I've worked at an LFS, ask me anything about them

[ReefRxSWFL]

I know there are well run stores, but if they are not local to me, it doesn't matter. Plus, when it comes to livestock, i tend to get healthier livestock from quality online sellers

 

[ssdawood]

I know there are well run stores, but if they are not local to me, it doesn't matter. Plus, when it comes to livestock, i tend to get healthier livestock from quality online sellers

Again
I think you have some bad LFS.
Livestock is good at my LFS.
Plus I quarantine. So I pickup healthy looking fish and treat it for parasites etc.
Even online fish are quarantined.

There's more fun picking up fish in person.

Man I am surprised, you don't have a decent LFS in south Florida?

 

[ReefRxSWFL]

Again
I think you have some bad LFS.
Livestock is good at my LFS.
Plus I quarantine. So I pickup healthy looking fish and treat it for parasites etc.
Even online fish are quarantined.

There's more fun picking up fish in person.

Man I am surprised, you don't have a decent LFS in south Florida?

Ive been doing this over 20 years, and i had better when i lived up north. There are a few excellent lfs in Southeast Florida. Not in Southwest. One i go to when in the Lauderdale area marks their daily Hanna Copper concentrations on their fish systems, so you know you can bring them home and drop them right in 2.0. I buy a lot of $20 & 30 frags that are $50-80 online, and i never visably see any pests in theor systems. They have stacks of everything Ecotech, Neptune, AI, etc makes. Forzen and live foods, including live phyto, multiple brands of dosing pumps, skimmers, 2 parts, rigid airline, scraper blades, and they have a rewards program where points give you discounts. Its 2 hours away, but…..

 

[JaimeAdams]

While it is not something the place I worked did, it always bothers me when a store is willing to sell you a frag knowing it likely has some nasties on it. A lot of stores don't seem to care. I also had to fix problems in people's tanks created by other stores who simply wanted to sell something regardless if it was actually the right product for the customer (i.e. the wrong lights for a certain tank, cruddy filters, etc.). Some places give absolutely horrible advice that endangers the fish. This really varies by store, but I do believe that pest management is very poorly done at many stores.

Years ago my old boss would sell people Montipora with nudibranchs and then turn around and spin it onto them for not doing and quarantining the coral. That was also when I had to sell fish that were a really bad fit. Once I sold "Dory" to a Dr. Office with a 54g corner tank and a vlamingi to someone with a 75. I obviously informed them that their tanks were unsuitable, but if they were willing to pay I had to sell.

 

[JaimeAdams]

This was a long time ago like 70s but I was told that markup on sw fish was 500% due to loses and you had to pickup your livestock at the airport as soon as it came in even if it was 2am, is or was that true?

Our markup on fish is pretty high, but not 500% however I could see some stores for that high. There is a lot of losses unfortunately. The part about going to the airport at 2am is true if you are importing or transhipping. Ive been leaving for the airport at 5am last couple of weeks because SW Cargo now sucks where I am.

 

[JaimeAdams]

I get your point, but many Local Fish Stores need to change their business practices if they want to stay in business, and show why you should spend your money there vs elsewhere. At any given time, you should be able to walk in and get everything you need to set up an entire system that day. They shouldn't have dead fish or Aptasia in their systems. If you bring fish that have outgrown your tank, or other livestock, they should give some store credit, not just take your “surrendered livestock”

Also, keeping such a sensitive ecosystem, you should have everything you would need in an emergency. Backup pumps, heaters, salt, medications, etc. plus, they are often the items they don’t have.

I agree that the should have everything that you need for an emergency situation. I don't think everything for a setup. We used to have a stock of tanks when I stated working at the store, but no one ever wanted what we had and anyways wanted us to order a different sized tank or colored stand. Our store is small so I can't have 30 tanks and 50 stands on hand. Even when we phased out stocking tanks it took 5 months selling them below cost.

We do give credit for traded in livestock. After my most recent experience of that trade in having velvet and decimating one of my systems In rethinking that one.

 

[JaimeAdams]

I disagree completely. The LFS that seem to be thriving are those that are built to profit on service, consumable(food/water), and livestock. This is a change from years ago where the independent LFS survived on dry good and the livestock was just there to get people to come in(and also buy dry goods). I mean it is fine to want your average LFS to have a fully stocked inventory of all the things you may want from Amazon within a day, but completely unrealistic for the vast majority of them(there are exceptions of course). With chain stores(petco/petsmart) having massive buying power your LFS cant compete on most mass market items(and if they can it is on unprofitable margins). Same with amazon/brs/etc it is very difficult to compete in dry goods with an online retailer.

Keeping a large inventory of a mass amount of products was reasonable when you were buying at same price as your competitors and selling for 3x your cost. When your competitors buy cheaper and your margins shrink to nonexistent it becomes a failing business model. Thankfully many have adapted and found that livestock and service is where they can differentiate themselves.

