Where do you guys get your fish supplies?

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kukerdan

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Jun 10, 2004
Messages
184
Location
new york
I get mine from an LFS, my girlfriend works there, and we are both friends with the owner, I get anything i want at cost, for instance, today i got a 10 gallon starter delux kit, drift wood, 4 bags of really nice gravel, a plant, a sweet peice of drift wood, a heater, stress zyme, and stability for under 60 bucks. not bad right. I can get 60 bucks of fish for 25, etc.

what about you guys
 
You are very lucky . I buy from Big Als on line, Drs. Foster & Smith and Petco on line. The first 2 have great prices. The surprise is Petco on line. Their prices are 30 to 50 % cheaper than the stores. One of their warehouses is 25 miles away. If I order on Monday, I get it on Wednesday. Im sure there are other places with good prices.
 
big als to me seems to be the cheapest place for most things... but for ornaments like driftwood and sand I usually go to a LFS (not petco or petsmart since they seem to overcharge)
 
I buy from many different places. I bought what I initially needed from a catalog since it was cheaper (www.thatfishplace.com). If I ever order from an online source again, I'd order from Big Al's since it's cheaper AND the shipping rates are lower.

I buy from PetCo if I'm in the area or if I need something, not necessarily right away. PetCo is cheaper than the closer stores I shop at sometimes. Fumi's is a little expensive. I only buy anacharis from there. This other place by my house.. eh.. it's all right. It's also expensive (All Pet HQ). If I'd ever buy livestock, I'd buy from Aquarium City--but never ever eeeeeeevvvvveeeeeeer any dry goods because it's sosososossososso expensive.

For the most part, I feel like mail-order is the way to go because when I compare the prices to store prices, they're cheaper INCLUDING shipping! And the selection is amazing.
 
I shop around, I buy wherever I can get the best price$$$.
I buy most hardware/drygoods online unless I need something ASAP.
I tend to buy all my water chemistry test kits at LFS's so as I can check and get the latest expiration dates.
When shopping online its good to search here and at other websites for feedback on customer service, also remember that high shipping cost can negate a low purchase price.

My favorite online retailer is Big Al's.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/?splash_done=1
 
Fish and plants from lfs.

All other supplies from drsfostersmith.com

Got my pc light from ahsupply.com

I always try to limit my online shopping to one or two places--I'm still nervous from my days working in the credit card company and don't like too many virtual stores having my info.
 
I just recently ordered another cannister filter from petsolutions.com. They even beat bigals on the price. I find that I like jehmco.com for alot of hard to find things as well. I've been buying plants from lowcoaster ( a member here). He's got such great plants.

My favorite lfs burned to ground a few days before Christmas so I'm in the hunt for a new one :cry: . Hey kukerdan, you don't live on Long Island do you? Maybe I should meet your gf. :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
I got my cannister filter on e-bay(good price). Most other stuff I get at lfs. I'm thinking about buying plants on-line, anyone have ideas. maybe I'll look up lowcoaster. :bulb: Has anyone ever bought fish on-line, just curious.
 
Oh, i got a fluval 404 filter for 98$ at my lfs, the price on the box was 180
 
I buy my fish and plants at my lfs or www.thatfishplace.com (of course I drive there tho).

Got my AquaClear filter from www.petsolutions.com

I'd love to buy more stuff on-line, but the shipping tends to offset the value as opposed to my lfs.

Also, PetSmart tends to have cheaper prices on-line than my local store, but they will usually match their on-line prices if you ask.
 
I forgot to say...

KukerDan, You are one lucky S.O._. to have such a schweet deal as wholesale fish/supplies at your fingertips!
 
well, at the big stores around me the filter is 189, and he also gave me some extra active carbon / bio bags, and i didnt have to pay tax,and even if theres a few places i could have got it 10$ cheaper, i can get 60$ or fish for around 20, im not complaining
 
My lfs is big als.(I can drive to 4 different outlets, all less then 1 hour) I go in there all the time, (no shipping when it's a 10 minute drive), I'll buy non-fish (filters etc...) from petsmart or even walmart.
 
oscarbreeder said:
I buy most of my stuff from my LFS.I feel supporting your LFS is the best way to go even if they are a little more money.

I do order things on-line from time to time and it comes from either www.DrsFosterSmith.com or www.Petsolutions.com.

I agree about the LFS unless they are complete crap like mine.

There are always dead fish and they always tell you wrong information.

All of their prices are insane...30 - 50x more than Bigals...

There are tons of sick fish...whenever I end up buying some from there I have to treat them to get them back to normal...I don't know that I have ever bought a healthy fish there other than two of my plecos.

I found a nice store about an hour away from me where I will be getting my fish. I also ordered my aquarium from here (Even though it isn't in yet! 4 weeks now grrr)

Thank god for mom and pop stores...The only thing really close to me are big chains.

Petland and Petsupplies plus ahh what a joke...
 
Except for rare occasions...I get everything from my LFS. They are incredibly knowledgable (sp?) in this hobby to the point that it is sick...but quite helpful. Don't get me wrong...I have 3 tanks set-up so it wasn't cheap but they absolutely took care of me cause they knew that I would keep coming back. They don't mark stuff up a ton but they need to make money. At the same time they aren't afraid to show me cost for the equipment and stuff so that I can see where it starts. I know it's rare for some LFS to actually do a good job but mine is an A+++. I almost feel bad looking at other LFS's when I am out of the area. In this day and age we as consumers really need to understand that we do get what we pay for.......in most cases. I know people get screwed left and right as well. So as long as you are comfortable doing things the way you do them now...I would stick to it...you will always sleep better at night. My .02
 
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