What do you look for in a LFS?

[DaveInSavannah]

Greetings reefers. I'm looking for opinions on what people would like to see (or not see) in a small local fish store. What sends you running away in terror, and what motivates you to become a repeat customer? Do you want aesthetics and beauty? Or, would you prefer utility and lower prices? How do you feel about segregated livestock tanks? What brands do you like to see? Does every employee need to be an expert? Would you purchase live rotifers, phytoplankton, and copepods? Do you expect a store livestock guarantee? If so, what percentage extra markup would you consider fair for a guarantee?

I ask for any and all opinions or stories of past experiences. To provide some reference for the questions, I would like to open a fish store in 2025. I'm the first to admit that I'm not a reefing expert of any kind. My first saltwater tank was started only about two years ago. What I have is business experience and a fair bit of knowledge and experience with aquaponics and planted tanks. I also have a dearth of competition in my area.

My store will have an emphasis on planted freshwater aquariums and paludariums. Take a look at AGA or IAPLC to see what I would strive towards. I expect to have less than 2000sq ft of commercial space, and I would like to dedicate some of that to saltwater. I'm looking for any and all suggestions.

 

[Mark Goode]

I would like my LFS to be run by someone who both knows and loves their fish. Someone who will honestly tell me if buying a certain fish is a mistake, and why. I want to see clean tanks with healthy looking fish - absolutely no dead ones floating about. Someone who is happy to feed the fish when I ask to see them feeding. Someone who will give me advice on caring for a fish, and is happy for me to phone after purchase if I need further advice.

The same with corals and other livestock.

If the shop is like this, I will shop there irrespective of your other questions.

I had a shop just like that, but the group that owned it decided to stop selling marines.