Does it matter when you buy from LFS?

[Evan]

I would like to hear opinions regarding when is the “right time” to buy fish from a local independent LFS (i.e., not a big-box store). 

My LFS puts fish in the sale tanks early in the week, usually Monday or Tuesday. It’s hard for me to get there during the week so by the time I get there on the weekend the fish have been “on the floor” for 5 or 6 days.

Every time I buy fish, particularly if it’s a Sunday, I wonder if all the good ones have already been bought and I’m looking at the least desirable specimens. 

Am I nuts?

[HelplessNewbie]

I would think the longer they are at the LFS, the more likely they survive. They have had longer to acclimate to local water, and they would have shed/shown any illnesses by then.

However, I don't have personal experience to back it up.

Edited September 23, 2023 by HelplessNewbie

[Sarina]

I worked at a local fish store and our salt water orders came in on Fridays, freshwater on Tuesdays, give or take a day depending on how the airport processed the live animal shipments that week, and how large the order was. Most of the good (when I say "good," just assume I mean healthy, large, colorful) salt water stock was gone by the end of the weekend, save for a few high-dollar fish and corals. Clowns were thoroughly picked over after just 2 days in the tanks. Freshwater was hit-or-miss depending on what was currently in fashion. For some reason popularity for freshwater stock was extremely variable and sometimes we totally missed the mark on our orders. If you get lucky, a high quality specimen that you really want will stick around for a whole week, but we usually tried to avoid keeping fish for longer than a week unless it was a staple we ordered super regularly, like neons. If you're regularly coming in on Sundays, you are probably not getting the best options. If Sundays are your only available day to shop for fish, you may want to switch to ordering certain specific species online. Staples like otocinclus, neons, barbs, most small schooling fish that get ordered in bulk aren't fish that we pick through individually, so those will be a mixed bag on any day. 

I actually disagree with @HelplessNewbie on fish lasting longer in the store being healthier. Often times these fish are more exposed to disease, and fish stores aren't exactly low-stress environments. There's nets being dipped in their tanks almost daily, sometimes they aren't fed appropriately (depending on the store), and the only store I have ever been in that properly quarantines/medicates has been Aquarium Co-Op. Quarantining fish is an extreme rarity, most stores can't afford to. Because of the amount of stress that fish are usually under in most fish stores, it's not great for their immune system and they are just as likely, if not more likely to get sick, as fish purchased the day they came in. 

I would recommend chatting with your store staff and finding out exactly what days they get orders, to see if you can plan around those days. Most store staff will be happy to tell you, a lot will put new order arrivals on social media. It's kind of fun to have a nice big variety to choose from, anyway. 

[HelplessNewbie]

On 9/23/2023 at 7:03 PM, Sarina said:

Because of the amount of stress that fish are usually under in most fish stores, it's not great for their immune system and they are just as likely, if not more likely to get sick, as fish purchased the day they came in. 

Aaaah, this is good to know. I may be buying soon from my LFS, so I appreciate knowing about the high stress the fish endure while at the store. I have had luck buying from fellow hobbyists and from AquaHuna for my stocking.

Edited September 24, 2023 by HelplessNewbie

[Guppysnail]

I’m a regular at my fish store. I got to know the clerks. Fish stores place orders every week. They try to guess at what will sell best. 
Most small fish shops I have dealt with all you need to do is ask. They will order anything you want that is available for them to order. It’s a guaranteed sale for them. 
My shop has tanks in back they hold all ordered in fish until the day that week the customer can pick them up. Some stores have a minimum number of each type they must order. So you may get a “yes but we need to order 6 and we are not certain we can sell them. So if you order you must take 6” some shops ask for prepayment. 
Often just because they order it from what’s available on the weekly order sheet it may not always come in if the wholesaler sold out to a larger store first. (the wholesale list they order from changes weekly) 

Ive gotten to know my fish store manager well. He emails the wholesale list to several Good customers. It’s a good faith gesture and agreed in advance we will pay his standard retail mark up and not expect to pay his wholesale price. Most shops will not allow you to see their order list but will look if your request is on the sheet.  They usually get the list a day or so before their day to place their order. Ask them what day they order and what day they usually get their order sheet. This allows you to call that day with your special order and see if it’s available. 
The asking for special orders is a win win. They are getting a guaranteed sale and building a loyal customer base and you get the opportunity to access a greater variety of fish.  They also take the hit if there are any doa instead of you. 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

I’d say it depends on the LFS. The LFS that takes basically everything I breed most definitely QT’s their fish. I know because they’ve allowed me back there a couple of times to take a look. Even though they do their own quarantine, I still do mine on top of it. 
 

My other LFS, I have no clue. Their stock is healthy and they have other fun things the first mentioned LFS doesn’t, but I’ve never seen their QT space. It’s entirely possible they have it and I’ve just never seen it. 
 

My best advice is to build relationships with your LFS and ask questions. I went to LFS #2 this past week to walk the floor and pick up a filter, and as soon as I came in the manager asked me, “where’s the boss today?”  Normally my girlfriend is with me, but this time she wasn’t, and this let me know that not only do they recognize me, but they recognize my significant other as well. Get to know them, let them know you, and it typically works better for everyone.