LFS and my fish

[upcoaster]

First, I would like to say thank you to XxYoungAquaristxX, Birger, and dw1305. They all sent
replies to my first post, and then I couldn't figure out how to respond. Today I finally was
able to post a picture of one of my three huge catfish, which I suspected were hybrids since
their rate of growth has been astonishing. I wish they were some new species so I could better
appreciate their athleticism and their curious gazes. I won't flush them but maybe will campaign them as tank vacuum cleaners. Really, I will keep them until they outgrow my space.
Will discard

After reading all about tannins in leaves I boiled up some red oak leaves from my woods and put them in my community tank. I am no longer worried that my oto's are starving. Steamed zucchini and oak leaves are a hit.

I live in a university town of about 26k, with two LFS. I have honestly tried to patronize these local businesses, but I cannot keep doing so. They order from different sources, but they both seem to have a large percentage of sick and diseased fish, which are not always readily seen. I had a school of lovely dwarf gouramis which developed iridovirus. I did a lot of research and tried to tell them that the breeders are largely responsible, but it did not seem to matter much to them if the fish they sold, the fish they stocked, or the fish I bought from them died from that horrible virus. I stopped into the newly opened PetSmart in
our town and their entire tank of dwarfs seemed infected and soon to perish. I gave the
manager some website addresses, which I feel certain he threw away. I have to change the
sources of my fish and eliminate the LFS.

I have two 30 gallon tanks and an empty 75 gallon that I am trying to plan. I have a space
picked out, but no firm plans for the aquascape or the inhabitants. I am partial to classic
angels, and have had breeders in the past. I don't know if I am adept enough to have Altums,
but I do covet them. I would really welcome any ideas for my biggest tank ever. (I had a 55)

I hope that I have not bent too many ears for too long. This is a wonderful board and I feel
lucky to have found it. Thanks.

Ben, the Upcoaster

[m1ke715m]

petsmart is a chain store and cant just randomly order things from anywhere.. anything one petsmart carries has to be carried at all of them and has to be approved at a corporate level. thats whey even if they take a trade in from a customer they wont resell it they usually try to give it away for free. (usually something big like a red devil) you're waisting your breath trying to get lfs to buy quality stock.. they buy wholesale for dirt cheap from singapore and from florida fish farms and sell to the casual hobbyist.. its the nature of the beast.. just dont buy anything from them.. i dont even go in lfs anymore for anything ever.. anything you need from them can be bought online for cheaper and quality stock can be found online or from fellow hobbyists. the price of shipping fish greatly outweighs the money you lose in dead fish from garbage stock, you'll end up saving money in the long run. anyone thats serious about this hobby rarely buys anything from the average lfs.. dont get me wrong theres a few good ones but only ones that buy fish from reputable wholesalers/importers. those stores make less of a profit margin on those fish and thats why not many of them do it

[Scleropages]

It might be worth it to look into your local aquarium society/societies. Many of these organizations hold fish auctions. This is a great way to find quality and hard-to-find stock that you would otherwise not be able to find at your LFS. Your local society might also be able to put you in touch with a breeder in your area of the species you are looking for.