An Excellent Lfs/local Fish Store

[Tokis-Phoenix]

IMHO, what makes an excellent lfs/local fish store is;

a. Disease-free fish tanks- no dead fish either left in the tanks.
b. Good selection of fish- for example i'm tired of seeing goldfish as the only coldwater ones available.
c. Helpful, friendly and informative staff- they need to know about what they are selling.
d. Good selection of tanks for sale in a variety of sizes and designs- no goldfish bowls or betta jars.
e. Plenty of gear to sell- filters (normal, ro, UV etc), heaters, lighting, spare parts like filter pads or sucker pads, nets etc...
f. Good selection of healthy proper aquarium plants with names of plants listed.
g. Clean, tidy and nice smelling shop (I went to one lfs which stank of dead fish, bleh).
h. Large range of fish foods- must have dried, frozen and live.
i. Up to date/good books on fish keeping for sale.
j. Fish listed correctly under the right names in the shop- no made up or vague names like "sucker fish" or "brians pleco" .
k. Shop must be cool in summer and warm in winter- nothing worse than standing in a huge line waiting at the counter on a boiling hot and humid day, or freezing your bum off etc.
l. Decent parking space provided- it's a pain in the bum when you have to park half a mile down the street or something due to lack of parking spaces.
m. Good fair prices for goods, as well as special offers like buy one get one free or get 20% off etc.
n. Ability to special order fish or goods.
o. Doesn't sell huge tank busting fish in tanks in shop- no giraffe fish, parroon sharks, red tailed catfish etc...
p. Has properly and carefully stocked and good looking display tanks to inspire people.
q. Sells outdoor pond fish like koi and tench- no stergeon though (unless climate is really cold).
r. Sells a varied and good range of pond supplies including decor and plants for the pond.
s. Sells aquarium animals other than fish- critters like crayfish/lobsters, frogs, crabs, snails, shrimp etc.
t. Has more than one working check out to help prevent large waiting lines.
u. Has enough staff around at any given time so you don't have to run around for ages looking for someone to help you.
v. Has good opening and closing times- opens early as possible, closes late as possible, and is open every day of the week.
w. Shop never has empty tanks with no fish/critters to sell inside them.
x. Shop is a decent size so you are not having to squeeze your way around.
y. Has toilets for customers and not just staff.
z. Has a good layout to the shop in general so the things you want to buy are in obvious places and not in area's you wouldn't expect them to be so you don't spend ages trying to find the things you want to buy.

Etc...lol...
Has anyone ever encountered an excellent lfs? How would you rate the fish/pet shops you go most often to and what do you think they could do with improving on?
My most local lfs fails most of the things I have listed, but my second lfs does ok- good but not great.

 

[MegTheFish]

Ok well lets see how the petstore I work in stands up to the challenge lol (btw we are the only local petstore in the city, its either us, Walmart, or a non-local petstore just out of town)

a. Disease-free fish tanks- no dead fish either left in the tanks.
We are pretty good at keeping up with the removal of dead fish and if a tank is diseased so you can be sure its getting treated (and is not for sale!)
b. Good selection of fish- for example i'm tired of seeing goldfish as the only coldwater ones available.
I would say its OK in this department, however our stock is usually the same fish you would find in other shops but we do sometimes get in interesting fish, rarely though, I go to the non-local fishshop to get my fishy fix, but shhh don't tell my boss
c. Helpful, friendly and informative staff- they need to know about what they are selling.
Helpful and friendly, YES! But I would rate my coworkers fishy-knowledge at about 7 out of 10, they aren't stupid when it comes to fish but they aren't as smart as me mawhahaah lol
d. Good selection of tanks for sale in a variety of sizes and designs- no goldfish bowls or betta jars.
We usually have 5s,10s,20s,29s, and 55 gallons in store however we do carry small betta "kits/tanks" (blah ), no goldfish bowls though!
e. Plenty of gear to sell- filters (normal, ro, UV etc), heaters, lighting, spare parts like filter pads or sucker pads, nets etc...
Basic filters, ####ty light selection, ok for heaters and lots of filter pads and media
f. Good selection of healthy proper aquarium plants with names of plants listed.
We don't carry live plants
g. Clean, tidy and nice smelling shop (I went to one lfs which stank of dead fish, bleh).
Yep
h. Large range of fish foods- must have dried, frozen and live.
No live and little frozen
i. Up to date/good books on fish keeping for sale.
A few
j. Fish listed correctly under the right names in the shop- no made up or vague names like "sucker fish" or "brians pleco" .
Not so good at this part, we sometimes have fish labeled wrong (for example, we had rubberlip plecos labeled as bulldogs, and some "algae eating sharks")
k. Shop must be cool in summer and warm in winter- nothing worse than standing in a huge line waiting at the counter on a boiling hot and humid day, or freezing your bum off etc.

