LFS Ideas

[lizard]

I'm working at a local pet store, mostly in the fish department. The store is just getting going (opened in the last six months or so), so there are lots of changes going on, ideas being suggested, etc. My boss is happy to hear any ideas I have and is pretty open to stuff. He wants his stores (has two) to be known as "fish stores"; he doesn't have the fish there just 'cause they're another animal people can buy. He knows his stuff, too - freshwater, saltwater. He's good

Anyhew, I've been making lists of ideas and suggestions, but I'd like your input. What do you like to see in a LFS, or what would you like to see? What do you not like to see? What would keep you coming back to the store? What would make you never come back again? What would you like your LFS to stock? What do you think they shouldn't have? Projects or ideas that are reasonable would be good

ETA: What plants would you like to see? Do you like to see display tanks? What about a sheet of exmaple set ups - i.e. a good 10-gallon community stocking list, 29-gallon stocking list, etc.?

Thanks so much!

Pamela
aka Married Lizard

 

[Katchan]

I'd like a card or similar above or below the display tanks giving information about the fish(s) in it eg-size grows to, water preferences, suitable tank mates etc.

along with the "regular fish" that everywhere has a selection of less common (in regards to what everyone else stock) fish.

information leaflets (photocopies/printouts etc) in stuff like cycling, basic fishkeeping, diseases - there's a place in brisbane that gives out information sheets on bettas with everyone sold (fish history, and top care tips for either tank or bowl)

just some ideas

Katchan

 

[pica_nuttalli]

I'd reallyreally love to see printouts explaining things like the nitrogen cycle, why distilled/reverse osmosis water shouldn't be used undiluted, why you shouldn't mix coldwater with tropical fish, and the truth about overcrowding and stunting (preferably with big nasty pictures of stunted fish).

I'd also like to see more variety in algae eaters, schooling fish, and livebearers. Maybe a couple or three common plecs, but a dozen bristle-/rubbernoses available. Fewer CAES and plenty of otos. A wider range of tetras and barbs beyond the ubiquitous tigerbarb and black widow. Fewer livebearers overall but more varieties mixed in--including dwarf platies! (i personally think dwarf platies are ideal for those tiny tanks that sell so well)

I'd like to see less of those fish that look so cute but rapidly get huge--iridescent sharks, balas, pacus, oscars, common plecos, fire eels...

If you can get specialty fish on order for the next shipment, how about you post the list or write it on a whiteboard. That'd save a lot of time for those of us who are looking for that special something to top off their tank. Also a list of fish that can be acquired from local dealers would be nice for those of us looking for "pedigree" fish (or just ones untainted by horomonal accelerants).

a few more suggestions can be found in this thread and i'm sure there are other similar threads if you don't mind some digging...

 

[The-Wolf]

aside from seeing more of the less common danios

I'd like to see more of the pseudomugil species of rainbowfish and more species of botia.

 

[debiasir]

i like to see cards near the tanks giving info on the fish. also i think info sheets showing stocking suggestions for various size tanks, cycling and similar info is a good idea.

 

[dwarfgourami]

What a wonderful situation- sounds like you have a great boss! Keep up the good work both of you!

I would like to see an information sheet on the plants stuck up by the plant tank. My lfs has a very good selection of healthy-looking plants, but nobody in the store knows anything about them, so buying plants is a very hit and miss affair, particularly as most of theirs aren't the ones commonly featured in books.

Clearly labelled fish, as mentioned above (size, needs, territoriality), is very important- and keeping the labels up to date. My lfs has labels, but they only cover about half the fish they sell as they rarely seem to update them. They had a lovely little shoal of baby oscars in there yesterday, totally unlabelled, looked just right for my 60 ltrs.....except I happened to know what they were.

Information sheets on cycling sounds brilliant.

How about selling household ammonia? lots of people want to cycle fishless, but it can be hard to get started because you can't find the right bottle.

Some sensible proportion between the type of fish sold and the most commonly stocked size of tank. It really gets me that my lfs goes in so heavily for sharks and largeish catfish when they mostly sell tanks that are way too small. They must know the consequences for the fish. I have no problem with livebearers- I'd rather see a happy well cared for platy than a miserable bala shark any day. But a good selection of tetras is the sort of thing that might make me take a second turn round the shop.

Tiny fish tanks put me off a shop. Goldfish bowls in particular.

Signs of good practice- like clear labels of Not for sale on a tank whose occupants have clearly got ich give me confidence in a shop. This shows that you are taking matters seriously and I don't have to get embarrassed and ask.

