FishProfiles.com Message Forums

as for fish
as stated u gotta carry the common fish
but if u have a website n only carry the higher brands ppl will come to u
we as fish keepers r hard core addicts to say the least
i no ive personally driven 100 miles to go shopping

if this is the customer base u want u can get the less kept fish
elephant nose
baby whales
various knife fish
arrowannas
wild bettas
apistos
those r some fish highly sot after right now
many rift lake cichlids r in high demand
ppl only see the mass produced/ farmed africans which r mainly labeled wrong

a point of in store things
good display tanks r a key in sales, ill pay more for fish if they come from a better store, ie a store that takes pride in there stock
i keep various tetras n african cichlids as well as piranhas eels wild cot fish ect.
LABEL them correctly most africans n piranhas i see for sale r labeled wrong with the exception of the most common types
knowledgeable staff thats friendly is also a big thing
n also advertise te fact that u can n will bring in fish for a customer if u dont have it in stock
many lfs in my area wont order in rarer fish n if they do they want u to pay up front for a fish ur not certain if it will arrive alive let alone b the rite fish

as for equipment i cant help u much as i buy aquaclear n whisper filters, never payed any attention to the tank brands, n foods i use mostly live or frozen foods but the only flake i use is tetra flake n/or wardleys

hope i have helped alil

I like to see a nice variety of dry foods for your popular types of fish and if your friend has space he could get a small freezer and carry some frozen food. Supplies are nice like thermometers, heaters, air pumps, maybe even some filters (for 10-125g), medications of different types, water conditioners/dechlorinators, airstones and things of that nature that we use everyday.

As far as fish goes, I think it is nice for a store to carry the popular fish but what keeps me going back just for the heck of it is when they have different strange fish, things you don't see everyday. Then what happens is that I go back to the store even though I don't necessarily need anything just to look at the odd fish then I end up buying a lot of stuff. Good luck!

Good idea filter media, ive been to lots of places that are short on this and parts.......probally because they want you to buy a full new filter....

BUT good idea


Angel Eel

I look for Texas holy rock or any I cannot find in area. Need to have options on filters,lights,FILTER MEDIA, and parts to keep them running. Plants are a must and also substrate. Look into cheap sand(not any sand at my LFS). The UNUSUAL fish: may be some cats,loaches,cichlids,or plecos,etc. Just no painted or hybrids. DO NOT sell catfish too big or goldfish to anyone except pond owners(ie. I beleive only fish sold are fish that can be kept in aquariums). No BIG FISH. And finally a great show tank(NOT TO BE SOLD FROM). Just make sure fish are "orderable" and other types also. Some people may live far from availability. Your store will do well with advise from "real" owner/keepers. GOOD LUCK.

i've had mine for ages but i'm not haappy with it. My old one had felt for the outside bit and a rough hairy material for the inside. But this one has what looks like velcro on each side and the magnetic pull is poor. i've gotten so annoyed with it scratching my NEW tank that when i use it i put a soft cloth inbetween them. I wish i could remeber the make of my magnet cleaner but it wasn't that cheap. But i've only tried two magnets. COuld you reccomend any ???

Sin in Style-----------Here I dont have very much of a choice, three pet stores all are overpriced and about the same in price, and that was when I first started out when I got that, I have learned now I do everything decoration wise myself.

Angel Eel

Last edited by angeleel at 14-Mar-2005 15:14

Fish_Can_Fly,
Which magnets are you using? There are ones designed for different types of glass. And I can tell you, after my visit to the convention this past weekend...EVERY company on the market now has the magnetic glass cleaners! And some for ALOT cheaper than MAG-Float!

"I bought a 4 inch cave and it cost 22 bucks!!!!"

This is why they charge so much. as long as you are willing to pay the price they will sit back and count their money.

my favorite LFS want $80 for an item i can get for $50 down the road. i can also get the item for $30 online. guess who got my buisness.

Algea magnets that don't scartch the hell out of you're tank.

O0o0 one more thing, decorations.....

Like large rocks, driftwood, caves an so on..... but larger ones most stores only have small rocks and caves and they are priced insanely high, at least around here I bought a 4 inch cave and it cost 22 bucks!!!!

Just another thought..
I like the idea of getting input from people, I hope your company(your friends) does well.

Angel Eel

angeleel,
You're exactly right, we stay far away from dyed, unnatural fish. Big mistake in any LFS. And I've often had to explain to customers why their fish have totally lost all their "pretty colors". They feel cheated by the LFS they bought it from and usually thank me for giving them the heads up the next time they or someone they know sees these man made fish.

I'm beginning to notice alot more recommendations on RO units not only from this forum, but from others. I will definitely be looking into what kind of stock we can hold in the store on these units.

When it comes to our tanks, right now they at least have some type of nice looking substrate and some scenery, but in my opinion it's not enough. But, the good thing is our tanks are always clean and we receive alot of compliments on them as well.

Thanks yet again everyone, definitely a successful post! Anyone can still chime in if they have more advice to give too .

Food: frozen foods and high quality foods like Omega One and Hikari, also, I would like to see a store that sells live foods (earthworms, hatched adult brine shrimp, bloodworms,etc.)
Fish: I liek LFSes that try to keep each species of fish in it's own tank, so they are easily caught and labeled.
Equipment: Eheim stuff is good, I don't see many LFS with RO units.
If you want to draw in more experienced fishkeepers, offer to order anytihng for them, and stock mostly uncommon, higher quality things.

