Remember ?

[Sonata]

This thread may only interest those of us who have been in the hobby for many years.
or
It may not interest anyone @ all.

I'll begin with one of my memories.
Small aquarium stores. Before the age of the big box
where they knew your name when you walked in
the smell of the water.
Eyes glued to the glass like a kid in a candy store

 

[PoppaRyno]

When somone greeted you and actually had useful info abt hobby.

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[Sonata]

They didn't work in the shoe dept last week.

 

[Mebbid]

I have quite a few fish stores like that in my general vicinity. 2 in my small town alone and at least 4 more in an hours drive...

 

[PoppaRyno]

You just squishedthe fun bug, mebbid. Sheesh, lol.

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[Mebbid]

You just squishedthe fun bug, mebbid. Sheesh, lol.

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I grew up to big box stores. Its all i have to reminisce about

 

[PoppaRyno]

? where did our hobby go....

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[Brookster123]

I remember going to a dedicated aquarium/avian/reptile store about 18 years ago. Such a cool place.. the lfs I frequent is old school but the attitudes are a tad bitter (totally understandable). Big box stores are pretty obnoxious to me. The streamlined look of the tanks make it look to factory/production for me..

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[HUKIT]

I haven't been interested in what any LFS's stock in years and years...

 

[PoppaRyno]

Well your not alone in that, hukit. Not even close. Lol

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[Rivers2k]

Slate bottom aquariums, corner bubble filters.

my earliest memory is a private pet store in the mall that had a spider monkey and a very larger boa constrictor. This is where my grandma got me my first two gold fish in a GLASS goldfish bowl. I remember it was wide around and shallow instead of tall and narrow.

another memory is getting told to get out cause I would just hang out at this other store for hours that I rode my bike to.

 

[Rivers2k]

This thread may only interest those of us who have been in the hobby for many years.
or
It may not interest anyone @ all.

I'll begin with one of my memories.
Small aquarium stores. Before the age of the big box
where they knew your name when you walked in
the smell of the water.
Eyes glued to the glass like a kid in a candy store

I remember that smell and it made me smile.

 

[Sonata]

Interesting stuff, guys.
Nothing wrong with progress, but it does leave some good things behind.

 

[biondoa]

I remember that smell and it made me smile.

Yes, the smell. It was special and pleasant and it was always warm in there, even in winter, when I used to go with my Dad. It only had fish stuff, no dog cat or bird stuff. This was a real aquarium store. I always loved when my Dad and I went there together. That was a long time ago, but I have yet to find a place anything like it.

 

[Sonata]

I loved this one pet store. ( The Pet Boutique ) It had a single owner. He owned it & worked there with no help. I remember he had tanks in quarantine. He treated them with Methyl Blue. No fish could be purchased from a tank with blue water. Not until the fish were healthy again. I used it in my own aquarium @ times. The filter gradually cleared it. I don't know if it is still sold.
Now, in "SOME" stores today, & in the past, you see fish floating on the top, struggling to swim or being devoured by others & you can buy them along with anything else in the tank.
That store owner cared about quality & his customers. That is why people like myself kept coming back.
You guys just starting this hobby don't be discouraged. I am not, for one minute, saying there are not still some good quality stores out there.
These are stories of the past. Like the stories my mom & Dad told me about their lives. It is as much history as the information in school books. Just listen & appreciate how this hobby has progressed & save "your" stories for the next generation.

 

[Mebbid]

I loved this one pet store. ( The Pet Boutique ) It had a single owner. He owned it & worked there with no help. I remember he had tanks in quarantine. He treated them with Methyl Blue. No fish could be purchased from a tank with blue water. Not until the fish were healthy again. I used it in my own aquarium @ times. The filter gradually cleared it. I don't know if it is still sold.
Now, in "SOME" stores today, & in the past, you see fish floating on the top, struggling to swim or being devoured by others & you can buy them along with anything else in the tank.
That store owner cared about quality & his customers. That is why people like myself kept coming back.
You guys just starting this hobby don't be discouraged. I am not, for one minute, saying there are not still some good quality stores out there.
These are stories of the past. Like the stories my mom & Dad told me about their lives. It is as much history as the information in school books. Just listen & appreciate how this hobby has progressed & save "your" stories for the next generation.

Methylene blue is still sold some places. It's not anywhere near as common as it should be. I had to drive 1.5 hours away to find some.

The LFSs you describe are sadly few and very far between

 

[PoppaRyno]

I bought a cpl of bottles of methylene blue last time for this exact reason.

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[Brookster123]

Ooooo that smell.. can't you smell that smell?! parents tell me about the magnificent smell of a newborn baby's scalp... being that I have no children, 2 cats and 4 fish tanks.. the cat box's smell aweful, just rotten really.. tanks smell.....MAGNIFICENT... talk about funny looks

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[biondoa]

Just wondering how many of us had parents who were into this hobby. I know that is where my interest started so many years ago.

 

[PoppaRyno]

My parents (mom especially) were big in the hobby.

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