The Lfs

[bymauldin]

Today I went to my LFS to check out stock and such before I commited to buying anything from them. I've always held this store in high regards because they've always had beautiful, healthy looking fish. They've always had a wide variety of fish too. It seems that most of the people I've spoke with there seems educated and willing to educate. Imgaine my surprise when I went today and found several fish with fungus covering them...still in the tank with other fish that didn't appear to be infected yet . I must say though, even that didn't bother me as much as when I saw a 5 gallon tank with some odd 15-20 fish in it. All these fish were for sale. In this tiny 5 gal tank they had 2 or 3 Parrot fish (HUGE), 2 Cichlids (also fairly large), 3 Bumblebee Gobies, 7-8 Mollies, a female betta, and a MALE BETTA!! This poor male betta nearly had all of his fins bit off. He was swollen pretty bad all over. His eyes and face looked especially swollen. His stomach was also swollen .
The lady working finally got off the phone from a personal phone call and I managed to squeeze in a couple of questions while I followed her around as she feed the fish. I asked about the Bumblebee Gobies she had for sale. I asked what possible tank mates I could put with them. She replied "You can keep them with any Cichlid or even with Bettas." I was stunned. She then said "But I believe I need to get this male betta out because the other fish have nearly torn all his tale off!!" Can you believe that? Needless to say I'm not going to give them any of my business when I start stocking my tank.
I left the store in hopes that she would indeed take that betta out of the tank, but knowing that more than likely she wouldn't. I feel so guilty for leaving the store with that betta still in that tank. I may have to ride back out there this evening and get him....

 

[cooky]

I know what you mean i have been to loads of shops with dead fish on the bottom

i have found a shop today thats not only the cheapest in my area but also about the cleanest


the german blues i bought were £3.50 each 3 for £10


2 other shops that had them in wanted £5.99 and £6.50 each


my peppered corys were only £1.45 each


he had a really good selection in also


the shop is in south shields/marsdon along from the nook for locals


its the one im going to use from now on

 

[Jamesham]

my lfs had a big make over and cleaned all their tanks, got new filters and new livestock. it was amazing for 3 weeks. then, because there was noone interested in properly looking after them they are 80% all dead. the last time i asked when they would get new stock in. the guy said on friday. i went on friday, no stock. i went this friday, no stock.

there are sliding doors at the bottom to hide the filters and one of them was acccidentally open. there was a 7 inch clown loach lying dead were someone had oviously just cucked it out of the tank. it looked pretty dried up as if it had been there for a while. it is just signs of neglect and I will never ever buy from there again.

 

[cooky]

every fish stockist you phone either says there out of stock or there coming next week

 

[gpgscott]

This is a real problem, you can imagine having them come in and out, keeping tanks clean, having good help... I wouldn't own one for all the tea in China. I finally found a good one. He will order specific fish for you and he goes a couple times a month and picks the fish himself. In my opinion the only ones to deal with are the owner/operator types because they are as intersted in the fish as we are. Scott

 

[lordotterby]

Went into one of my LFS today and there was a tank which had white spot in it and the fish were still for sale, there was another tank with white spot which wasn't for sale and the fish were on to point of being to far gone to help. This is the scond LFS to still be selling fish with white spot, yes white spot is common and a bugger. At least take them of sale, then when you mention it to the staff they don't care.

 

[vinylman]

This really winds me up. My LFS is an ordinary, run-of-the-mill pet shop. BUT - the fish section is run by a guy who has several tanks at home. He's kept fish for over thirty years. He'll order specific fish (if he knows you well enough), he even goes to fish auctions to buy certain fish, because over the years he's got to know certain breeders, and if he can't get the quality of fish he wants, he'll go to private breeders. He'd be perfectly entitled to charge a premium for these quality fish, but he doesn't. He simply wants people to have the best fish possible.
I realise that I'm probably just very, very lucky to have found this shop, but if HE can do this from an ordinary pet shop, why can't other shops make the effort?. I recently bought a Tetratec 700 external filter from the shop. It cost me around £20 more than I could have paid online, but I chose to give the shop my money because of the advice, attitude and sheer bloody knowledge I've had from him. He'll give anyone advice and, on occasion, he's talked me out of buying certain fish that he knew wouldn't be suitable. Anyone who wants to buy fish is asked about their tanks, conditions and current fish. How many people that have been to dedicated specialist aquatic shops can say that?.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

