another fish store up for sale
- Thread starter TikiDan
- Start date
sfsuphysics
Active member
I thought that was what BAR's RC forum turned into 
Because of the high price of overnight shipping I think the LFS may actually have the edge on many online stores. Buy a couple of clowns online, and you may pay $40, factor in the $35 for overnight shipping, and all of a sudden it paying $30 a peice of them locally doesn't sound so bad. Plus if you order livestock online, you can't see it before you purchase it
dzhuo
Active member
price aside, i think another reason is the lack of selection in the LFS. with the advance of the Internet, a lot of people actually do research and realize what's good to buy and what's not good to buy. i mean if you walk into most LFS these days and is looking for a good quality skimmer, say an Octopus or msx or reeflo, etc, you won't find it.
i mean the days that we have to trust the LFS that a red sea prizm skimmer or some PC fixtures are good for your reef are gone. i see that most LFS are still stock with things like that so i rarely made a purchase knowing that those are not the kind of equipment i want. i think this is also true to a certain degree in terms of live stocks too. with everyone trading frags (again the Internet makes all this possible) and everything, it just makes people less likely to buy from LFS.
i mean the days that we have to trust the LFS that a red sea prizm skimmer or some PC fixtures are good for your reef are gone. i see that most LFS are still stock with things like that so i rarely made a purchase knowing that those are not the kind of equipment i want. i think this is also true to a certain degree in terms of live stocks too. with everyone trading frags (again the Internet makes all this possible) and everything, it just makes people less likely to buy from LFS.
Just to add to the LFS are selling topic, I think Aquatic Bliss in Fremont is selling. A warehouse-type store posted for sale in Fremont on Craigslist today. They are selling for $23,000. The only one I know of in the Fremont area right off the 80 freeway w/15 tanks is Aquatic Bliss. Atlantis is off the freeway in Fremont, but they have way more than 15 tanks in there, plus they seem to be profitable compared to Aquatic Bliss.
Here is another one on craiglist,
Man they are dropping like DOW
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/for/872800034.html
(sebastopol)
Fins N' Feathers pet store
Man they are dropping like DOW
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/for/872800034.html
(sebastopol)
Fins N' Feathers pet store
afex
New member
there is a fine line between online and local shopping.
for instance, at marinedepot, sand was 19.99 for 30lbs + 15.00 shipping per bag.
at ocean treasures, i got the same sand for 30.00 for 30lbs. savings of 5 bucks a bag.
but for lightweight drygoods, online will always dominate IMO
for instance, at marinedepot, sand was 19.99 for 30lbs + 15.00 shipping per bag.
at ocean treasures, i got the same sand for 30.00 for 30lbs. savings of 5 bucks a bag.
but for lightweight drygoods, online will always dominate IMO
reefkeeper1
New member
I took down my 150-gallon tank last September because I needed a break. I had automated as much as I could, but the regular maintenance chores started to overweigh the enjoyment I received from the tank. Another concern I had was what a natural resource hog my tank had become. Between the electricity and water needs, other consumables really started adding up. I give a lot of credit to a LFS that can handle many tanks and the support systems and costs associated with them.
In January, I started getting into RC airplanes (RSA is my preferred local field), and although I've spent a bit on the initial equipment and crashed planes, I can leave my planes alone for a week or a month and nothing adverse will happen. It's interesting how some recent technology has revolutionized that hobby with lipo batteries and 2.4 GHz radios. I hope LED lighting will become a lot more affordable and do the same with aquariums.
I've decided to devote my energy to growing things in my garden that I've long neglected, and I recently purchased some carnivorous plants. This local climate is really great in terms of what carnivorous plants can be left outside the entire year. I had to laugh when my brother noted a certain plant sold for $14.95 and he considered it expensive. I guess he's been growing stuff since the 80s and he still has sticker shock. What's $14.95 compared to a $60 frag?
What's funny is I'll sometimes do calculations of what I can buy in my new hobbies with the stuff I still haven't unloaded from my reeftank days. I mean, what the heck am I going to do with 3 peristaltic pumps? I still have two 50-gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck containers in my garage. Unopened two-part solution and unused metal halide lights. Too bad I can't unload all this stuff in Dr. Walter Bishop's lab.
In January, I started getting into RC airplanes (RSA is my preferred local field), and although I've spent a bit on the initial equipment and crashed planes, I can leave my planes alone for a week or a month and nothing adverse will happen. It's interesting how some recent technology has revolutionized that hobby with lipo batteries and 2.4 GHz radios. I hope LED lighting will become a lot more affordable and do the same with aquariums.
I've decided to devote my energy to growing things in my garden that I've long neglected, and I recently purchased some carnivorous plants. This local climate is really great in terms of what carnivorous plants can be left outside the entire year. I had to laugh when my brother noted a certain plant sold for $14.95 and he considered it expensive. I guess he's been growing stuff since the 80s and he still has sticker shock. What's $14.95 compared to a $60 frag?