l. Decent parking space provided- it's a pain in the bum when you have to park half a mile down the street or something due to lack of parking spaces.
We have enough parking for the amount of customers we have I would think
m. Good fair prices for goods, as well as special offers like buy one get one free or get 20% off etc.
Kinda pricey but we do have good deals
n. Ability to special order fish or goods.
Goods-yes Fish-we'll try
o. Doesn't sell huge tank busting fish in tanks in shop- no giraffe fish, parroon sharks, red tailed catfish etc...
Only bad thing is the irredescent sharks, we always have too many common plecos and I brought this to the attention of my boss, so she ordered in a bunch of smaller species of plecos and they all died within a week so I don't know if she'll be doing that again....
p. Has properly and carefully stocked and good looking display tanks to inspire people.
No display tanks, no room!
q. Sells outdoor pond fish like koi and tench- no stergeon though (unless climate is really cold).
We sell koi and shubkins but only during the summer
r. Sells a varied and good range of pond supplies including decor and plants for the pond.
No as its too cold here and you would only be able to maintain a pond for a few months during the summer!
s. Sells aquarium animals other than fish- critters like crayfish/lobsters, frogs, crabs, snails, shrimp etc.
Frogs and snails, yes
t. Has more than one working check out to help prevent large waiting lines.
No as we are a small shop and have never needed a 2nd check-out
u. Has enough staff around at any given time so you don't have to run around for ages looking for someone to help you.
Yep
v. Has good opening and closing times- opens early as possible, closes late as possible, and is open every day of the week.
We close kind of early, 6 pm
w. Shop never has empty tanks with no fish/critters to sell inside them.
Only the day before our fish shipment arrives as we leave a few tanks empty for them except for a fish or two to keep it cycled
x. Shop is a decent size so you are not having to squeeze your way around.
Small but cozy lol
y. Has toilets for customers and not just staff.
If you ask really nicely
z. Has a good layout to the shop in general so the things you want to buy are in obvious places and not in area⦣8364;™s you wouldn't expect them to be so you don't spend ages trying to find the things you want to buy.
Yes I would say

Wow that took a bit lol!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Sounds like a pretty good shop MegTheFish ! Shame about all the small pleco's dying though, what types were they doyou know?

Edit: Oh- another factor i thought of that goes into making an excellent lfs is whether they take in unwanted fish or not at all.

 

[QuotheRaven]

I don't work there (although I hope to at some point if they are looking for employee's)
But it's the lfs that I frequent.



a. Disease-free fish tanks- the occasional dead fish and diseased tank but very rarely
b. Good selection of fish- Ok selection gets more oddballs in than standard pet shops has some ok coldwater fish
c. Helpful, friendly and informative staff- Very nice employee's, they don't know everything but are pretty good.
d. Good selection of tanks for sale in a variety of sizes and designs- not to bad but is only a small store
e. Plenty of gear to sell- filters (normal, ro, UV etc), heaters, lighting, spare parts like filter pads or sucker pads, nets etc... Very good selection of filters and gear probably the best around my area
f. Good selection of healthy proper aquarium plants with names of plants listed. yes they have 6-12 tanks of nice healthy plants.
g. Clean, tidy and nice smelling shop: yes Very clean, no odor except that familiar odor of fish tanks.
h. Large range of fish foods- must have dried, frozen and live. not alot of live food but good selection of frozen and dried
i. Up to date/good books on fish keeping for sale. no books for sale except a couple of old ones...
j. Fish listed correctly under the right names in the shop- no made up or vague names like "sucker fish" or "brians pleco" . The occasional made up name for a very obscure fish but are generally good.
k. Shop must be cool in summer and warm in winter- nothing worse than standing in a huge line waiting at the counter on a boiling hot and humid day, or freezing your bum off etc. very good air conditioning and heating.
l. Decent parking space provided- it's a pain in the bum when you have to park half a mile down the street or something due to lack of parking spaces. very little parking at front of store but near the side not to bad.
m. Good fair prices for goods, as well as special offers like buy one get one free or get 20% off etc. very good prices for rarer fish in Aus (this is Australia, expensive hobby fish keeping at Aus $)
n. Ability to special order fish or goods. never tried
o. Doesn't sell huge tank busting fish in tanks in shop- no giraffe fish, parroon sharks, red tailed catfish etc... Not seen any tank busters, salmon tail catfish and oscars are the biggest there
p. Has properly and carefully stocked and good looking display tanks to inspire people. to small for display tanks
q. Sells outdoor pond fish like koi and tench- no stergeon though (unless climate is really cold). to small for ponds
r. Sells a varied and good range of pond supplies including decor and plants for the pond. to small store
s. Sells aquarium animals other than fish- critters like crayfish/lobsters, frogs, crabs, snails, shrimp etc. sells some snails and crayfish but Aus has some harsh import laws
t. Has more than one working check out to help prevent large waiting lines. to small for two check out's but has more than one person working there
u. Has enough staff around at any given time so you don't have to run around for ages looking for someone to help you. Not really but isn't very busy except for weekends
v. Has good opening and closing times- opens early as possible, closes late as possible, and is open every day of the week. 10 Am to 6 Pm isn't to bad
w. Shop never has empty tanks with no fish/critters to sell inside them. The occasional empty tank but VERY rarely
x. Shop is a decent size so you are not having to squeeze your way around. sometimes a squeeze near the door way
y. Has toilets for customers and not just staff. To small
z. Has a good layout to the shop in general so the things you want to buy are in obvious places and not in area's you wouldn't expect them to be so you don't spend ages trying to find the things you want to buy. Yes very well placed...

