Thoughts on LFS Info?

[TastesLikeChicken]

Honestly with so many good on-line retailers why even worry about the LFS. If there is a good one and you want to support them, that’s one thing. But the rest of the bozos, don’t even waste your time. I do think that reporting them is a good idea for the sake of the animals. But who do you report them to?

 

[Susan Edwards]

avoid that lfs! I got some plain magic erasers and the long handle and use that. esp on the back wall

 

[davidcalgary29]

I'm going to be contrarian and suggest that I'm not particularly bothered by this disclosure. In fact, transparency is something to be desired, as you can always gauge the risk and plan (and quarantine) accordingly. I'm much more concerned with vendors who claim that they their tanks are "clean"...as I've bought multiple frags from such owners only to find that particular frag has sprouted some unpleasant surprises. This is how I ended up with grape caulerpa, valonia, and aiptasia. Fortunately, I had put the most infested frag in a pest jar, so the caulerpa was contained, although I now have bubble algae in most of my builds.

 

[Cell]

Glad you found a good one relatively near by. Unfortunately for the hobby, it seems there are more bad LFS's than good ones.

 

[snorklr]

really curious what this forums policy on complaining about a LFS might be?...seems like everyone bashes petco but nobody mentions the name of any specific store they have issues with...

 

[SaltyShel]

Online Petco prices. Everytime I go to the register the lady just calls the manager for the override.
Works on cat and dog food or anything Petco sells really.
Just check online before you get to the register.
$17 chemipure elite at lfs $6.99.
Lots of good prices.
You just have them check or pay retail, lol.

Wow that’s great to know! Thank you

 

[SaltyShel]

Honestly with so many good on-line retailers why even worry about the LFS. If there is a good one and you want to support them, that’s one thing. But the rest of the bozos, don’t even waste your time. I do think that reporting them is a good idea for the sake of the animals. But who do you report them to?

That’s what I’m wondering :/ I have no idea who to call. Maybe PETA? Or some kind of marine animal place? Idk but I’m gonna look into it. I just don’t trust that they’re seriously caring for the fish and other livestock. He had a tank that was filled with only anemones because he said he can’t stand them and they move around so much and sting his other corals to death so he just hates Nems… but why have a store With nems if you don’t even like them? It was upsetting to see the aiptasia and vermited snails everywhere, he’s just too lazy to get rid of them, even though he said he hired someone specifically for maintenance.
i went to a diff LFS before this one I’m talking about, the one that said kill and bleach everything to nuke the pests he ID’d wrong, and he said he hates fish, doesn’t like them, doesn’t even want them in his own house. Sooo why does have a fish store lol

 

[SaltyShel]

avoid that lfs! I got some plain magic erasers and the long handle and use that. esp on the back wall

That’s my plan! Definitely not going back. But the magic erasers is a good idea, I’m glad so many of y’all are answering about it

 

[FishyFishFish]

Oh wow, that’s basically the situation I’m in. I’ve been to 3, and only 1 is worth it for me to go back. Only thing is, I got a coralife digital thermometer from the one I was at yesterday… $9. Plus all sales final. So I was like heck no, let me get one from Amazon for like a couple dollars. Then the place I went today, I asked if I can give them the $9 thermometer for store credit, and they sell the exact same one for $12..but yet she only gave me a little under $5 for store credit. is that normal? lol. I feel like they are over priced but maybe not

So you bought something, decided you didn't want it because it was too expensive (even though you knew the price), took it somewhere that you didn't buy it from, and are wondering if giving you $5 store credit is normal? I would say no, you are lucky to get any store credit IMO!!

As for the other stuff, a lot of it appears to be in the delivery and not what was actually said. Take the magic eraser - you appear to have been disturbed by that because of your expectations, not the actual process (or his experience). You can't report someone because you don't like how they spoke to you.

And, for example, what is wrong with the tank filled with Nems? Maybe he has them separated so that he can control them (and keep them from wandering into the powerheads). The owner doesn't have to like them to sell them; it is a business after all.

I'm not saying you are wrong to be concerned, just that you might need to step back and ascertain whether there is anything bad going on or whether it is just that you don't like it. If it is the latter, then just go somewhere else. If there is actual mistreatment going on then that is different. For example, Aiptasia in the tanks might not be nice, but it isn't animal cruelty.

And I'm not trying to be confrontational, I'm just trying to put forward another point of view.

 

[fish farmer]

That’s what I’m wondering :/ I have no idea who to call. Maybe PETA? Or some kind of marine animal place? Idk but I’m gonna look into it. I just don’t trust that they’re seriously caring for the fish and other livestock. He had a tank that was filled with only anemones because he said he can’t stand them and they move around so much and sting his other corals to death so he just hates Nems… but why have a store With nems if you don’t even like them? It was upsetting to see the aiptasia and vermited snails everywhere, he’s just too lazy to get rid of them, even though he said he hired someone specifically for maintenance.
i went to a diff LFS before this one I’m talking about, the one that said kill and bleach everything to nuke the pests he ID’d wrong, and he said he hates fish, doesn’t like them, doesn’t even want them in his own house. Sooo why does have a fish store lol

Take a step back and a deep breath.

