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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!

A good shop should have whole range of Eheim filters and their spare parts

On my 'must have' shopping list are:

Tetra foods (FW fish)

Waterlife range of fish meds (they make Cuprazin, Myxazin, Protozin and Sterazin among others)

Tetra range of water treatment aids (Blackwater tonic, AquaSafe dechlorinator etc)

Hagen filters & powerheads

Arcadian fluorescent tubes (colour and spectrum balanced)

On my 'Wish list' for when I can afford marines are:

Good quality RO units & skimmers (the latter should have self cleaning functions built in)

The aforementioned Eheim filters

Reef Crystals salt (yes, expensive, but excellent quality: a local woman who breeds seahorses uses them)



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

We-ell...

I'll comment on salty stuff, someone else can do FW.

Testkits:
-Salifert
-Red Sea
-Tetra
Not only the normal stuff, like pH, ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte, alkalinity, hardness, but reef stuff like calcium, phosphate, etc.

The complete line of AquaMedic products, including skimmers and salt. I like AM salt more than RC salt. *shrugs*

Good quality RO/DI units...

Lots of MH lighting options. Moonlight lighting too!

Refractometers.

Even though I dont use them...Eheim and Fluval cannisters are a big seller in my shop.

As for live stuff...

Coral wise? SPS!!! Acroporas. LPS and softies dont really count. But clams, zoos, ricordia are all nice.

A complete line of wrasses, tangs, blennies and gobies, angels, more wrasses and some really nice firefish...hermies and snails, cool I could add a lot more to this if I actually had time.

GOOD quality, porous LR with lots of helpful hitch-hikers.

Southdown playsand. [rant]If I only I could find it here! ]:|[/rant]

Calcium reactors...

Oceanic sumps...I've always been fascinated by those.

Heaters:
-Ebos
-Tronics

GOOD thermometers...

Timers.

Oceans motions units would be VERY nice. People might like to see Tunze as well.

It'd be nice if there was a connection to HomeDepot too. PVC pipe, ball valves, etc.

Oh, and make sure you have a full line of RR aquariums.

Thats all for now. Hope that helped a little...I basically based it on everything I want/have/am ordering for my new tank. It's annoying b/c even though I work at an LFS a lot of stuff still isn't available to me, so I'm doing a lot of online ordering. Thats what I'd want to see, I'm sure Nate will come post some crazy thing we've all never heard of. *giggles*

-Ferret


[hr width='40%'][font color="#000080"]I want to stand with you on a mountain,
I want to bathe with you in the sea,
I want to live like this forever,
Until the sky falls down on me…[/font]

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

It's going to be hard to stock everything.

High quality foods are going to be important. Quality live stock of course.

The biggest thing I think is that he has the ability to order and obtain about anything anyone likes. None of my LFS's carry any of the products I like (AquaC for skimmers, etc) so Im forced to order online. Which saves me tons of money too.

I know it's impossible to stock everything, BUT having topics like these are a HUGE help to myself and my boss. I really like what I hear and this helps us to make sure there is no wasted space in the store and that every single product we carry is desired by a decent sized group of people out there. Also, we are able to almost order anything anyone wants now, but having a good looking store and everything the customer wants RIGHT THERE ready to be purchased really gets customers coming back. I REALLY appreciate the recommendations and advice you all have given and feel free to keep them coming! Our goal is to be one of the best, if not the best, in all categories of owning and operating a successful LFS, and the only way to do that is talk directly to the people who enjoy the hobby just as much as we do...

Last edited by 1tankneverenuff at 11-Mar-2005 23:27

I'm a huge fan of anything made by Seachem (either fresh or saltwater supplies). I personally prefer the Oceanic salt over Instant Ocean (seems to dissolve better, anyways). For freshwater, I'll admit I'm a fan of Aquarium Pharmaceuticals products (test kits, fertilizers, etc). Tetra brand foods are amazing, as are Hikari, and I have lots of customers ask for OSI (we don't sell them, but I thought I'd let you know). I'm also a fan of Fluval filters for their simplicity. Anything Hagen (Fluval, aquaclear) is good. Aquaclear recently redid all their packaging and marketing in Canada, changing all the names...