 

[SuperColey1]

The Aquarium in Lincoln

a. Disease-free fish tanks- no dead fish either left in the tanks.
Not seen any problems to date
b. Good selection of fish- for example i'm tired of seeing goldfish as the only coldwater ones available.
Excellent selection + seahorses/starfish etc.
c. Helpful, friendly and informative staff- they need to know about what they are selling.
Yes they know what they are talking about and are family owned not chainstore
d. Good selection of tanks for sale in a variety of sizes and designs- no goldfish bowls or betta jars.
Yes but as most smaller stores have all the Jewel range etc prominantly displayed in the centre. lol
e. Plenty of gear to sell- filters (normal, ro, UV etc), heaters, lighting, spare parts like filter pads or sucker pads, nets etc...
Only the things rea fish keepers want, not LED lights etc. Although I like these.lol
f. Good selection of healthy proper aquarium plants with names of plants listed.
Only in the tanks with the fish and all labelled, look very healthy
g. Clean, tidy and nice smelling shop (I went to one lfs which stank of dead fish, bleh).
Smells much like any other shop
h. Large range of fish foods- must have dried, frozen and live.
As per normal ranges
i. Up to date/good books on fish keeping for sale.
didn't look for books.lol
j. Fish listed correctly under the right names in the shop- no made up or vague names like "sucker fish" or "brians pleco" .
Fish all looke correct for labels
k. Shop must be cool in summer and warm in winter- nothing worse than standing in a huge line waiting at the counter on a boiling hot and humid day, or freezing your bum off etc.
Not been in there in the winter, was typical temp for a shop. air conditioned etc.
l. Decent parking space provided- it's a pain in the bum when you have to park half a mile down the street or something due to lack of parking spaces.
On a trading estate, dedicated parking for enough cars
m. Good fair prices for goods, as well as special offers like buy one get one free or get 20% off etc.
Seemed fair to me, didn't see any 'specials'
n. Ability to special order fish or goods.
Yes they took down an order for me. Not heard back yet
o. Doesn't sell huge tank busting fish in tanks in shop- no giraffe fish, parroon sharks, red tailed catfish etc...
Didn't notice, but I don't see this as a prob as long as the label is informative
p. Has properly and carefully stocked and good looking display tanks to inspire people.
Didn't see any 'real' tanks just the standard plain tanks to show off the fish
q. Sells outdoor pond fish like koi and tench- no stergeon though (unless climate is really cold).
Didn't notice but I guess from the name of the shop he does Aquarium Fish
r. Sells a varied and good range of pond supplies including decor and plants for the pond.
As above
s. Sells aquarium animals other than fish- critters like crayfish/lobsters, frogs, crabs, snails, shrimp etc.
Yep
t. Has more than one working check out to help prevent large waiting lines.
Only one checkout but thats all thats needed - small shop
u. Has enough staff around at any given time so you don't have to run around for ages looking for someone to help you.
As above. family so son or father around al the time
v. Has good opening and closing times- opens early as possible, closes late as possible, and is open every day of the week.
Don't know opening times
w. Shop never has empty tanks with no fish/critters to sell inside them.
Don't see this as a problem but I didn't notice any empties
x. Shop is a decent size so you are not having to squeeze your way around.
For the volume of people in it plenty of room
y. Has toilets for customers and not just staff.
Don't know. Do many shops provide this?
z. Has a good layout to the shop in general so the things you want to buy are in obvious places and not in area's you wouldn't expect them to be so you don't spend ages trying to find the things you want to buy.
Yep Equip and accessories on left. Marine back. Tropical Right. Tanks Centre

 

[Miss Wiggle]

paws for thought, york rd leeds, our fave shop!

