Caffeine thoughts this morning… my example of the natural form fish looking better that the line bred fish…

[GaryE]

Our Walmart had more tanks than Petco, and at times, more interesting fish. But the disease issues were disturbing, and while the employees blamed PETA for the closure (PETA would have had a case) I think it was just unprofitable.

As far as changes go, until my early 20s, I had 3 excellent aquarium stores, and a few mediocre ones I could walk to. Every Walmart style chain, and every department store downtown had a full tropical fish section. Plus, if you had a car or a lot of patience for a subway and bus journey, there were 2 very good stores with over 150 tanks each, and 3 with about 70. Now there are none where I Iived, and 2 of the 70 tank ones are still operating. One of the big stores moved and became a smaller set up, with a huge area for dog and cat supplies.

The hobby has lost ground. I'm not saying this for old guy nostalgia, but many younger aquarists don't realize how large a scene once existed. We tend to think the growth of the chains was a growth in demand, but it didn't work that way.

Petco has sort of expanded into my current region, but they don't even sell fish food, let alone fish.

 

[Magnum Man]

I'm going to revive this old thread... the glo fish market must be slowing down... I saw a glo angel fish ( the neon pink color ) at the pet store last time I was there getting food... the normal gal, said it was the 1st they have ever had... so sales must be slowing down enough they are adding new ones... BTW... I still like my "normal colored angels... the pink didn't do anything for me...

 

[TwoTankAmin]

If I list all the sources from where I have acquired fish over the years, Brick and Mortar stores are pretty much at the bottom of the list.

The hobby is not dyding in the states, it has moved online. I have attended the OCA once- my very first weekend event, A great event but too long a drive for me to ever repeat it. I have been attendeng the NEC in some fashion for many years. It is also where I did most of my vendor room selling. I have attended a few CatfishConventions as well. All of these events get a few 100 attendees.

If you have never attended an "Aquashella, the aquarium festival, has had large attendances at some of its events. For example, the Dallas event had 6,700 attendees in 2019."

And if you read the list of speakers at their recent events you might have a hard time recognozing any of the names. I think they are all YouTube people? I am not sure.

Money, Money, Money makes the world go round, the world go round......

 

[OldFishKeeper]

If I list all the sources from where I have acquired fish over the years, Brick and Mortar stores are pretty much at the bottom of the list.

The hobby is not dyding in the states, it has moved online. I have attended the OCA once- my very first weekend event, A great event but too long a drive for me to ever repeat it. I have been attendeng the NEC in some fashion for many years. It is also where I did most of my vendor room selling. I have attended a few CatfishConventions as well. All of these events get a few 100 attendees.

If you have never attended an "Aquashella, the aquarium festival, has had large attendances at some of its events. For example, the Dallas event had 6,700 attendees in 2019."

And if you read the list of speakers at their recent events you might have a hard time recognozing any of the names. I think they are all YouTube people? I am not sure.

Money, Money, Money makes the world go round, the world go round......

This thread should be revisited from time to time. I have had this hobby since 1957 when I was given a 2.5 G tank with a few guppies and kept returning to it when work and family allowed ample time.

I have seen the pendulum swing back and forth and agree that online access is the main reason for LFS closures. I, for one, see little need to support them when I can buy the same fish that they do from online sellers/breeders, at similar prices. I have learned the hard way that local stores do not provide the same standards of quarantine that I do.

What may be a good price from them, does not make sense if one suffers the loss of sick or dead fish and cost of medications. I would rather pay a bit more for shipping from a good, US source that sells US bred fish and has good quarantine and delivery standards. I still quarantine them upon delivery for added protection.

In my area, LFS don't even want free, locally bred fish. If they won't support me, I won't support them.

 

[GaryE]

There aren't a lot of US fish farms left, although quite a few buy and remarket fish from Asia.

There are two local stores in adjacent cities here. One buys from hobby breeders and supports the hobby - he is moving to a larger building next month, and doubling his tank space. The other says hobbyists produce garbage fish and that he won't support local breeders. He is only sporadically open as he's always going to have a great store to reopen, someday.

