Lack of Selection

[mambee]

With local pet shops disappearing and the big boxes proliferating, where does everyone go to find interesting fish? When I must, I go to aquabid.

I used to purchase interesting fish at local pet shops back in the day, but now I find it hard to buy once common fish.

I love kuhli loaches, but I rarely see them stocked anymore. If I do, they are usually in bad shape.

I recently lost most of my school of rummynose tetras to a wicked ich outbreak. These are great fish which can live up to 10 years, and it took me awhile to increase my school to 11. Now I am down to 4 and haven't seen any lately.

Another old time fish is the brass tetra, which I haven't seen in ages.

I miss the old fashioned pet shops.

I subscribe to Practical Fishkeeping, a UK publication, and the hobby seems to be doing well there with tons of local shops plus well regarded chains.

 

[2xEcho]

My local big box pet store has black kuhli loaches...a couple of weeks ago I purchased three of them along with a school of neons. Unfortunately a few days later I started to notice signs of ich. The fish all seemed healthy and did not show any outward signs when I purchased them, but I am convinced they brought the ich into my tank. I'm now in the middle of treatment (tank at 86-87 with salt treatment).

But I agree...big box pet stores now usually only have the standard varieties of goldfish, a couple types of tetras, mollies, guppies, dwarf gourami and common pleco. Where I am, the closest independent pet shop is about 30 - 40 minutes away and I can't get over as much as I would like to...We used to have a couple of nice local shops within a 10 minute radius, but they closed within a couple of years of each other leaving 4 big box pet shops within an 8 mile radius. So sad...

 

[mambee]

I miss the old stores that didn't have daisy-chained tanks, so ich in one tank didn't mean ich in all tanks.

 

[sinibotia]

PR Aquatics isn't up yet but it's going to be a store that should have some interesting stuff from a very knowledgeable guy.

Otherwise, aquabid and wet spot.

 

[mambee]

PR Aquatics isn't up yet but it's going to be a store that should have some interesting stuff from a very knowledgeable guy.

Otherwise, aquabid and wet spot.

I have ordered from both and was very happy. The only drawback is that you have to already know what you want instead seeing something interesting in a shop.