What Am I Looking For When Comparing Various Shops?

[DBT85]

This weekend I'm going to try and visit several aquarist shops in a bid to pick a LFS as my go to place. However I've not even got a tank yet and I've only visited one shop thus far.

So, for all newbies who don't know what specifically to look for can you help me/us out?

The one I have been to had plenty of tanks, I don't recall seeing any dead fish, very few if any tanks had anything inside other than fish/filter, most of the outsides of the tanks looked like they were water marked (not cleaned). Each tank had a hand written label under with the names and prices of fish, but no way of identifying which was which if there were several in one tank.

The one member of staff I spoke to admitted that he only worked there 2 days a week but seemed polite and helpful and answered the few questions I had in a satisfactory manner (It's hard to judge when you are new!). He gave us rough prices for setting up a new tropical or marine tank in the size we were looking at but also said that there wasn't much difference in maintenance between the two (Wife specifically asked as she wants Nemo and Dory lol) which I get the impression isn't exactly the whole truth. I think it might be more that he was just ill informed rather than deliberate miss information as they don't have much Marine stuff there to push the sale of Marine stuff.

Also I see people make posts/reviews like "good stock, lots of healthy fish, great staff but a bit expensive". To my mind if you get all those things then you pay for it! So what kind of rough prices could I use as my eggs, milk and bread benchmark for fish? What common fish that every shop will have can I use as a bit of a gauge on price?

 

[ZoddyZod]

if you have a few near you, then don't limit yourself to one as your 'go to' place.

I've got several near me and I have a good idea of what they are good and not so good at offering in terms of stock, price & dry goods.

Once you've been to a few, you'll quickly see which ones are to be used and which ones not. It'll be pretty obvious once you have had a nose around them.

And I don't agree with "good stock, lots of healthy fish, great staff but a bit expensive". To my mind if you get all those things then you pay for it". Some can offer all of this and not be expensive.....especially enthusastic independant retailers.

 

[the_lock_man]

What I look for is clean tanks, healthy looking fish, and I will often ask a few test questions, like "Can I have a Siamese FIghter and a Gourami" I also take a note of the range of fish on offer, if they have anything unusual, then it implies that they are there for the serious hobbyist as well as the Moving Ornament Brigade. For instance, one of my local MAs has Ameca Splendens, a goodeid livebearer. I've never seen them anywhere else.

I don't necessarily mark-down a shop if there is a dead fish, these things happen to the best shops, but I will point out the dead fish, and see how long it takes them to remove it.

In this way, I have a kind of heirarchy of shops that I like.

 

[TropicalJuwel]

Hi DBT85,

O.K so first off by looking around plenty of lfs your going to be getting an instant reaction to the type of shop, workers, fish and how well looked after they are. Like you have already said your looking for a shop that has healthy looking fish with minimal dead fish but at the same time you want a good selection of fish.

Its not always just about the fish though, how friendly/helpful are the staff, my lfs sometimes puts up with me intergating him for 40 mins/1 hour yet a few months ago when there was something I wanted he couldn't get hold of, I went to my other lfs and asked 1 question which 1 of the staff didn't know he asked a co-worker who couldn't even take he's eyes off the screen in front of him to answer me and it wasn't even a helpful answer (no I don't know when thats coming in).

Before you go to the shops do some research on fish you like i.e a clown loach, how big do they get, what sort of numbers they like to be in, what size tank, any specific food so that when you go into a lfs you have some knowledge so if they say oh have you got snails, buy 1 clown loach for your 40 gal tank they'll be gone in now time, your now stuck with a unhappy fish thats outgrowing your tank got white spot through stress and hides all the time because it's on it's own.

My own personal opinion is marine is more difficult than tropical, it's more time consuming and I'm pretty sure alot more expensive. I've been keeping fish for 2 and half years and as nice to look at marine tanks are I wouldn't attempt them as I think I'd fail lol, and purely don't have the spare time.

Lfs tend to be more expensive than online but this is the case with anything comparing shop and online but remember you don't need advice on how to look after a dvd where as you do for fish. I buy pretty much everything from my lfs unless it's something he don't stock. Why? Simply for all the free time and advice I have recieved even free items he's thrown in, you don't get that from an online shop who are far to busy to answer your problems which is why we need to keep our good lfs up and running.