a. Disease-free fish tanks- no dead fish either left in the tanks. - as with any shop you get the occasional dead fish, if we point out a poorly or dead fish Duncan immediately marks the tank up as quarantine not for sale then investigates further and treats if nescessary. i think some deaths/diseases are always gonna happen IMO it's how you deal with them that counts.
b. Good selection of fish- for example i'm tired of seeing goldfish as the only coldwater ones available. i don't look at the coldwater section much but there is other things to goldies, they have everything from your standard community fish to NW and African cichlids to oddballs inverts all sorts really
c. Helpful, friendly and informative staff- they need to know about what they are selling. even the kid who works there at the weekend is pretty good, obviously at his age you don't expect miracles but he's not stupid! the rest of the staff really know they're stuff, they all have they're own areas of interest so you can always find someone who knows about what your interested in. and if they don't know it they have a good selection of they're own personal fishy books kept at the store they'll always look stuff up with you and try to help
d. Good selection of tanks for sale in a variety of sizes and designs- no goldfish bowls or betta jars. sadly they do sell bowls but not absolutely teeny ones.... still not the best though. I've spoken to duncan about it before and he say's he's tried to convince the owner not to stock them but is having no luck
e. Plenty of gear to sell- filters (normal, ro, UV etc), heaters, lighting, spare parts like filter pads or sucker pads, nets etc... got a really big dry goods section, will order you pretty much anything
f. Good selection of healthy proper aquarium plants with names of plants listed. names aren't listed but Duncan knows his stuff and will tell you about any of them, also got a nice planted display tank
g. Clean, tidy and nice smelling shop (I went to one lfs which stank of dead fish, bleh). yup
h. Large range of fish foods- must have dried, frozen and live. yup
i. Up to date/good books on fish keeping for sale. got a reasonable selection of books
j. Fish listed correctly under the right names in the shop- no made up or vague names like "sucker fish" or "brians pleco" . never seen anything horribly mis-labelled, i'm not an expert though so might not know
k. Shop must be cool in summer and warm in winter- nothing worse than standing in a huge line waiting at the counter on a boiling hot and humid day, or freezing your bum off etc. got big fans down there to keep the place cool, they need them on even in the winter
l. Decent parking space provided- it's a pain in the bum when you have to park half a mile down the street or something due to lack of parking spaces. probably room for 20-30 cars
m. Good fair prices for goods, as well as special offers like buy one get one free or get 20% off etc. you can get stuff cheaper off t'interweb but can't you always? around here it's one of the cheapest, they do have offers on every so often too
n. Ability to special order fish or goods. will get us any fish in we like, always within a week or so, same for dry goods, they have another branch somewhere else in leeds and a massive warehouse somewhere so they can get stuff in for you within a couple of days
o. Doesn't sell huge tank busting fish in tanks in shop- no giraffe fish, parroon sharks, red tailed catfish etc... only questionable thing i've seen in there is pangasius cats that arrived when duncan had been on his hols and someone else had done the ordering, he wasn't impressed in the slightest. they do sell large fish such as mbu puffers but it's clearly marked how big they get and what size tank they need and they always ask customers what they're set up is when they buy anything out of the ordinary
p. Has properly and carefully stocked and good looking display tanks to inspire people. lovely planted display tank, two nice big community type tanks, nice big discus tank
q. Sells outdoor pond fish like koi and tench- no stergeon though (unless climate is really cold). no outdoor section
r. Sells a varied and good range of pond supplies including decor and plants for the pond. no
s. Sells aquarium animals other than fish- critters like crayfish/lobsters, frogs, crabs, snails, shrimp etc. yeah they've had a variety of inverts there
t. Has more than one working check out to help prevent large waiting lines. yup
u. Has enough staff around at any given time so you don't have to run around for ages looking for someone to help you. generally speaking yes
v. Has good opening and closing times- opens early as possible, closes late as possible, and is open every day of the week. reasonable
w. Shop never has empty tanks with no fish/critters to sell inside them. sometimes just before an order comes in it'll be a bit sparse!
x. Shop is a decent size so you are not having to squeeze your way around. yup
y. Has toilets for customers and not just staff. never asked!
z. Has a good layout to the shop in general so the things you want to buy are in obvious places and not in area's you wouldn't expect them to be so you don't spend ages trying to find the things you want to buy. i think so, given that we probably go 2/3 times a week we know the place like the back of our hands

one other real key factor is how they help in an emergency for example, our metal halide blew up the other day, just before the bank holiday and we weren't gonna be able to get one for about 4/5 days. we were having a massive panic as this would kill our corals, rang them up and they've fostered our corals for a few days in they're tanks to keep them going.

they always take fish if we want to trade them in, we get a good price on them too but probably better than most people.

