your LFS
- Thread starter yeame
- Start date
the fish were in qt (20 long it was their new home)
I talked to them yesterday and I was the only person to buy them they all died at the store so they said they would treat me good when I make another purchace. o well it happens
I didnt realy buy the fish I traded my 8" SOHAL TANG he will treat me good I'm sure, he said he would order some zoo frags for me
I talked to them yesterday and I was the only person to buy them they all died at the store so they said they would treat me good when I make another purchace. o well it happens
I didnt realy buy the fish I traded my 8" SOHAL TANG he will treat me good I'm sure, he said he would order some zoo frags for me
finaly visited the golden lamb in gardnier large selection on fish lots of soft corals with good prices and great service its nice going into a store and feeling welcome. finaly a store that relises they need you as much as you need them. they were very helpful and I bought an awsome pink tailed trigger 4" 30.00 I will recomend them any time
Oskie
Premium Member
I got hammered purchase/policy wise pretty hard when I first got into the hobby by a LFS in Southern Maine. I’d read everything I could get my hands on but there’s nothing like experience. The other thing was I wish I’d become a SWAM member as soon as I got started. There’s a wonderful “brain trust†available at no charge (OK so a couple of ‘em want a beer or two), but there’s a wealth of good, useful information available from these folks. As has already been said many of the LFS owners/operators are excellent sources of information and other than my 1 bad experience I would certainly recommend them for assistance.
Oskie
OBTW It isn’t terribly difficult to spell check your work before posting and it does matter. I’ve see big fights on other boards over misinterpreted/misunderstood posts that could have been totally avoided with a simple spell check.
Oskie
OBTW It isn’t terribly difficult to spell check your work before posting and it does matter. I’ve see big fights on other boards over misinterpreted/misunderstood posts that could have been totally avoided with a simple spell check.
Driftwood
New member
I think we can all get along reguardless of how well we spell. If the board doesn't provide spell check, I don't bother with it. And some people have all they can do to figure out how to post... I say give em a break, it's nice to have a place where everyone is welcome.
On topic, Golden Lamb's new website has some pictures from around the shop... Check it out here:
http://www.goldenlambpetstore.com
On topic, Golden Lamb's new website has some pictures from around the shop... Check it out here:
http://www.goldenlambpetstore.com
jessiesgrrl
In Memoriam
Vance's Tropical Fish in Bucksport is a nice place to go. He's got a website, and you can call befor you go to see if there's anything there you like. He'll also tell you if you are buying something you shouldn't. Nice guy.
jessiesgrrl
In Memoriam
Oh hey, by the way...
For anyone who is near enough to get to Ellsworth, there is a kick butt saltwater store in the Maine Coastal Mall there. Crystal Clear moved out, got their own building, and a new guy set up shop in their old location. He has two (I'm guessing) 90 gallon or so reef tanks FULL of clams, softies, etc; another the same size above it salt fish only, and this odd looking stepped cubicle of individual salt fishies. He also carried fresh water stuff, but since that's not my thing, I didn't spend near as much time mooning over it. I'm not sure I caught like 3/4 what the guy was saying to me either- too busy checking out all his salt livestock...LOL.
I got a hammer coral, and a new clam today while I was there, and the guy even threw in some free macro algae. Prices seemed comparable to the rest of Maine (Save Petco, etc...). I'm pretty excited about it, haven't quit staring at the new tank buddies yet. I'm going to post a pic of the tank as soon as I can figure out how to resize the pics I have.
Laurie
For anyone who is near enough to get to Ellsworth, there is a kick butt saltwater store in the Maine Coastal Mall there. Crystal Clear moved out, got their own building, and a new guy set up shop in their old location. He has two (I'm guessing) 90 gallon or so reef tanks FULL of clams, softies, etc; another the same size above it salt fish only, and this odd looking stepped cubicle of individual salt fishies. He also carried fresh water stuff, but since that's not my thing, I didn't spend near as much time mooning over it. I'm not sure I caught like 3/4 what the guy was saying to me either- too busy checking out all his salt livestock...LOL.
