Has anyone been to The Fish store recently? I was wondering how it was. I haven't been in a long time. Are they still fairly high priced on their fish and stuff? Do they have a good verity? How is the quality?
The Fish Store
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High prices? Yes.
Decent livestock, less decent coral.
I often get the response of "we don't stock that" from the younger guy when I ask questions a about items in in need of.
Decent livestock, less decent coral.
I often get the response of "we don't stock that" from the younger guy when I ask questions a about items in in need of.
Ya I've done that a few time and then found the very item on the shelf 5 mins later. I know when I went about a year or 2 ago the word "Decent" was being generous. I know the tanks were all very dirty. Doesn't sound like anything has changed then. Guess I will just stick to my normal Fish stores that I visit.
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I wouldn't call their tanks dirty. Are they older acrylic tanks? sure. But they've always got a great selection (well, they did pre-covid, I understand how that's been an issue for a lot of stores) as well as decent prices. I'd say they're probably one of the cheaper current sponsors, second only to Reef Shac. They're not a shiny shiny store like Premier or Pure Reef but their livestock looks decent and I've bought quite a few fish from them.
Last time I was in there the tanks were riddled with algae and dead fish. X-/ Sorry not trying to bad mouth anyone. They did have a decent selection but I just didn't feel conformable buying from them due to the condition I was seeing. Also any of the fish I did like apparently the owner had already taken it and it wasn't for sale. It was like the owner cherry picked everything. Not saying it is still that way but that's what I got last time I was in.
I've always had good luck at the fish store and I don't hesitate to visit them anytime I'm in that area. I've purchased fish, inverts and corals at times from them over the past 5 years and have never had an issue.
There isn't an LFS around where I haven't seen dead, dieing & diseased fish, most have bubble algae and aiptasia etc.
They are also 1 of only 2 stores that has actually asked me pertinent questions about my setup when inquiring about a specific fish - hasn't happened every time, but many of the stores have sold me livestock with zero questions about my experience or tanks.
There isn't an LFS around where I haven't seen dead, dieing & diseased fish, most have bubble algae and aiptasia etc.
They are also 1 of only 2 stores that has actually asked me pertinent questions about my setup when inquiring about a specific fish - hasn't happened every time, but many of the stores have sold me livestock with zero questions about my experience or tanks.
You also need to know that there is basically one guy running that store. Hes a great guy and very knowledgeable i cant think if his name at the moment. But hes been overwhelmed lately cuz of the lack of help but still manages to keep everything going. Also i have always had heathly fish from there.
Is the store perfect? Not at all. But it's also not as bad as some of you are acting. I've gotten several of my fish from them and from Nemos in Duluth. All have been healthy long time members of my fish family at home since purchase. I also scored a nice red sea sailfin for like 46 bucks from The Fish Store and he's been a shining example of health. Not every store can be as clean and shiny as say... premier... which ive seen with ich covered fish btw. Soooo.. All I know is im gonna keep going to The Fish Store when I'm making my rounds to shops
You're taking this out of context. I wasn't trying to bash them or anything else. I was simply stating my observations and my experience with them. I know they have had problems in the past and they are even a sponsor of ARC so I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt that they had improved. I live a decent ways away from this place so I was just trying to decide for myself if it was worth driving way out of my way to go here. I know not everywhere can be as clean as Premier but that was not the point. I wanted everyone else exp and then I was going to compare it to my own and decide. Also we have to hold this industry to a high standard or nothing will ever improve.
i don't mind the appearance as long as you know that one's a warehouse/bigger space and one is a clean store but smaller real estate.
anyways the fish quality is about the same as most of the lfs in GA get their stuffs from the same wholesaler(s).
coral quality gets a bit complicated: the fish store's coral quality is not where it once was in my opinion. i remember them having more selection several years ago, this is with covid taken into consideration. so the fish store 5 years ago is better than how it is now (strictly personal opinion)
but if you compare it to premier or other places, it's about the same as well. we all have seen dead corals or aiptasia infestation at one point or another in any of the lfs.
the only lfs i have been to and will never return is the one in woodstock...but that's another story.
anyways the fish quality is about the same as most of the lfs in GA get their stuffs from the same wholesaler(s).
