What makes the perfect LFS?

[FrozenFins]

In your opinion when you walk into a fish store for the first time whats your big no, no that makes this a bad LFS or the big thing that makes it your go to LFS

of course every LFS needs a toilet but other then that here are my things i look out for

-How they treat their fish, employees, and customers (this is the biggest for me)

-How healthy are the fish? Do they come with a warranty? (If petsmart can offer a warranty so can you, sell healthy fish)

- Clean Tanks? Clean store?

-is there a "hello how are you, what can I help you with" the second i walk in the store or is there no staff anywhere to be seen?

-how do they keep their bettas? In cups? Or are they in real aquariums? (I have an LFS that keeps them with all the other fish)

- do they QT fish?

-Fish selection, drygoods selection, plant selection.

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM NAMING SPECIFIC STORES, AS THAT WOULD BE AGAINST THE COMMUNITY GUIDLINES!!!

[lefty o]

a variety of clean healthy fish, reasonable pricing, and a moderate level of customer service.

[d23perry]

Anti-perfect LFS is when there are dead fish in the tanks that have clearly been dead for a while, i.e stuck on the overflow drains for what seems like forever, and being feasted on well past death by immediate tank mates, etc. 

[CT_]

I have a LFS that I do like but they're very dirty.  The front glass of tanks is dirty, filters are dirty and tipped over, their display tank I can tell was at one point magnificent but is now all algae.  They also sell plants but a lot of them are in really rough shape. 

 

In a lot of ways, I suspect they care a lot but just their initial presentation really makes me think they don't care. 😞

 

[Johannes]

My go to lfs is an amazing place they always ask if they can help their customers and have amazing display tanks and every tank is clean . they keep their bettas in divided tanks and their females with the other fish. They do quarantine their fish and treat anything that they see is a disease and they have an amazing plants separated in cups and four tanks they have every medicine you need. Additionally they have an amazing dry good selection. They continue to bring in new fish they also have a big saltwater fish tank that you se when you walk in. Even better they breed their own fish when they have the time the owner has forty years of experience with the hobby including being the first person in the world to breed a pleco can't remember the name but as fry and juveniles they have a orange fin tips

[tonyjuliano]

My LFS (well... maybe not so local, more like an hours drive away) is simply fantastic.  Super clean, tremendous selection of healthy fish & plants, great service and advice.

They also have an excellent assortment of quality gear.  If, by chance, they don’t have what I’m looking for - they get it quickly (this includes any fish you can think of).

You pay a little more than online (and they don’t sell via the “interwebs” either) but to me it’s worth it.  There are MANY places closer to me, including a “big box” about 5 minutes away, but I’ll make the drive anytime.

If you ever find yourself near Lehaska, Pennsylvania, you owe it to yourself to stop in.  

https://cuboidnatureaquarium.com

 

Edited May 24, 2021 by tonyjuliano

[ARMYVET]

Unfortunately for me ...there are no good LFS and I live in south florida.  You must be thinking ...WTH there are fish stores every where...true, there are alot but 99 percent of them is Saltwater specialty shops...so I dont go to them.  The couple that do offer freshwater stuff....do not quarantine at all and sometimes because of rushing around dont even acclimate .....just dump and go (yes I have witnessed it myself).  There is a new place dedicated to freshwater but its 90 min away and opens and closes while I am at work and is closed on sundays ...my day off...figures lol

So currently my best LFS is the Co-op for dry goods and plants.  

@Cory If you ever decide to have a second store and warehouse on the east coast (you would make a killing)...make it Florida and I'll come work for you!

[Colu]

Number one for me is knowledgeable staff well cared for fish  

Edited May 24, 2021 by Colu

[KaitieG]

For me it would be...having an LFS 🙂  The only one within an hour's driving distance is closing in June.  It was a good store and was my go-to for getting rid of my extra guppies!  Only option now is a big box store that's even farther away and has no knowledgeable staff or driving 3 hours to a different city 😞 

[laritheloud]

6 hours ago, tonyjuliano said:

My LFS (well... maybe not so local, more like an hours drive away) is simply fantastic.  Super clean, tremendous selection of healthy fish & plants, great service and advice.

They also have an excellent assortment of quality gear.  If, by chance, they don’t have what I’m looking for - they get it quickly (this includes any fish you can think of).

You pay a little more than online (and they don’t sell via the “interwebs” either) but to me it’s worth it.  There are MANY places closer to me, including a “big box” about 5 minutes away, but I’ll make the drive anytime.

If you ever find yourself near Lehaska, Pennsylvania, you owe it to yourself to stop in.  

https://cuboidnatureaquarium.com

 

This store looks gorgeous. I'll have to stop in next time I'm in the Lambertville/New Hope area!

