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I'll be moving soon and I would like to limit the number of fish/tanks that I have to move.
I'd like to get something in return for these fish. Store credit would be fine with me. Which would be my better option, a local chain store or some small mom & pop shop?

I have had great success with a non chain store. I tried Petsmart and they did not offer me anything. I took them to my LFS and they considered everything and ended up giving me $20 for a few gouramis and a couple angels. The fish will probably be taken care of better at a non chain store as well. Maybe give your LFS a call to set up a time and discuss a little of what your are looking to "donate".

Your locally owned store would probably be best. A lot of times with the larger chain stores they really don't have the options that privately owned stores do. They have to abide by a "Corporate Policy" which may or may not allow them to take in fish from hobbyists.

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

I agree with the above, a small mom & pop store would be your better option. As old timer mentioned, i belive a lot of the chain stores decide not to take fish from the public.

Mom and pop stores can benefit from fish that have had time to grow, as a lot of people will look for bigger fish. Also growing up in local waters increases their chances of survival.

Don't expect a lot, a 3rd of the price of retail is about all you'll get unless they're rare or really large.

n-joy

Undoubtedly the smaller store would be the better choice to give your fish to, but don't expect much in return. Unless you have some really rare fish, you'll probably only get a couple bucks in return. Also, I have seen some small stores that will not accept people's fish at all.

At the store where I worked, there were certain kinds of fish that we would take in but not give any credit for. These included Oscars, Pacus, Common Plecos, Clown Knifefish, Iridescent Sharks, and a few other "tankbusters". We would also not give credit for people's surplus livebearers, just because there were so many of them (an inconvenience to us) and they are inexpensive fish.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

The small independent store is likely to be a better bet.

As for the 'tank buster' problem, well circumstnaces usually cause such stores to turn away extra large fishes that no one wants, but in the case of my LFS, he's currently looking for someone getting rid of a couple of big Oscars because he has a customer lined up for some, who has moreover put down a deposit. So if I had a couple of 8 inch Oscars going spare, I could make myself the best part of £20 in an instant right now!

He still won't take the ridiculous things - anyone turning up with a Red Tail Cat will be told that sorry, he doesn't have a tank big enough, and for that matter doesn't have a fork lift truck () but since there are quite a few aquarists in my area who like big fishes (and more importantly have the space to keep them properly - such as the guy with the breeding Jags who houses them in an 8ft aquarium ) he's got customers for such things. In fact, sometimes he makes money organising what are in effect 'fish swaps' between them all

However, it's unlikely that you'll be blessed with my circumstances. So if you have big fishes without a ready market, you might be disappointed. Pays to do research here (as always) - if you find a small independent outfit that's actively looking for some of the species you're trading in, then move quickly and trade them there!



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

r u moving far? i dont see why u couldnt just have one of the lfses hold ur fish until ur settled

You can also list the fish at www.craigslist.com. I see a lot of people selling tanks for pick up only. If you get a few bags from your LFS and offer to bag the fish so that the tank can be moved. . . you will probably get a few good offers. List a price you would ask but always keep in mind that people will offer less. Craiglist is good for that kind of thing though b/c it goes by certain area's. Find your area before listing and if you can, inclose a picture. I am sure you will get responses.

Good Luck, either way!

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"it's the neck, it creaks under the weight of too much heavy thinking."

Make sure to add an s to that www.craigslist.com

www.craiglist.com is a bad site.

WOW! Thanks for all the responses everyone.

My main goal is to only have to move one 10 gallon setup. I currently have a 25 and two 10s, all of which are fully loaded.

Fortunately the largest fish that I have to trade in are my Bettas. I also want to trade in about 15 Platies and 7 Harliequin Rasboras.

As for how far away I'll be moving, I'm not quite sure yet. But it should be within a 30 minute drive.
And since the new place won't be a long-term residence, I don't really want to load all of the tanks up again. But I still might end up setting up the other 10 gallon for some shrimp.

I guess I'll just call around to all of the little local stores to see if they're willing to work out a deal for my fish. I don't expect much, since all of my fish cost about $2 each. But I'd hope they'd be willing to at least give a little discount on my next purchase.

If I can't work out a deal with a local store, I might try craigslist.
Or I'll just suck it up and move all of the tanks and fish with me.