# Fish Store



## cheerfulmelody (Sep 12, 2010)

Well went to a fish store today. Have to say I was grossly appalled. Whole place was rather dingy, had an adolescent (alligator not for sale) in a filthy tank. Had a decent sized shark in a large room with windows swimming very agitatedly . Fish tanks were relatively clean but on a whole I would not buy anything from there. Went to PetSmart and there were tons of dead fish and they have a connected filtration system so I will not be buying from them again. Where the heck am I supposed to get more fish?!?!?


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

cheerfulmelody said:


> Well went to a fish store today. Have to say I was grossly appalled. Whole place was rather dingy, had an adolescent (alligator not for sale) in a filthy tank. Had a decent sized shark in a large room with windows swimming very agitatedly . Fish tanks were relatively clean but on a whole I would not buy anything from there. Went to PetSmart and there were tons of dead fish and they have a connected filtration system so I will not be buying from them again. Where the heck am I supposed to get more fish?!?!?


Online, man.

I only go to my local LFS and Pet chain stores to talk to chics. Seriously.


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## Kelso (Oct 28, 2009)

CaliforniaFishkeeper said:


> I only go to my local LFS and Pet chain stores to talk to chics. Seriously.


I'm not the only one!


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

Kelso said:


> I'm not the only one!


They love a man who loves animals.


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

looks like i found me some land gators


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

kitten_penang said:


> looks like i found me some land gators


yeah, I'm an ambush predator.


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

:lol: i hope me and the rest aint bite size


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## cballas (Sep 1, 2010)

I've never been to one personally, but being in FL, there are quite a few large fresh & marine fish shows/festivals (sometimes w/ reptiles too), where you could buy from a more reputable breeder...Probably have better deals too than a LFS/chain store. Depending on where you are though, these might not come along often & online is the way to go.  Good luck! 

Fish Event and Aquarium Show Calendar


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

*huh*

the sad fact is you have little options...its easier to find specialties online but you cant personaly see what you get..and shipping is painfull....the large chains rarely have a good staff of knowledgable persons and few of them care about the lively hood of creatures wich are not mammals...the locally owned fish store has its own pros and cons as well...like hitting a dead wall when you have large animals like sharks gators lung fish and sting rays...even most zoos wont take them in...and i bet that the pet store is just making do with what is available...once again you are verey limited in this department...it is tough to diferentiate between the differnt evils...use your judgement....sometimes it is a no win scenario..unless you know the local breeders....ADIOS....


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

badxgillen said:


> the sad fact is you have little options...its easier to find specialties online but you cant personaly see what you get..and shipping is painfull....the large chains rarely have a good staff of knowledgable persons and few of them care about the lively hood of creatures wich are not mammals...the locally owned fish store has its own pros and cons as well...like hitting a dead wall when you have large animals like sharks gators lung fish and sting rays...even most zoos wont take them in...and i bet that the pet store is just making do with what is available...once again you are verey limited in this department...it is tough to diferentiate between the differnt evils...use your judgement....sometimes it is a no win scenario..unless you know the local breeders....ADIOS....


Online is a good place to get fish, but you are correct that shipping is a PITA unless you are getting a lot of fish, going priority, or doing a group order. There are good and bad places to get fish online, I will only order from two people in complete confidence. Last time I ordered I did not even see pictures, it was just a name and a price, but like I said I have a lot of confidence in the people I order from. Local breeders are great. I don't and will not buy from a shop again. The fish I really want are hard to come by in shops and often highly priced, and die quickly. They also are not available from the local breeders. I pick what I like best from the local breeders and auctions. Local fish are very cheap compared to store prices, much better in quality, and always breed very easily.


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## jeaninel (Aug 24, 2007)

Look online for local aquarium societies/clubs in your area and join up. My club has auctions every month where you can get fish, plants and equipment for great deals. It's also a great source for finding local breeders.


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## cheerfulmelody (Sep 12, 2010)

Thanks for all the input. My area fish club recommends two stores and I will hopefully be going to check them both out sometime soon.


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## cheerfulmelody (Sep 12, 2010)

I have found the fishstore I will be going to from now on. Locally raised fish. Independent filtration on each tank. Helpful people. Clean not a single dead fish. Was the number one recommended store by our area fish club.


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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

Glad you found a good shop to go to.


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