LFS Questions
- Thread starter laffit
- Start date
speg
Active Member
I've never really witnessed any 'good' LFS. I guess it's your own personal experiences with them that make them good or bad.
Some give refunds for a certain period of days and some give no refunds on saltwater fish (*****). I personally won't do business with a company that offers a zero guarantee on their live goods.
If you're buying from a store and are getting no success with livestock and/or their fish/inverts look unhealthy then you may want to go elsewhere.
Some give refunds for a certain period of days and some give no refunds on saltwater fish (*****). I personally won't do business with a company that offers a zero guarantee on their live goods.
If you're buying from a store and are getting no success with livestock and/or their fish/inverts look unhealthy then you may want to go elsewhere.
nycbob
Active Member
a good lfs would carry healthy fish. my lfs is decent at best. they dont qt the fish, and i'd say 1/4 of them r sick. most lfs hv poor return policy. i cant really blame them for it, since overhead is high. jusy gotta do own research be buying anything in this hobby. i find online shopping being the best even if it means paying for shipping.
speg
Active Member
Originally Posted by nycbob
http:///forum/post/3253912
a good lfs would carry healthy fish. my lfs is decent at best. they dont qt the fish, and i'd say 1/4 of them r sick. most lfs hv poor return policy. i cant really blame them for it, since overhead is high. jusy gotta do own research be buying anything in this hobby. i find online shopping being the best even if it means paying for shipping.
At least they offer some nice guarnatees on livestock (usually)
http:///forum/post/3253912
a good lfs would carry healthy fish. my lfs is decent at best. they dont qt the fish, and i'd say 1/4 of them r sick. most lfs hv poor return policy. i cant really blame them for it, since overhead is high. jusy gotta do own research be buying anything in this hobby. i find online shopping being the best even if it means paying for shipping.
At least they offer some nice guarnatees on livestock (usually)
mproctor4
Member
We have 7 LFS in our area that sell saltwater fish, NONE of them offer any type of warrently on live stock. One of the stores is exclusive to saltwater, some of his ideas are a bit outdated but he has healthy livestock and he will tell you point blank if he thinks something won't do well in your system--and explains why. I've heard he even refuses to sell some things if someone doesn't take his advice and he thinks it will die in your system. He also won't sell a fish if he thinks it is sick. I don't always agree with him, but I respect him for not just trying to make a sale. I do consider him a "good LFS". Some of the other stores are a joke---they out right lie to make a sale. 3 of them we won't buy from. Couple of the others have nice livestock, just idoits sales people. Most stores don't have the room to qt fish. I would love it if they do, but not sure I would really trust them.
aquaknight
Active Member
In my opinion, the only thing that makes for a good LFS, is selection. Nothing grinds my gears like walking into a store, just to go browse tanks of blue/green chromis, yellow tangs, and ocellaris clowns... Health is of a importance, not necessarily disease though. I mean I don't want fish dying in the corner with parasitic isopods, but if the fins are a little cloudly but the fish is nice and fat, so what? With fish coming in from all parts of the world, many times LFSs ordering from different suppliers, it's really hard to have disease free fish. Ich is really no big deal with proper QT procedures, done by yourself. LFS's QT'ing your fish is one of the biggest scams in the hobby. There is zero possibility if the LFS sells more then one fish in 4 weeks, for them to completely isolate the fish. It's also impossible to have 50+ tanks running for 4 weeks at a time.
I also know that the LFS is there to make money. While my personal opinion is that even a 125gal is too small for a Hippo tang, I realize that a 55gal isn't going to spell automatic death for one. I do have issues with them going further. One 'bad LFS' was clearly taking advantage, the buyer was setting up a tank and wanted a nice grouper and a smaller pair of clowns. I spoke up and told him it was nice he was feeding the grouper those clownfish.
I also know that the LFS is there to make money. While my personal opinion is that even a 125gal is too small for a Hippo tang, I realize that a 55gal isn't going to spell automatic death for one. I do have issues with them going further. One 'bad LFS' was clearly taking advantage, the buyer was setting up a tank and wanted a nice grouper and a smaller pair of clowns. I spoke up and told him it was nice he was feeding the grouper those clownfish.
king_neptune
Active Member
First impressions.
What are yours when you walk in?
Is the equipment in poor shape?
Are tanks dirty?
Fish sick?
That speaks about the quality of a fish store.
Sometimes you get burned, sometimes you get a smoking deal.
Thats the nature of the beast.
Having a return policy isnt a deal breaker for me.If you walk out the door with a healthy looking fish, chances are it is. 9 out of 10 fish die because of something your doing wrong, and they know it, thats why they dont offer refunds. People are just dumb, its fact.
I have a LFS that offers a 10 day refund if you bring in the dead animal and a sample of the water(personally I think that is easy to scam...just mix up a fresh batch of saltwater). I wont shop there, they have a young teenage staff that simply doesn't know enough to even properly take care of the animals, and the equipment is poorly maintained. So even with a smoking return policy, I still wont bite. In fact my favorite LFS has overpriced stock, and zero refunds. Yet they know their stuff, their tanks are pristine, and they have a fantastic selection. Its my fav place to pick up livestock.
What are yours when you walk in?
Is the equipment in poor shape?
Are tanks dirty?
Fish sick?
That speaks about the quality of a fish store.
Sometimes you get burned, sometimes you get a smoking deal.
Thats the nature of the beast.
Having a return policy isnt a deal breaker for me.If you walk out the door with a healthy looking fish, chances are it is. 9 out of 10 fish die because of something your doing wrong, and they know it, thats why they dont offer refunds. People are just dumb, its fact.
I have a LFS that offers a 10 day refund if you bring in the dead animal and a sample of the water(personally I think that is easy to scam...just mix up a fresh batch of saltwater). I wont shop there, they have a young teenage staff that simply doesn't know enough to even properly take care of the animals, and the equipment is poorly maintained. So even with a smoking return policy, I still wont bite. In fact my favorite LFS has overpriced stock, and zero refunds. Yet they know their stuff, their tanks are pristine, and they have a fantastic selection. Its my fav place to pick up livestock.
laffit
New Member
thanks for all the input, its a big help.
we have several LFS close by and they are all different, but my first impression is that most are quality shops. clean, healthy looking livestock. i'm still new, so i don't know about which fish should be seperated or together, but i get the idea that they are knowledgeable. i do get the impression some of them might push a sale more than others, but i understand its their business.
ive been very patient setting up and have started to add livestock. i didn't know what to expect or if there was some sort of industry policy about warranty. at this point, if something dies, I'd guess it was something i did anyway. money is important, but i dont want to take advantage of the LFS either.
i have run across several employees at different shops that i like, they shoot straight and have asked enough questions (over time) about my tank to advise me properly. those seem like the places i need to stick to.
we have several LFS close by and they are all different, but my first impression is that most are quality shops. clean, healthy looking livestock. i'm still new, so i don't know about which fish should be seperated or together, but i get the idea that they are knowledgeable. i do get the impression some of them might push a sale more than others, but i understand its their business.
ive been very patient setting up and have started to add livestock. i didn't know what to expect or if there was some sort of industry policy about warranty. at this point, if something dies, I'd guess it was something i did anyway. money is important, but i dont want to take advantage of the LFS either.
i have run across several employees at different shops that i like, they shoot straight and have asked enough questions (over time) about my tank to advise me properly. those seem like the places i need to stick to.