LFS

[tduston]

Today was my first visit to my LFS. I was wondering if anyone has had the same troubling experience as me. The woman running the LFS was knowledgeable but very rude and made me feel like an jerk. Her prices seemed a bit high too. What is the virtue of going to my LFS versus the online store? I was just going to buy my food from her because it was more convenient and keep her in mind for emergencies.

 

Also, she was super informative and told me about what she feeds all of her corals and I was wondering if anyone else had tried it and what their success was. I don't remember what its called now but it is a mix in a Silver pouch with a sticker on it and a weird name. You boil 3/4 cup of water and mix it with 1/4 cup of the dry mix. It gels and you can parcel it out from there. The food doesn't break down in water. It just sinks and the fish have to eat off the piece. If you put too much in you just wait an hour or two and pull it out. I was wondering how well this food worked since it seems it wouldn't be so detrimental to my chem balance but how will all the fish eat off of a tiny cube without fighting over it?

 

Thanks

[seabass]

I'm not sure about the type of food they were using, but Rod's Food is pretty popular. If you didn't have a good experience there, then it won't be worth the higher prices. You can get pretty much everything online (including better information).

[Haelstrom]

Yeah. LFS don't like people who shop online. They should be working more on how to get my business and less on being rude about it. Once I mentioned that I bought my 29g Biocube tank online instead of from them they weren't very nice afterwards. They went on about better service and how those internet people lie to you and dead loss and broken items and shipping costs and on and on and on about how they were better. Told them sorry. I just couldn't buy it from them for $600 (tank and stand) when I can buy it online for $380 (tank and stand) with free shipping.

[NaturallyKait]

I have similar experiences at the LFS here. The main salt water employee constantly tells me I have to stop reading online because I'm just going to end up with a crashed tank and that I need to just listen to him and have a successful tank. If ordering online in Canada wasn't so difficult I'd just do that and avoid him. He's lucky there's only one other LFS in town and their display tanks don't look so healthy, or else I wouldn't be planning to buy my livestock there.

[seabass]

... that I need to just listen to him and have a successful tank.

Haha... I feel the same way. Don't we all. Except that there are other people online to point out if information is outdated or inaccurate. I wonder where he gets his information.

[NaturallyKait]

Haha... I feel the same way. Don't we all. Except that there are other people online to point out if information is outdated or inaccurate. I wonder where he gets his information.

 

I have no idea, but he has a 40B with 30 fish in it (including a yellow tang) . He also insists I can't cycle with only live rock ("Because if you don't add bacteria, how do you even know any is in there? Or how much? Plus all those horrible pests. You're just waiting for a crash to happen, and it will!"), absolutely must buy the canister filter he runs and that if I use his fancy bottled bacteria I could add fish the next day, although he recommends waiting a week.

[seabass]

Sounds like he's found the holy grail of reef keeping.

[NaturallyKait]

Sounds like he's found the holy grail of reef keeping.

 

Apparently. I've perfected the smile and nod to try to get him to just stop with the advice. "Yes I'll eventually buy your $200 canister filter, but for today I'm just here for sand." Sigh. I just wish their stuff wasn't so horribly expensive.

[Tamberav]

I think some people go into a business because they enjoy the hobby (or perhaps money?) but end up not having any customer service skills.

 

Sadly, the one LFS I LOVED to visit (ok not that local but worth the drive) closed down a few years back due to just not being able to make enough $. Fact is.. he was honest.. had godly tanks and priced everything so cheap and fair and threw in freebies. Maybe this is why he couldn't make it (and demographic area). Plus he didn't do freshwater and the market is bigger for FW.