Been Doing The Rounds Of The Lfs

[dwarfgourami]

It's just amazing how impressions can change from one day to another. As I had a rare morning off, I got the bus out to Totton, where I was very rude about Creature Comforts only a few weeks ago.

Well, I don't know what happened, but it's a totally different scene. Nothing dead in the tanks, nothing together in the tanks that shouldn't be, good selection of interesting fish, decent looking plants, helpful staff. I asked about the Latin name of a fish and the young lad went and looked it up in Baensch! If they can keep it up, this shop gets my business!

Then I went off to the small locally owned shop in Southampton where I got my first fish. Oh dear. Dead fish, dirty water, betta with the serpas, dwarf gouramis with the betta. Shop assistant still charming and helpful- but I didn't want anything from there.

Proceeded to Pets@, who were suffering an ich outbreak- but all the tanks with ich were clearly labelled, and there were no horrendous mismatchings, unlike the other shop.

So my universe has been turned upside down, the baddies are now goodies and vice versa.

My verdict on Mike's& Dave's in Portswood still stands though- you need a gas mask to enter the shop but I've never caught them with tankfuls of rotting fish. Their fish look good!

 

[qwikimpss]

You make a good point. You can't judge an LFS by one experience with them. All stores, at one point or another, will have dead fish, it is a fact. You may just end up walking in before they have had a chance to scoop them out. That being said, if you go in there several times in a row and see tons of dead fish, tell a clerk and see if they even care, then that will really let you get a feel for the place.

 

[riverman444]

I, too, have noticed a turn around with a few "Corporate" fish stores in my area. Petco is normally the worst, but I'm amazed at the new "plant" tank they have. It has a huge light above it and they actually run 2 Nutrafin CO2 kits in it!!!! It is at least 200 gallons.....HUGE!!

The fish are spread out in about 200 plastic tanks, you've seen them......tank wall.

Most fish are healthy, but there are always sick ones, and I take that as normal. I mean, geesh, you can't expect a place to keep 400+ fish without having a few die during the day.

PetSmart is still the same. I hate that place.

Petland is remarkable. Their saltwater displays are awesome and they actually do their own propegation with corals. They have little "buds"......not sure, not a saltwater guru on plastic shelving in the tanks.

They have a 40 gallon planted that looks really good with 2 huge discus in it. "NOT FOR SALE"