Whats one thing your LFS could do better?

[joeboots82520]

Give a crap......the owner buys useless stuff and fills the store with junk that should be at the register of a 99 cent store. They cannot keep good employees the turn around rate is unbelievable. I’ve asked countless times and left my number for someone to call me when something comes back in stock IE salt mix and never get a call. Its sad because the place use to be great.

 

[ThunderGoose]

My LFS is pretty good. What could they do better? Smaller stock. I have a 55 for my "large" tank and a 10 gallon nano. Tangs, angels, diadems urchins are all too big for me. I like sexy shrimp, pederson's shrimp, tuxedo urchins. I find myself buying a lot of livestock online to get smaller species.

But I don't think there are enough nano folks for him to do that. He had a flaming prawn goby that went unsold for so long that he sold it to me for cost to get it out of the store.

 

[Tiger-Paws]

A "premium livestock" selection. Been through a QT process. I'd gladly pay more for a fish thats been through a QT than one straight from the bag. I get that holding fish, spending the time and medication is expensive, but I'd gladly pay my share of that as the customer.

Agreed

 

[Tiger-Paws]

Give a crap......the owner buys useless stuff and fills the store with junk that should be at the register of a 99 cent store. They cannot keep good employees the turn around rate is unbelievable. I’ve asked countless times and left my number for someone to call me when something comes back in stock IE salt mix and never get a call. Its sad because the place use to be great.

All to common a problem

 

[vetteguy53081]

Pricing, selection and monthly sale items will always be beneficial to hobbyist and win New customers. I am fortunate to have that resource at more than one Store

 

[Fin]

Re-open. :-(

 

[Elude82]

I guess I am very lucky. I live in Daytona Beach and have gone to Poseidon’s Aquarium the entire 6 years I’ve been in the hobby. I’ve always been a supporter of “the local guy”. In all the time in the hobby, I’ve only bought one thing online(an inTank Media Basket, though they sell the IM original), They always have plenty of fish and corals. The owner who I deal with majority of the time, only hires knowledgeable staff. They have never sold me things I don’t need. I could have $100 worth of stuff in hand ready to buy, and without second thought, tell me all the things I don’t need. Even if it costs them a Sale, they don’t mind doing what’s right. They hold whatever I want, they order whatever I want. And no matter how busy the store gets, they take their time with their customers. I respect that.
If I could have a wish list, it would be to do a Customer Reward System. I really can’t complain, since he gives me below normal prices at times. Corals for example.

 

[lilbalways]

Don't have one local. I order online. The drive to get to LFS for me would be about 45 minutes either direction.

 

[Rispa]

Exist

I don’t have a fish store within a couple hundred miles

Where in Texas are you located

 

[ReefWithCare]

I wish there was places that handled fish better. There are plenty of places either online or local that have great coral facilities, but very few that are good with fish. I wish there was a local store that really nailed the fish side of things. I’m lucky to be next to a Coral Farm but fish selection is horrible in the area.i wish there were facilities as high end as the coral farms for fish and wouldn’t mind if they had limited hours.

Also - guarantee your fish — no LFS guarantee saltwater fish. Yet Petco does for some odd reason [emoji848]. I don’t bother with an LFS without this.

 

[Brian W]

One LFS
Actually know what they are talking about.
Dont call something "ghetto" when I try to explain its a proven method and used widely across the hobby
Dont sell a 5" yello tang for $275

another LFS
fire the girl who knows nothing about the store or its products
stop charging 4x retail for everything. Who buy a $14 - 3/4" bulkhead?
actually clean your tanks once in a while

This is why I buy most of my stuff online or drive 25 + miles to a different Fish Store.

 

[siggy]

A "premium livestock" selection. Been through a QT process.

that would be great. I have ZERO success from one LFS fish, so obviously I don't buy from him any more.

 

[Finatik]

QT new fish arrivals and ensure that fish are healthy before selling them.

 

[norfolkgarden]

QT new fish arrivals and ensure that fish are healthy before selling them.

76 days?

For the purpose of discussing a quarantine protocol that actually does something, we will use the full legit quarantine time.
We can save "observational quarantining" and "what is involved in properly quarantining fish, annnd corals, annnnd inverts" for another separate endless thread. [emoji53]

76 days is the recommended time frame for a full quarantine with prophylactic meds recommended by the people who quarantine.
(I don't quarantine most fish, just 20 to 30 minutes observation at the LFS, and acclimation box in the tank for several days. I also stick to hardier livestock under $100)

Like most products with a long supply chain, the farmer, coke farmer, tobacco farmer or fish capture people see very little of the final price you pay for your (in this case) fish.

By the time you take it to the first world and add the cost of the meds, additional months of feeding, cost of electricity and additional systems to house the fish, half a dozen different food attempts for the expensive picky eaters that die in system, you are talking about doubling or tripling (or more ?) the price of each fish.

How much more are you (or most hobbyists) really willing to spend on a fully quarantined and eating heartily fish?
Honestly?

And all it takes to screw it up at the LFS is wet hands from one of the other tanks.......


LiveAquaria has an awesome guarantee and impeccable customer service. And generally low prices and free shipping. Even when the order is split on their end and 1 box is coming from California and 1 box is coming from Wisconsin.

Their credit policy is so generous I didn't use it last time. I knew I was ordering annoying problem fish and was looking for specific sizes to match up with current tank inhabitants. That was on me.

I want them to stay in business so I can order from them again.

YMMV

 

[norfolkgarden]

We have 6 local LFS within an hours drive to choose from. All of them are great and all have various strengths and weaknesses.
Most have been in business for 20+ years.

Almost all of them are converting a bank or 2 of salt water tanks to fresh water.....
Most of them had much more problematic riskier fish available several years ago.


I spend a lot of money helping to keep them in business. [emoji6]
Buying hard goods and livestock locally first, and then looking at online sources if I can't find it in the store locally. Cost of buying local is often a 10% (or more) mark up from online. But it helps keep them in business. None of them drives a Lexus.


The local shops all do a pretty good job and I don't expect much more from any of them. I will be happy if they can just keep their heads above water.
[emoji53]

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

one lfs have more sales and better sales
another lfs have more small fish
both be closer to me at least a hours drive for me

 

[Naoxyn]

My LFS could literally do everything better. I only have big box stores here. All of the fish tanks are dirty. All of the fish have ich or some kind of ailment. There's always dead fish at the bottom of the tanks. I've completely given up on local purchases. Everything is now obtained online.

 

[mainn]

More varied coral selection. My LFS frags out of the tanks of the owner and the employees so once you have everything they have there isnt much new to get except some colonies they sell on occasion

 

[beastium]

Accurate prices/ID written

 

[CindyKz]

I love my LFS. They don't quarantine, but when I've had fish die within a day or two I've gotten a refund (except on difficult species and those are clearly labeled "no guarantee") I know some stores are moving toward quarantine and I think that's awesome for the hobby, but I can also see the difficulty in an established store changing their practices.

Our LFS actively and generously supports our local club AND the veteran community. They are friendly when I walk in, know most of thier customers by name, and have given me sound advice on more than one occasion (even when the advice ultimately loses money for them) .

I can't think of anything I'd want them to do differently.