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Ethical and not so ethical LFS's

Rating: 2 votes, 4.50 average.
2 Comments
by
snorkeler
, 12-14-2010 at 08:18 PM (1621 Views)
It is interesting how one can tell the difference between LFS's business and ethical/ecological practices when "rubber meets the road"...

Last week I had two distinct experiences regarding fish purchases.

One, at my LFS#2, was them suggesting I get a Desjardini Tang or a Foxface Rabbitfish to eat up my Valonia infestation, even though they knew my tank was a 180L, 60cm cube display tank probably limited in space for those two fish.

The second, at my LFS#1, the guys who constructed my tank in fact, was them telling me "No Fabio, I'm sorry, your tank can't fit a Foxface, much less a Desjardini. Yes, they do grow big quite quickly.... no, you won't have 4 years until they get too big, it is more likely one year and that is too short. Man, I can't sell this to you... no, there is no other fish that we sell that eats Valonias, sorry.".

LFS#1 is clearly ethical/ecological, thinks about the medium-term sustainability of my purchase, the fish's survivability, the tank's ecosystem balance, etc.

LFS#2 clearly cares more about the money, less about the fishor about my tank

LFS#2 has better prices on some commodity things like salt, is 5x closer to my house, etc. SoI still go there for commodity products. The proximity is an important factor. But when it comes to purchasing fish/corals (which are the really expensive stuff in a tank) LFS#1 is my choice. I know they care for the fish/corals and for my tank's success. And you know what, if and when I decide to upgrade to a bigger tank in the future (very, really, unlikely) I'll look to LFS#1, not LFS#2.

Not surprisingly LFS#1 has the best looking corals in their displays, many of them propagated there (in fact, they have some beautiful Zoas which I'm really looking forward to purchase once I dominate my bubble algae infestation and install my DIY LED fixture....).

Do you consider these thoughts when you select from whom you will purchase?

Snorkeler

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Updated 12-15-2010 at 03:03 PM by snorkeler (added category)

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Comments

  1. Mockery's Avatar
    I do this alot! There are about 6 stores in my area and I go out of my way to go to the ones who truly care about their fish/coral and want to make sure they thrive!
  2. upster's Avatar
    A long time ago I was sold a small carnation coral (Dendronephthya) and told that it was good because it was "low light." Suffice it to say, I knew this wasn't going to last when I looked up the info online. I was inexperienced and probably irresponsible by not researching my purchase, but any dealer worth your business shouldn't use ignorance to move product.

    As a general rule of thumb, a dealer worth your business is one who: is interested in gauging your experience level as a hobbyist, learning about your system, and will tell you not to buy equipment/chemicals/livestock if it isn't right for you.

    The last one is a biggie in my book. I'll gladly pay an extra $10-20 to a local vendor I trust. I will never support a disingenuous vendor who believes that "there is a sucker born every minute."