I have to say I am always hearing about bad LFS stories, but I have two great stores that I have a lot of confidence in. One store specializes in plants and is always ready to give good sound advise and do not recomend things that would be irrelevant for the purposes that I am looking for,they always listen to what people have to say and give advise from the info provided. My second shop is very far away so I can not go and see the fish in person so I have to buy all my fish through the net, so when I ask them if the fish that I am looking at on the net has good colors or has a certain feature ,they will always tell the truth and tell me whether the fish is any good for the purpose that I am looking for. These two stores have my complete trust and I would like anyone else who has good stories about their LFS to come forward and share them, b/c I know they are not all bad. Thanks
Post all the good LFS stories
- Thread starter ashdavid
- Start date
I got my current pair of breeding Red Forest Jewel cichlids(Hemichromis lifalili) at my LFS last year and only had to pay $7 for the pair. I was rather pleased to say the least.
Thanks for posting this. I know that not all stores are bad. The one I work in can be good dependign on whos workign. (the test was sadly hard for most people though...). I also go to one other LFS in town. They are the only place I would go for saltwater (if I were to get into that) and I get fish I can't get where I work there. I just got nine gorgeous blue tetras there, and I took a plant class at this store too. The owners are a bit grumpy, and not the best in 'service with a smile' but they do give great info, and take good care of their fish.
Emily
Emily
Believe it or not, but my best lfs is petco. The one that I go to is great. They have some (not all) very knowledgeable people there. In most of their freshwater tanks, they have live plants on driftwood. These plants are for sale, but, they will only sell them if they do not have any more available at the time. They will ask for a water sample and if your water conditions aren't right, they will not sell you fish, and will explain to you what is wrong and what you need to do to correct them. I have seen some people get mad because they would not sell them fish. If they are returning dead fish, they either give them a cash refund or a petco card. They have a nice selection of fish and very seldome will I see a dead fish in their tank. If I do see a dead fish in one of their tanks, I bring it to their attention, then remove it myself. They usually just hand me a net if I am there for fish. If a customer asks them a question and they're not sure and I am in the store, they usually just point and say "ask Dorothy, she'll be more than happy to help you."
Then there's 2 other petco's that I go to sometimes that can be a real horror story. Oops, I almost forgot, you want good lfs stories.
Dorothy
Then there's 2 other petco's that I go to sometimes that can be a real horror story. Oops, I almost forgot, you want good lfs stories.
Dorothy
I posted a similar thread...I had a great experience at the local Petsmart recently. They are hiring people that have fish tanks, and are making an effort to take good care of their fish.
I also have a favorite LFS and they are always good there...last time I bought fish I knew the guy and knew that he knew more about taking care of fish than I did... :thm:
I also have a favorite LFS and they are always good there...last time I bought fish I knew the guy and knew that he knew more about taking care of fish than I did... :thm:
I have two LFS that are great. One is attached to a custom aquarium builder and runs inhome service. The aquariums they build are awesome. They are really expensive on thier livestock but really cheap on dry goods and other things. They have beautiful display tanks. There is another one that I visit frequently that is very affordable and has wonderful livestock. All the employees have worked there as long as I have been visiting the store and are not minimum wage flunkies who dont care about the fish. They all keep cichlids. I got my 100g there. I got tank, canopy, stand, glass lids and 2 24" ballasts brand new for $500 US. I have only bought one fish from them that did not live. And it was on a new shipment of cardinal tetras they had just gotten that day. They never rush thier customers and question them about the size of thier tanks and the fish they intend to buy. They rescue unwanteds. They are however high priced on all dry goods. this is not to mention the other "superstores" that are very nice as well. I have not visited thier stores many times but I was higly impressed with thier fish selection and quality.
Here are some links.....
http://www.thefishgallery.com/
http://www.dallasnorthaquarium.com/
Here are some links.....
http://www.thefishgallery.com/
http://www.dallasnorthaquarium.com/
I have a pretty decent lfs near me. They do fresh and saltwater, and even have a medium sized tank with aquatic plants. They have pretty good knowledge of fish keep issues as well as plants. They can be a bit pricey though, but hey, you get what you pay for. I have seen a few deformed and sick fish there, but not very many. I know it must be hard to keep every fish in good condition while keeping them in such large quatities, no one's perfect, even though it makes me sad to see any animal in oain or distress. They seem to do a pretty decent job as far as I can tell, though I haven't been there in a while because when I'm there I usually leave my mom in the car waiting while I proceed to marvel over all the fish and other creatures
Believe me, I wish petshops of every kind would do things in much higher standards than what they do. Maybe when more and more people like us get more educated, we can make that difference somehow. I know that if had a petstore of some kind, I'd give the customers a good interrogation as for their intentions for the animal they intend to buy, and if they gave me a bad vibe about their expectations of the care of the animals I refuse sale to them. I'd also want to make sure that every animal was in good health whether it was a fish, invertebrate, bird, etc. I would prbably go as far as getting vetrinary care for them when needed.
: I know I'd spend more money than I'd make, but I'd feel good that I did both parties well, by educating customer, and making absolutely sure the animals would be cared for. That honestly wouod help me sleep at night.
Believe me, I wish petshops of every kind would do things in much higher standards than what they do. Maybe when more and more people like us get more educated, we can make that difference somehow. I know that if had a petstore of some kind, I'd give the customers a good interrogation as for their intentions for the animal they intend to buy, and if they gave me a bad vibe about their expectations of the care of the animals I refuse sale to them. I'd also want to make sure that every animal was in good health whether it was a fish, invertebrate, bird, etc. I would prbably go as far as getting vetrinary care for them when needed.
: I know I'd spend more money than I'd make, but I'd feel good that I did both parties well, by educating customer, and making absolutely sure the animals would be cared for. That honestly wouod help me sleep at night.
good lfs stores
my lfs has always been so helpful, the staff all seem to know what they are talking about and ask the right questions when you ask for fish. mind you, i have only been refused a fish once, because it was a fin nipping fish that would love my betta! i should have done the home work before asking!
it also has such a cool name for a fish store, Friends In Soggy Homes or FISH. :clap:
Also, when i moved house last year, i went for advice and they gave me a trasport box and bags for donation to the local pet charity. i gave them £2 and they gave me £1 back!(about $2) top lfs.
my lfs has always been so helpful, the staff all seem to know what they are talking about and ask the right questions when you ask for fish. mind you, i have only been refused a fish once, because it was a fin nipping fish that would love my betta! i should have done the home work before asking!
it also has such a cool name for a fish store, Friends In Soggy Homes or FISH. :clap:
Also, when i moved house last year, i went for advice and they gave me a trasport box and bags for donation to the local pet charity. i gave them £2 and they gave me £1 back!(about $2) top lfs.
Last edited: