Wow! Thanks for all the responses. We are defintely taking notes and implementing many(all)
of these ideas.
Our philosophy:
These are living creatures, not t-shirts on sale rack, and with that knowledge we have a responsiblity to give them the highest quality care possible while they are with us. When we source the fish we sell if we have to pay a little bit more to ensure that they are collected and handled in the best and most humane way, we will always choose to take that route.There is of course the ethical reasoning, but there is also the financial and practical reasons,if you buy cheaper fish and corals that have not been correctly collected and handled, you are going to lose those savings when 30 to 40 percent of them die, which leads to not only financial losses, but ultimately lost customers and the potential loss of new hobbyist who become discouraged. We will strive to only buy our fish from the best, net caught sources, and by not buying from the less discerning vendors, we hope to ultimately convey a message to collectors that the people that they sell to will accept nothing but the highest quality, sustainably collected livestock.
We want to be a resource to our customers and will always give them most accurate advice that has the livestocks best interest in mind, even if the end result of this information is not a sale.
Unfortunately this is not always the cheapest route but I think the most ethical and responsible one, and ultimately what will be best for the long term benifit of this wonderful and amazing hobby.
Hope to see you all soon.( This will make paying the power bill much easier
) Feel free to pm, call, or email me with any questions you have!