It’s really helpful to find a local aquarium fish dealer who knows a lot about fish tanks. They can be a big help if you have any issues or emergencies with your fish.
Plus, if you build a good relationship with them, they can keep you up-to-date on anything you need to know about taking care of an aquarium.
But how do you choose the perfect fish dealer for yourself?
What to Look at While Choosing a Fish Dealer?
Check the following 4 things when selecting a fish dealer from whom you’ll buy your fish and equipment.
- Check the Fish,
- Check the Fish Tank,
- Check the Equipment, and
- Check the Chemicals and Fish Food.
Check the Fish
When you’re shopping for fish at a dealer, it’s important to ensure the fish are of high quality. A good fish dealer will not compromise on the quality of their fish and will change suppliers if necessary.
When you’re in the store, observe the behavior of the fish. If they’re swimming freely in the open spaces of the aquarium, that’s a good sign. But if they’re hiding in corners or their faces are pressed against the glass, that might indicate health problems.
You should avoid buying fish that look sick or unhealthy. Look for signs such as sores, missing scales, and unusual behavior like lurking at the bottom of the tank or gasping at the surface.
If the fish are artificially colored, it’s best to avoid them and the dealer.
Check out the fins, color, and shape of the fish. They should look appropriate for their species. Assess if all the fish in the store look healthy or just a few.
Also, observe if the store is honest about the condition of their fish. For instance, good dealers might turn off the lights or put up a sign on tanks with sick fish instead of trying to sell them.
In essence, you’re looking for fish that appear healthy, active, and well cared for in a store that is honest about the condition of its livestock.
Check the Fish Tanks
The condition of the fish tanks in the shop is a great way to judge how well cared for the fish are.
If the tanks are clean and free of algae, it’s a good sign that the shop takes care of its fish. On the other hand, if the tanks look like swamps, it’s a negative sign.
Also check the types of fish in the tanks. If there is a good mix of compatible species, it’s a positive sign. However, if it looks like the shop has just tossed a bunch of random fish together without considering their compatibility, it’s a negative sign.
The clarity of the tank water is also important. Clear water usually means healthy fish, while murky water indicate poor care.
Look at the overall cleanliness of the tanks too. Have they been vacuumed recently? Is the front glass clean or smudged? A shop that doesn’t take time to clean the front glass may not care about the impression they make on customers, and may not be taking the best care of their fish.
Finally, look at the organization of the shop. Are the shelves neatly stocked and organized, or is everything dusty and tossed together? A well-organized shop is a good sign, but a disorganized shop can indicate a lack of care for the products and the customers.
Check the Fish Tank Equipment
When you’re using different types of equipment, there is a chance that over time, they may wear out or break down. This means you’ll need to replace them.
When choosing where to buy your equipment, it’s important to pick dealers that have plenty of equipment and spare parts in stock. This helps to avoid the frustration of having to go from one shop to another trying to find simple things such as a net, pump, or filter.
It can also save you from having to pay extra for quick delivery from online stores.
So, when choosing your dealer, ensure they have a wide range of equipment available.
If they don’t, you should confirm that they can order what you need and have it delivered to you within a time frame that works for you.
Check Chemicals and Fish Food
When you’re looking for a dealer for your fish supplies, it’s important to make sure they have a good stock of chemicals, medicines, and foods.
This is because if your fish get sick, you won’t have time to wait for a supplier to order medicines – you’ll need them immediately.
Also, see if the store has a variety of frozen foods and also specialized food for fish that have unique dietary requirements.
Lastly, always check the expiration dates on all products to ensure they haven’t passed. This guarantees that all the supplies you’re getting are fresh and safe for your fish.
3 Types of Fish Dealers
There are basically three types of aquarium dealers:
- Good ones,
- Bad ones, and
- Unreliable ones.
Good Fish Dealers
Some of the signs of a good fish dealer are:
- They have friendly, helpful, knowledgeable staff members who answer your questions willingly, go out of their way to help, and who are familiar with aquarium equipment, the different types of aquarium systems, and individual species of fish.
- They carry a large selection of aquarium equipment, food, medication, and fish on hand — more than one or two brands.
- They offer some type of guarantee on the fish they sell and the commitment to stand behind the equipment that they sell. A really good dealer offers free repair service or your money back on basic equipment that he has sold to you if it doesn’t work properly.
- They’re genuinely interested in you and your aquariums.
- The ability to bag fish with oxygen if they’re located far from your home.
- They have signs on the front of each tank giving the name, general water conditions, compatibility, and other information on each fish they stock.
- The shop is clean, including the tanks.
- They offer free services, such as water testing.
- They’re willing to tell you where you can get a certain fish species or piece of equipment if they can’t get it. This includes offering competitors’ contact information.
- They offer autopsies of dead fish to help determine the cause of the disease (if the dealer has qualified staff) and medication advice to help prevent the need for an autopsy.
Bad Fish Dealers
Avoid aquarium shops owned by dealers who don’t seem to genuinely care about their job or are only in it for the money. These dealers aren’t recommended for various reasons:
- They’re rude and dismissive when you question their service or the quality of their livestock.
- They don’t offer assistance or help you find what you need.
- They prioritize answering phone calls over serving you.
- They try to deceive you when you ask a question they can’t answer.
- They attempt to sell you unnecessary items, thinking you won’t know better.
- They knowingly sell sick fish just to get them off their hands.
- They use the same net for all fish tanks without cleaning it between uses, which can spread disease.
- Their aquariums and shop are unclean.
- They sell you fish that can’t coexist in the same tank just for the sake of making more money.
- They refuse to make special orders for equipment or fish you want.
- They don’t maintain regular store hours and open or close the shop as they please.
- They handle the fish roughly when preparing them for transport.
Always look out for these signs to ensure you’re dealing with a reputable and caring fish dealer.
Fly-By-Night Fish Dealers
A fly-by-night dealer is someone who opens a pet shop suddenly and then closes it within a few months due to lack of funds.
They often sell low-quality fish and pet supplies at cheap prices to make some quick money, and then they disappear.
If you see a new pet shop and you’re not sure if it’s reliable, wait for a few months to see if it remains open.
Also, listen to what other customers say about the quality of the shop.
If you end up with a bad or unreliable dealer, you might face constant struggles in maintaining your aquarium, which can lead to frustration.