This really winds me up. My LFS is an ordinary, run-of-the-mill pet shop. BUT - the fish section is run by a guy who has several tanks at home. He's kept fish for over thirty years. He'll order specific fish (if he knows you well enough), he even goes to fish auctions to buy certain fish, because over the years he's got to know certain breeders, and if he can't get the quality of fish he wants, he'll go to private breeders. He'd be perfectly entitled to charge a premium for these quality fish, but he doesn't. He simply wants people to have the best fish possible.
I realise that I'm probably just very, very lucky to have found this shop, but if HE can do this from an ordinary pet shop, why can't other shops make the effort?. I recently bought a Tetratec 700 external filter from the shop. It cost me around £20 more than I could have paid online, but I chose to give the shop my money because of the advice, attitude and sheer bloody knowledge I've had from him. He'll give anyone advice and, on occasion, he's talked me out of buying certain fish that he knew wouldn't be suitable. Anyone who wants to buy fish is asked about their tanks, conditions and current fish. How many people that have been to dedicated specialist aquatic shops can say that?.

i assume your talkin about one of the shops in leeds, which one?

 

[fishnterrapins]

I recently bought a Tetratec 700 external filter from the shop. It cost me around £20 more than I could have paid online, but I chose to give the shop my money because of the advice, attitude and sheer bloody knowledge I've had from him.

Just to play devils advocate for a bit I think in what you've just said you've hit upon the crux of the problem. I'm not saying its right but the owners of these shops are having a hard time trying to compete with internet business.

Having worked in an lfs for a few years and having seen the change in buying habbits of customers its quite noticeable. Then you get customers coming in and asking for advice about the products they bought online ... but thats another rant for another time

The point I would like to make is simply that with everyone turing to the internet shop keeper's cannot afford to employ the knowledgeable staff that we all would like them to have. I admit that this is no excuse for poor knowledge in staff as anyone worth their salt would have set up a training programme. But when many people, including the person I work for are having a hard enough time making ends meet to stay open month to month (and yes it is a good shop) then sometimes things can slip, but don't just say it on here tell the boss, 99 times out of 100 if no one else cares they do and they'll make sure its sorted and will be happy to have been informed.

Just a thought

 

[icy]

This really winds me up. My LFS is an ordinary, run-of-the-mill pet shop. BUT - the fish section is run by a guy who has several tanks at home. He's kept fish for over thirty years. He'll order specific fish (if he knows you well enough), he even goes to fish auctions to buy certain fish, because over the years he's got to know certain breeders, and if he can't get the quality of fish he wants, he'll go to private breeders. He'd be perfectly entitled to charge a premium for these quality fish, but he doesn't. He simply wants people to have the best fish possible.
I realise that I'm probably just very, very lucky to have found this shop, but if HE can do this from an ordinary pet shop, why can't other shops make the effort?. I recently bought a Tetratec 700 external filter from the shop. It cost me around £20 more than I could have paid online, but I chose to give the shop my money because of the advice, attitude and sheer bloody knowledge I've had from him. He'll give anyone advice and, on occasion, he's talked me out of buying certain fish that he knew wouldn't be suitable. Anyone who wants to buy fish is asked about their tanks, conditions and current fish. How many people that have been to dedicated specialist aquatic shops can say that?.

i assume your talkin about one of the shops in leeds, which one?

indeed, which shop do you mean, i would drive up the 62 to find a decent LFS who actually knows what they are talking about, they are so few and far between these days

 

[Miss Wiggle]

there's a few we like in and around leeds

paws for thought on the york rd is our fave, not nescessarily the best selection but they'll order you anything special in once they know you and know your set up's suitable, staff are always friendly and helpful (well geoff's a grumpy old fishkeeper but his sarcasm is only a joke, he's great once you get to know him!) and really know they're stuff which to my mind makes the shop well worth a visit. I'd rather pay a little more or have to wait for something so long as I know it's gonna be healthy and that what I've been told by the lfs is correct.