PETA wants this hobby shut down as well as recreational fishing, etc, etc.

Do a search on cyanide use in collecting tropical fish....I hear it is still commonplace, search for threads here about fish loss at wholesalers.

I agree that it sounds like they are poor businesses and probably needs a reset of systems or more ambitious owners.

Find a better place to shop and read books/forums before even setting foot in the door.

 

[SaltyShel]

So you bought something, decided you didn't want it because it was too expensive (even though you knew the price), took it somewhere that you didn't buy it from, and are wondering if giving you $5 store credit is normal? I would say no, you are lucky to get any store credit IMO!!

As for the other stuff, a lot of it appears to be in the delivery and not what was actually said. Take the magic eraser - you appear to have been disturbed by that because of your expectations, not the actual process (or his experience). You can't report someone because you don't like how they spoke to you.

And, for example, what is wrong with the tank filled with Nems? Maybe he has them separated so that he can control them (and keep them from wandering into the powerheads). The owner doesn't have to like them to sell them; it is a business after all.

I'm not saying you are wrong to be concerned, just that you might need to step back and ascertain whether there is anything bad going on or whether it is just that you don't like it. If it is the latter, then just go somewhere else. If there is actual mistreatment going on then that is different. For example, Aiptasia in the tanks might not be nice, but it isn't animal cruelty.

And I'm not trying to be confrontational, I'm just trying to put forward another point of view.

I didn’t have a problem that they gave me the $5, I thought it was nice she did it in the first place. I was just wondering if that’s a normal thing in fish stores, to get store credit for less than something is worth. I would’ve returned it to the place I got it but they have an all sales final policy. I thought $9 for a small thermometer was pretty ridiculous, sure, but it’s not the end of the world. I wasn’t complaining about it, but I also am new to this hobby so I’m trying to get info from the people who have been doing it longer so I can figure out what is good or bad, or where I should/shouldn’t go back to.
As far as the guy at the store, he can have a rude or unprofessional attitude/demeanor all he wants, that’s his own business that he’s compromising, not mine. I’ve worked in customer service since I started working, period, and I can handle that. My issue was the fact that he was being rude about testing my nitrates, acting like he didn’t have time to answer the questions I have, and was clearly showing his non-interest and lack of caring. Since I’m new, I didn’t know about the magic eraser, which is why I asked. I’ve looked it up before, out of plain curiosity, and I remember reading there were chemicals in it. So, when he said there are NO chemicals I thought that was odd. I’m not trying to shut down every business that is doing something I disagree with - It was suggested somewhere else in this thread so I was thinking maybe I should. I really couldn’t care less about his personality being less than ideal for someone who owns a business and deals with other people all day, and like I said, I’m new to this hobby so I’m trying to get information from people who aren’t new. There is no way for me to know why is or isn’t common practice if I haven’t experienced it enough to be aware. I don’t agree with how he has the copper band housed and unable to even stay upright or swim stable for more than 30 seconds and I don’t agree with someone owning a fish store who hates fish. That doesn’t sound good. But tbh, it has nothing to do with the emotional or personality side of this, it’s just that I thought what was going on was kind of crappy and didn’t understand why or if that’s a normal thing.

 

[SaltyShel]

Take a step back and a deep breath.

PETA wants this hobby shut down as well as recreational fishing, etc, etc.

Do a search on cyanide use in collecting tropical fish....I hear it is still commonplace, search for threads here about fish loss at wholesalers.

I agree that it sounds like they are poor businesses and probably needs a reset of systems or more ambitious owners.

Find a better place to shop and read books/forums before even setting foot in the door.

I really, to be honest, have no interest in calling PETA. There is nothing that anyone can do about a business owner being unfair to a live animal, with no clear neglect being displayed. I’m trying to get an idea of whether or not certain things like this is normal or not. At the end of the day, I just won’t go back. Even for the aiptasia, like the post above yours mentioned, it’s not like the owner is killing the fish on purpose by leaving aiptasia in the tank, or vermited snails. Do I think it’s good business? No, not really. However, it’s his choice. Just like it’s his choice to be rude and off putting. It’s not great, but it’s not the end of the world if he wants to do all that. It’s just like with anything else, people are going to be rude or have bad business practice regardless.
but I will look into the stuff you mentioned. Thank you.

 

[JaimeAdams]

The place giving you $5 for the thermostat was probably nice. If I am a store that purchases the thermostat for $5 wholesale its value to me is $5, not the $9 that you paid or the $12 that they charge for it.

The copper banded butterfly may have been on its way out. At that point what would you have the store do? Kill the fish or leave the fish in the tank hoping that it makes it? I can't tell you how many times customers are in the store that I run when a fish shipment just came in and half of them look like they will be dead in 5 minutes, by the next day they fine 99% of the time.

We do test peoples water but there are certainly times when it gets annoying. If the site is busy I'm not going to want to test someone's water when most times they don't even know what they want it tested for or don't test it themselves. IMO a set of real test kits should be purchased prior to putting water in your tank. On the flip side I do like testing water samples when trying to help people figure out what is causing a specific issue that they are having.