 

[KathyM]

IMHO, what makes an excellent lfs/local fish store is;

a. Disease-free fish tanks- no dead fish either left in the tanks. Nope, sadly diseased tanks are on the increase, as are the odd floater.
b. Good selection of fish- for example i'm tired of seeing goldfish as the only coldwater ones available. Variable - small shop.
c. Helpful, friendly and informative staff- they need to know about what they are selling. One friendly member of staff, sadly there's a village somewhere missing him.
d. Good selection of tanks for sale in a variety of sizes and designs- no goldfish bowls or betta jars. Bit of both here.
e. Plenty of gear to sell- filters (normal, ro, UV etc), heaters, lighting, spare parts like filter pads or sucker pads, nets etc... They get a tick for this one given they're a small shop.
f. Good selection of healthy proper aquarium plants with names of plants listed. Nope.
g. Clean, tidy and nice smelling shop (I went to one lfs which stank of dead fish, bleh). It's okay.
h. Large range of fish foods- must have dried, frozen and live. Mediocre selection, but caters to most needs.
i. Up to date/good books on fish keeping for sale. It does have a selection of books at the till.
j. Fish listed correctly under the right names in the shop- no made up or vague names like "sucker fish" or "brians pleco" . Basic fish generally correctly labelled with the exception of 99% of plecs, and some cories.
k. Shop must be cool in summer and warm in winter- nothing worse than standing in a huge line waiting at the counter on a boiling hot and humid day, or freezing your bum off etc. Passes this one.
l. Decent parking space provided- it's a pain in the bum when you have to park half a mile down the street or something due to lack of parking spaces. Parking is on the road, but not a problem for me.
m. Good fair prices for goods, as well as special offers like buy one get one free or get 20% off etc. Mixed bag.
n. Ability to special order fish or goods. I've ordered a couple of times and both times they've forgotten to put the order in.
o. Doesn't sell huge tank busting fish in tanks in shop- no giraffe fish, parroon sharks, red tailed catfish etc... The odd pangasius and wrong plec sizes given out regularly.
p. Has properly and carefully stocked and good looking display tanks to inspire people. Basic, not showy.
q. Sells outdoor pond fish like koi and tench- no stergeon though (unless climate is really cold). Definitely sells koi - not sure about the rest as I don't look in that area.
r. Sells a varied and good range of pond supplies including decor and plants for the pond. Yes.
s. Sells aquarium animals other than fish- critters like crayfish/lobsters, frogs, crabs, snails, shrimp etc. Yes.
t. Has more than one working check out to help prevent large waiting lines. No, but its a small shop.
u. Has enough staff around at any given time so you don't have to run around for ages looking for someone to help you. Some days better than others.
v. Has good opening and closing times- opens early as possible, closes late as possible, and is open every day of the week. Not open every day, but it's a small business. Very reasonable opening hours.
w. Shop never has empty tanks with no fish/critters to sell inside them. Depends - sometimes the day before delivery.
x. Shop is a decent size so you are not having to squeeze your way around. Shop is tiny but I wouldn't change it in that way.
y. Has toilets for customers and not just staff. Have no idea.
z. Has a good layout to the shop in general so the things you want to buy are in obvious places and not in area's you wouldn't expect them to be so you don't spend ages trying to find the things you want to buy. Layout is okay.

Etc...lol...
Has anyone ever encountered an excellent lfs? How would you rate the fish/pet shops you go most often to and what do you think they could do with improving on?
My most local lfs fails most of the things I have listed, but my second lfs does ok- good but not great.

I've tried to be as reasonable as possible considering recent experiences.

 

[madmom]

