Time to gripe about your LFS!!

[chevman3171]

Okay, I just got back from my LFS to pick up some more Instant Ocean salt (Good stuff, IMHO) because I was in the middle of mixing up some more water for a water change, and I ran out. ANYWAY, after buying the salt, I was looking at THE saltwater aquarium (YES, they only have 1 saltwater) and in it I see a 3" Yellow Tang, a 1.5" Domino Damsel, a 2.5" Coral Beauty Angel, a 2.5" Maroon Clown, 2 HUGE Scarlet Hermits, and some other little thigs. Not a bad supply, for one aquarium. BUT, the crappy part is:
ALL THIS WAS IN A 4' x 12" x 14"!! (Yes, it was a custom build) Oh, and it had a nice 4" or so sandbed, 2 football-sized chunks of live rock, and several other smaller chunks. All this doesn't leave much room for these fish to swim.
Don't get me wrong, I like the place, partially because they have just about everything I need, and also because it's less than a block away from my residence. The lady that runs it is a fruitcake tho. Does anyone know a place that has good saltwater fish somewhere around the middle of MN? I live in Hutchinson, and drive to Minneapolis/St. Paul regularly, also St. Cloud. Any info would be great.
So now let's hear what other people think of their LFS's!
edit: I know i posted this in the photography forum, because I intend to get a pic soon

 

[grouperhead]

That's honestly not that bad. Please watch your language as well. Some people are offended by 'swear' words. Bo

 

[krunk]

ive seen worse, too.

 

[tangman99]

Yeah, for a place that is planning on selling them soon, that is not too bad at all. I have seen 10 or 12 yellow tangs in one acrylic cubicle of a wall cubicle setup.

 

[polarpooch]

Love, Love, LOVE my LFS.
Not only do they have awesome fish, corals and customer service...but I get the frequent-customer discount!
How could I NOT love them??!
I wish you all could have an LFS like mine

 

[cincyreefer]

Yeah, I don't think that is bad for a lfs at all, especially in a 55 gallon. I am sure that there are plenty of people on the boards that have heavier fish loads.

 

[austinreef]

I agree, Thats not bad for a 55. I've seen much worse than that.

 

[aquagal]

One of my LFS's had at least 50 Maroon clowns in one 10 gallon. Those poor guys were ripping each other to shreds. Same thing with the True Percula tank, but they weren't in such poor shape. I can't imagine that people will buy those maroons that are all torn up! What happens to fish the LFS can't sell ? Dare I ask? BTW, my other LFS's are great and really care for their livestock. They "grill" you before selling you anything

 

[bioreefer]

My LFS is ok I aslo get great deals sometimes I get thing at cost. Problem its hard to get the rare things from him and so on. b/c he thinks that if he cant take care of it nobody can. he gets the same thing week after week. I am starting to hate damsels LOL

 

[neutronics]

My LFS is great here. He would let me test whether the fish that I intend to buy will eat pellets or flake
Clean tanks, good hospitality, discounts, meaningful advice and great professional looking display tanks

 

[neah84]

chev, there are 2 lfs in richfield,mn. its not that much farther then mn. one of them is called somthing fishy and the other one is called...well i forget, but both stores are about 2 blocks from each other and both have plenty of swf stuff. ive gotten all my fish, rock, sand....ect from them and nothing has gone wrong. i can give you the second fish stores website if u want it. just write to me. cutegoochy@hotmail.com hope that helps a little

 

[tony detroit]

I like the 3 foot lemmon shark and 4 foot nurse shark in the 300 gallon that Ocean Life used to have when they were in business.
The lemmon sharks nose/snout was all rubbed raw, it was pink, and chunks of skin were flaking off. It was disgusting. It would kick it's tail once and go flying right into the acrylic on the other end of the tank.
Horrible.
I love all the

[hr]

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in the agressive forum that think their sharks are only going to get so big, or grow to fit their tank.
Novice did the right thing and found somebody to take his shark BEFORE he bought it.
People that have had leopard sharks for two months think they know the whole ballgame.

 

[doodle1800]

Saw a American Pharmaceutical Tap water filter for $80 !!!!!!!!!!!!!! at the Chicago Aquarium LFS in Orland Park. They are $29.00 online at another well known LFS. $39 in the store. (PetSm@@t).
Robbery....

 

[salisbury a d]

Well my lfs is the one that DVS works at and i have no problems with it. They have large aquariums for the fish. And even bigger displays for coral. They have two reef displays that the coral are sold in and i think they are over 100gallons. Havent been there in a while but it is good.
Adam

 

[dbennett78]

I thought my lfs was good until lately it seems like they have had a huge outbreak of disease. Its mostly the yellow tangs. They all look malnourished and almost dead. If it is disease then it probably spread to all their other tanks seeing as its all running on the same filtration unit? Is it possible that they could cure the disease and still sell healthy fish or what? Its so close to home but its better to take the drive than to buy a sick fish. Let me know.

 

[karajay]

Not the one I shop at....but how about a 6in. porc puffer in a 30g

 

[salisbury a d]

Well we complain and all but what can we do??
Stores are there to sell fish to us.
It isnt like they can have a 90 gallon tank for every tang or puffer or other large fish.
Yes some places have problems but it is for us to decided whethr or not that it is suitable to buy their products or not.
Adam

 

[scotts]

At one of the LFS that I go to the arrogant owner has a large tank the he just installed with MH so he could sell hard corals. Well this tank has been up for about 6 months and is now neing overrun with apistatia (sp?). He is not the type of person that you can recommend anything to. So I just waled away.
Scott

 

[oregonbud]

There are 3 LFS's in my town, 1 I go to regularly, they have great customer service, most are knowledgeable about reefs, and will order anything they don't stock for you. The other one is good, but very limited on his supplies.
The last one is the one I wish everyone would gripe about - the store reminds me of an illegal puppy mill, except for fish. Dirt is everywhere, dead fish float in 80% of their tanks, but the worst part is one of the part owners that is there. Arrogance puts it mildly - this guy actually tried to tell me that he invented coralline algea, and designed a flake food for his mandarins they sell (hmm wonder why 3 are floating upside down in the tank). Last I heard the fire chief was not happy because they had extension cords running all across the cement floor in the tank room, and water was in puddles where the outlets were. Chevman it makes the store you were at look like a palace.
Someday I will sneak in and snap a couple pics for you guys - words can not even begin to describe how bad this place is.

 

[jag3365]

Been there seen that. Especially after Finding Nemo came out...couldn't believe the amount of clownfish in a small 1' square tank. I really felt sorry for them.
It's not as bad as the big chain stores though. I feel bad everytime I walk into one of them and see the moping and sick fish swimming in circles. I'm almost tempted to just buy them to try to rescue them from their misery.
Also Chevman those 2 stores that neah84 recommended in Richfield, World of Fish and Something Fishy are really good to get advice and see their setups in the Mpls area. I go there all the time, my preference is for World of Fish, seem to have better selection and a lot cleaner. Lived in St Cloud for awhile and couldn't find anyone who knew a lot about SW.