How many Hobbyist are having fish shipped?

[eatbreakfast]

So you are happy with the quality of your LFS? You are in the minority if you read around here.

But what are you unhappy about with LFS in your area?

 

[jasonrusso]

But what are you unhappy about with LFS in your area?

Lack of selection and the health of the fish in the display tanks. I'm don't want to know what they have in back that is too sick to display when there are obvious sick fish in front.

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/311632/

 

[eatbreakfast]

Lack of selection and the health of the fish in the display tanks. I'm don't want to know what they have in back that is too sick to display when there are obvious sick fish in front.

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/311632/

So you think that online retailers and wholesalers aren't having the same issues just because your not seeing them at the facility?

 

[dh350twin]

So you think that online retailers and wholesalers aren't having the same issues just because your not seeing them at the facility?

More available online choices to pick from. LFS in most areas we are limited to only one maybe two shops. Imo

 

[jasonrusso]

So you think that online retailers and wholesalers aren't having the same issues just because your not seeing them at the facility?

I'm sure they are, but they don't have them on display to see. Also, any quality online dealer offers a 14 day guarantee so they aren't shipping sick fish.

My LFS offers NO guarantee even though they know me.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I'm sure they are, but they don't have them on display to see. Also, any quality online dealer offers a 14 day guarantee so they aren't shipping sick fish.

My LFS offers NO guarantee even though they know me.

They don't have any fish on display.

Look at the disease section, there are sick fish being shipped.

Several of the stores by me won't sell a fish if they believe there are issues or if it's beyond a hobbyists level.

And also some of the stores by me offer a guarantee.

 

[jasonrusso]

They don't have any fish on display.

Look at the disease section, there are sick fish being shipped.

Several of the stores by me won't sell a fish if they believe there are issues or if it's beyond a hobbyists level.

And also some of the stores by me offer a guarantee.

So you buy from your store, I'll buy online.

What else are you trying to say here?

This thread is "Who is buying online." Not why your local store is better. If you have a good store, you are lucky. I used to have one as well, but I don't anymore. What should I do? Buy know sick fish with no guarantee?

 

[Fritzhamer]

I've gotten many fish and corals from Liveaquaria over the years. Even back when they were flyingfishdirect and someone else too. Fosters and Smith bought them all up. I've never had a single loss except one coral over the years. Divers Den is great for getting some hard to get fish.

 

[eatbreakfast]

So you are happy with the quality of your LFS? You are in the minority if you read around here.

So you buy from your store, I'll buy online.

What else are you trying to say here?

This thread is "Who is buying online." Not why your local store is better. If you have a good store, you are lucky. I used to have one as well, but I don't anymore. What should I do? Buy know sick fish with no guarantee?

You brought up the quality of LFS and the state of LFS in general is a driving factor of why people get fish shipped.

However, many of the factors cited about the decline of LFS are paralleled with online retailers. Some of the online retailers offer guarantees but not all. It is the minority of online retailers that perform any observation period on fish before shipping them out. They all deal with disease and sick fish in a way comparable to an LFS, you just don't obserbe it. There are some select online retailers that have rare stuff in stock with regularity, the vast majority have the same bread-and-butter stuff most LFS do. Just as with LFS, there are good ones and bad one, the same holds true for online retailers.

 

[greenhorn reefer]

So you are happy with the quality of your LFS? You are in the minority if you read around here.

I didn't say that. I'm just pointing out that online retailers are just as concerned with moving product as a lfs. And is there some wrong with belonging to a minority? You also have to remember that lfs experience is highly anecdotal and that there are many different quality stores that are all grouped into lfs which is really just a broad generalization. I have 3 in my area, one sucks and I'd let my tank crash before buying anything from him, one is middle of the road (good fish, good prices, hit or miss on stocking) and the last is amazing but pricey. But, that doesn't mean that I haven't encountered all of these issues online too. Lastly, you don't ever get a DOA fish at a lfs... I hope.

 

[greenhorn reefer]

I'm sure they are, but they don't have them on display to see. Also, any quality online dealer offers a 14 day guarantee so they aren't shipping sick fish.

My LFS offers NO guarantee even though they know me.

So what do you think they do with sick fish, hold them until they die at their facility? They probably ship them all the same. If it does die, issue a refund but you're in the same boat of it died at your facility. However, if it lives, you've just profited. This is all business 101 stuff. Why are you so convinced that online retailers are any more honest than store fronts?

 

[greenhorn reefer]

If I had to answer this thread, IMHO, then I'd say that you have to mix it up. I buy a lot from my LFS because I like supporting a local business and believe that the hobby would just about perish without them. However, I have a family, mortgage, and other loans. That being said, I use Amazon to order a lot of "dry goods" that my LFS doesn't carry or prices to highly. Lastly, online fish retailers fill the gaps to complete my hobby. There are rare fish and coral that you can pick up online for (most of the time) great prices. I even like getting massive CUC online. But using any one of these on its own is severely limiting in regards to getting the most from the hobby.

 

[jasonrusso]

So what do you think they do with sick fish, hold them until they die at their facility? They probably ship them all the same. If it does die, issue a refund but you're in the same boat of it died at your facility. However, if it lives, you've just profited. This is all business 101 stuff. Why are you so convinced that online retailers are any more honest than store fronts?

I think they keep the fish in QT tanks until they are healthy enough to ship.

Do you think that LA, DD Blue Zoo, NYA are shipping blue tangs with HLLE? Puffers with one eye infected? They are going to start jepordizing their reputation (like this very thread) if they start doing that!

I see fish at the LFS in the display tanks that are clearly not well being sold for full price. I've seen fish pecking at a dead fish, now whatever killed that fish is now in the fish that were eating it. If that fish comes home and dies, well it was fine when it left or you wouldn't have bought it.

