Fish you just dont expect to see in your LFS

[Tiber]

I was in my LFS yesterday picking up a pair of Electric Blue Rams. I wasn't going to buy anything else, but I do like to have a nosey and much to my suprise in a tank above the cat fish... was an Arowana for sale. I asked the owner and he said it wasn't a returned fish or anything like that.

Maybe I just need to get out more, but I was shocked to just stumble into one of these for sale in a small town fish store.

Absolutely amazing fish which I would love to go out and buy, but I never will because I don't own a tank the size of a small swimming pool. I have seen these fish on YouTube, but certainly never expected to see one in a local store

Made me wonder what other exotic fish are less hard to stumble across than you might think?

 

[Colin_T]

Fish you just dont expect to see in your LFS​

Healthy ones
just kidding.

Pseudomugils, killifish, unusual cichlids, Corydoras barbatus

 

[Tiber]

Maybe I'm just living under a rock and every small UK town is full of Arowanas lol

 

[GaryE]

I rarely see any killies, West African fish or good healthy fish I would want to buy!

 

[AmyKieran]

I struggle to find any kind of pseudotropheus!

 

[robmcd]

Last year I saw some sheep pacu (achnodon normani) mislabeled as tiger silver dollars at one of my local LFS. They were asking $80 USD for them. I showed them on my phone what they actually had, and when I came back a week later, the price had almost doubled to $140 USD each.

 

[emeraldking]

Maybe I'm just living under a rock and every small UK town is full of Arowanas lol

Well, in our country, arowanas are offered at a serious number of stores. And in multiple sizes.

Fish you just dont expect to see in your LFS​

Wild livebearers species. Just occasionally, an lfs will have a couple of specimens swimming around. And if so, most of the time such fish will come from a private breeder.

 

[Rocky998]

There was a HUGE knife fish at our local fish store... I forget the exact species but I know it was a knife fish of at LEAST 20 inches long. Our LFS also regularly gets arowanas.

 

[Colin_T]

I struggle to find any kind of pseudotropheus!

A lot of shops won't carry them because they are agro fish.

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

My LFS (not Petco/Petsmart) gets a huge variety. due to their suppliers, they get a ton of wild caughts. there's usually a breeding pair of wild bettas.

 

[itiwhetu]

Good quality swordtails. Very rarely do you see lyretails or blacks anymore.

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

The Small, family owned LFS has had Archerfish, Scats and Mono Argentus. It is always fun to look as she seems to have some very interesting fish on a semi regular basis. The bulk of my collection has come from her and she buys the fry I have for a good price. Plus, she is very knowledgable and fun to speak with. It lets me get the "Fish Geek" out without tormenting my loved ones with my hobby too much.