Lfs Was A Disgrace!!!

[MontanaRocknReefer]

Well Pat and I went to the LFS after some shopping and when we walked back to where the 500 gallon reef tank was I was totally shocked! There was so much dark brown and a little red algae and it covered all the sand and rock so thick and the beautiful closed brain I almost bought before they put it in the large tank was showing signs of dieing and was starting to get a brown covering as well.
They put more sand in and redid the whole tank about 5 months ago and it looks real bad. The owner she said they need to get more snails and I hardly saw any!! The fish looked ok and the other corals looked fine but not really healthy.
I then went to the back room where you buy fish, corals, inverts, etc and believe me that was not much better. The tank where the corals are kept you could barely see them as there was so much algae on the front glass and on the substrate.
All the other tanks were pretty much the same way and it was heart breaking to see a business look like this!
The employee who talked to my wife said the other employee thinks he is the boss and does not want to clean glass or anything! One employee quit about a month ago and they need to hire more help to clean and maintained their tanks!
We ended up buying a beautiful gorgonian with really thick branches for my wife and I got a couple of peppermint shrimps and some frozen shrimp and left the store feeling really down!
I hope they get it together soon as business is going to drop there for sure. Thanks for reading! Johnny

[S.O.S.]

I know how you feel. One lfs in my area used to have a great selection and wonderful displays. Their 2 main 135gal coral tanks would be stocked full of great corals for sale, and their 5000gal tank held a shark which they would feed once a week as "Feeding Frenzy Wednesday". Then I went back there couple of months ago and the place had really run down. The freshwater section was fine, but the SW was garbage. The shark was gone but the sign was still outside, the 2 main tanks had only a couple of corals and the tanks were absolutely filled with aiptasia. All the other tanks looked the same. The only thing good was their one "display only" tank. It was like they let everything else rot away while spending 12 hours a day maintaining this display tank. The only good corals were in that tank and they weren't for sale! I went back a few weeks later and it was the same thing

[S.O.S.]

On the other hand the other big lfs near me did the exact opposite. They used to carry nothing but junk and had a crappy attitude, but now they've really turned things around with better staff and much better and higher quality selection.

[Big Dave]

Hey Johnny-

I just hate going into a LFS and seeing that. I won't buy anything from a place like that most times because I am scared the something may be sick or unhealthy. My regular LFS always has spotless tanks. The main reason I shop there is because they talk to you about your tank, and give you ideas on what should or shouldn't go in the same tank. They literally ask about it!! Not just one of those places that have the 'ifyou have money it's yours' policy. That reminds me, they get new fish and corals today so a-shopping I shall go! Wish me luck on finding a six-line today!

-Big Dave

[julieanne399]

Hey BidDave, Good luck! I just ordered a six line and it should arrive tomorrow. I hope it does well! Wish me luck! I need it! Julie

[beach bum]

Sorry to hear that Johnny. As I discover more and more every day, this reef addiction is a complete labor of love, it's not easy! Without competent employees who have a stake in the hobby, no LFS can survive for long IMO. My two favorite shops both have owners that love what they do, and for that matter do most of the hands on work themselves. One guy does EVERYTHING six days a week, closed Mondays! The other guy hires counter help while works with the tanks and customers.

I have the utmost respect now for good saltwater aquarium stores, just like I have respect for the countless hours us hobbyists put into this endeavor, making our tanks the best we can!

Of course cruising TRT takes up most of those hours...

Chris

[cath]

GRRrrrrr! That's a disgrace, Johnny! I hope the stuff you bought does well.

cath

[Doug1]

Johhny, sorry to hear about the turn of events at LFS I have to say that after half of my life being exposed to the SW hobby I have a few opinions FWIW
First of all if you are lookiing for the perfect SW store take up scuba and get a good travel agent, quick before the wild reefs are gone
Second, the best stores arent always the most pristine. I would rather deal with a store with lived in tanks than sterile, where they speak reef and are open to the latest ideas than a UV filters sterile , its my way or the highway attitude, but I hear what you are saying. It always sux to see a promising place go down hill.
Always strive for and seek perfection but dont close your eyes to reality

[Junkzoo]

Bummer Johnny! been there, seen that! hope they straighten up!

[TooFar2Sea]

I have also seen great LFS go slowly, and sometimes not so slowly, downhill. I cannot complain, however, as in my area (St Louis) there are several other LFS to choose from, not to mention lots of plumbing and electrical supply shops for DIY.

[jamnelsvgs]

Just a quick note from a store owner (Not a Pet or Aquatic store)
Finding competent help that is reliable, trust worthy and willing to do the "dirty jobs" along with the glamour work is probably the worst part about owning a business. If possible give a store that has suddenly dropped in service a second chance many times it will be due to the fact that they have recently lost 1 good employee and are trying to replace them, or that the owner themselves have had a personal situation arise that has not allowed them to maintain the standard they previously had. If the trend continues to get worse then find someplace else, but if evryone continues to abandon the small shops, whether aquatic or home improvement or clothing or any other industry we will become a nation of Petco's and Petsmarts neither of which have impressed me enough to trust getting my salt water fish from them, and at least the local petco and petsmart here has not proven to me a hiring practice based on aquatic knowledge.

[Doug1]

Points well taken on getting good help
Esp in the pet biz and even more so than if a store specializes in SW and Reef. Quite often these are started by serious hobbiest's that outgrow their house. Often these are couples where one works while the other works at SW. Its hard to make a living at let alone pay a living wage to outside help, I know one large Metro area that has several LFS and most of them care less about clubs or the internet, but then there are a couple that do support the local clubs and benefit, some people drive long ways to deal with them. But its willingnes on both sides that makes it happen

[JennM]

Doug, are you spying on me?

You described my situation to a tee. My husband has a real job and I'm an addict who has to move my Frankenstein's lab up the road to a strip mall.

It truly is a labour of love, not something one enters into to get rich, but for me, being able to talk fish/reef with people and maybe someday get paid for it, is the ideal job!

Jenn

[TooFar2Sea]

JennM Good luck with your store. I think everyone in the hobby has dreamed at one time or another of owning their own store.

[JennM]

Thanks, TooFar....

Time will tell but if it doesn't work out it won't be for lack of trying. I'm starting with a good solid business plan and the support of my family...IMO a good foundation to build a business on.

Jenn