I tend to travel a lot and I’ve also moved quite a bit. In every town I called home, I’ve had my favorite local fish store (LFS) and I tended to be loyal to my favorites. Whenever travelling abroad, I always seek out the reef stores. It’s interesting to compare the retail side of things between various cultures. Based on my experiences, I’ve come to notice certain elements separate great stores from average ones. Allow me to outline some of the criteria that make a LFS a favorite.
- This hobby is always changing. Trends come and go, but it’s nice to see a store that keeps up with these trends. It’s nice to walk into a store just miles from your house and see biopellets on the shelf and a nice orange hammer coral in the LPS section. It shows that the employees and owners are excited by the same trends and developments as the hobbyist.
- 座位！与妻子和婴儿一起，我的LFS措施通常与其他差事混合在一起，例如在Costco捡起尿布。如果我的妻子可以坐在一个不错的展示箱前的沙发上，她通常很满足于我仔细阅读珊瑚和钓鱼更长的时间。
- 为所有储罐尺寸和兴趣提供牲畜。例如，纳米彼此对这种爱好产生了重大影响。Nano-Reefs降低了这种昂贵的爱好的财务障碍。对于年轻的礁石业余爱好者而言，尤其如此。LFS应该携带更多较小的鱼类。小丑鱼和格拉马斯很棒，但是让我们看看一些独特的山谷等。走进商店并看到某种稀有性也很好。对于看过一切的业余爱好者来说，请保持有趣。
- Quarantine and condition fish prior to sale, keeping them in a hyposaline holding system as well as providing the arrival dates on fish for sale. Every hobbyist should quarantine their fish, but seeing that a particular angel arrived three weeks ago and is eating well is nice information to have.
- Rare fish that are conditioned well is a great thing but the whole magic is lost if the store is dirty, cluttered and humid. Walking into a clean store is a breath of fresh air — literally! Look, there is always something charming about the dingy reef store with the grumpy kid behind the register. But a clean store and good customer service will always attract a wider demographic.
- Carry a variety of drygoods. It may seem silly to have four different brands of carbon for sale but hobbyists are quirky and loyal to brands. It’s nice to walk inside a store, and know that the brand you like is available. And hey, while you’re there you may pick up a coral that you wouldn’t have if they didn’t carry the brands you like.
- Focus on captive bred and grown. There are so many avenues for aquacultured and maricultured acropora that most of the demand for SPS corals can be met through sustainable means.
这些是我在正确执行时学会的欣赏的东西。在下一篇文章中，我将在我所在地区的一家商店中突出一家商店，例如满足我需求的完美礁商店。同时，我们很想听听读者的来信。您在LFS中寻找什么？
