How to be a fish store detective

[GaryE]

Agreed.
@sharkweek178 - A great grandfather bred goldfish, one of my grandfathers bred bettas, my mother and her mother were fishkeepers - it came easy. The first time I was handed a stray cat to give a home to, I didn't know what to with it. It kept jumping out of the water.

 

[gilltyascharged]

Umm, this is not adulthood. That's 50 years of working long hours and wanting free time. This is retirement...

That's fair--before my grandparents moved to a rental (no tanks allowed, sadly), my grandpa told me that retirement meant he could finally pursue his dreams of owning gouramis and angels. I hope I can get there one day!

 

[algeaverse]

Interesting thread, an abundance of information other than just a hobbyist shuffling through a fish store .. coincidentally I reached out to a local fish club the same day I joined TFF, i'll be joining them for the monthly meeting next Tuesday, thanks to all for sharing !

 

[GaryE]

Interesting thread, an abundance of information other than just a hobbyist shuffling through a fish store .. coincidentally I reached out to a local fish club the same day I joined TFF, i'll be joining them for the monthly meeting next Tuesday, thanks to all for sharing !

I spoke at a couple of the Toronto region clubs, and they were full of really helpful, kind people. And knowledgeable ones to boot. You might regret it if you're stuck on the 401 getting there, but once you arrive, you'll be in a good place.

 

[gwand]

I found a local aquarist club on line last night. Maryland Aquarium Hobbyists. Their next meeting is in April. It will be held about 20 minutes from my house. I will check it out.

 

[Magnum Man]

... & I had the opposite experience... I looked for clubs on the www, & looks like I'd have a minimum of a 100 mile trip, in Minnesota... I'm only 20 miles from the Iowa border, I've yet to search northern Iowa...

I do have a new aquarium bud, I met at church, he has a 75 gallon & a 29... we don't get lots of talk time, but I gifted him a bag of Water Lettuce to try, & I know he has a breeding pair of common bushy nose plecos... he's been selling for a while, he can get one US dollar, each, once they are between an inch and a half, & two inches...

 

[Seisage]

... & I had the opposite experience... I looked for clubs on the www, & looks like I'd have a minimum of a 100 mile trip, in Minnesota... I'm only 20 miles from the Iowa border, I've yet to search northern Iowa...

I'm in the same predicament... The closest actual club with meetings is close to 200 miles away from me. It'd take me all day just to drive there and back, let alone actually do anything in the city while I'm there. The best I've got is a FB group for sales and trades that caters to an entire region of the state, and that region is still 100 miles away from me, at minimum.

 

[gilltyascharged]

... & I had the opposite experience... I looked for clubs on the www, & looks like I'd have a minimum of a 100 mile trip, in Minnesota... I'm only 20 miles from the Iowa border, I've yet to search northern Iowa...

I do have a new aquarium bud, I met at church, he has a 75 gallon & a 29... we don't get lots of talk time, but I gifted him a bag of Water Lettuce to try, & I know he has a breeding pair of common bushy nose plecos... he's been selling for a while, he can get one US dollar, each, once they are between an inch and a half, two inches...

I'm in NW Iowa--if you see anything, please don't hesitate to let me know!
The closest I have to aquarium buds are my Chem teacher (a tad cross, but has good information on his FOWLR tank), my Bio teacher (while also grumpy, is personable and has offered to let me use the tanks in the back of his room), an acquaintances with several tanks between her mom's and dad's house (knows what they're doing, nice to discuss with), and I just recently was successful in luring one of my good friends into the hobby.

I definitely need to find more breeders locally--the nice LFS has fish from local breeders, but a high price tag (it is a small business, so I completely understand), the chains in my area sell the same bristlenose pleco for $7 per 3/4-1" fish, and online retailers factor in shipping costs...which are also ridiculously expensive.