Dream fish store!

[wdebenedettojr]

aquarium maintenance companies charge arms and legs to house customers' fish that the customer already own. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy all those fish all over again.

Dong this isn't exactly true. When I was running a small tank maintenance company while in college all I charged was an extra $10-$15 on top of the fish cost. I would qt them for 3-4 weeks and fatten the fish up before the customer got them. That $10-$15 didn't really make me any extra money considering the food cost, electricity, how often I was doing w/c (salt/rodi water), and delivering the fish. It was more of a service to existing customers I had. It was worth it to me to make sure the customers fish was healthy then to get a phone call from a customer saying his tank broke out in ich.

That being said frank is 100% right about possibly paying an extra 30% more for a qt'd fish. Think about it. A LFS would have to pay for the fish, ship it here, ensure it is eating which in itself could take a week or so, deal with deaths from other fish/coral in the order (they obviously have to make some of that money back by charging a bit more for the fish that lived), and then sit on the fish for a month while making $0. Hard for a business to do that. That being said, I don't think any of our sponsors would knowingly sell a sick/distressed fish to a customer because of fear of driving the customer base away not to mention it's not fair to the livestock.

 

[dz6t]

You were doing the right thing in the best interest of your customer. It can be hard for a LFS who has a brick and mortar store with rent to pay and utility to pay and snow to plow.

 

[twiddledog]

If I recall Coral Rerf aquarioum in Seekonk doesn't let anyone take a fish until it has at least been in his tanks for a week to make sure it is eating. Most stores will sell you a fish the day they get them in while totally stressed.

 

[jfourn83]

If I recall Coral Rerf aquarioum in Seekonk doesn't let anyone take a fish until it has at least been in his tanks for a week to make sure it is eating. Most stores will sell you a fish the day they get them in while totally stressed.

This is true Jeremy always hold fish for atleast a week before he sells them

 

[Bigbpro916]

Yes he does do that.

 

[neptune]

OK I have been giving this some thought... others chime in...

My wish list for a LFS:
* Fresh and SaltWater fish!
* Monthly lectures that are taped and in print format available to hobbyists in the store. This would help the store educate people and stop them answering the top 5 basic questions they get from each hobbyist. Topic 1. Transporting fish home / 2. Importance of QT tank / 3. How to do water changes effectively / 4. treatment of ich / 5. coral feeding / the audience for this is not Boston reefers.. you guys are to advanced but it would save the newbie from countless errors that end up if fish death.
* A computer in the store loaded with demonstrations you can view
* RO water
* BOOKS and reference materials in store
* Home service to care for fish while you are on vacation
* Hardware in stock to view OR even a simple binder of H/W with costs for viewing purposes
* Display tanks to show you the art of the possible
* QT Section of store for customers who have already purchased fish. Additional cost per week. If fish expires before you pick it up - you choose another fish. Likely no refunds? being logical here
* Cured LR
* The basic plumbing equipment you need in the store when you purchase RO systems / sumps etc...
* ON LINE WEB SITE w/ photos of new fish
* Vending machines - snacks / soda
* Complimentary popcorn - it costs nothing and so yummy!
* An owner that greats every customer to access knowledge level and point them in the right direction accordingly...
* Fees public on cost of help moving tank and setting up new tank

Would you come to my store?

BTW I located a store that was keeping their fish in Hypo on one side of the wall... Now that is not QT proof but it would make it easier to transfer that fish to your QT for a shorter time frame and also ensure that you see the fish eat in that environment. Those fish were more pricey... I am thinking I am purchasing from that side of his store now. Do others think this is a good idea?

Wow I had no idea that buying on line offered a Warranty? OK once it warms up I must admit since I QT now... I am going to give that a try. I still prefer the LFS but given my recent run on fish DOA I must admit I am frustrated. Also given my interest in owning a SW fish store I had better try the competition : )

Neptune!

 

[JohnK]

You'd need to verify how they define "hypo". It at least used to be common for some stores to run sg at around 1.017 which would usually keep ick in check but not eliminate it (so the fish look clean in the store, but often break out when you get them home). On the other hand, if it's true hypo (1.008-1.009) then the fish will need to be slowly acclimated to normal SG over at least a week or more.

 

[choff]

I've bought all my fish from Divers Den. They have a pretty solid QT and their customer support is top notch. I have only had 1 fish not make it , $199 fairy wrasse, and they gave me my money back no questions asked. Didn't even want to see a picture of the dead fish.

As for what I want in a LFS? I would like Dr Fosters to open a massive Ikea sized retail store 5 miles from my house with an adjoining Divers Den shop while maintaining their same prices. Friendly, knowledge bikini clad sales girls would be a nice touch.


...stupid auto correct

 

[PSU4ME]

I love LA......customer service is amazing and they are the only store that warranties leopard wrasses, which is my new addiction.

I've found that i've had better luck ordering livestock in the colder months than the warmer months. Must be easier to heat a box then cool one.

