Do you leave your LFS delighted or disappointed?

[kevgib67]

I’m blessed with a fantastic lfs, with owners who have been in the business for decades. What they don’t have they can usually get for me and are generous with store credit for the frags I bring them. I try to purchase everything possible from them because I don’t want them going anywhere. Heading there today. This is coming from someone who is about a 50 minute drive from Tidal Gardens and about half the distance to Corals.com ( both fantastic vendors).

 

[design.maddie]

Other

My nearest LFS is...welp I don't know. It would be over 3 hours away.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Other

My nearest LFS is...welp I don't know. It would be over 3 hours away.

Three hours? Darn, that is rough

 

[Shaina Carey]

My LFS is really amazing and I have never had a bad experience. They are knowledgeable in both fresh and saltwater. They are a little expensive, but I am happy to pay extra for fish that are taken really good care of

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I will also add that when I went to a LFS near me, I asked if they had any phosphate test. I was told they had the strip test that could test multiple things at once. I left after they told me that

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The last LFS that left me uplifted and amazed was when I shopped at Old Town Aquarium on Wells St., Chicago, circa 1988. Everything else since then has been underwhelming. That said, I haven't visited any LFS in major metro areas since then...

 

[mucky1957]

Honestly..depends on which staff are present when I call in. Some are excellent and some you can tell are just BSing me.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Honestly..depends on which staff are present when I call in. Some are excellent and some you can tell are just BSing me.

I appreciate when store owners or staff give you thoughtful answers, and not just "Well, you should buy this" just to try and sell you something.

 

[JZ199]

I'm gonna have to vote disappointed. My closest LFS no longer gets anything besides turbo snails, anytime I ask him if he has anything or is getting anything I always get told "maybe next week" I guess after many many years of business he's just tired out and leaves the super young staff to run everything, which entails only freshwater stuff. All the other stores that are actually stocked with saltwater goodies are well over an hour drive and I usually leave feeling underwhelmed. High prices and low variety of choices for my tanks.

 

[Texas_Aquaman]

Delighted! The owner is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I show up every week with my list of questions and he is always willing to spend whatever time is needed to answer all of them.

 

[mch1984]

The closest thing I have is Petco and PetSmart, and PetSmart doesn't do saltwater. So I'm disappointed. I have to drive a few hours to get to a LFS>

 

[Barncat]

I usually leave mine disappointed and empty handed.

 

[mucky1957]

TBH I am disappointed....the prices these days for all fish are just through the roof.

 

[TacticalBacon]

Both.
I have 2 LFS. One is awesome. The other is terrible.

Why go to the terrible one.
They built my tank and used non-standard sized pipes and hoses for my tank. So when I want to add or change anything I have to go to the terrible one.

For example. The return hose on my tank is 9/16 feeding into a 1/2 check valve which feeds into a 3/4 inch hose.

After this week I will have replaced all of the wonky sizes and have 3/4 inch return hose through out

The other store is awesome. They help me with my tank and I couldn’t be happier with them.

 

[Scallopking]

Who knew in Cleveland, TN when moving here that I’d have an awesome LFS….reefchasers.com. I’ve purchase all my corals and fish, especially like the quarantined fish, finally have a powder blue that is strong and healthy.

 

[andrew1yang]

Local fish stores (LFS) can bring mixed emotions. I'm one of the ones who has some great LFS with knowledgeable staff and responsibly cared-for livestock, but others aren't so lucky. Some LFS can leave you feeling excited about your new additions, whether it be livestock or equipment, while others can leave you shaking your head...

Do you leave your LFS delighted or disappointed?

PSA: Please refrain from calling out stores by name and making this a customer review thread. That's what Yelp is for.

I usually leave delighted, the staff are usually very knowledgeable and helpful with whatever I need

 

[rusty shackleford yes]

Pretty much all the LFS near me are winners. The closest is a nano tank focused store, with stuff for nano planted and reef tanks. The second closest is a saltwater focused store, which has really nicely priced corals and a massive selection of saltwater fish and inverts. The 3rd closest is just a general aquarium store that two stories tall. Needless to say I never leave feeling disappointed!