I got a hammer coral, and a new clam today while I was there, and the guy even threw in some free macro algae. Prices seemed comparable to the rest of Maine (Save Petco, etc...). I'm pretty excited about it, haven't quit staring at the new tank buddies yet. I'm going to post a pic of the tank as soon as I can figure out how to resize the pics I have.
Laurie
sorry racing1 the whole reason this thread was started, aquacorals is a joke, penny is a salesman that is for sure ask any one about her sales ethics, and prices suck. I havent gone there in about 4 months and counting her lies make me sick first pathological lier I have met my advise to any one STAY AWAY!! the only lfs in maine I dont recomend for anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bunsenburner
Premium Member
Everybody is welcome to express their oppinion, but yeame's is not shared by all those in the club. Please remember that the club trys to reach out to all the stores in Maine to help it grow. When store owners get bashed here they are always more reluctant to donate things to auctions. In the past stores have supported auctions and it helps us pay for speakers.
and who payed for all those corals donated? and were the corals "donated" to them? If the donated corals from lfs pay for the speekers at events why don't the reefers at the event bring a donation to the events as cover charge?
There is alot of good lfs in maine and a few great ones, I think there should be a place people can share their experience with out being scrutinised.
I think every one should visit all the fish stores and make up their own mind wether or not to visit them again, but leave feedback on their experience.
Word of moulth is the best advertisement any one can have wether or not it is good or bad advertisement is up to the store owner and or employies.
There is alot of good lfs in maine and a few great ones, I think there should be a place people can share their experience with out being scrutinised.
I think every one should visit all the fish stores and make up their own mind wether or not to visit them again, but leave feedback on their experience.
Word of moulth is the best advertisement any one can have wether or not it is good or bad advertisement is up to the store owner and or employies.
jessiesgrrl
In Memoriam
Hmm... I've been reading this trying to decide if I wanted to enter the fray from a LFS 'bad' standpoint... I always like to say good things instead. So, in the interests of keeping my karma clean, no names:
1. If it is poisonous or potentially toxic, the buyer needs to know, and the seller should ensure that. Not all LFS do that. (Boxfish, lionfish, sea apples, etc) I love those, but can't stand when I see them being sold to kids, etc.
2. LFS sell things they should not, because they sell well. They are generally not conscientious aquarists (With exceptions, Becky being one, etc ), which hurts the environment. I have asked and it's mostly wild caught being sold in Maine, not tank raised. Obviously, this is not good overall. I'm not one to throw red paint, but there is a very real reason why Hawaii had to pass laws to preserve coral beds, etc. Prime example is mandarin dragonets, locally. The majority do not feed well and starve. When I bought mine, no one asked me how much LR I had, size tank, etc... Also, some LFS sell out of an obvious QT tank (Labeled as such) to naive customers... which generally leaves me standing there wondering if I should say something to the guy buying. Generally I say nothing and stay out of someone else's purchase, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
3. I did just read about the Aug meeting, where the items to be auctioned were donated, I assume by LFS. While I understand wanting to keep them happy, they are already getting way more than their money's worth in advertising by donating to a specialized target market that is otherwise way too diverse for radio advertising, etc. I'd place money that the younger members don't listen to the same stations as older members, etc. You'd have to advertise everywhere to reach us all, which is not cost effective for such a small store.
Plus, the burden of happiness is really on them. If they do not donate, we survive but with less cool events. If we stop patronizing, they close. It would not be smart of them to declare war with a hobbyist club and stop donations. It is also true for suing a member for a comment made about them in the heat of the moment. Case in point, in the Vendor Experiences forum a guy had to make a public apology because the store's 'legal team' harassed him for saying basically that they sucked. When I saw the apology, I asked who the store was in a PM. I'll never order through them,just because that was wicked bad taste, which is worse than the original problem they had with the guy. I am sure I am not the only one- no one wants to be muzzled after being stonewalled on a bad purchase. Would have been smarter to just fix the problem with the guy.