 

[choff]

DD and LA are 2 separate facilities with very different QT procedures. Both are good, but DD is much more extensive (and expensive). Same great customer service though.

I agree about colder months. I think animals bounce back better from cold to warm than the reverse. Warm water also holds less oxygen.

...stupid auto correct

 

[saltwaterB]

Probably not the majority but the smart ones would. I'd have the customer decide what they would like to do...leave the fish and get a warranty or take it home right away with no warranty.

This has been how I have run my business for years...

But get the reputation for being overpriced??????

but almost every Fish we sell has a 48 hour to 2 week health guarantee.

 

[saltwaterB]

I love LA......customer service is amazing and they are the only store that warranties leopard wrasses, which is my new addiction.QUOTE]

No idea how they do this one????? they must make a ton of profit off of other Fish or products to offset their loss on these guys????

 

[saltwaterB]

Dong this isn't exactly true. When I was running a small tank maintenance company while in college all I charged was an extra $10-$15 on top of the fish cost. I would qt them for 3-4 weeks and fatten the fish up before the customer got them. That $10-$15 didn't really make me any extra money considering the food cost, electricity, how often I was doing w/c (salt/rodi water), and delivering the fish. It was more of a service to existing customers I had. It was worth it to me to make sure the customers fish was healthy then to get a phone call from a customer saying his tank broke out in ich.

That being said frank is 100% right about possibly paying an extra 30% more for a qt'd fish. Think about it. A LFS would have to pay for the fish, ship it here, ensure it is eating which in itself could take a week or so, deal with deaths from other fish/coral in the order (they obviously have to make some of that money back by charging a bit more for the fish that lived), and then sit on the fish for a month while making $0. Hard for a business to do that. That being said, I don't think any of our sponsors would knowingly sell a sick/distressed fish to a customer because of fear of driving the customer base away not to mention it's not fair to the livestock.

Not possible to do at this price point and cover the overhead let alone make any money???

we offer a QT service for $5/day....not too many customer take us up on this. But to do a 4 week QT for $120 is a lot of money (depending on the Fish) But when you factor in everything that has to go into it and cover loss, that is the only number that works, and it is very expensive. that is why on certain Fish (like our 3" Black Tang) we do captive conditioning. We kept it for over 8 weeks before putting it up for sale. As more of our systems come online we will have certain tank just for conditioning certain Fish.

 

[wdebenedettojr]

Not possible to do at this price point and cover the overhead let alone make any money???

we offer a QT service for $5/day....not too many customer take us up on this. But to do a 4 week QT for $120 is a lot of money (depending on the Fish) But when you factor in everything that has to go into it and cover loss, that is the only number that works, and it is very expensive. that is why on certain Fish (like our 3" Black Tang) we do captive conditioning. We kept it for over 8 weeks before putting it up for sale. As more of our systems come online we will have certain tank just for conditioning certain Fish.

B

I didn't have a store so that helped keep prices low. I just had a small 30 gallon bare bottom tank that I would qt a fish in. I knew of three other maintenance companies that charged the exact same amount as me, $10-$15 per fish for 3-4 weeks. I should say that the customer was still responsible for the actual fish cost even if it died in qt. I would always give my customers the option of me qt'ing them before they went into their own tanks. I would say 3/4 of the time the customer would elect for the qt'ing option. Like I said before I didn't do it to make money on the fish, I did it to make sure the fish my clients were getting were healthy. Healthy fish happy clients.

If you choose the $5/day qt for your business then that is fine. You have an actual store so you need to charge more to stay in business vs something I did which was just a maintenance company. $10 worked for me for 6 years so it can be done in my case.

 

[ReefKeeper1699]

My LFS lets me hold my fish for a few days. They mark "sold" on the tank and I come in a week later and grab it and pop in here and there to check it out. Then before I get it I have them feed it and watch it eat. Then on its way home it goes

 

[mctecnica]

It would be nice to see a store with more hardware/equipment. Although I do most of my purchases online I'm still a hands on kinda shopper. It would be nice to see different light set ups, protein skimmers, power heads, things of that nature.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[mctecnica]

Also I'd like to add to my above comment that I'd pay a few extra dollars to support my LFS if they started carrying the equipment that I was looking to purchase.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[dz6t]

I love LA......customer service is amazing and they are the only store that warranties leopard wrasses, which is my new addiction.QUOTE]

No idea how they do this one????? they must make a ton of profit off of other Fish or products to offset their loss on these guys????

With their size of business, is it possible they directly import and cut out the wholesaler?

 

[saltwaterB]

Dong,

They are not though...LA just buys from several wholesalers in Los Angeles, and ships the Fish out. they do not import of house anything. They are just a middle man, which is why they can offer such low prices and cover losses in the manner they do...no real overhead associated with the product. Diver's Den is completely different as they actually bring in their inventory and have it on hand.

 

[dz6t]

Just curious, can a fish store directly import from oversea?