Sask Aquarist
Fish Fanatic
I often frequent the local pet stores in town and many of the times when I'm on forums and blogs such as this, I notice a lot of negative attitude towards the Local fish stores that people buy livestock from. It is not necessarily without justification. Buying from other local hobbyists you will more then likely obtain a higher quality fish for multiple reasons. To name a few would be: Better quality care, Healthier tank size and water conditions, Better feed, etc...
The goal of this topic is to shed some light (In my opinion) on LFS and how I personally approach them and why I more then often choose to buy from them rather then local hobbyists. I'm hoping perhaps it will help in explaining as to why the fish are often low quality and why I prefer to buy from there.
First and foremost I would like to answer the question on everyone's mind as soon as they read the first small paragraph. For one I am in no way advocating that people should buy fish from fish stores. Its a personal choice where you get your livestock from, As well I am not discouraging the same purchases from the LFS. Several weeks ago i purchased six Black mollies from my LFS. They were in bad shape to begin and to the inexperienced eye they would be just fish. The normal melanistic color was drained from the gill area and around the dorsal fin, not only that there was the odd floater up at the top of the tank. Normally you would look at this and choose not to purchase a fish in those conditions. However when I see fish in that type of care I immediately purchase several from the tanks. Now, Why would i do that? Personally I view it like I'm saving a dog from a life of abuse and neglect. The before fish is nothing like the Mollies I have bolting around in my tank today. The alpha male of the tank (Affectionately named Oscar) Went from the above conditions to the darkest silk black that I had hoped for. Through varied diet of bloodworms, tropical flakes, some homemade food, and a couple of freeze dried shrimp, almost all the mollies I bought that day are in fine shape. They are full of energy that Was non-existent in the fish store, They even brave the dreaded Fluval 406 currents. Unfortunately one molly was lost in the process, This is a fact of fishkeeping. You win some and you lose some.
I hope through this small story that next time you go to the local fish department and see the fish there, that you will be able to give a fish a more deserving home where they thrive and enjoy life as all living things should. =)
Any questions can be posted here or PM me and i will answer them to the best of my abilities.
The goal of this topic is to shed some light (In my opinion) on LFS and how I personally approach them and why I more then often choose to buy from them rather then local hobbyists. I'm hoping perhaps it will help in explaining as to why the fish are often low quality and why I prefer to buy from there.
First and foremost I would like to answer the question on everyone's mind as soon as they read the first small paragraph. For one I am in no way advocating that people should buy fish from fish stores. Its a personal choice where you get your livestock from, As well I am not discouraging the same purchases from the LFS. Several weeks ago i purchased six Black mollies from my LFS. They were in bad shape to begin and to the inexperienced eye they would be just fish. The normal melanistic color was drained from the gill area and around the dorsal fin, not only that there was the odd floater up at the top of the tank. Normally you would look at this and choose not to purchase a fish in those conditions. However when I see fish in that type of care I immediately purchase several from the tanks. Now, Why would i do that? Personally I view it like I'm saving a dog from a life of abuse and neglect. The before fish is nothing like the Mollies I have bolting around in my tank today. The alpha male of the tank (Affectionately named Oscar) Went from the above conditions to the darkest silk black that I had hoped for. Through varied diet of bloodworms, tropical flakes, some homemade food, and a couple of freeze dried shrimp, almost all the mollies I bought that day are in fine shape. They are full of energy that Was non-existent in the fish store, They even brave the dreaded Fluval 406 currents. Unfortunately one molly was lost in the process, This is a fact of fishkeeping. You win some and you lose some.
I hope through this small story that next time you go to the local fish department and see the fish there, that you will be able to give a fish a more deserving home where they thrive and enjoy life as all living things should. =)
Any questions can be posted here or PM me and i will answer them to the best of my abilities.
I hope the next fish that your LFS buys are kept better however, or are you planning to buy their entire stock every time your money helps them purchase more fish to torture with bad conditions?