a. Disease-free fish tanks- no dead fish either left in the tanks. Well it depends on the day. They get fish Weds. and you will see some dead on Thurs. but they patroll the tanks pretty well. Has been big improvement recently.
b. Good selection of fish- for example i'm tired of seeing goldfish as the only coldwater ones available. They have a wall with cold water fish. Good selection of tropicals but no marine
c. Helpful, friendly and informative staff- they need to know about what they are selling. There are two clerks that seem to know something about fish. One admits to reading certain fish foorums.
d. Good selection of tanks for sale in a variety of sizes and designs- no goldfish bowls or betta jars. There are a good section of tanks though they sell the large goldfish bowls too.
e. Plenty of gear to sell- filters (normal, ro, UV etc), heaters, lighting, spare parts like filter pads or sucker pads, nets etc... They havea good selection of gear.
f. Good selection of healthy proper aquarium plants with names of plants listed. Only the more common ones with labels.
g. Clean, tidy and nice smelling shop (I went to one lfs which stank of dead fish, bleh). Pretty much though some days it smells like wet dog. (They do dog grooming.)
h. Large range of fish foods- must have dried, frozen and live.Have plenty dried, some frozen but only live crickets
i. Up to date/good books on fish keeping for sale. No I haven't seen any though they have fact sheets for some of the fish.
j. Fish listed correctly under the right names in the shop- no made up or vague names like "sucker fish" or "brians pleco" . Not sure. I got a green cory that turnes out to be a brachis.
k. Shop must be cool in summer and warm in winter- nothing worse than standing in a huge line waiting at the counter on a boiling hot and humid day, or freezing your bum off etc. Shop is kept pretty good no freezing or sweating.
l. Decent parking space provided- it's a pain in the bum when you have to park half a mile down the street or something due to lack of parking spaces. Plenty of parking. It's located next to a mini mall.
m. Good fair prices for goods, as well as special offers like buy one get one free or get 20% off etc. Pretty fair prices. They run monthly specials on different things each month.
n. Ability to special order fish or goods. Have no idea
o. Doesn't sell huge tank busting fish in tanks in shop- no giraffe fish, parroon sharks, red tailed catfish etc... Haven't seen any too big.
p. Has properly and carefully stocked and good looking display tanks to inspire people. no display tanks
q. Sells outdoor pond fish like koi and tench- no stergeon though (unless climate is really cold). no
r. Sells a varied and good range of pond supplies including decor and plants for the pond. Has supplies but no pond plants.
s. Sells aquarium animals other than fish- critters like crayfish/lobsters, frogs, crabs, snails, shrimp etc. yes
t. Has more than one working check out to help prevent large waiting lines. yes
u. Has enough staff around at any given time so you don't have to run around for ages looking for someone to help you.
v. Has good opening and closing times- opens early as possible, closes late as possible, and is open every day of the week. opens at 9 closes at 9 6 days a week and at 6 on Sunday
w. Shop never has empty tanks with no fish/critters to sell inside them. All tanks occupied
x. Shop is a decent size so you are not having to squeeze your way around. Pretty good
y. Has toilets for customers and not just staff. If they do I haven't seen them
z. Has a good layout to the shop in general so the things you want to buy are in obvious places and not in area's you wouldn't expect them to be so you don't spend ages trying to find the things you want to buy. yes

 

[shaz3271]

Frisby aquatics hull

has had a few mentions in the pfk mag

and has its own website

www.frisbyaquatics.co.uk

 

[stang1]

Maidenhead Aquatics- Harlestone, Northampton.

a. Disease-free fish tanks- no dead fish either left in the tanks.
Only ever seen a couple of dead fish, pointed it out to the staff and they removed them. They then removed the for sale signs and treated the tanks.
b. Good selection of fish- for example i'm tired of seeing goldfish as the only coldwater ones available.
Not a bad selection- plenty of tropical, quite a few marine and several different varieties of goldfish.
c. Helpful, friendly and informative staff- they need to know about what they are selling.
Usually deal with the same couple of staff members who know their stuff. A couple of new staff, not sure what they are talking about, so don't deal with them.
d. Good selection of tanks for sale in a variety of sizes and designs- no goldfish bowls or betta jars.
A few different tanks for sale, mainly Rena and Fluval. No goldfish bowls or Betta jars.
e. Plenty of gear to sell- filters (normal, ro, UV etc), heaters, lighting, spare parts like filter pads or sucker pads, nets etc...
Good variety,
f. Good selection of healthy proper aquarium plants with names of plants listed.
Seperate tanks for the plants, mostly labelled. Usually ask advice if I'm not sure and they are very heplful.
g. Clean, tidy and nice smelling shop (I went to one lfs which stank of dead fish, bleh).
Always clean and tidy.
h. Large range of fish foods- must have dried, frozen and live.
Good variety.
i. Up to date/good books on fish keeping for sale.
Quite a few books for sale. Usually have offers of a free book if you spend a certain amount on buying a certain fish.
j. Fish listed correctly under the right names in the shop- no made up or vague names like "sucker fish" or "brians pleco" .
Never noticed any fish labelled wrong. Mind you was sold a King Tiger instead of a Queen Arabesque! Told them and they were apologetic and said they would change him.
k. Shop must be cool in summer and warm in winter- nothing worse than standing in a huge line waiting at the counter on a boiling hot and humid day, or freezing your bum off etc.
No problems with temperatures.
l. Decent parking space provided- it's a pain in the bum when you have to park half a mile down the street or something due to lack of parking spaces.
Part of a garden centre so quite ample parking.
m. Good fair prices for goods, as well as special offers like buy one get one free or get 20% off etc.
Occasionally have special offers and the goods are a fair price, especially on tanks.
n. Ability to special order fish or goods.
More than happy to order anything in for you. Phone you as soon as they are available.
o. Doesn't sell huge tank busting fish in tanks in shop- no giraffe fish, parroon sharks, red tailed catfish etc...
They now refuse to take large fish and will not sell bigger fish.
p. Has properly and carefully stocked and good looking display tanks to inspire people.
Beautiful and HUGE Cichlid tank when you walk in. Now we want a Cichlid tank because of it!
q. Sells outdoor pond fish like koi and tench- no stergeon though (unless climate is really cold).
Sell a few outdoor pond fish but not sure what, never took a lot of notice.
r. Sells a varied and good range of pond supplies including decor and plants for the pond.
Same as above.
s. Sells aquarium animals other than fish- critters like crayfish/lobsters, frogs, crabs, snails, shrimp etc.
Yes-marine and tropical.
t. Has more than one working check out to help prevent large waiting lines.
2 checkouts but never had to queue for long even when they are busy.
u. Has enough staff around at any given time so you don't have to run around for ages looking for someone to help you.
At least three members of staff at all times.
v. Has good opening and closing times- opens early as possible, closes late as possible, and is open every day of the week.
Open everyday of the week. Weekdays 9-6, not to sure of weekend opening times.
w. Shop never has empty tanks with no fish/critters to sell inside them.
Never noticed empty tanks.
x. Shop is a decent size so you are not having to squeeze your way around.
Sometimes a bit of a tight squeeze when busy but not a major problem.
y. Has toilets for customers and not just staff.
Toilets are in the main garden centre.
z. Has a good layout to the shop in general so the things you want to buy are in obvious places and not in area's you wouldn't expect them to be so you don't spend ages trying to find the things you want to buy.
Nice layout, easy to find everything.

