good thing to QT anyways, but I would like to start off with a specimen that looks healthy from the LFS That’s been acclimated and supervised for some time instead of me going “what’s in that bag floating, I’ll take it!”.
PAR/Flow displayed on the tanks.
They have radion lights on there tanks which just so happens I do too “well hybrid radion 30s/t5” most of there common corals are on display for the short time they have them. I may be the exception or the only one that cares, but they allow me to measure the par level they are currently housed in so I can either slowly acclimate them to my DT or place them where they can have the same parameters. I think all online and LFS retailers should include recommended water flow and PAR levels “low to moderate” is not a form of measurement to me. Again I maybe the exception and just being anal as most corals/fish do adapt.
Sure I would love my LFS to have everything I want/need and do my one stop shopping. At the end of the day, they have to stay in business and that’s more important to me as they are willing to order anything I want. Because I like to support my local business, I order everything I need from them instead of online vendors “ok I have an issue with BRS but I still like there videos”. I used to be an avid online buyer “Alaska”. But with the shipping cost/time and not really seeing what you get in person, I was setup for disappointment a lot. Not to mention the DOA issues. I get the same products from my LFS either the same price or cheaper and a better warranty.

 

[zoaprince]

No LFS in my area rents out PAR meters and I live in large metropolitan area

 

[Jen1978]

How about having a LFS in general? My closest is over an hour away and not much of a coral selection. I'm going to have to drive even further for corals. They do have a decent fish section though.

 

[Casket_Case]

The store!!! No quality stores in ATL, IMO.

That why I am like a kid in a candy store when I go down to Orlando and visit my mom. ;Woot ;Jawdrop;Greedy

The best store I’ve found in Western Georgia is Schell’s Reef in Villa Rica. Real sweet stuff for really good deals.

 

[Billldg]

The best store I’ve found in Western Georgia is Schell’s Reef in Villa Rica. Real sweet stuff for really good deals.

I live close to VR, I may have to check them out.

 

[Casket_Case]

I live close to VR, I may have to check them out.

He's on facebook check him out

 

[Arabyps]

Cleanliness

 

[AquaLifeStudio]

If I had to choose 1 thing to change, it would be to offer fully QT'd fish/coral/inverts.

We are building up our business to do exactly this.

 

[Nhjmc]

Hey everyone,

Even the best LFS is always missing something you want in it. What is it for you? Is it a specific product? Or maybe a fish/coral you wish they could carry more often?

#1 thing they don't have in any of the LFS in my area or close to is RODI water for sale.
#2 gripe is not nearly enough corals/frags for sale and the ones they do have are not colorful at all and overpriced for what they are.

 

[ScubaSteve77]

The best store I’ve found in Western Georgia is Schell’s Reef in Villa Rica. Real sweet stuff for really good deals.

He's not a store, just a dude illegally selling stuff out of his basement.

 

[Casket_Case]

He's not a store, just a dude illegally selling stuff out of his basement.

Nah he’s got permits ‘n everything. Georgia recognizes him as a business

 

[rmay6850]

The store! I don't have a LFS within an hour of where I live unless you count PetCo (not!). I'm In central Virginia and we have to either go to Richmond or up towards Washington DC which is a nightmare.

From outside Richmond, where do you go when in Richmond? Tikki Coral?

 

[AdamD76]

I wish mine had a non-condescending way of talking to people. Ive been reefing for 9 years and going to his shop for 15 years. He will only take frags as surrenders then sell them at his normal prices.

 

[Casket_Case]

I wish mine had a non-condescending way of talking to people. Ive been reefing for 9 years and going to his shop for 15 years. He will only take frags as surrenders then sell them at his normal prices.

...that’s extremely sucky.

 

[dwair]

Mine is great for knowledge, the brothers who run it are amazing. Unfortuntely the stock isn't what it used to be, yay covid. So if I had to wish for 1 thing, would be some killer coral that is local so I don't have to pay stupid shipping on internet pics that possibly dont look like that in person.

 

[ScubaSteve77]

Nah he’s got permits ‘n everything. Georgia recognizes him as a business

He does have permits to be a business, that's about it and does not equate being a store. It's illegal to run a retail location out of your residence. Insurance companies don't allow it, zoning doesn't allow it, ADA doesn't allow it, etc. There's a reason he has no website, no Yelp, Google or other reviews or online presence. The only way to find him is to be accepted into his private Facebook page. No employees, no hours, ignores vendor agreements on pricing. No guarantee on livestock, he'll actually meet you outside the wholesaler and hand them directly to you. He maintains a job as a contractor and only "opens" when people come over. He circumvents every requirement to be a legitimate store and cuts every corner. Absolutely not a store and a real danger to shutting down the legit businesses that actually serve the Atlanta community.

 

[ZoWhat]

What's missing in your LFS?

Apparently buying customers.....






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