[laritheloud]

My favorite LFS within a half-hour drive from here is a beautiful store. Impeccable tanks, healthy and robust stock, a crazy selection including less commonly seen species. I think they are better for freshwater fish than saltwater fish, for saltwater it would be TSM Aquatics which is local to me (and if you're looking for high-end stock, they ship and have exceptional service, including an extensive quarantine and conditioning process for all their fish and inverts). 

[Lemon]

10 hours ago, James Black said:

In your opinion when you walk into a fish store for the first time whats your big no, no that makes this a bad LFS or the big thing that makes it your go to LFS

of course every LFS needs a toilet but other then that here are my things i look out for no

-How they treat their fish, employees, and customers (this is the biggest for me) amazing

-How healthy are the fish? Do they come with a warranty? (If petsmart can offer a warranty so can you, sell healthy fish) no warranty but I have never had a fish die from a disease or even had a disease except for the floating issue I have with pygmy cories but that happens with online, other store and this store

- Clean Tanks? Clean store? clean tanks: not really but the displays are nice, and sale tanks all have algae needing fish so I think that is fine, clean store: not really the drygoods section is very neat, and clean, but the store is run but the owner and a part time guy and they are normally busy so I'm fine with it

-is there a "hello how are you, what can I help you with" the second i walk in the store or is there no staff anywhere to be seen? as soon as I open the door the owner asks, "hi (sometimes my name but not often) is there anything you are looking for today. if I say no he sometimes shows me a cool fish or plant he got(if he isn't busy ofc)"

-how do they keep their bettas? In cups? Or are they in real aquariums? (I have an LFS that keeps them with all the other fish) I havent seen any female bettas but the males are kept in separate tanks sometimes with other fish

- do they QT fish? he qt's his fish if they are sick and you can't buy from the system the fish is in until there are no signs of disease

-Fish selection, drygoods selection, plant selection. Fish selection: not amazing but pretty good I noticed he has a lot of guppy's, medium cichlids, pufferfish, and the usual's neons, bettas, etc. drygoods selection: not as good as the fish but he does have some aquasoils(is that the right word? ada, fluval) tropica root tabs, and rimless and rimmed tanks, a ton of various pumps 🤔, a lot of food, I haven't seen brine shrimp eggs though. plant selection oh my the plant section . . . is absolutely amazing! his plants are always healthy, he has a lot of variety at a good price, he has given discounts if a plants has some algae, and I have never has a crypt melt from him or any plant melt sadly I can't say that about the other lfs

 

answers are in bold

I agree a bathroom is a must, and being able to greet customers when they walk in is very nice(sometimes the owner remembers my name)

[tonyjuliano]

1 hour ago, laritheloud said:

My favorite LFS within a half-hour drive from here is a beautiful store. Impeccable tanks, healthy and robust stock, a crazy selection including less commonly seen species. I think they are better for freshwater fish than saltwater fish, for saltwater it would be TSM Aquatics which is local to me (and if you're looking for high-end stock, they ship and have exceptional service, including an extensive quarantine and conditioning process for all their fish and inverts). 

So...  What is the “freshwater place”?  Inquiring minds want to know.

[sudofish]

My LFS is in serious need of competition. I wish I was in a position/had the knowledge to do one right. You walk in and the staff won't communicate. It's not that they are mean but they are just so awkward they can't even say hello. They just kind of frown at you like you're going to steal something. They have no selection to speak of. Every time I've went they only have at most 2 fish of each type, even if they are schooling fish. Except for pirhana. Of course they sell pirhana because that's the kind of people that run this place. Yes they are legal here. But there's always been rumors that they deal with illegal stuff behind the scenes. The bettas are in horrible shape and kept in containers 1/2 the size of what you'd see in petco. They have holes poked in the top with airline tubing going in. The other day I saw marketing material from another very popular plant seller pasted up on their wall. It was a chart showing different plants but as I had recently ordered from the place I immediately recognized it as what they send to you when you order. They had just cut the name off of it and taped it up. Their google reviews reflect my experience so it's not just me.

[laritheloud]

12 minutes ago, tonyjuliano said:

So...  What is the “freshwater place”?  Inquiring minds want to know.

Aquarium Center in Blackwood, NJ

[Just a Pygmy Corydora]

My LFS is....well, Aquarum Co-op, the forum we are in right now. Aquarium Co-op is about 20-30 minutes away and the neighborhood petco and petsmart are about 40 min. I would say Aquarium Co-op is the perfect LFS for me, because of the bettas in filtered aquariums, large variety of fish, staff are always there to give advice, and healthy fish and plants.