TRUE THAT!!!
ugly tanks suck

just another suggestion, the tanks at my lfs are really ugly & have NO PLANTS or DECOR your friend could put gravel in the tanks & put plants in them that might make people think "wow thats amazing i wanna buy some fish"! Just a thought

I agree with brybenn, also

Heres an idea NO DYED FISH!!! I know alot of people who stop going to peoples stores altogether because of this, I think youd get great attention if you were to do this on the internet as well.

Another thing I read that I liked was clean, maintained tanks, maybe a show tank that the owner owns, show what skills you have.

Also I think instead of carrying top notch supplys also sell the stuff for the learner, they are the future of fishkeeping don't cut them out.


I don't know if I helped seeing I repeted a few things, but I did add NO DYED FISH!!!!!!!

Good luck on your findings,
Angel Eel

Hey everyone! One of my friend's, who I work for part-time, would like me to gather up as much information as possible on what you all (the customer) feel is the best equipment and also fish. We have a retailer convention to attend soon and before we go we'd like to see what people REALLY want. This includes medicines, test kits, filters, heaters, and all the accessories included in having a successful tank(s). Also, feel free to list what, in your opinion, are the most popular fish for the home aquarium. This includes salwater and freshwater. Basically, what do you all wish your LFS would carry or what they do carry that you can't live with out. You guys don't have to reply if you don't want, but it would really help us out and our customers. We're located in Jacksonville, FL and have a new website in the works...www.fishbowlaquariums.com.

Thanks again everyone for your time!

what people REALLY want

well GOOD ADVICE! not silly staff who say

goldies could go in a 5 gal easily 4 or 5 should be okay, they only grow as big as their tank

ARG THAY DRIVE ME NUTS!!!
& female bettas/wild type bettas
& i'd like 2 see some custom made tanks to fit perfectly where I want them to.& make pre made setups like,
1 ________ filter
1 ___ of ______ coloured gravel (costomers choice)
1___ heater
1 ___ gal tank (glass)
1 or 2 ____ lights
1 free decoration cupon
1 bottle of conditioner
1 half price fish food cupon

& any other thing that I missed out, so just create a basic setup & tell customers about the nitro cycle.


Last edited by dude_dude at 11-Mar-2005 01:23

When it comes to prices, in my opinion, we beat almost anyone. But, that's when compared to the same quality type of equipment. We really don't carry the cheap, "flea market" equipment you would find in large chain pet stores. We don't want our customers having to come to us 24/7 about their equipment breaking. We'd lose alot of money, and alot of loyal customers. We are bringing in a new freezer for our frozen meats and foods. I know alot of people like the frozen, including myself. I also feel, as previously mentioned, live foods is a must. It keeps customers coming back every week and I know my eels love them. I know that feeders can carry diseases, which does concern me at times. But, I also don't hear customers going back to an LFS all the time to blame the death of their fish on diseased feeders. Thank you to those who mentioned the CO2. That had not yet crossed my mind and could be another product to set us apart from other LFS. As for the heaters and filters you mentioned, we do carry Rena heaters because I've found them to be some of the most reliable and for a decent price. For filters, we sell alot of AquaClear and for the larger aquariums our Pro Clear wet/dry systems. We've also begun to expand ourselves with lighting. Kind of playing with the new Lunar or Moon lighting systems and I love them!

Once again everyone, this has helped my boss and I so much. Thank you for taking the time to list your recommendations on what the customer REALLY wants!

Last edited by 1tankneverenuff at 11-Mar-2005 01:03

Let me tell you why I go to the particular shop I go to, that might give you some ideas.

1. As Shannen mentioned, CO2. Those of us who have pressurised system don't always know where to get our bottled filled the first time we ran out of gas. "My shop" has CO2 bottles. Bring your empty one, pay £9 and take a full one. That's what I need.

2. An extensive variety of dry products. And having them in stock. If I make the effort to go to a shop (I have none around where I live), I don't want them to tell me that they can order it and have it by wednesday. I won't be there on wednesday. That also applies for live foods. A fish shop should have some live food at all times, or at least when I get there to buy some (at least once a week). And good quality live food too, not a bag full of dead stinking blood worms. I, and my fish too, would like the food to be fresh. We would like it to move.

3. Fish. I have a south American dwarf cichlid fetish. Even "my shop" doesn't really satisfy my needs. I would like to see not only a wide range of fish, but also some wild ones. I would also like to buy some, by the way.

That's all for from me.

speakign of canister filters. now i know a buisness needs to make back some of its start up costs but this spiek in costs will only fly with loyal customers. i hate it when a store just opens and i see prices that cause me to keep walking. i love my LFS...i know the owner..i know the breeders...i know the care and filtrations system the fish get but EVERYTHING is over priced. the fish-food-and eqiupment is 25% more then everyone else. everyone else is allready way more then what i can get online. i pay the price for the fish but the quality and care makes that worth my while. i needed a canister and he was the 1st place i looked..he wanted $250 for the same exact can i bought for $120 with shipping online. word to the wise...make a buck not a killing. it makes nothing looking pretty on a shelf.