Hope this helps, alot longer than I planned but anything your not sure on just ask the forum, plenty of experience on here to answer anything.

 

[DBT85]

Some can offer all of this and not be expensive.....especially enthusastic independant retailers.

But how many of those are out there? If you don't have one like that locally then surely you just have to do the best you can with what you have which might be a decision between a pants shop with good prices or an otherwise excellent shop with slightly higher prices.

Since you are in Surrey do you have any suggestions?

Thanks for all the replies so far, I would much rather support the local shop that shop online provided it doesn't cost TOO much more as I do appreciate good advice and being able to pick things up. Plus If I'm a regular customer they are more likely to offer more of their time compared to an online shop who only offer prices.

The ones I have to check are spread from Beckenham to East Grinstead (about 25 miles) so it's not too far.

In case anyone knows them, they are:

World of Fishes - East Grinstead - Apparently voted in the top 15 in the country by Practical Fishkeeping Magazine readers so should hopefully be good.
King Fisheries - Beckenham
Heritage Farm Nurseries - Wallington
Living Waters - Croydon
Maidenhead Aquatics - Croydon
Maidenhead Aquatics - Gatwick/east grinstead - Apparently also very good and huge.

 

[ZoddyZod]

Some can offer all of this and not be expensive.....especially enthusastic independant retailers.

But how many of those are out there? If you don't have one like that locally then surely you just have to do the best you can with what you have which might be a decision between a pants shop with good prices or an otherwise excellent shop with slightly higher prices.

Since you are in Surrey do you have any suggestions?

I'm not arguing, just stating that just because a shop offers all you want does not automatically make it expensive. And the pants shop = low prices, good shop = high prices is not true either. I've been to some very good ones where the prices are great and vice versa.

Sadly it seems I'm not near you for shops. I'm near Camberley, Ascot, Staines, Heathrow...

 

[CezzaXV]

I'm very lucky. I have several shops within half an hour of me, but only one within 10 minutes. Luckily that one is the best I've been to out of all of them, good quality stock, competitive prices, friendly staff etc.

 

[Jamie24]

Living in the North-West I'm apparently spoilt for choice with 3 shops within half hour being given awards... Pier Aquatics at Wigan for me wasn't all that, dirty tanks, overcrowded tanks, dirty shop & staff that didn't seem to have a clue... The Abyss at Stockport is much much better, very clean tanks, some knowledgeable staff, some rare fish but on the whole expensive & I get the impression there more interested in the sale rather than making sure your doing the right thing... My third shop which I'm planning to visit next month is Rare Aquatics in Crewe, heard lots of good things about these guys, some very rare fish & very very knowledgeable on the subject.

Overall just by browsing you can tell which shops to avoid & which to bother going back to, It's worth taking your time & finding the right one... Not sure about your local area but definitely avoid P@H

 

[DBT85]

We'll I've called 3 this evening to get some prices on a Juwel Rio 240 and a Tetra Tec ex 1200.

1) Sounded utterly depressed and called me mate. On mention of the Tetratec I got "you don't need that, the Rio comes with it all in. And those TetraTecs aren't all that, I can get you a price though". He did, £60 more expensive than online for the tank& Cabinet and a whopping £150 for a Tetratec ex 1200 (available for about £90)! - Not a great experience all round really and I've not even set foot in the place yet.

2) Very helpful, very polite, noted down the items I was after and my name and said he'd call me back in 5 minutes. 10 minutes later called back with the prices again very polite and happy sounding. Someone had their Weetabix this morning! Prices were however £100 more expensive for the tank & cabinet and £45 more expensive for the filter. He did not question why I wanted the filter or make me lie and say that it was for someone else just to get a price. - I'll forgive him for the 5 minutes, but very expensive. Will gladly call in though and see what the shop is like

3) Again very helpful and polite, however didn't stock Juwel but did stock Fluval Roma 240 for the same price as I can get the Rio 240 but I don;t know if that had a cabinet or not. Mentioned that the Roma came with everything but did then give me a price for the Tetratec without needing chinese water torture. I forgot to note the price down like a prat! Did say that it was only their specific store that didn't stock Juwel and that others in the chain might.

