Thunder

I would like to see discussion on what you all have seen missing from retailers and smaller stores.

PetSmart - I can no longer find any Emperor filters and Eclipse tanks.

Striped Raphael catfish is also mysteriously missing from all stores that used to sell them.

Tony G.

Convicts are missing here... though i was lucky enough to find them separately...

All the Good filter brands here are missing (Whisper, Fluval, Aquatech, Penguin, all the others)

i can go on and on... test kits, heaters, tank brands... tons of things

iloveengl

Otos

DRock914

I see lots of Striped Raphaels in NY but only at the chain stores. In the past month I have seen them at Petland Discounts, Petsmart, and Petco. Petland Discounts also had Spotted Raphaels. I do not see them at LFS though. I agree with you on the eclipse tanks though. I have a 2 gallon explorer and it was hard for me to find a replacement bio wheel, I had it specially ordered.

What I don't see anymore are snakeheads and mud skippers.

Amanda

Snakeheads are illegal....that's why.

DRock914

Oh well that makes sense then lol. I had one when I was 10 and haven't seen one since.

Amanda

Yup, they're considered invasive by the govt.
Didn't you see all the news about them in the resevoirs?!

sirdarksol

Some places only get otos during certain times of the year. One LFS owner said something about only being able to harvest them during certain seasons. Larger places seem to be able to get them, but I wonder if there are companies that "hold" them during the off season, in order to be able to sell them year-round. Fish from such a place would be more expensive, which would explain why smaller shops don't carry them during off season.

As well they should be. They're considered by the US federal government (and most other governments, as well) to be an injurious species, and thus they cannot be transported across national or state lines without a very expensive permit.
They are nasty, nasty critters and are very adaptable to different ecosystems. They're super-useful in their home ecosystem, though; they've kind of like vultures of the rice paddies.

DRock914

I don't remember hearing about them but I backed off of this hobby for a long time. What I remember hearing about is the clarias catfish and how they move from body of water to body of water killing everything.

sirdarksol

Snakeheads are capable of doing the same thing. They can travel overland and, at 50-59 degrees Fahrenheit, their survival is about four days (modified, presumably, by humidity).
One female can produce 100,000 spawn in a single year. The adults have no predators in the US. They grow quickly, and are voracious predators. They're capable of surviving, at the very least, from near-tropical climates to harsh New England winters.
A pond in Maryland was infested with them, and there was a river 75 feet away. Officials decided to sterilize the pond in order to keep the infestation from spreading. Unfortunately, a few years later, snakeheads were caught in a different river. This is all from two adults having been released into the pond.

DRock914

Wow no wonder they are illegal. When I had one about 15 years ago I remember buying a fish the same size as mine for a tank mate(which was only 3 inchs), if not bigger, and the next morning the fish was sticking out of the snakeheads mouth. It ticked me off at the time but I was just a kid that didn't know any better.

Amanda

Yeah, snakeheads are nasty fish.
Where in NY are you?

DRock914

Westchester

jgon_

Woohoo another New Yorker (Rockland here). If you ever do any freshwater fishing keep in mind any snakeheads you catch are to be killed. Nasty fish.

Amanda

I'm in Orange county.
You have some good LFS around you??

lol, we're slowly gaining more!

DRock914

I haven't fished in years but I'll keep that in mind. Are piranhas illegal everywhere now because I remember when I was little going to Fishtown USA just over the border in NJ and they sold them?

DRock914

Yea but nothing amazing. A really good one is on Delancey Street in Manhattan if you're interested. To be honest the chains around here are good too. I want to take a trip to Absolutely Fish in NJ. There's a good place I go to in Queens when I'm down there but they don't have many exotics, they just have a very knowledgeable guy who we have known for about 20 years. Any good stores in Orange?

Amanda

Red bellies are illegal in A LOT of states, I think that includes NY.

Amanda

There's a store called B&G's Pet Supplies in Newburgh that's pretty good. They work with local breeders & take in all owner turn-ins. So you never know what they're going to have at any given time!
Pet Stop in Newburgh is alright...they have A LOT of exotics, but their tanks are tiny & cramped

jgon_

Thought of something that's back on topic. Tetra Safe Start. My local stores go for months without having it, have it again for a month, then out of it for awhile.

DRock914

Yes they are illegal in NY. I was just wondering if they became illegal everywhere.

DRock914

I barely see horseface loaches anymore.

gunner13

Why are they illegal in the us. There not hear in uk but mind you i havn't seen any in a while.

Meenu

Endler guppies

Amanda

That's very true, only one LFS around me has it.

I've never seen them...

I've never seen them around me

They're an invasive species

Red1313

There are quite a few of them here in Saskatoon but then invasive species aren't so much of a concern since most species can't handle the canadian climate (at least from October to May).

Amanda

I can't find HM bettas around me much...only a few at Petco