I think your idea of suggested stocking lists is a very good one. As we regularly see on the forum, lots of beginners have little idea what you can and cannot do with a 10 gallon tank- having this sort of information from the start would help people to see what size tank they should buy in the first place. I had kept fish before but still found this very difficult (and of course I now wish I had gone bigger....).

You could also add to the label of individual fish, 'should not be kept in a tank smaller than x. One of my fish books does that and I think it's a good idea as it takes into account things like need for swimming space (eg danios) which you might not think of just looking at the size of a fish.

I'll probably think of some more later.

 

[Kiarra]

Every fish and plant labeled correctly, with common name and latin name. Sizing, recommended diet (for instance, I've seen Bettas listed as herbivores, no meat required), and general aggression level or warnings for aggression.

Caresheets included with every fish purchase on the specific species of fish, or at least that genus of fish (like Betta, but not necessarily splendens, could include imbellis or other species).

 

[Angry_Platy]

Stock fish that need big tanks in the minimum tank size they should be kept in. Then people can't say "but it was in a 2ft tank at the LFS" and so on. Even if this means more large display tanks. This way you could also keep compatible species together. Make sense?

Also, it not so much what is "in" a LFS but the people serving etc. Make sure they know their fish. Have specialists if required so each staff member can learn about african cichlids, or livebearers, or loaches, or tetras etc.

 

[SPLiSH]

~No goldfish in bowls, and no tiny setups labelled as 'goldfish starter kit' or anything.
~Staff giving acclimatisation directions when someone buys a fish, like 'Float the bag for 1/2 an hour, adding small amounts of your water etc.'

How about selling household ammonia? lots of people want to cycle fishless, but it can be hard to get started because you can't find the right bottle.

An excellent idea.

 

[Kazman]

I always think it's nice when the tanks the fish for sale are kept in are planted and interesting (although this must make it hardier for the people to catch the fish to sell them!) I hate seeing completely plain glass tanks.

I think having sample tanks set up for 10g, 20g etc. is a good idea. Give people an idea on stocking levels and compatability.

It would be nice if they sold fish magazines like PFK too rather than just books as it will encourage people to read up on the subject.

Good luck.

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

i second teh ammonia, and suggest maybe a few more dwarf chcilids otehr then just rams, a few more apistogrammas etc

 

[sylvia]

I would think the most basic thing is to not put sick fish for sale and quarantine and treat any suspected of carrying disease. If it's possible, I preffer seperate filtration systems for each tank - as opposed to all the fish sharing the same filter system which means disease can travel between tanks. I never buy fish from a tank where there are dead tankmates and I wouldn't buy from a shop with dyed fish in stock. Besides that, I would think handing out leaflets with information on cycling to people who are buying a new tank would be good and deffinately the suggestion of selling ammonia with a guide to fishless cycling included would be excellent. Something else I think would be convinient for customers is to have the various fish in categories - for example, tanks with tetras to be in a tetra section and tanks with african cichlids in the cichlid section etc. It just makes it easier to find the fish you are after and should also help beginners choose fish. Also, if you stock BIG fish (like shovelnose cats etc), do have a note up beside the tank saying this fish gets big and its potential size - so that people don't impulse buy fish that outgrow their tanks. If I found an LFS that mentions the potential size and minnimum tank size for bala sharks, clown loaches and common plecs, I would deffinately come back. As for a display tank, I like seeing these in LFSs cause, if they are correctly stocked and the fish healthy, it suggests they know about general maintainance and care about their fish - rather than the message row upon row of empty stock tanks gives out. I also think, like someone mentioned, that making the stock tanks look nice is useful but if you have a few impressive display tanks, this becomes less important.

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

one thign i always like to see is a good slection of plants, and bog wood and perhaspe less of the florescant castle and divers

another idea would be perhapse to give a clear indication of were speices are from, like put asian fish toghether africans together etc.

i would also like to see, though this is just becasue i would like to, a kind of around the world in disply tanks, like an amazon tank then SE asisan afican etc

 

[Welsh_Woman]

I thought of an idea that a fish shop could do to make it easier for people to buy the right fish.... Have a colour chart, for example all tanks that have a green sticker on are community fish and so on, you would be suprised how many people don't know the dif between salt and fresh water.

Also I can't stand one thing in my LFS, they stock loads of common plecs, state the size they grow to on the tank, someone has taken one back to the shop already because it was about 15" long and they didnt have the room.

Oh also my lfs stocks to many of the same type of fish and I can never get what I want, to many guppies, platties....

 

[sylvia]

Oh that's another thing - the difference between fresh and saltwater... If your LFS will be selling brackish fish - please let them make it clear that they are brackish!