Pests in reef tanks are pretty common, aptasia, bubble algae, vermitides most tanks do have them, not all, but pretty common.

We don't do guarantees either. We used to, but back to the water sample thing. Ive had people bring me samples after death of fish or inverts where the salinity has been as low as 1.015 and as high as 1.038. Ive seen nitrates over 300. Ive had ammonia over .8. At the LFS you can see the animal and judge its health, but once it leaves my care I don't know what you did to it. Did you leave in in the trunk of your car for 5 hours in August or January? I have no way of knowing.

I've been called a know it all, stuck up, unpersonable, abrasive etc. Not all LFS people are customer service people as is evident by the responses in this thread. I, like anyone have my good days and my bad days. You don't know if I'm sick, if I just found out that my wife is having an affair or that my baby is in the NICU etc and I'm there because I need my $12 an hour to pay rent or buy baby formula but would rather be home crying myself to sleep. Most LFS people are hobbyists, not always the best Customer Service techs. The difference IMO is that the good ones will go out of their way to help you solve problems and issues. Maybe not treat you like they are your server while out eating an $80 steak, but help you fix your reefing issues.

LFS can get jaded, it's really easy to do. Recently I was trying to help a lady. I asked her how big the tank was, she didn't know. I asked her if she had a sump, she asked what a sump was. I asked if she had a skimmer, she asked what a skimmer was. I showed her these things. But doing your own just very basic research goes a long way. Sometimes its like spending all day trying to tell people how to drive a car, but they don't know what the steering wheel or the pedals are much less what they actually do. So I understand how we LFS people can get jaded sometimes.

Sometimes the best advice you can get is to put a bottle of bleach in your tank. Ive actually done it myself in the store several years back.

My advice if you are going to the LFS looking for advice. Bring a water sample, bring clear pictures of the tank and all your equipment or know what equipment you use.

 

[mdb_talon]

I didn’t have a problem that they gave me the $5, I thought it was nice she did it in the first place. I was just wondering if that’s a normal thing in fish stores, to get store credit for less than something is worth.

I would say it is abnormal in the sense that they gave you anything. You said yourself you can buy one online for a couple dollars. He probably gave you more than he should of just trying to be nice.

 

[reefz]

Interested that a lot of people have problems with there’s. But myself, have had great experiences with my lfs. They have decent prices on most things, and have got alot of good stuff from them. The owner is very nice and helps me with whatever I need. Maybe I’m just lucky ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Tamberav]

I didn’t have a problem that they gave me the $5, I thought it was nice she did it in the first place. I was just wondering if that’s a normal thing in fish stores, to get store credit for less than something is worth. I would’ve returned it to the place I got it but they have an all sales final policy. I thought $9 for a small thermometer was pretty ridiculous, sure, but it’s not the end of the world. I wasn’t complaining about it, but I also am new to this hobby so I’m trying to get info from the people who have been doing it longer so I can figure out what is good or bad, or where I should/shouldn’t go back to.
As far as the guy at the store, he can have a rude or unprofessional attitude/demeanor all he wants, that’s his own business that he’s compromising, not mine. I’ve worked in customer service since I started working, period, and I can handle that. My issue was the fact that he was being rude about testing my nitrates, acting like he didn’t have time to answer the questions I have, and was clearly showing his non-interest and lack of caring. Since I’m new, I didn’t know about the magic eraser, which is why I asked. I’ve looked it up before, out of plain curiosity, and I remember reading there were chemicals in it. So, when he said there are NO chemicals I thought that was odd. I’m not trying to shut down every business that is doing something I disagree with - It was suggested somewhere else in this thread so I was thinking maybe I should. I really couldn’t care less about his personality being less than ideal for someone who owns a business and deals with other people all day, and like I said, I’m new to this hobby so I’m trying to get information from people who aren’t new. There is no way for me to know why is or isn’t common practice if I haven’t experienced it enough to be aware. I don’t agree with how he has the copper band housed and unable to even stay upright or swim stable for more than 30 seconds and I don’t agree with someone owning a fish store who hates fish. That doesn’t sound good. But tbh, it has nothing to do with the emotional or personality side of this, it’s just that I thought what was going on was kind of crappy and didn’t understand why or if that’s a normal thing.

Getting credit for like 1/3 a cost is normal. They don’t pay full price for those items from the distributor. They have to make a profit, not break even. Expect maybe 1/3 for coral frag trade ins too.

A healthy Copperband wont struggle with high flow and since many fish may ship poorly and arrive from wholesaler’s sick… it’s generally not the LFS fault. The supply chain is contaminated with sick fish. Maybe he should have a QT tank to isolate it but it was probably a loss cause as copperbands generally don’t recover.

Pests are not a huge deal. Half the time people struggle on these forums to remove them from one tank let alone a store full. At least you know they are there cuz the places that don’t have them just often have better upkeep and you buy a coral and one springs up anyways. It only takes a cell. They just scraped it off before you came into the store.

It doesn’t matter he doesn’t like BTAs. He is a store and not a animal rescue. It is not like he wants them or anything to die. That would mean less profit.

He ofc should not be rude and I think most places test water.