Sonata
Aquarium Advice Activist
Mine were not, but they showed an interest. I had friends who were.
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.
WOW, Andy, thanks for that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a list ! I don't remember all the technical jargon, but I'm sure I would recognize most of the equipment, meds & books if I saw them.
For sure I remember the books full of things dreams are made of. I had a subscription to 1 & could hardly wait for my monthly magazine.
The 2nd aquarium store you spoke of, dark, crowed, etc., was much like the one I spoke about earlier.
Planted tanks.
Tanks full of plants for sale.
Fish in all these tanks plus more.
The store wasn't big, but even if crowed the sound was muffled, except for the conversations of the owner with his customers.
As you say, the fish were beautiful with many varieties.
Enjoy those little treasures you took home to Florida.
Thanks, Andy, for sharing that with us. It means a lot.
I do go to a fish store not far from me that gives my daughter candy every time we go, very nice people and give me 4 packets of blood worms for 10 bucks. They know my name but I hardly know theirs. Nice peeps nonetheless.
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Out here in Denver I have 1 Old school LFS that has been open for about 30 years now that looks like time froze in the late 80s. Under gravel filters only in the whole store but their reef tanks. On all of their fish only tanks they use under gravel filters! Still cary De-chlor that only gets rid of chlorine (before chloramines were common). They have a cockatiel named simon and the owners work the shop by themselves with 3 other employees that have been there since I was 7. Every time you come in everyone knows your name... Special place. It will forever hold a fond memory in my heart. Its where me and my neighbor discovered fish keeping and it has made countless memories. Another store that has existed since the early 70s downtown on south broadway just went out. You could tell they were hanging on by a thread in the last year but I think time finally ran out. They are selling everything in the store, tanks and all and the place is getting boarded up. I hate to see this happen and its the very reason I pay a premium for my dry goods at Neptunes Tropical Fish instead of go to a Big Box and get them for a bargain. Great quality stock is a tough thing to come by and they're keeping the flame alive here in Denver so I support them with all of my purchases and will try to keep them around for another 30 years! I just don't think you can put a price tag on the feel and warmth of a neighborhood shop like the LFSs we're talking about.
Well I am sure I am dating myself now, but does anyone remember using glass wool and charcoal for filter material? the glass wool was like wool fiber, but was actually made from glass and could cut you. My Dad was the one who had the tank and had to be so careful rinsing it out. By the way, he rinsed it out under the running water in the sink. In those days no one knew about washing away the BB.