We've been to quite a few places but mainly use this one as we are impressed with the set-up.

 

[dr hfuhruhurr]

a. Disease-free fish tanks- no dead fish either left in the tanks.

I have seen dead fish in our lfs. In fact there was a dead one in the platy tank which I had planned to take some stock from. Also some of the other fish dont appear too well. There is also some overstocking of some tanks where the fish in the tanks move out very slowly. For instance there is one small tank with 9 or 10 species in it which is rammed everytime I see it.


c. Helpful, friendly and informative staff- they need to know about what they are selling.

The big irony is that the permanent, well informed staff work during the week, whilst the younger, less clued up staff work at the weekends when most people go to the lfs. I tend to hang around waiting for the right member of staff to turn up.



d. Good selection of tanks for sale in a variety of sizes and designs- no goldfish bowls or betta jars.
What about coffee tables and the 'hang on your wall' tank. They're both at my lfs


e. Plenty of gear to sell- filters (normal, ro, UV etc), heaters, lighting, spare parts like filter pads or sucker pads, nets etc...
f. Good selection of healthy proper aquarium plants with names of plants listed.

No Chance. I have yet to find a shop that sells plants properly.


j. Fish listed correctly under the right names in the shop- no made up or vague names like "sucker fish" or "brians pleco" .


This is the thing about my fish shop that irritates me the most. They do two things
1. Give a fish a simplified name that they seem to have made up. I hate this. I want to correctly identify what Im buying, not have a half stab at whats in the tank (though I know thats why the staff are there)
2. Put half a dozen species in a tank, with a list of non-too descriptive names so you dont know which is which.




o. Doesn't sell huge tank busting fish in tanks in shop- no giraffe fish, parroon sharks, red tailed catfish etc...


What about Stingrays and 'Red Dragon Fish'?

 

[geo7x]

ok heres mine, i quite like my lfs, its Fishey Business in east sussex and has a big article on PFK website but it doesnt seem to be workiong at the moment, just look in "featured retailers"

