Q. I have heard that buying tropical fish from large department stores is a risk. I find this odd because many offer a very generous return policy. Is it true that department stores are not the best source for
freshwater tropical fish? What makes their fish worse or of lesser quality than others?
Robin McVeigh
Ohio
A. I typically do not recommend that aquarists purchase tropical fish from department stores. When buying fish from a department store you are often sacrificing the unique relationship that can be built from buying livestock from a local fish store (LFS). Many department stores sell a large variety of goods and oftentimes they don’t specialize in aquatics. Sadly, you often encounter a store salesperson that is filling in for the aquatics person and has little, if any knowledge about aquariums. Not only can they not advise you on livestock suitable for your aquarium, they cannot make determinations as to what equipment is needed for your aquarium. Even worse, many department store aquatics attendants are simply people who transferred there from other store areas. You may have an electronics salesperson or sporting goods salesperson that now goes by the title of aquatics salesperson.
That is not to say that all local fish stores have aquatics experts working the counter. Although, in many cases the store’s owner is the same person working in the store selling tropical fish. Most fish store owners have a fair knowledge of aquarium systems, stocking and equipment. While their advice might not be perfect it is likely far better than what you may get at a department store. Using a local fish store you can develop a unique relationship with the tropical fish store owner or attendant and often times you will find several shops nearby that will become your sole source of livestock.
I will say that the “quality” of department store tropical fish should be the same as those from your local fish store. Often the same fish supplier making deliveries to your local fish store also makes deliveries to local department stores. Many local fish stores utilize quarantine, UV sterilization and other methods of disease control Also, if the local fish store is operated by prudent aquarists, they are aware of compatible species and stocking guidelines as well. Often in the department store setting tropical fish that are incompatible may be crammed in small aquariums together and no real method of disease control is taking place. This is why some people cflaim the quality of ftropical ish from department stores is less when in reality it’s the conditions in which the tropical fish are kept that are sub par.
With all that said, there are always exceptions to the rule. I have met department store aquatics attendants who were not only aquarists but successful ones. This naturally translated over to the specific department store’s aquatics department. On the flipside, there are local fish stores that have untrained staff that offer less-than-perfect housing for their stock. What is important when buying tropical fish from either a local fish store or department store is having a keen eye for tropical fish health and knowing the requirements and limits of your own aquarium system. Most established aquarists could buy stock from nearly anywhere and likely have success since they know how to implement the tools that make them successful.
As for the guarantee policy offered by department stores I know that some do offer a generous return, some as long as 30 days if a tropical fish perishes. While this may entice a new aquarist into a purchase, most long term fishkeepers realize that there is no real guarantee that livestock from any outlet will survive.