Feedback Please!!
- Thread starter Creation Reef & Aquatics
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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!
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!- Messages
- 27
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- 0
I think a LFS should focus on livestock more than dry goods. Heres why: I don't care how good your dry good prices are, I guarantee I can find it cheaper online. Brick and mortar stores simply can't compete here. I come to LFSs for livestock because I hate dealing with shipping times, minimum orders, not being able to see the condition of the fish and excess freight charges. I think having a variety of livestock is what will set your store apart. Live rock is also something I hate ordering online.
By the way, I am looking forward to seeing the TDS meter of you water as I only buy water and often suspect it of being bad. This is a really good idea.
By the way, I am looking forward to seeing the TDS meter of you water as I only buy water and often suspect it of being bad. This is a really good idea.
4" 100 micron Filter Socks and Reef Crystals my two most frequent purchases! But seriously, it sounds like you've really put some serious thought into this and are going to go about it the right way. Make sure to stick to your philosophies and I'm sure that you will succeed! The best of luck to you!
How about a demo night for us "newbies"? Pick a night once a month. Call it "Fish Class" or something cool. Have an agenda like "basic equipment" where for like 30 mins. you cover all of the stuff you need. Then the last 30 mins is for questions. Or maybe one time it's for freshwater owners, another month you cover salt, another corals.
I have been taking this new hobby slow and asking a tons of questions at LFS but sometimes I feel bit rushed when there is a store full of customers.
Which I understand.
Just a thought,
I have been taking this new hobby slow and asking a tons of questions at LFS but sometimes I feel bit rushed when there is a store full of customers.
Which I understand.
Just a thought,
Just so you know there isn't much to see, when I talked to Matt (the owner) the had barely begun breaking ground on the structure of the store, let alone get any tanks in there. This was back 3 weeks ago or so, but don't expect much. The owners probably won't even be there depending on how far the construction crew has gotten.
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I think this is a great idea! We will be implementing it and will tell you when the first class will be. The store is still moving forward and we are planning on hitting our mid August opening date. Thanks for the feedback!
Matt
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Opening Date is the First or Second Week of October. We will send out an email to the ARC when it is final. We are plumbing away... Look forward to seeing everybody.
I think that the only few things missed here are things that maybe I only care about.
I would like to see some higher-end things (very hard to get around here, imo). Since there's not a huge overhead on it, most stores stick to cheap things. That translates to cheap quality and poor goods (most of the time). Exceptions are, mostly, skimmers (at least I think). For $150-$250, you can go online and get a very good skimmer that clones the basic design of a $500-$750 one. Brands like Reef Octopus, DAS, H&S come to mind. ATB skimmers, Bubble Kings (for those with 400G+ tanks or too much money to spend). Specialty items. Quality reflectors (TEK/SLS T5, Lumenarc/Lumenbright). Just a small stock goes a long way. I would love to see a special section for LE/ORA/exceptionally colored frags. A well-informed and helpful staff is a must. So is a clean store.
And on the tags, collection locale is a must imo. An Indo flame angel is a whole different ball game in comparison to a Hawai'ian. Indos are rarely healthy and the color is not as vivid; Hawai'ians are a gorgeous, full-bodied red and eat like pigs. In fact, anything Hawai'ian is a guaranteed healthy specimen. That's why I feel it belongs on the tag. You could even make it a little flip tag (folded over), with the name/scientific name, picture on the front and diet, max size, special care, collection locale, etc. on the inside flap.
I would like to see some higher-end things (very hard to get around here, imo). Since there's not a huge overhead on it, most stores stick to cheap things. That translates to cheap quality and poor goods (most of the time). Exceptions are, mostly, skimmers (at least I think). For $150-$250, you can go online and get a very good skimmer that clones the basic design of a $500-$750 one. Brands like Reef Octopus, DAS, H&S come to mind. ATB skimmers, Bubble Kings (for those with 400G+ tanks or too much money to spend). Specialty items. Quality reflectors (TEK/SLS T5, Lumenarc/Lumenbright). Just a small stock goes a long way. I would love to see a special section for LE/ORA/exceptionally colored frags. A well-informed and helpful staff is a must. So is a clean store.
And on the tags, collection locale is a must imo. An Indo flame angel is a whole different ball game in comparison to a Hawai'ian. Indos are rarely healthy and the color is not as vivid; Hawai'ians are a gorgeous, full-bodied red and eat like pigs.
In fact, anything Hawai'ian is a guaranteed healthy specimen. That's why I feel it belongs on the tag. You could even make it a little flip tag (folded over), with the name/scientific name, picture on the front and diet, max size, special care, collection locale, etc. on the inside flap.- Messages
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Linda Lee,
That is the best suggestion yet regarding labeling the livestock.
That is the best suggestion yet regarding labeling the livestock.
- Messages
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- Reaction score
- 19
Yes I agree that the same fish from different parts of the world will look different. Hawian and Australian fish have a reputation for be the most stunning version of their species. The health of the fish though is normally tied to how the fish was caught, held, tranported, and then once at the dealer (me) quarantined and then cared for.
I know with flame angels that come from Indo are normally hand caught but then are kept for weeks in wooden crates in inland waters or harbors until it is time to ship them. These waters are poluted and nutrient rich which stresses the fish. Crypto outbreaks are also very common because of the stress the fish are under and forced close proximity to eachother in the crates. Crypto starts in the gills before cysts develop on body, this is why many of these fish look and appear healthy but come down with an ich infestation once at the dealers or home aquarium. Alway quarantine new arrivals and if possible do prophylactic dips.
We are plumbing the systems! Still planning on opening the first weekend in October.Will be sending out an email. announcing the store opening. Also check out the website for updates. Creationpet.com
I know with flame angels that come from Indo are normally hand caught but then are kept for weeks in wooden crates in inland waters or harbors until it is time to ship them. These waters are poluted and nutrient rich which stresses the fish. Crypto outbreaks are also very common because of the stress the fish are under and forced close proximity to eachother in the crates. Crypto starts in the gills before cysts develop on body, this is why many of these fish look and appear healthy but come down with an ich infestation once at the dealers or home aquarium. Alway quarantine new arrivals and if possible do prophylactic dips.
We are plumbing the systems! Still planning on opening the first weekend in October.Will be sending out an email. announcing the store opening. Also check out the website for updates. Creationpet.com