What is the best place to buy fish?

[ryorgason]

I'm almost ready to start stocking my aquarium, but I'm not sure where the best place to get fish is. I know it may be a matter of opinion, but I'm new to this so I thought I'd get other people's opinions first. Here are my options:

1. Small pet store in town. They have a limited stock of fish, but can order just about anything for me.

2. Drive 45 minutes to Petsmart, Walmart, or find another aquatics store somewhere, which would still be at least 30-45 minutes away.

3. Order some online. Any suggestions or links of good places to buy from?

 

[madasafish]

I'll start the responses off, ryorgason.

1) Patronize your LFS if you approve of the way they keep their fish, and if the employees are helpful. If you see lots of dead fish in the tanks, or if the employees are particularly unpleasant, no reason to buy there. I generally buy at LFS-s where I feel they care for their fish and animals. Keep in mind that most LFS-s can stock a particular fish if you ask them to get it from their distributors.

2) Many ppl here have a problem with large stores because they a) represent what's wrong with the capitalist system--taking the "mom and pop" out of the fish business--and b) because they often take poor care of their fish. I've seen both well-kept Petsmarts and horribly-kept Petcos (and vice versa). Go to these stores if they give you a better selection, and if you feel the LFS takes poor care of its fish.

3) Online shopping is best for those who are seeking a very specific fish they can't get in any of their local stores. All sites that ship fish must charge you the price of the fish (can sometimes be cheaper than locally) and the shipping charge, which is staggering. Given the fact that the fish must be shipped overnight or occassionally by 2-day delivery, you're looking at an absolute minimum of $30 for any order. Usually a lot more! Have I ordered online? Yes and No. I got Blue Crayfish online (see my gallery), but I got free shipping with my winning auction. The crayfish do not need to be shipped in water, so they can be shipped cheaply! Otherwise, do I need to order online? Nosiree. I live in NYC, where fish selection is mighty good. I've seen a lot of cool fish in even my LFS! I've seen a FW stonefish, elephant nose, blue lobsters (not fish...), asian leaf fish, bichirs, over 20 species of pleco, to name a few. However, if I wanted a rare fish such as a zebra pleco, I might consider ordering online...

All in all, your best bet is #1 or #2. Evaluate your LFS and take it from there.

HTH.

 

[madasafish]

Oh, P.S.

Do as much research as you can into petstores in the area. There's generally 1 really good fishstore within an hour's (or a little more) drive of everyone in the country. There's a good chance you're near a goldmine. It took me several weeks to realize that there's a fantastic store 80 blocks away from me in NYC, but it took me several months to find out that there is a phenomenal store 15 minutes away from my girlfriend's house in NJ. I go there every time I'm visiting her. Truly shameful.

I dunno how far you are from Washington state, but I know that there are some Seattle ppl here who love some of their local stores. If you're relatively near to Seattle, you could try PMing them for info (I know Sati is one). If you're near Spokane, my brother could give you some advice.

I know, I know. You think this dumb New Yorker has no sense of space coz he lives in Manhattan... I'm just presenting you with a couple of options!

 

[An t-iasg]

Madasa -- do you mean "takes good care of the fish"? (last sentence in #2). We all hate to see places where fish are kept poorly, and it's tempting to "rescue" the fish... if I ever go to the lfs, I run in and out, and don't look at the fish. But you don't want to buy a sick fish, and you don't want to support a store that doesn't take good care of their fish.

I agree about online ordering -- that the shipping is expensive. http://www.liveaquaria.com/ has a great selection, but the minumum purchase is $29.99 and shipping is at least $24.99.

 

[madasafish]

Nah, I mean it as written--that you should patronize Petcos/Petsmarts if your LFS treats its fish poorly. "These stores" refers to the Petcos and Petsmarts mentioned in the previous sentence.

Nice try!



P.S. I could have misunderstood you, though...

 

[guppylove]

well a fish shop is a good place to start..lol... any place that sell's fish as long as you are happy with the fish you want to buy then where you get them from is down to you online is not good realy as you dont get to see the fish so you dont know if it has been looked after right.all i look for when i buy fish is health good water clean tanks and if possible look at the perants.

 

[ryorgason]

Thanks for the advice! I wondered what shipping would be like if I ordered online. The local pet store seems pretty decent, although I've looked mainly just to see what kinds of fish they have before. I don't remember seeing any dead fish, or anything looking out of place, but I'll check them out more closesly before getting fish from them. It's a family owned store, so whenever I go in and one of their teenage kids is there, there is no service whatsoever. The kid just sits at the cash register and ignores me unless I bring something up to buy. The parents are both really friendly and helpful though, so I just have to go in at the right time.