Hydor makes good stuff but it's high priced.

Just my two cents. Oh, and the Marineland skimmers (the Seaclones) aren't great, don't bother. Mine leaked and never skimmed properly.

I'm so adjective, I verb nouns!

I agree with everyone so far, but keep in mind the beginner. IMO you should also have a small selection of basic hob filters (whisper) and ordinary small aquarium kits (10, 15, 20 gal) for the kids or parents of kids that want to start of small to see if they like the hobby. Personally, I like to see a rack with a variety of books from setting up beginner fw tanks to in depth coral I.D. and care. If the store is big enough, carry the advanced stuff: calcium reactors, RO units, you get the idea.

My list that a store should have, wellllll...
BOOKS!, a broad range of medicines on hand for those emergencies (that noone should have but everyone gets), ALL test kits (noone seems to carry phosphate, iron, SW alk, or magnesium around here), and the little things that are forgotten about (thermometers, hydrometers, airline and pump tubing, silicone and super glue, plant leads, replacement scraper blades, etc. Sometimes it is the little stuff that counts.

I know this is long winded, but I hope it helps!!!

I agree with ferret!! We wanna see your list DRO!

My list is pretty simple....cause its all stuff that I would want.

Sequence pumps
Aquamedic products
PE Mysis
Cyclop-eze
Grotech products
Oceans motion
Nice selection of SPS
ZEOvit products
Ozone dessicant for the air dryers
RO and RO/DI products, including replacement filters
Salifert test kits
Halide bulbs, 10K, 14K, 20K and 6,500K for refugium use (yes, some people do use halides on their fuges!)
Chillers
reef ready tanks
refugiums
supplements for reef tanks
Kalkwasser
Kalkwasser reactors
Calcium reactors
Co2 bottles
refractometers
salinity monitors
calcium monitors
PH computers

The list goes on and on, and I only named the stuff that I use on my tank (and im sure I left some stuff out)

Like Mikey stated, you cant stock everything. Start out small and stock the basics until you see what your customer demand is. Many of the more experienced reefers will want the higher end products instead of wasting money on lower end/lower quality products that dont work as well.....but then again you have to keep the beginner happy with the lower end/lower quality products too. If you dont carry some of each, or have the ability to get them in then you will run off on or the other.



[hr width='40%']Ever since the day you went away
And left me lonely and cold
My life just hasn't been the same
Oh baby no


Last edited by DarkRealm Overlord at 24-Mar-2005 23:36

ah, forgot the most important thing to stock.

Staff packed to the gills with knowledge!

One thing the store that I worked for would do is this.....

If I wanted to take home a book and read it, they would give it to me and tell me to add it to my library. Not only was this very cool and generous of them, but I was gaining more knowledge that helped the customers and the business.


[hr width='40%']Ever since the day you went away
And left me lonely and cold
My life just hasn't been the same
Oh baby no

There has been a lot of good suggestions here. But I should point out, and this is coming from someone that has owned several businesses over the years. There is a very tight ballance between having what everyone needs, and having to much stuff that will sit for ever. Products that sit and dont sell ties up much needed funds. The problem is, someone comes in and askes for this wiggit, you don't have it, so you offer to order it, they are not willing to wait so they leave, No sale. Another option i sto order a wiggit because you know think it's needed, but it sits on the shelf for a year. Again, no sale for a year. If this is a new business, it's best to stay liquid and slowly build up an inventory. Get the most common items. Standard powerheads, HOB filters, standard bulbs. Most shops in this area have standard flor. and perhaps a fer PC lights. The rest will be ordered. Tanks are nice, but take up a lot of space, and can be found very cheep at large department stores. 10, 20, and 55s are a good example. Keep a very close watch on what moves, and keep this on hand. With good records you will be able to keep a good inventory with minimal shelf time. The longer it sits, the more you loose.

Dan


Dan

how about a computer so the customer can research a fish they like,which, i think will boost sales for conveniance. and add some flava to the tanks(decor) to make it more apealing and maybe inspirational