It's similar in the nearest fair sized city - 3 stores. One is mainly salt. One is always empty, with empty tanks and employees who have to be told what the fish are when you want them. They won't buy local. The one that is thriving has about 10% of their freshwater tanks stocked locally by breeders - almost all their Malawis, all their dwarf Cichlids and quite a few of their Corys. Stores here seem to thrive by surrounding themselves with a community. It's a recent trend I really like.

The local store that's moving asked its customers if any wanted to help with the move. He told me he has 7 trucks offered, more cars, and about 30 aquarists to do the heavy lifting. I signed on for a day of packing and unpacking the fish, but I figure I'll be carrying tanks too. It'll be fun to work with the local crew. They're good people. People are aware that if the physical store closes from this young guy going out of business, we'll lose a focal point and lose a lot of new hobbyists to frustration with the low quality chains. It's a different retail terrain, but also a different local scene.

 

[OldFishKeeper]

There aren't a lot of US fish farms left, although quite a few buy and remarket fish from Asia.

There are two local stores in adjacent cities here. One buys from hobby breeders and supports the hobby - he is moving to a larger building next month, and doubling his tank space. The other says hobbyists produce garbage fish and that he won't support local breeders. He is only sporadically open as he's always going to have a great store to reopen, someday.

It's similar in the nearest fair sized city - 3 stores. One is mainly salt. One is always empty, with empty tanks and employees who have to be told what the fish are when you want them. They won't buy local. The one that is thriving has about 10% of their freshwater tanks stocked locally by breeders - almost all their Malawis, all their dwarf Cichlids and quite a few of their Corys. Stores here seem to thrive by surrounding themselves with a community. It's a recent trend I really like.

The local store that's moving asked its customers if any wanted to help with the move. He told me he has 7 trucks offered, more cars, and about 30 aquarists to do the heavy lifting. I signed on for a day of packing and unpacking the fish, but I figure I'll be carrying tanks too. It'll be fun to work with the local crew. They're good people. People are aware that if the physical store closes from this young guy going out of business, we'll lose a focal point and lose a lot of new hobbyists to frustration with the low quality chains. It's a different retail terrain, but also a different local scene.

Agreed, a lot of this depends upon where you live...I prefer US suppliers who deal with breeders or import from South America. My experience with others has not been that good.

 

[gwand]

Imperial Tropicals in Texas breeds most of their fish. They also obtain wild caught from South America for purchase.

 

[OldFishKeeper]

Imperial Tropicals in Texas breeds most of their fish. They also obtain wild caught from South America for purchase.

They are one of the ones that I was referencing. I have dealt with them and they are excellent.

 

[OldFishKeeper]

I really like my Denison barbs… I have 4 natural colored ones in a tank, along with ( I took a chance) on a gold one… apparently the gold ones colors can change, they can start to revert to standard color, usually stopping somewhere in between, and can be blind… I got lucky, as mine can see, and in the gold color… but for all the risks, mine is pretty, but, IMO, not as pretty as the natural colored ones…

I don’t fully understand all required to change the fish, so to me, some differences seem more than line breeding, but maybe magic can happen with line breeding… my electric blue acaras, and electric blue rams are stunning… are they better than where they came from??? That’s IMO, more in the eye of the beholder…

Welcome comments on these or other fish, that fit in the thread… not the best picture, but a regular, and gold Denison View attachment 345512

Getting back to the original "caffeine" thread, I also prefer good examples of naturally occurring fish. I will be the last one to buy any "Glo-Fish" or any fish that glows in the dark ...

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Getting back to the original "caffeine" thread, I also prefer good examples of naturally occurring fish. I will be the last one to buy any "Glo-Fish" or any fish that glows in the dark ...

Generally I'm with you, but one of these would be pretty cool...

 

[OldFishKeeper]

Generally I'm with you, but one of these would be pretty cool...

Yes!!! You can have as many of these that you want. Just remember, wire nets and no fingers .