I have no problem paying a bit more in B&M stores than online, but 15-20% on a tank and in one case 66% for a filter is I think pushing the boundaries. Lets hope the fish stocks and selection are good and that the advice is sound. I'm almost dreading going to the first one lol!

 

[wan1967]

My advice to you would be to go as large as you can.In my experience it is easier to maintain a eg 180l tank compared to a 60l.As for tropical/marine i would say it's easier to keep a tropical as my brother is always moaning about maintenance on his marine.Re the LFS,i ask for a Red Tailed Shark for my 28l tank and if they are willing to sell me one i walk out as that size of tank is far too small for that fish.

 

[Ozle]

Things in shops are generally 20% more I would say, especially for non-generic items like fish keeping equipment and especially for large items because they take so much storage its hard to keep them in bulk

Sadly it seems I'm not near you for shops. I'm near Camberley, Ascot, Staines, Heathrow...

Me too!
There are masses of shops round here (including the worst ever Pets@Home in feltham!)

where do you get your fish from?

 

[ZoddyZod]

I would strongly advise to you to look elsewhere for the tank and equipment. LFS prices for these are generally substantially more than those online.

Have a look at seapets.co.uk, they can be quite good.

Have you considered second hand? There are some bargains to be found!

Me too!
There are masses of shops round here (including the worst ever Pets@Home in feltham!)

where do you get your fish from?

Ahhh, the Mighty Staines! My home town.

I quite like Staines WaterWorld. The shop can look a bit shabby (it's basically a very big tent), but the prices on the fish is very reasonable, and generally in good health.

Take a trip to Ashford Aquatics. Great little independant. Always got something a bit different and they have good prices as well.

 

[Tizer]

I look for a good selection of healthy fish of a decent size. Other than that, its all down to my own research. It is nice though if the staff are free to chit chat a little, it is a hobby and we like to chat about it.

 

[DBT85]

My advice to you would be to go as large as you can.In my experience it is easier to maintain a eg 180l tank compared to a 60l.As for tropical/marine i would say it's easier to keep a tropical as my brother is always moaning about maintenance on his marine.Re the LFS,i ask for a Red Tailed Shark for my 28l tank and if they are willing to sell me one i walk out as that size of tank is far too small for that fish.

Yeah as soon as I decided to get a tank I wanted as large as I could before I even knew it would be easier to look after! I initially thought 3'6" was the biggest I could get but I can actually get a 4' in there so I'm really happy about that. Seems silly to get a small one to then have the hassle of trying to move everything over to a larger one at some point in the future.

Things in shops are generally 20% more I would say, especially for non-generic items like fish keeping equipment and especially for large items because they take so much storage its hard to keep them in bulk

I could understand that to a degree for stores that do have them in stock, but many will have to order it in so there is hardly a few days storage. It can't be helped I suppose. I'm calling some more today as Maidenhead Aquatics have 20% off tanks and cabinets at the moment and that runs out on Sunday. That might bring some into online price territory. I shall report back when I know!

I would strongly advise to you to look elsewhere for the tank and equipment. LFS prices for these are generally substantially more than those online.

Have a look at seapets.co.uk, they can be quite good.

Have you considered second hand? There are some bargains to be found!

I've been keeping an eye out on Ebay and Aquarist-clasifieds but there are lots of people looking for exactly what I'm after (Black Rio 240s) and lots of people trying to get shot of Beech Rio 240s living far too far away! I'm keeping an eye on them as I know I can just put some Fablon over it or paint it if needed. He'll, I've got 4.8m of 4x2 sitting on the drive which I could use to build a base if I really needed to.

I've been browsing around Seapets and Charterhouse and a few others also as obviously the idea of everything I need turning up at once from one supplier for a substantial chunk of change less than a LFS is appealing. I do like to try and do what I can to support local/small business as I can but there does come a point when it's just not logical for some things

 

[dwarfgourami]

Don't forget that there is no moral obligation to get your fish from the same shop as you get your tank. Obviously, it's nice if you can but sometimes you can't. I am happy using a local largish store for dry goods, but I order my fish online because the shops around here that are easily accessible for me (a non-driver) aren't that great on fish and I'd rather not have more nasties imported into my house.

When I am in a fish shop I tend to look at the guppies. A shop that has healthy vigorous guppies will probably be doing everything else right too. If there is a problem either with the shop or the supplier that's where it will shop.