Tingley tropicals is excellent for catfish and cichlids

and if you don't mind a little trip to bradford QSS on wakefield road is also a pretty decent shop, always got nice clean tanks and a nice selection and the staff seem to know they're stuff.

or in brighouse is the quality koi company, they're koi ponds are amazing, got a massive one for £18k in there!!! they also do marines and tropicals and specialise in african cichlids, decent selection and healthy fish

if you do happen to go to leeds fish shopping please don't visit the living world in armley or tong garden centre!!

 

[icy]

there's a few we like in and around leeds



if you do happen to go to leeds fish shopping please don't visit the living world in armley or tong garden centre!!

I have been and looked at both, in fact i stormed out of living world being quite vocal at the state of some of the fish, and the stock levels they had in some tanks, loads of customers heard me and a couple walked out behind me.

the one on wakefield road is that the A650 wakefield road top of morley? if so how far along this as iirc that is a very long road all the way down to the M1

 

[Miss Wiggle]

there's a few we like in and around leeds



if you do happen to go to leeds fish shopping please don't visit the living world in armley or tong garden centre!!

I have been and looked at both, in fact i stormed out of living world being quite vocal at the state of some of the fish, and the stock levels they had in some tanks, loads of customers heard me and a couple walked out behind me.

the one on wakefield road is that the A650 wakefield road top of morley? if so how far along this as iirc that is a very long road all the way down to the M1

yeah that's the one, it's not far from the big roundabout where you turn left to go to the white rose centre......... i'm hopeless with directions sorry that's about the best your gonna get from me!!

 

[vinylman]

there's a few we like in and around leeds



if you do happen to go to leeds fish shopping please don't visit the living world in armley or tong garden centre!!

I have been and looked at both, in fact i stormed out of living world being quite vocal at the state of some of the fish, and the stock levels they had in some tanks, loads of customers heard me and a couple walked out behind me.

the one on wakefield road is that the A650 wakefield road top of morley? if so how far along this as iirc that is a very long road all the way down to the M1

Actually, I did go to 'The Living World' about a month ago to buy a 4ft overtank luminaire (the cheapest in Leeds); I had a taxi waiting, so didn't have a chance to look around downstairs, but I have to say I was impressed by the variety of dry good upstairs. I know it's had something of a troubled history, being closed down two or three times when run under another name, so thanks for the tip-off.
There used to be a large shop on Gelderd Road in Leeds called 'Animal House' which I only discovered about a year before it closed. Then, it was very impressive, lots of excellent display tanks with plenty of unusual fish. I called in again a couple of months later, and while they still had the display tanks, the stock tanks were appalling; overrun with algae, dead and dying fish in every tank but still the same number of staff standing around talking to each other. God knows what happened there, but it changed completely and closed a few months after that. I hate to think what they did with the remaining fish. I told Chris who runs 'The Reef Ranch' at my local shops about it and he told me he worked there when it opened. He designed and installed a filter system for the tanks which the owner loved, but then apparently changed his mind and told him to take it out again, which was when Chris decided to leave. I can only assume the owner lost interest in 'Animal House' completely, hence it's rapid decline.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Actually, I did go to 'The Living World' about a month ago to buy a 4ft overtank luminaire (the cheapest in Leeds); I had a taxi waiting, so didn't have a chance to look around downstairs, but I have to say I was impressed by the variety of dry good upstairs.

sadly in a way for dry goods in leeds you can't beat the selection or price of the living death, however the state of they're tanks is absolutely appauling and i won't buy from there on the principal of the thing.