LFS Cheat sheet?

HI All,

I was wondering if any of you can give me some advice on what to look for in a good LFS? Where I am currently residing it seems as though I have only 2 options for an LFS. It seems to me that one common sense thing to look for in a good LFS is whether or not the tank setups are clean, etc. However, I feel that perhaps I may be missing one small key aspect that would be a red warning flag? For example, is it normal to see an occasional dead fish in one of their aquariums? What about the personnel? Is there something I should be looking for when I am requesting for their assistance?

I just want to make sure I get my facts straightened out here before I support either store (currently, I am cycling my tank. no fish have been added).

Thanks!

 

You could always listen in on what they're telling other customers. If you overhear someone asking for a goldfish to put in a bowl and they don't try to suggest something bigger, or other wildly wrong setup then you'll know that they don't know what they're doing. You could also ask them questions yourself or test them by pretending to want to put a goldfish and a betta together in a 5 gallon or something. Another bad sign could be strong selling tactics, where they try to convince you to buy all kinds of stuff you don't need or want. On the other hand, if you try to buy a goldfish and a bowl and they try to upsell you and suggest you buy a 40 gallon tank, that's not really pushy sales, that's just decent fish care! You can go to both and not buy anything, just ask questions and then come back here to double check

 

Good advice! I'm about to head out in a bit as both stores open at 10AM PST.

 

Have fun!

 

I do the same as Aquaphobia

I listen what the tell other customers. If they say bowls are fine and don't know about cycling I wouldn't trust them one bit.

 

I would be more concerned with the quality of the stock then the knowledge of the personnel. Personally I would get all of my questions answered here or on other fish forums from people who have either kept the fish in question, or researched them heavily. Most of the time, LFS employees are either not adequately trained to give good advice, or trying to sell you stuff you don't need (lots of different chemicals and this and that and oh you need this and blah blah blah).

If you want to see how knowledgeable an employee is though some basic questions you can ask are, "Have you ever heard of the nitrogen cycle", "How big does this common pleco get and can I keep him in a 10 or 20 gallon?", and "My pH is 7.6, should I buy a bunch of chemicals to get it to 7.0?"

As far as dead fish go, how occasional is occasional? Out of 20 or 30 tanks, I'd say 1 or 2 dead fish would be ok. Any more than that and I'd say no. You also have to consider is this a "pet store" or a "fish store".

 

tyguy7760 you made a valid point (fish store vs pet store). It looks like I will have to be a bit more cautious. One of the LFS is strictly fish and the other they also sell other items for different pets, but they still have a great selection of freshwater and saltwater fish, and plants or corals.

 

It's not a safe bet though. My general-purpose LPS has some reasonably knowledgeable fish people working there. On the other hand, the owner of a well-regarded mom&pop LPS that specializes in fish, some really exotic ones, and is respected by other fish keepers actually told me that goldfish are fine in a 5 gallon as long as water changes are done frequently! I couldn't believe he'd say that but his tanks are well kept and the fish seem healthy and happy. Well, except for the bettas, they're kept in containers smaller than the cups at most pet stores:-\

 

Sorry I should have been clear. I meant I would expect to see more dead fish in a "pet store" as their may not be a dedicated employee watching over the tanks at all times. If it is a dedicated fish store, then really they have no excuse.

Their are a lot of factors that play into it. For instance if I'm stocking a tank that is 55 gallons or less and they tell me I can put a 12 inch fish in it then I know they don't know what they are talking about. Typically a 55 gallon gets at most 13 inches deep (front to back) and a 12 inch fish will have a difficult time turning around.

 

Some one here jokingly suggested you ask if you can keep a common pleco in a ten gallon. That. Should be a no brainier. Good luck! Have fun.

 

You laugh...but I've seen it suggested many times that a common pleco can do well in a 10.

 

I have a lot of LFS and LPS in my area and like to stop by just to see what they have. being a newbie I asked newbie questions and the guy at petco gave responses most similar to what I read here, had the cleanest looking tanks, and actually starting advising which fish I should and should not do. petsmart was horrible, and the LFS with a good reputation had awesome tanks but was definitely motivated by sales. I think it just depends who is working.

 

Absolutely. Petco here has much cleaner tanks than the petsmart does. The LFS I have here though has amazing stock and immaculate tanks. However, it's hard finding good advice across the board there as most employees will specialize on a certain type of fish. There is one employee there that I've always searched out because he seems to be the most knowledgeable when it comes to dwarf cichlids. He has always given me good advice. However, I happened to be looking at the blood parrots last time I was in and he saw me and I just asked him how many he thought I could have in a 75 gallon. His answer was 5. That is waaayy too many for a 75 so it just goes to show you that it all depends on the employee.

 

One piece of advice I've heard on here is that while it's okay to ask the LFS staff a few questions to guage their knowledge, be careful not to go too far as to seem like you are insulting or testing them. After all, if they do happen to check out, presumably you will want to have a good relationship with them!

 

You laugh...but I've seen it suggested many times that a common pleco can do well in a 10.

You laugh, but I've seen it done!

 

imo, it depends what you're looking for to. Generally I buy all equipment from Amazon. Usually can pick up two emperor 400s for the price of one at most lfs.

Fish wise it depends on if you're adding to your current stock, what quality you want, can you QT, ect.

For example, if you wanted to get african cichlids, like yellow labs. They should be interested in you and begging for food. At least coming to the front to check you out. Also in this example if you can get the number you want all at the same size.

 

Where do the big chain stores, like petco and petsmart, get their fish? Is there a big distribution center type thing?

 

I believe that they all get then from regional suppliers. For instance my local mom and pop fish store will get in let's say sunset gouramis which aren't common. ...and sure enough petco will get them in as well. So no there are not big petco or petsmart fish farms