a. Disease-free fish tanks- no dead fish either left in the tanks.
They are very good at this, only seen one or two dead fish left in the tank, never seen any obvious diseases (whitespot etc) and they always dont put any fish up for sale at the first sign of disease.
b. Good selection of fish- for example i'm tired of seeing goldfish as the only coldwater ones available.
Yes, mine seems to specialise in oddballs and catfish, which i really like, they have some amazing plecs
c. Helpful, friendly and informative staff- they need to know about what they are selling.
Yes again, nearly every time i have gone to get a fish from them they always ask what size the tank is, what fish are in it etc, and they seem to be very knowledgable
d. Good selection of tanks for sale in a variety of sizes and designs- no goldfish bowls or betta jars.
yes, they do stock a few juwels etc, but even better they can order in a range of sizes for cheap tanks only, eg, 48"x18"x15" is around £65, 18"x10"x10" is about £15. They dont have as many goldfish bowls etc as other places, but even though they do, they are good at advising what to put in it etc
e. Plenty of gear to sell- filters (normal, ro, UV etc), heaters, lighting, spare parts like filter pads or sucker pads, nets etc...
Reasonable, not a huge amount of equipment for more than enough for whatever ive needed
f. Good selection of healthy proper aquarium plants with names of plants listed.
Yeah I suppose, they have quite a good range of plants in, not many though, and good for me they are all labelled
g. Clean, tidy and nice smelling shop (I went to one lfs which stank of dead fish, bleh).
yeah i suppose never really thought about it before, but smells ok, pretty tidy, can be hard to find equipment though as its pretty randomly placed, i usually have to ask.
h. Large range of fish foods- must have dried, frozen and live.
Yeah I suppose, does me fine with 2 tanks with fish in that eat nothing but live or frozen, sometimes they dont have much/any live though when they are due a delivery.
i. Up to date/good books on fish keeping for sale.
Can't say that ive seen any books actually
j. Fish listed correctly under the right names in the shop- no made up or vague names like "sucker fish" or "brians pleco" .
Yeah pretty good, ive seen a couple of mislabelled fish, but nothing more serious than a trilineatus labelled as a julii. Some of them actually are labelled with scientific names, and most plec's labels show the L number
k. Shop must be cool in summer and warm in winter- nothing worse than standing in a huge line waiting at the counter on a boiling hot and humid day, or freezing your bum off etc.
Again, never really noticed but i suppose its ok
l. Decent parking space provided- it's a pain in the bum when you have to park half a mile down the street or something due to lack of parking spaces.
Yes very, this ones on the grounds of a large garden centre and shares the same huge car park
m. Good fair prices for goods, as well as special offers like buy one get one free or get 20% off etc.
Yep, whenever ive bought anything and ask people on here about the price it always turns out to be pretty good, just below average. They also have buy 5 get one free or something on most fish, which is always annoying if your tank cant fit in that amount of fish, you miss out on the deal lol
n. Ability to special order fish or goods.
They are not very good at this at all Unless they can buy it in bulk and make money from it they dont wanna hear about it
o. Doesn't sell huge tank busting fish in tanks in shop- no giraffe fish, parroon sharks, red tailed catfish etc...
well, they do but not in a bad way, they sell fish like arowanas, stingrays, shovelnoses, giraffe catfish , puffers, however they dont sell them small so theyre tempting and cute, they have large ones, like feet in length, and slap a hefty price tag on them. That way its not so easy for any old person to come and grab one, and im sure if i went along and tried to buy one they would ask loads of questions on my setup
p. Has properly and carefully stocked and good looking display tanks to inspire people.
Yeah I like them, they have one huge one with oddballs etc in, apart from one or two of them are pretty overstocked
q. Sells outdoor pond fish like koi and tench- no stergeon though (unless climate is really cold).
Havent looked inside but the big tent thing that houses them looks pretty big
r. Sells a varied and good range of pond supplies including decor and plants for the pond.
Yeah i think so, but dont look much
s. Sells aquarium animals other than fish- critters like crayfish/lobsters, frogs, crabs, snails, shrimp etc.
Not really, they have the odd frog and shrimp, nothing much else though
t. Has more than one working check out to help prevent large waiting lines.
Kind of, if you get a fish and theres a queue then the employee who netted the fish for you will let you pay etc without waiting in line, but the lines never that big anyway, only ever a couple of people maximum
u. Has enough staff around at any given time so you don't have to run around for ages looking for someone to help you.
Yeah plenty
v. Has good opening and closing times- opens early as possible, closes late as possible, and is open every day of the week.
Yeah i suppose, 7 days a week, its either 10 or 10.30 it opens, and closes at 5.30, on sundays its 11-4 though
w. Shop never has empty tanks with no fish/critters to sell inside them.
not that ive seen yet
x. Shop is a decent size so you are not having to squeeze your way around.
yep, pretty good size, but sometimes the staff are doing water changes on the tanks etc while you are looking around which is quite annoying because you cant see the fish with them in the way
y. Has toilets for customers and not just staff.
No but i dont really think its a very important factor, i mean, youre never in there that long
z. Has a good layout to the shop in general so the things you want to buy are in obvious places and not in area's you wouldn't expect them to be so you don't spend ages trying to find the things you want to buy.
As mentioned earlier the things are pretty randomly scattered, i sometimes have to ask where things are, but theyre more than happy to help

I recommend it!

 

[StuCarr]

100% agree with 'stang1' about maidenhead harlestone heath. That store has pretty much all the points mentioned in the first post. To get there I have to drive past 2 other stores. They are both good but harlestone heath has so much more choice. Quite spoilt for choice in Northampton, I have yet to visit the others in the area so can't comment
Stu

 

[chibi]

The thing I don't like about my local fish store is it's really stuffy and humid in there. It's hot all year round. I guess you have to keep it that way for the tanks, though.

 

[discus dreamer]

Just one thing I would like to add to Tokis' list is that the perfect store would be accessible by public transport.
I don't drive and most of the big stores are just too hard to get to without a car. My favorite local store is Macmillans in Brookfield, Preston. Its small but the staff are knowledgable and friendly and it's on a regular bus route just 15 mins from my house.
DD