What tis the problem with LFS?

[OnoIgotICH]

On some threads I go to, I see bashing the LFS such as

"Do not take ANY advice from your LFS"
or
"Blue linkia stars should not be sold in the LFS, if it is hard to keep, why would they bring it in?"

Why would Liveaquaria have blue linkia stars in their magazine? Some "Experts" might buy them, the same applies to the LFS.

Not all LFS's around the country are the same.
Not all are good, Not all are bad.

[UDrogue]

I like my LFS. Their prices are really expensive compared to online, but they have really good quality corals and fish. If i'm only going to buy one item, i usually buy it from them. If i have a large order, I usually buy it online. I don't know, if people need to rely on your LFS for answers....maybe people should research on their own before getting into this hobby and buying animals they have no idea how to care for.

[xcreonx]

Yeah I think that's the point of those threads is that YOU need to research the animals before you buy them instead of taking advice from someone who may or may not know what they're talking about. Don't risk bad advice, just research your choices before buying them. There are, of course, shops that know what they're talking about. Those shops, in my experience, are few and far between.

[jerryvan]

Hello--When I was thinking of starting into saltwater I did a lot of reading and that is one of the things they said. Find a LFS that you like and trust and knows what he is talking about and stick with that store or salesman.
In our area we have a good store and when the owner gets to know what you have or how your tank is he will help you. If you want to buy something and he knows it is not right for you he will tell you that this item or animal is not for you. WAIT!!!--Jerry

[OnoIgotICH]

Originally posted by xcreonx
Yeah I think that's the point of those threads is that YOU need to research the animals before you buy them instead of taking advice from someone who may or may not know what they're talking about. Don't risk bad advice, just research your choices before buying them. There are, of course, shops that know what they're talking about. Those shops, in my experience, are few and far between.

Agreed. It is part responsibility for the LFS for the LFS to tell you, but you also need to know what you buy before you do, but if there is a post about a.. Orange spot file being bought, all blame is on the LFS.

[OnoIgotICH]

Originally posted by jerryvan
Hello--When I was thinking of starting into saltwater I did a lot of reading and that is one of the things they said. Find a LFS that you like and trust and knows what he is talking about and stick with that store or salesman.
In our area we have a good store and when the owner gets to know what you have or how your tank is he will help you. If you want to buy something and he knows it is not right for you he will tell you that this item or animal is not for you. WAIT!!!--Jerry

A good LFS takes you a long way.

[PogoMonogo]

To be honest, researching on the internet is not necessarily the best thing either. I have seen PLENTY of terrible advice on the internet. I work at a LFS, and so many times people come in and think that I am lying to them because the THE INTERNET told them otherwise. Something about reading something gives it more authority I suppose.

Example A: "My freshwater fish are all sitting on the bottom and not moving, and some are slowly dying".

My response after talking a few minutes with them: "What is your temperature at in the tank?"

"72 degrees, we read on the internet that is good for tropical fish."

"I really would recommend turning it up slowly to 78 degrees, thats what we recommend keeping most fish tanks (fresh or salt)."

The people then stated that they didn't understand why it should be 78 degrees, they had read a few places that 72 was fine. 5 days later I received a call thanking me; they had slowly turned their temperature up, and the fish were much more active and the random deaths ceased.

[OnoIgotICH]

Internet is free speech, anybody can post on it. You shouldnt believe everything on the internet, nor should you on this forum.

[PogoMonogo]

Originally posted by OnoIgotICH
Internet is free speech, anybody can post on it. You shouldnt believe everything on the internet, nor should you on this forum.

I couldn't agree more my friend. Unfortunately, some people aren't as well thought out. I see problems everyday at the LFS that I know how to fix, not because I am a genius, but because I have seen the problem hundreds of times before (or maybe I AM a genius ). The internet is just unfiltered.

Example B: A couple comes in on a Saturday morning, stating all their African Cichlids are dead and the water is super cloudy. Testing their pH it was extremely low (not why they died, but I am getting there). I asked if they had had a party last night, they said yes. I said someone most likely dropped a beer in their fish tank, and that would attribute the extremely low pH, the haze to the water, and all the random dead fish (ammonia and nitrites were normal). They said that was impossible and that their friend had read on the internet that it was most likely a UV reaction from the full spectrum bulbs the tank had with a stress coat product they were using. I stated I had never heard of that EVER, but I have seen my fair share of crashed tanks on Saturday mornings. They didn't believe me and left.

[dp reefer]

As somebody who used to work at a LFS, put yourself in the shoes of the seller. Their going to tell you what they've learned themselves, and from their superiors, which may not always be the case. Everyone who works at a LFS is not an expert, and probably does not have as much experience as you would think (still, some have tons of experience). Keep in mind that it is a business, and moving the product is the number one goal for those who are running the business because it is their lively-hood and how they support their family.

[OnoIgotICH]

But, at the same time, as they want to make money. imagine trying to move 100-200 fish at a time, every week. That is pretty tough in my book to deal with. The LFS has maybe dealt with alot of fish through good and bad. They have personal experiences they learn from (Good LFS's do)

While they are not experts, Im sure they have dealt with alot more fish+corals then a regular customer has.

[OnoIgotICH]

no one?

[jerryvan]

Hello--I have faith in my LFS and the owner. But if when I started going in there everytime he sold me something it did not live or was wrong for my situation hopefully I would learn and not go back. So I would think that LFS would try to point me in the right direction to keep me coming back.Jerry

[Patrick12]

LFS can be great places. It all depends on the philosophy of how it is run. There are conscientious LFS owners out there. I know a few.