[Taco Playz]

My favorite lfs is like 30 min away from my home. Its amazing, they have tons of plants and different rare fish. They are super nice and they even give me different fish/shrimp for a cheaper price. They gave me crystal red shrimp for the price of cherry shrimp!

[Tanked]

Along with the everything the others have mentioned, the perfect LFS sells nothing but fish and aquatic related products, and has exceptional customer service. Employees who know the product and are willing to adapt to their customers level of interest/knowledge/experience.  The perfect LFS also has to properly label the stock and keep reasonable prices.

I have two LFSs within 15 minutes.  One should be perfect, but is really an extension of somebody's hobby. The second is farther away, the inventory is about 90% aquatic, and except for some vague plant ids and a general shopworn appearance, It is much closer to perfect.  

[H.K.Luterman]

My go to LFS closed down right before Covid, and it's been a huge bummer. The one that's still open... I have many complaints. They focus on saltwater tanks, and have huge coral displays, so that's great if you're into that. But I always see sick, injured and dead fish on their tiny freshwater section. The staff has been unfriendly and hard to get ahold of the few times I've been there. It's been a long time since I've been there, so I'm sure I'll go take a peek at some point to see if they've improved. I think they're even in a new location now.

So whatever I can't find at a big box store (at least we have several of those), I'll shop online for. 

I wish the idea of the store quarantining their livestock would become a common thing. 

[FrozenFins]

My LFS does specialize in saltwater, but still has great selection of freshwater. The staff greet you the second you open the door, and will assist in any way possible. You can tell that they put the fish before the money (one LFS in my city does the opposite) and their prices surprise me every time I come, there just too darn good. My only complaint is that they dont have a whole lot of plants, but with everything else they have its fine. I'll just shop online for plants.

[H.K.Luterman]

4 minutes ago, James Black said:

My LFS does specialize in saltwater, but still has great selection of freshwater. The staff greet you the second you open the door, and will assist in any way possible. You can tell that they put the fish before the money (one LFS in my city does the opposite) and their prices surprise me every time I come, there just too darn good. My only complaint is that they dont have a whole lot of plants, but with everything else they have its fine. I'll just shop online for plants.

I'm very jealous. My area is strangely devoid of any sort of serious aquaculture. And it's so weird to me because this is a town full of nerds; we have NASA here, and it's a pretty populated area. 

[Trish]

One of my local LFS does not quarantine, so I see fin rot, Ich, and DOA's.  Health and cleanliness is a priority. With Covid stock has dwindled for weeks and months, orders are promised but never show.  I think a perfect fish store would be when the staff get to know you well enough that they don't second guess what  you're saying when one's experienced and put in the miles.  I recently had to hold my ground over Ellobiopsidae while being told it was green eggs.... no such thing Sam I Am!   

Edited May 25, 2021 by Trish

[Fish Folk]

(1) Warm, friendly, knowledgable Staff who obviously love fish, and enjoy helping their customers. Other things I can take or leave. That is essential.

(2) I personally prefer at least part of the store to be dark "fish cave" feel. It's so great to walk into a space where the lighted fish tanks are what's "glowing" rather than overhead lights.

(3) Also very good is where a store cares for the fish it gets, cleans its tanks out, and treats the fish as well as possible. When a store has given up trying to look sharp, it always seems like proper care is likely to drop as well.

-- Personally, I do not need a store to have a bathroom for customers. I know that's considered very important to some, but I could care less.

-- I really do not need a store to be large or spacious. I'm fine with narrow spaces, as long as the tanks and fish are healthy and good-looking.

-- I do not necessarily need a store to be open every day of the week, or all hours. But I do prefer a store that is open later in the day rather than just on the early side.

If I were setting up a fish store (which I doubt I ever will) I'd keep it freshwater, and feature rooms of fish from major regions: African room, Asian room, Australia / Oceana room, Central / South American room, North American room. I'd sell fish from small to medium-sized. Nothing that required a tank larger than a 125 gal. 

[CalmedByFish]

I pay attention to how they net the fish out of the tanks. I've seen people smash them against the glass, or ignore that a long fin is caught in one of the net's holes, etc.

Along with having knowledgeable and helpful staff, they also need to not be the "fish police." Refusing to sell a certain fish to a customer is really walking a fine line between responsible and arrogant.

[FrozenFins]

A really cool feature to have at a fish store would be what i would call "the dollar a plant bin". Local aquarists can come in drop in there plants, the store would buy from them and then would sell it the same price they bought it for. All though your not making any money you are supporting local hobbysits, and Improving the hobby, which is whats most important.