coral quality gets a bit complicated: the fish store's coral quality is not where it once was in my opinion. i remember them having more selection several years ago, this is with covid taken into consideration. so the fish store 5 years ago is better than how it is now (strictly personal opinion)
but if you compare it to premier or other places, it's about the same as well. we all have seen dead corals or aiptasia infestation at one point or another in any of the lfs.
the only lfs i have been to and will never return is the one in woodstock...but that's another story.
one thing i like about the fish store (don't know if they still do it nowadays) is that they have/had the aiptasia grow-out tank that they use for peppermint shrimps. i find it extremely helpful. also if you don't mind paying the price, i like how they have more selection when it comes to rocks, both dead and live. it's always easier for me to see what's available and say "let me take that piece and this piece..."
Plus they have sharks. And shark eggs. and other cool stuff that I love to look at but believe none of us are really capable of keeping healthy long term.
That's not a knock on them for housing those animals - many are there as it's the best option for them at this point.
That's not a knock on them for housing those animals - many are there as it's the best option for them at this point.
Well IMO, The Fish Store is one of the only stores where I feel comfortable buying fish from without fearing disease. They run medication all the time and I have never had a disease come in from one of their fish. The fish selection is also pretty good
I go to all the lfs and would buy from anyone that catches my eye with what I want and need with a great or reasonable price. I don’t discriminate. Everything and anywhere has one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. But I get what somebody was saying. Presentation is a little not there. But it’s lfs caters to their niché. If you think about it. Most reefers are not even in the ARC. I think. There is a boat load of nail shop owners, coffee shop owners, restaurant owners, gamble houses, Doctors and etc that are not as serious and just enjoy the hobby as simple as possible. Or even pay other people to take care of their tanks. But sure I also would not buy some stuff from all of the stores too
and some times I gamble and buy some really crazy stuff because I want it that bad. Haha
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and some times I gamble and buy some really crazy stuff because I want it that bad. HahaSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Its probably been 5 years since i stepped foot in that store. The coral prices are stupid high, the fish prices are also high but Id be willing to pay that for healthy fish. BUT I dont think I ever saw a healthy fish in that store.
I would get salt from there and thats it.
I would get salt from there and thats it.
That's kind of elitist don't you think? It may not be as shiny as Premier or PureReef... but it's certainly not as bad as you make it out to be. When you order that many fish in you are going to have issues. That's just the truth of the matter. You as a hobbyist should make the distinction of purchasing the fish or not to. And as far as prices go they are certainly not as expensive as some of the more brightly lit polished stores. I'm not white knighting them. I'm just pointing out they aren't as bad as all that. They don't hide their skeletons and I have used my judgement and have gotten several fish from them that are all still trucking along with no illness.
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I've got several fish from them as well that are perfectly fine
This is in line with my experiences as well. An over abundance of hair algae, bubble algae, aiptasia, majano, cyano, nudis, and other pests as well as sick fish.
Don’t get me wrong; I also saw lots of healthy livestock. And I love their selections! But yes, i agree their tanks to be dirty IMO.
And I don’t think it’s elitist to say ‘I went there and just saw a bunch of sick fish’. Personally, I take responsibility for my livestock, and I don’t want to risk their contamination, nor to pay a higher price for something that will require more effort from me and have a higher chance of failure/death. So it’s not elitist; rather, it is a person that is making a responsible decision based on their experience. I respect that, whether or not I disagree with the experience.
That's a fair point. Re-reading my message it does come across a little confrontational which wasn't my intention so I do apologize there. But that being said I too go to basically all of the stores and have seen dead fish, bubble algae, and pests in all of them. Not to the degree that I've seen at The Fish Store, but I have seen it in the fancier places as well. Could they be cleaner? Absolutely. And I agree with the aspect that we are ultimately responsible for the well being of our pets. I just don't agree wish wanton bashing of a store when there's certainly smaller lesser known stores that are far worse. And out of respect I'm not going to mention them by name.
Yeah. I don’t think I or any of us have crossed that line at the moment. There is a fine line between stating facts and speaking ill of a person/company when some of the facts are less-than-ideal. We are all human, though, and make mistakes and miscommunications.
I think this is a healthy conversation if we keep all of that in mind. Keep it respectful, factual or supportive, and understanding of each other.
I think this is a healthy conversation if we keep all of that in mind. Keep it respectful, factual or supportive, and understanding of each other.
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