[sanababit]

where can i begin, i live in southern california, i have visited a few stores around my area, and every single store gives me different answers on items that i know work, for example, the other day i went a saw a beautiful tank from a fellow reefer that was selling sps frags, when i saw the tank i was amazed at the corals and color they all had, well after talking to him for a while he opended the cabinet to reach in and get the frags and low and behold he had T5 lights going, and only four bulbs, this was an 80 gal tank, i could not believe that he had so much growth and color from lights that most reefer say that they wont work for sps (altough the corals where placed from the middle to the top of the tank), my point is that i go into an LFS store and always get different opinions, like: no t5 dont even bother, or t5 arent for sps, you need metal halide and forget t5, t5 might work but recommend MH, you see mixed answers even tough i KNOW that they work, WHY because i have seen it. This is an expensive hobby and one of the ways to make it a great experience is to go see fellow reefers tanks, something that has been established, look at his equipment, ask him questions, learn from his experiences, his not trying to make money out of the advice, then and only then you can make up your mind on what to do and what course to take in the hobby, well this is my story and sorry for the long post.

sana

[tankman10000]

our local fish store in nashville, tn is great

[fuzz1974]

I feel pretty fortunate to have the stores we have in Ft. Wayne. There are 3 LFS I go to, all three are small stores ( in the sense,that all the owners work in their stores).

To me that means something, you get to know them and them you. Of course they all have an opinion, but 90% of the time, I believe they are leading people in the right direction, however, there is no subsitute for your own research.

I rarely order online(due to shipping rates), there is no subsitute for going to your LFS and looking around, and WYSIWYG is truly just that.

Fuzz

[seagirl]

you nailed it with your final statement-

Not all LFS's around the country are the same.
Not all are good, Not all are bad.

[seagirl]

Originally posted by tankman10000
our local fish store in nashville, tn is great

which one? i go to nashville all the time and have been looking for a s/w lfs.

[PogoMonogo]

Originally posted by sanababit
where can i begin, i live in southern california, i have visited a few stores around my area, and every single store gives me different answers on items that i know work, for example, the other day i went a saw a beautiful tank from a fellow reefer that was selling sps frags, when i saw the tank i was amazed at the corals and color they all had, well after talking to him for a while he opended the cabinet to reach in and get the frags and low and behold he had T5 lights going, and only four bulbs, this was an 80 gal tank, i could not believe that he had so much growth and color from lights that most reefer say that they wont work for sps (altough the corals where placed from the middle to the top of the tank), my point is that i go into an LFS store and always get different opinions, like: no t5 dont even bother, or t5 arent for sps, you need metal halide and forget t5, t5 might work but recommend MH, you see mixed answers even tough i KNOW that they work, WHY because i have seen it. This is an expensive hobby and one of the ways to make it a great experience is to go see fellow reefers tanks, something that has been established, look at his equipment, ask him questions, learn from his experiences, his not trying to make money out of the advice, then and only then you can make up your mind on what to do and what course to take in the hobby, well this is my story and sorry for the long post.

sana

But you have to understand, that a LFS has to go more on statistics than anything. Have I seen a Clown Trigger in a reef? Yep. Would I ever tell a customer to do that? Nope. Metal Halides are proven to grow SPS corals very well. I have seen some tanks use T5's and work, others failure. Most stony tanks I have seen are using MH lighting. Does a customer want to be my guinea pig? Most of the time no; they want proven methods that work. I am lucky in that a lot of people who shop at the LFS I work at are knowledgeable and willing to experiment. Not everyone is so lucky.

[davew0670]

I work at an LFS before the internet. I was always right!

[dwd5813]

I think the important thing to understand is that in a hobby where there are many "right" ways to do things, such as this one, it is wise not to blindly trust any single source of information. If you post a question on this or any other forum, and you only get one response, are you satisfied? You shouldn't be. The same goes for advice received at a LFS. Yes, there are knowledgeable folks working in stores all over the place, and there are also folks who may not be. I can't remember who it is, but someone on here has in their sig line "read a lot, think for yourself." That's good advice, in my opinion. It can get confusing when you hear conflicting advice, and it can be hard to know which advice to take. In that event, I think the best thing to do is to look for additional sources of information, and arm yourself with enough knowledge to make an informed decision. That information can come from the internet, your LFS, books, fellow reefers whose tanks you have seen, or ideally some combination of all of those.

[mr pink floyd]

i work at a very reputable LFS(very popular across the state), and basically its this. if we dont sell someone a tang, or a fish because it work work in their tank, they will go down the street to Petco and buy it. We tell them the truth, it will outgrow your tank, and sell them the fish. 90% of the time it wont live long enough in these peoples tanks to get to the point where its outgrown.

they sell alcohol in stores, and people drink themselves to death, are you saying all liquor stores are bad? Greasy, fatty foods are sold in grocery stores, are you saying grocery stores are bad?

anything can be bashed.

I have had people argue to me about things that they obviously have no clue about, such are levels i n a salt/ reef tank. People think because im a kid, and work in a LFS, they instantly know more than i do.

ive had a person argue with me that alkalinity and calcium dont matter at all, and are in no way shape or form related. I gave them the scientific explanation, they told me to stuff it and walked out.

people are ignorant.

[jonnydalejunior]

my buddy owns a LFS, so i hang out and pretend to work there. i tell people that that gecko over ther is reef safe (they clearly are not) i am always right as well.

[down and outman]

We're lucky in Atlanta to have several great LFS. My closest one is run by a marine biologist. Yes the prices are high, but it takes a lot to run one. Did have a local store, more of a pet shop than a LFS. He steered me wrong when I was first setting up my tank. Luckily I found some good forums like RC to help me out. Read, read, read! I'll research a bunch before I go and do anything. I don't take just one person's advice. If I see the same advice several times then I weigh it and make my decision.