Also, they get way more positive here than negative... As I read this thread alone, I see several positive referrals... even yeame made a positive referral himself. 'Mexican Turbo Snails in ME' is another good example. I will drive to Southern Maine or New Hampshire just to go to a good LFS. I've even gone to Boston and New York for rare shark breeds. I go because other hobbyists tell me it's good to go there on personal experience. You can't buy advertising like THAT at all.
4. This is a public forum in all actuality, until someone is banned. All the local LFS have more than a right to defend themselves online if they see something they feel defames them. I believe there are quite a few on here I have seen doing just that. And I think they SHOULD do that... they have a right to get their side out there. There is also the legal route if need be... Which, yeame, is the real reason you should avoid using someone's name in a public forum. You could very easily wind up in court if the store owner can prove you used their name and their profit margin subsequently dropped.
I appreciate the LFS because I can walk in on a WYSIWYG basis and not pay shipping in theory... but I do pay the profit markup as well as the passed on cost of shipping in the price... not to mention them having to make up for dead livestock, etc.
That having been said, I do believe that yeame has a right to opine. Names are best saved for PMs. What scares me is that I think no hobbyist club should become dependent on donations to the point that we are no longer able to vent to one another. Especially when the donations cost less than targeted advertising... and are not that often. I would much rather split costs some other way if there is a cool event... or not have the event at all.
Sorry for the length of the post
Laurie
1. If it is poisonous or potentially toxic, the buyer needs to know, and the seller should ensure that. Not all LFS do that. (Boxfish, lionfish, sea apples, etc) I love those, but can't stand when I see them being sold to kids, etc.
2. LFS sell things they should not, because they sell well. They are generally not conscientious aquarists (With exceptions, Becky being one, etc ), which hurts the environment. I have asked and it's mostly wild caught being sold in Maine, not tank raised. Obviously, this is not good overall. I'm not one to throw red paint, but there is a very real reason why Hawaii had to pass laws to preserve coral beds, etc. Prime example is mandarin dragonets, locally. The majority do not feed well and starve. When I bought mine, no one asked me how much LR I had, size tank, etc... Also, some LFS sell out of an obvious QT tank (Labeled as such) to naive customers... which generally leaves me standing there wondering if I should say something to the guy buying. Generally I say nothing and stay out of someone else's purchase, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
3. I did just read about the Aug meeting, where the items to be auctioned were donated, I assume by LFS. While I understand wanting to keep them happy, they are already getting way more than their money's worth in advertising by donating to a specialized target market that is otherwise way too diverse for radio advertising, etc. I'd place money that the younger members don't listen to the same stations as older members, etc. You'd have to advertise everywhere to reach us all, which is not cost effective for such a small store.
Plus, the burden of happiness is really on them. If they do not donate, we survive but with less cool events. If we stop patronizing, they close. It would not be smart of them to declare war with a hobbyist club and stop donations. It is also true for suing a member for a comment made about them in the heat of the moment. Case in point, in the Vendor Experiences forum a guy had to make a public apology because the store's 'legal team' harassed him for saying basically that they sucked. When I saw the apology, I asked who the store was in a PM. I'll never order through them,just because that was wicked bad taste, which is worse than the original problem they had with the guy. I am sure I am not the only one- no one wants to be muzzled after being stonewalled on a bad purchase. Would have been smarter to just fix the problem with the guy.
Also, they get way more positive here than negative... As I read this thread alone, I see several positive referrals... even yeame made a positive referral himself. 'Mexican Turbo Snails in ME' is another good example. I will drive to Southern Maine or New Hampshire just to go to a good LFS. I've even gone to Boston and New York for rare shark breeds. I go because other hobbyists tell me it's good to go there on personal experience. You can't buy advertising like THAT at all.
4. This is a public forum in all actuality, until someone is banned. All the local LFS have more than a right to defend themselves online if they see something they feel defames them. I believe there are quite a few on here I have seen doing just that. And I think they SHOULD do that... they have a right to get their side out there. There is also the legal route if need be... Which, yeame, is the real reason you should avoid using someone's name in a public forum. You could very easily wind up in court if the store owner can prove you used their name and their profit margin subsequently dropped.
