Description
This article is from the Beginning
Fishkeeping FAQ, by Thomas Narten with numerous contributions
by others.
21 Finding Reputable Fish Stores
Like all businesses, fish stores have to make money to survive.
Unfortunately, some are more interested in profits than selling you
just what you need and nothing more. Consequently, a smart customer is
a careful shopper.
Of course no store is 100% perfect all the time, but the difference
between a good store and poor one can be astonishing once you've been
to a few. Visit a store several times, and don't rely on just one
experience. If the same bad patterns are present on multiple visits,
find another store.
The following highlights some of the things that distinguish a good,
reputable store from one you should avoid.
If the fish don't look good at the store, chances are they won't
survive long after you bring them home; they may already have been
stressed beyond the point of recovery.
1. A store's fish tanks should be clean and the fish should look
healthy and unstressed (e.g., no nipped fins, good colors, fish
active, etc.). Are dead fish removed quickly? All stores will have
fish die in their tanks; good stores will remove them quickly
(fish covered with fungus have probably been dead a long time).
2. Do any of the fish show signs of disease such as ick (tiny white
spots)? A good store won't sell you ANY fish from a tank that has
ick, even if the specific fish you are purchasing looks OK.
3. Are incompatible fish kept in the same tank? If so, how can you
trust the advice they give you concerning compatible inhabitants
for your tank?
4. Check out the store's policy on fish returns. A good store will
give you full credit on fish deaths for a period of a few days,
provided you bring in a water sample so that they can test your
water for ammonia.
5. Are the sales staff knowledgeable about what they are selling? A
good store will ask you about your tank (size, inhabitants, etc.)
in order to find out whether a prospective fish purchase would be
a good addition to your tank. A bad store will sell you whatever
you want; they'll be happy to sell you more fish later, after
incompatible inhabitants have killed each other.
For beginning aquarists, a good store will take the time to
explain the nitrogen cycle, and advise you to wait on fish
purchases until your tank has become established. A bad store will
neglect to mention the nitrogen cycle, until you return a few days
later wondering wondering why your fish died (now they can sell
you more fish, and maybe ``nitrification bacteria'' to go with
it!).
Ask lots of questions. Be wary of vague answers; they are a sign
that the seller doesn't know the answer (and isn't willing to find
out), or worse.
Like that tiny oscar fish? A good store will warn you that oscar
fish get VERY big, and verify that your tank is big enough and
that none of its inhabitants will get eaten by the oscar. A bad
store will remain silent.
6. Be wary of adding medications to your tank; they frequently don't
work or are unnecessary. (See the DISEASE FAQ.) A good store will
first ask about your tank's water quality, verify that cycling has
completed, etc., and suggest water changes. They will also
recommend medications only if they can identify the specific
disease. A ``bad'' store will encourage you to buy medicine,
without regard to whether the specific medicine is useful in
combating the specific problem you have. A good store will ask you
what fish you have in the tank, as some medications are toxic to
certain species of fish. A bad store will let you find out the
hard way.
7. As a (very) general rule of thumb, stores that specialize in
aquariums are better than stores that sell fish as a sideline. In
the former case, a ``bad'' store won't make money over the long
haul (they can only sucker customers once or twice) and will
eventually go out of business. In the latter case, a store's fish
department may continually lose money, but remain open because the
rest of the store (e.g, puppy sales) is making money. Of course,
there are exceptions.
8. Finally, buying fish at the cheapest store isn't necessarily a
good bargain. A healthy fish is worth paying extra for. A sick
fish may infect all of your tank's inhabitants or die shortly
after purchase; some bargain.
Is a pattern becoming clear? A good store is knowledgeable about the
products they sell and will take the time to be sure the customer is
making a purchase that they will be happy with in the long term. They
want your repeat business in the future. A bad store will encourage
(or fail to discourage) you from buying things you don't need.
Continue to:
Share and Enjoy
Bookmark this story so others can enjoy it:
Tags
aquaria, fish, acquarium, tank, fishkeeping
