Good Lfs Advice

[Squid]

Just thought i would state my experiences yesterday with Maidenhead Aquatics in woking. We are usually very quick to slate LFS, but never as quick to praise them. However, I have been in here a number of times and i am always impressed.

The guy i spoke to yesterday did a number of things that made me feel comfortable:


I live in farnham, but he knew what the water was like where i lived, not just Woking. PH the lot.

He had heard of the fishless cycle, and was comfortable with selling the fish (depending on which ones they were). They question people who ask for too many fish.

He took into account the size of my tank for reassurance of the fish i was after

They dont buy in new common plecs..

They question anyone who wants fish that grow fairly large

Fish selection - he did not force you to get any particular fish. He bagged one fish for me, noticed there was part of a fin damaged, pointed it out and offered to change it. (rather than flog it anyway,, i hadn't noticed.)

He netted the fish very carefully and quickly.. i couldnt have done it.

He pointed out any issues each of the new fish may have. i.e. bacterial/ulcers for the dwarf gouramis, pentazonas are prone to whitespot.

Double checked on whether i knew how to introduce the fish.

discussed other buying options, and recommended which ones would prefer to be added at a later date.



I could go on, but you get the point. This chap has about 7-8 tanks of his own, and has been out to places like buenos aries for holidays and brought back wild fish..

Anyway.. definately recommend this place. I know they should all do this, and alot of it is basic.. but it was good to see.


Squid

 

[silver tipped]

Hi,

I also use Maidenhead Aquatics but the one in Wimborne. I can honestly say they are the best lfs I have been to and would certainly recommended them.

I went at the weekend to buy amano shrimp and they asked me what other fish I had, just to check that everyone would be happy in my tank. As you have mentioned they bagged the shrimp up quickly so, as to reduce stress for them and the other fish in the tank. I also had some questions about my platies and even though the shop was really busy, the guy took the time to not only answer my queries but to offer other advice as well.

They also have the most amazing fish I have seen in the display tanks. I could spend hours just gazing at the all and dreaming of the tanks I want in the future.

Well done Maidenhead Aquatics.

 

[FBF]

that'll be keiran. he owns part of the chain. that guy KNOWS his fish. he has the highest possible training and is on some list that keeps him updated on all fish species. notice how clean the tanks are too?..

saying that they are more expensive than anyone else.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Oh this is encouraging! I was just thinking of taking tomorrow off and going out to the one in Fair Oak- a bit of a journey for me, as I don't drive- but if it's going to be an experience that cheers me up, then I'll go for it.

 

[chickenlady]

Yes - I go to Maidenhead Aquatics nr. Wimborne too - and they really are extremely helpful. Their tanks are a wonder to behold - especially the marine section.

 

[missPenguin]

I don't supose they fancy opening a branch up in Central Belt Scotland do they?

Could do with it

 

[Squid]

Im affraid york is your closest ;-)

hmm.. perhaps not eh.

 

[helsekia]

ive been to the one in york----excellent

lovely clean tanks,healthy fish and knowledgeable staff

 

[pieman]

What about the wonderfull world of Wigan?

All we have is Pets At Near Death

 

[seb_negrete]

for the people out there on this side of the pond, i would mention that i've been doing a lot of shopping at my local "big al's" recently and i've been very impressed. the staff are knowledgable and helpful and everything is kept very clean. some of the stuff they have there is not in the greatest condition (specifically their plants and some newly arrived fish they had) but they were very upfront and honest with me about it. after some very bad experiences at other local shops i'm glad i've found this place and a couple of others that are really high quality.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Boooohoooohoooo!!! I took the day off yesterday and trekked all the way out to Maidenhead aquatics in Fair Oak, looking for a wonderful day out, 4 hour round trip pretty well, including a long walk along a busy road, and when I got there the cupboard was bare- fish section closed all day for maintenance! And they did not stock any Juwel tanks, so I couldn't have a look at the Rio 240 in real life. Boooohoooo!!!!

I did manage to get to Creature Comforts in Totton in the afternoon. They certainly have an impressive dry goods section, and a large and interesting selection of fish- but they had more dead bodies floating around than I've ever seen at Pets@. I know fish do die- but is it really necessary to have balls of cotton wool bobbing around at the front of the tank that on inspection turn out to have bits of ex-fish in them? To their credit, a lot of tanks had Quarantine, not for sale, in them- but is there a rule that says you don't have to maintain your quarantine tanks?

The plants in the plant section had more brown algae on them than even I have managed to achieve at home, which rather defeats the purpose (I can grow my own algae, thank you!)- again, Pets@home do seem to manage better. The overall impression was that of a shop that had started with laudable ambitions, but are not able to keep up with day-to-day maintenance.

But it was not a wasted trip- I was able to lay my hands on vols 2 and 3 of the Baesch aqaurium guide at greatly reduced prices, and I did get to see my dream tank (the Juwel 240) in the flesh, and it is definitely the tank for me! They even had a cabinet that matches my livingroom furniture, so it must be clear to the meanest intelligence (my husband's) that this tank was meant for me. I also enjoyed seeing some fish I had never seen before- I only hope they're not on the same system as the ex-fish cotton balls.

I came back with a renewed respect for the small private fish shops in Portswood and Shirley. A pity you need a gas mask to get through the dry goods section in the Portswood shop; I am allergic to smoke, and that room resembles nothing so much as a battlefield in the Thirty Years War- the sort of place where you might easily mistake friend for foe. But the fish are well looked after.

Sorry about the long whaffle.