I appreciate the LFS because I can walk in on a WYSIWYG basis and not pay shipping in theory... but I do pay the profit markup as well as the passed on cost of shipping in the price... not to mention them having to make up for dead livestock, etc.
That having been said, I do believe that yeame has a right to opine. Names are best saved for PMs. What scares me is that I think no hobbyist club should become dependent on donations to the point that we are no longer able to vent to one another. Especially when the donations cost less than targeted advertising... and are not that often. I would much rather split costs some other way if there is a cool event... or not have the event at all.
Sorry for the length of the post
Laurie
Last edited:
jacksonsmom25
New member
Good Post...I totally agree!! just my 2 cents 
Driftwood
New member
I imagine that if a LFS in Maine sued a club member for a post here that shop could expect to go out of business very shortly after. I can't imagine anyone wanting to support a business like that.
What would the point of a LFS thread be if all the opinions were good? We are not helping each other if we are not honest and share our experiences in this hobby. I do not think it is morally right to lie or remain silent just to get donations. Not saying anything at all is the same thing as lying, that bad taste is guilt...
I'd like to think that this is a place that people can express their opinion without feeling anything but welcome and appreciated. I appreciate everyones opinion reguardless of if I like it or not. This club needs to be taken seriously and this type of thing makes us look like sheep.
What would the point of a LFS thread be if all the opinions were good? We are not helping each other if we are not honest and share our experiences in this hobby. I do not think it is morally right to lie or remain silent just to get donations. Not saying anything at all is the same thing as lying, that bad taste is guilt...
I'd like to think that this is a place that people can express their opinion without feeling anything but welcome and appreciated. I appreciate everyones opinion reguardless of if I like it or not. This club needs to be taken seriously and this type of thing makes us look like sheep.
thefishbowl2006
New member
I've been to aquacorals only once and found at that time her prices pretty reasonable compared to some stores in the Portland area?
Yeame, what did Penny do to you to make you so bitter? She didn't seem that bad, I actually got some good advice.
Personally I think all the prices in any store are pretty outrageous.
As far as fish, the best deals I have found have been at "Petco" in Augusta, last week I bought a Banded Corall Shrimp for 5.99, damsels were 3.49 each, and a Nice sized Yellow tang for $24.99, so far everything is alive and doing fine
The sad thing is prices are going to keep rising as long as fuel goes up and there are people like all of us willing to be in the hobby.
We should all support each others addictions in trading frags and such. That is one reason I am looking forward to the July meet, it will be my first meeting but I hope the prices are going to be reasonable?
Yeame, what did Penny do to you to make you so bitter? She didn't seem that bad, I actually got some good advice.
Personally I think all the prices in any store are pretty outrageous.
As far as fish, the best deals I have found have been at "Petco" in Augusta, last week I bought a Banded Corall Shrimp for 5.99, damsels were 3.49 each, and a Nice sized Yellow tang for $24.99, so far everything is alive and doing fine
The sad thing is prices are going to keep rising as long as fuel goes up and there are people like all of us willing to be in the hobby.
We should all support each others addictions in trading frags and such. That is one reason I am looking forward to the July meet, it will be my first meeting but I hope the prices are going to be reasonable?
nickyblase
New member
I think everyone is entitled to their opinion, and for those who have had a negative experience, to perhaps elaborate more than that someone is a pathological liar, or something that's just plain slanderous would be nice. It helps us all understand a little bit better where you are coming from.
I personally tend to discount posts like that, because without information I can go on, it sounds completely baseless.
If we are going to have a thread about the good and bad vendor experiences, it should be constructive. That way we as consumers can be smarter when making purchases, and the vendors themselves can get a form of (if it was a negative experience) constructive criticism - that is, if the individual didn't attempt to rectify the problem directly.
I personally tend to discount posts like that, because without information I can go on, it sounds completely baseless.
If we are going to have a thread about the good and bad vendor experiences, it should be constructive. That way we as consumers can be smarter when making purchases, and the vendors themselves can get a form of (if it was a negative experience) constructive criticism - that is, if the individual didn't attempt to rectify the problem directly.