 

[Zeal]

Ive been doing this over 20 years, and i had better when i lived up north. There are a few excellent lfs in Southeast Florida. Not in Southwest. One i go to when in the Lauderdale area marks their daily Hanna Copper concentrations on their fish systems, so you know you can bring them home and drop them right in 2.0. I buy a lot of $20 & 30 frags that are $50-80 online, and i never visably see any pests in theor systems. They have stacks of everything Ecotech, Neptune, AI, etc makes. Forzen and live foods, including live phyto, multiple brands of dosing pumps, skimmers, 2 parts, rigid airline, scraper blades, and they have a rewards program where points give you discounts. Its 2 hours away, but…..

I live in south Florida and I cna honestly say almost every single LFS down here is complete garbage.
The only one worth going to IMO is exotic aquarium on bird road

 

[Spare time]

Years ago my old boss would sell people Montipora with nudibranchs and then turn around and spin it onto them for not doing and quarantining the coral. That was also when I had to sell fish that were a really bad fit. Once I sold "Dory" to a Dr. Office with a 54g corner tank and a vlamingi to someone with a 75. I obviously informed them that their tanks were unsuitable, but if they were willing to pay I had to sell.

Yeah that is unfortunate. Thankfully customers where I worked would heavily take into account the opinions of me and my coworkers

 

[JaimeAdams]

Yeah that is unfortunate. Thankfully customers where I worked would heavily take into account the opinions of me and my coworkers

Yes, fortunately he sold the store and now I run it and would just tell people that it is way too big for their tanks.

 

[scottj6]

Ive been doing this over 20 years, and i had better when i lived up north. There are a few excellent lfs in Southeast Florida. Not in Southwest. One i go to when in the Lauderdale area marks their daily Hanna Copper concentrations on their fish systems, so you know you can bring them home and drop them right in 2.0. I buy a lot of $20 & 30 frags that are $50-80 online, and i never visably see any pests in theor systems. They have stacks of everything Ecotech, Neptune, AI, etc makes. Forzen and live foods, including live phyto, multiple brands of dosing pumps, skimmers, 2 parts, rigid airline, scraper blades, and they have a rewards program where points give you discounts. Its 2 hours away, but…..

What store is this? I live in Boca and am in the FTL often

 

[SlugSnorter]

I was wondering, does anyone have any questions about some behind the scenes at an LFS? Any questions on disease, stocking, orders, or any other random questions you might have about an LFS? I figure I'd share with you all any answers I might have as to what are good and bad signs as to an LFS's quality, and what a realistic and unrealistic expectations out of your lfs. I have been to a LOT of lfs's, and some don't know what they are doing, some are lazy, and others are fantastic. I think LFS's can play a huge role in someone's interests and successes in the hobby, and I'd like to help others determine what qualities of an lfs are good coming from a behind the scenes view. I obviously can't speak for all of them, but I figured this could be a fun or helpful thread in general about them in general

PS No direct naming of stores please

when they say they QT do they normally actually QT? also, how do you tell if prices are good?

 

[GARRIGA]

How can you disagree if you dont go to the local stores i go to in Southwest Florida?

I’m SF as well. Seems they are are heavily dependent on live stock. Not much in the way of tanks or large inventory of equipment. I also often find I need to shop BRS because certain items not popular in the area. Do however try my best to support the LFS even if cost is slightly higher.

 

[Spare time]

when they say they QT do they normally actually QT? also, how do you tell if prices are good?

Its hard for customers to know if a price is good other than comparing it to other stores. Usually live aquaria prices are pretty decent. As for QT, again, this varies by store. However, to properly QT, they have to not have any new fish enter the QT for 45 days at 81 degrees which is difficult.

 

[ZoWhat]

I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night, ask me anything too

 

[Spare time]

I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night, ask me anything too

Might want a different thread for that

 

[fish farmer]

I was wondering, does anyone have any questions about some behind the scenes at an LFS? Any questions on disease, stocking, orders, or any other random questions you might have about an LFS? I figure I'd share with you all any answers I might have as to what are good and bad signs as to an LFS's quality, and what a realistic and unrealistic expectations out of your lfs. I have been to a LOT of lfs's, and some don't know what they are doing, some are lazy, and others are fantastic. I think LFS's can play a huge role in someone's interests and successes in the hobby, and I'd like to help others determine what qualities of an lfs are good coming from a behind the scenes view. I obviously can't speak for all of them, but I figured this could be a fun or helpful thread in general about them in general

PS No direct naming of stores please

Does the LFS provide educational material such as books, magazines, FAQ sheets, etc.? Links to forums? Or do you have to "wait in line" to talk to a store employees about whatever question you have?

 

[Spare time]

Does the LFS provide educational material such as books, magazines, FAQ sheets, etc.? Links to forums? Or do you have to "wait in line" to talk to a store employees about whatever question you have?

I've only worked at a small store so most information was one on one between an employee and a customer

 

[Sshannon]

Does your store label prices on livestock? a local place to me hardly does and its frustrating because for one person a $10 fish is like $30 for me. I would love to go there more often, but the variability makes me stay away

I agree with this 100%. I don't ask for help at my LFS's. If have to interrupt staff to ask the price of each animal I'm interested in, it would take an hour.

 

[-XENOMORPH-]

If u order 5 to 10 rabbit fish and they arrive, how many do u lose? In shipping or don't acclimate? Or any example. Just curious. Thnx