What's funny is I'll sometimes do calculations of what I can buy in my new hobbies with the stuff I still haven't unloaded from my reeftank days. I mean, what the heck am I going to do with 3 peristaltic pumps? I still have two 50-gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck containers in my garage. Unopened two-part solution and unused metal halide lights. Too bad I can't unload all this stuff in Dr. Walter Bishop's lab.
MorandiWine
Premium Member
Reefkeeper1 brings up a great point. This is an expensive hobby and you have to not only be commited to the maintenance of the hobby but also the cost of that maintenance! This is the most expensive aspect of the aquarium industry. The livestock, equipment, energy to run the equipment and dont forget your time. Some have argued that if the cost of the equipment goes down then the hobby would grow and the efficency of the equipment goes up then more would be attracted. I agree, but as many of you know the more efficient the product generally the more it costs (initially)! I am a huge fan of the Solaris LED systems. I have been able to convert several people into believers just by showing them the overall efficiency and the long term savings when presented with a choice of either MH system or the LED. Using the calculating system here on RC you can see that at the end of one year the Solaris will end up saving you a couple hundred dollars! Take into consideration that includes buying a chiller for the MH, changing the bulbs 2x a year and the cost of running the chiller 6 times a day for 6 months. The LED does not have a chiller factored.
The lighting is just one aspect to saving money .... in the long run. Maybe one day there will be some way of reclaiming spent water, more efficient pumps, etc.
One thing that really annoys me is the cost of skimmers. Sorry I cant see spending $2000 for a skimmer. Call me cheap but how does $50 worth of plastic and a $20 pump translate into a $2000 dollar skimmer? Sure the design and development of the thing, but being a retailer I see every type of hobbiest come through the door. The one that wants the latest gimick or fad. Or the customer that looks through the hype and simply wants something that works well. Case in point ..... we starting carrying the Eshoppes skimmers about three months ago. Ask any of the salesmen that come through our door, I am the biggest skeptic and doubter of products. We got a skimmer to "play with" and I tore it apart to see how it was put together and then put it on a system. Sure the thing looks like a four year old put it together but I'll tell you this....the thing works!! Side by side it out performed a EuroReef, Octopus, and of course an ESU Super Skimmer. Like any other product there was one or two things that I needed to adjust or add to to make it work a little better like adding another o ring to the adjustment knob. But otherwise the end result was an inexpensive skimmer that outshined a couple "higher end" skimmers.
I really dont know where I was going with this editorial but I guess it was giving an example of how you can save a couple bucks and still keep your tank going.
We all have to tighten the belt with the way the market is teeter tottering. But please remember that almost all of you started in this hobby by going to a LFS. You cant walk into Dr. Fosters and Smith or Marine Depot and pick their brains or be able to return products or bring in something to troubleshoot or hand pick livestock. LFS are here to provide service and product to the general public, lets just hope that more people realize that buying from "Box Stores" and online just add one more nail the the LFS coffin.
OK end of my tirade, time to feed the baby fish!
tyler
The lighting is just one aspect to saving money .... in the long run. Maybe one day there will be some way of reclaiming spent water, more efficient pumps, etc.
One thing that really annoys me is the cost of skimmers. Sorry I cant see spending $2000 for a skimmer. Call me cheap but how does $50 worth of plastic and a $20 pump translate into a $2000 dollar skimmer? Sure the design and development of the thing, but being a retailer I see every type of hobbiest come through the door. The one that wants the latest gimick or fad. Or the customer that looks through the hype and simply wants something that works well. Case in point ..... we starting carrying the Eshoppes skimmers about three months ago. Ask any of the salesmen that come through our door, I am the biggest skeptic and doubter of products. We got a skimmer to "play with" and I tore it apart to see how it was put together and then put it on a system. Sure the thing looks like a four year old put it together but I'll tell you this....the thing works!! Side by side it out performed a EuroReef, Octopus, and of course an ESU Super Skimmer. Like any other product there was one or two things that I needed to adjust or add to to make it work a little better like adding another o ring to the adjustment knob. But otherwise the end result was an inexpensive skimmer that outshined a couple "higher end" skimmers.
I really dont know where I was going with this editorial but I guess it was giving an example of how you can save a couple bucks and still keep your tank going.
We all have to tighten the belt with the way the market is teeter tottering. But please remember that almost all of you started in this hobby by going to a LFS. You cant walk into Dr. Fosters and Smith or Marine Depot and pick their brains or be able to return products or bring in something to troubleshoot or hand pick livestock. LFS are here to provide service and product to the general public, lets just hope that more people realize that buying from "Box Stores" and online just add one more nail the the LFS coffin.
OK end of my tirade, time to feed the baby fish!
tyler
Similar threads