I'm going to say this again, I would much rather buy local, but when all the stores near me are subpar, I am buying online.

There was a great store which was the only place I would go, but it closed.

 

[mckinney0171]

I used to buy my fish from a LFS when I lived in the Pittsburgh area and had about a 50% attrition rate on fish dying within a few weeks. I since switched to LA / DD and have lost only two fish which were both DOA due to the heat warmer bags they put in the boxes. Corals I have lost none. Since I have moved to the Savannah, GA area we have only two LFS here and the quality of the fish and tanks is dismal. I wouldn't spend a nickel in there after seeing how poor they maintain their systems.

 

[greenhorn reefer]

I think they keep the fish in QT tanks until they are healthy enough to ship.

Do you think that LA, DD Blue Zoo, NYA are shipping blue tangs with HLLE? Puffers with one eye infected? They are going to start jepordizing their reputation (like this very thread) if they start doing that!

I see fish at the LFS in the display tanks that are clearly not well being sold for full price. I've seen fish pecking at a dead fish, now whatever killed that fish is now in the fish that were eating it. If that fish comes home and dies, well it was fine when it left or you wouldn't have bought it.

I'm going to say this again, I would much rather buy local, but when all the stores near me are subpar, I am buying online.

There was a great store which was the only place I would go, but it closed.

Point taken. If the store I prefer closed I would most likely only buy online. Even now, when I see some of the prices of his fish I consider dropping him. Question, where did you see your first salt water tank that made you decide to get into the hobby, online or at a lfs?

 

[leahfiish]

This is certainly an interesting thread. I wonder if those who have had issues with their lfs have tried politely voicing their concerns to the lfs?

 

[reefNYC]

I ordered from
1) Saltwaterfish.com, its a hit or miss because I ordered 4 and only 3 survived.
This was due to not so great packaging. However they did return my money for the fish dying but not the full price, For example I paid 40$ but they only gave me 30$ to cover their cost.
One of the fish got a fungal infection but is better now, this is probably my fault since I was saving a dying aquarium that was deprived of maintenance.

2) Petco - I purchased a clown fish there however the fin wasn't in great shape and is recovering now. So you should definitely inspect/watch/research the fish at the store before purchasing.

3) Ebay- I purchased an anemone there which luckily is doing great however its bleached so its my fault for not doing research. But then I bought coral and those were infested with all sea pests imaginable.

So its a hit or miss just do research and read reviews. (something I did not do)

 

[leahfiish]

I am a hobbyist that works at a lfs so I would imagine that I have a different perspective than a lot of people in this thread. I am just curious what kind of changes people would like to see. I see a lot of frustration with sick looking fish which is reasonable. But I also see a lot of people complaining about selection, and that is a little confusing to me. Have people had trouble ordering something from an lfs?

 

[jasonrusso]

This is certainly an interesting thread. I wonder if those who have had issues with their lfs have tried politely voicing their concerns to the lfs?

I don't think it is my place to walk around pointing out the dead fish. The owner's attitude doesn't seem as if it would be appreciated. If it was me (and I had the time) I would walk around a couple times a day to check. My old place had crystal clear glass with bright lights. This place has coralline on the glass, and we know how slow coralline grows. The third place is somewhere in the middle.

Also, when you are almost the only game in town it's hard. I choose to vote with my wallet, but when there are 20 people in there on a Saturday afternoon, you don't stand a chance. People are really sketched out about online ordering, but I always remind them that is how the store gets fish! They don't have a personal diver, lol.

I am a hobbyist that works at a lfs so I would imagine that I have a different perspective than a lot of people in this thread. I am just curious what kind of changes people would like to see. I see a lot of frustration with sick looking fish which is reasonable. But I also see a lot of people complaining about selection, and that is a little confusing to me. Have people had trouble ordering something from an lfs?

I had my LFS order 1 fish for me one time. It was a dwarf zebra lion. I also asked that they don't acclimate him. I would come by on the way home and pick him up (this was more that I didn't want him to touch their water). The fish showed up DOA and they refused to order me another unless I paid up front. That way if the fish died, I had already paid for it?? Didn't seem fair to me.

I actually bought my Dwarf Fuzzy I have now from a third LFS (so not too local I guess) that I drove over an hour to. I wasn't too impressed by that one either, but they had what I wanted that day. LA won't ship orders under $30 and the lion was $29.

 

[dh350twin]

Discussing LFS is pointless. It depends on where you live. If there were top notch LFS there would be no online vendors. I think there are only a few states that have a nice variety of local fish stores within a reasonable driving distance. LFS need to be like they used to be and order there stock qt it get them healthy then sell to the public. Not just order it from mass distributors float the bags in front of there customers dump them in a tank and throw a 300% profit as a price tag. They usually have a 24hr guarantee or none at all. There for it's up to us to look for the signs of a sick fish make sure it's eating etc etc. however even if you do all that if a fish has not went through a proper qt it can die from a sickness they have at purchase up to 3 months later. LFS owners know this and that is why they don't qt anymore just become fish flippers. There's more money in it. Most will just think it died of natural causes and go right back and buy the same fish.
Now online vendors(IFS) internet fish stores are the same except a few and I mean literally a few. DD is not one of them by the way. They have excellent customer service and a 14 day guarantee but most illness takes longer then that to kill the fish. The odds are if you pay 300% over there cost they can refund you and make it up on your next purchase because your so happy you got your money back. The odds are you will get 1 out 3 to make it longer then 14 days and they make money.
The best place to buy online is a place that will properly qt every fish that swims in the door. If they set up properly they can get a nice rotation going to always have a nice supply ready to go into there for sale tanks.
Me personally I have found a place that does this sells online but allows the public come in and pick out there fish if they choose. Not many IFS will do this.