Riverdale Pets is moving- all fish on sale
mscichlid
Founder
Thanks so very much!
Avatar
Plenipotentiary-at-large
Thought that's what I was doing. Wasn't even going to contribute to the thread until the sponsor angle materialized since I didn't have anything constructive to add.
Just remember, "If you can't say anything nice about anyone come sit next to me".
Travis921
Members
@ Rich One we havent had anything since Waldorf pet shop and R D fish and pets 
The closest thing to us that was nice is super pets and they moved and then house of tropics.
@ frkyltn he never looked up because he watching his monitor to see if you were going to steal something lol he will not even let us in there on our phone thinking we are trading tips to competitors lol. Like anyone wants a tip from there!!
Ok i am done ragging on the store cause like i said i go in there sometimes just to look around. Last thing i got was supposed to be 5 synspillums. 1 turned out to be a syn the rest veija hybrids!!
http://www.capitalcichlids.org/forums/member.php?u=5
The closest thing to us that was nice is super pets and they moved and then house of tropics. @ frkyltn he never looked up because he watching his monitor to see if you were going to steal something lol he will not even let us in there on our phone thinking we are trading tips to competitors lol. Like anyone wants a tip from there!!
Ok i am done ragging on the store cause like i said i go in there sometimes just to look around. Last thing i got was supposed to be 5 synspillums. 1 turned out to be a syn the rest veija hybrids!!
http://www.capitalcichlids.org/forums/member.php?u=5
mscichlid
Founder
When I go to a store, I take it for what it is. The one redeeming factor about this store is that he brings in wild fish; something I like. My first experience happened to be when he was on Rt 1 @ Rt 450 when he had the camen in a 300 gal with a dog kennel fence around it. He had a tankful of wild sunset apistos for less than $2.00 each and we spent time looking through fish books trying to identify the species.
I hate the mess, smell, and the flowerhorns, but I have found dwarf pikes, L129, apistos, sterbai corys really cheap. It is very attractive to me that he has the import hook up. But I think his purpose these days is to supply the demand for mean and big fish for the folks in his immediate area; mostly uneducated in the craft of keeping fish. He caters to what sells now instead of what he used to do when I frequented the store. To me it's a last ditch effort to stay afloat.
I definantly will check him out in his new location regardless. I'll support him because we are losing local fish stores everyday and soon we will all be subject to online supply that is sketchy and over priced at best. The only other choice we have is the fish that are available through clubs. In a lot of instances, the fish have all come from the same source if they aren't wild.
As hobbyist, we have to make the local fish stores. Let them know what you want and what would keep you supporting their business. Let them know what you like and don't like. I think if they hear it enough and can analyze the input , things will change. All of them cannnot afford to do what the super chains can do. Most of the most successful animal trade establishments include mammal sales. The trend is to go online, the more we do it, the more it continues. Personally, I like to see what I'm paying for.
But I think the biggest issue with local fish stores is the cost of dry goods. The items most coveted and required for keeping our fish are overpriced and uber expensive. Of course a prudent, diligent individual would most certainly go online to look for the item at a substantually lower cost. A hobbyist has to decide, most times in an emergency situation, whether to buy online or go to the lfs. Add in the shipping on an item and it is still cheaper online in most cases. Already stressed, a hobbyist is quite resentful of paying 300% markup on an item needed in a crisis.
So, if lfs stores could help the hobbyist by making dry goods as available and competively priced as online perhaps the proprieter could reap the benefits. Consider the means to a clean and neat establishment. Display plants, fish, and invertebrates in environments that benefits their well being and educate the dumb *** Nemo, Tanked idiots about keeping fish, instead of ripping them off. Eventually the strong willed (with the cash) will find the members of a local club who will educate, entertain and enlighten them.
Those experienced at running an aquarium business could chime in and enlighten us hobbyist as to where they see the problem to be from your prospective. Perhaps we can all realize a happy and profitable medium.
I hate the mess, smell, and the flowerhorns, but I have found dwarf pikes, L129, apistos, sterbai corys really cheap. It is very attractive to me that he has the import hook up. But I think his purpose these days is to supply the demand for mean and big fish for the folks in his immediate area; mostly uneducated in the craft of keeping fish. He caters to what sells now instead of what he used to do when I frequented the store. To me it's a last ditch effort to stay afloat.
I definantly will check him out in his new location regardless. I'll support him because we are losing local fish stores everyday and soon we will all be subject to online supply that is sketchy and over priced at best. The only other choice we have is the fish that are available through clubs. In a lot of instances, the fish have all come from the same source if they aren't wild.
As hobbyist, we have to make the local fish stores. Let them know what you want and what would keep you supporting their business. Let them know what you like and don't like. I think if they hear it enough and can analyze the input , things will change. All of them cannnot afford to do what the super chains can do. Most of the most successful animal trade establishments include mammal sales. The trend is to go online, the more we do it, the more it continues. Personally, I like to see what I'm paying for.
But I think the biggest issue with local fish stores is the cost of dry goods. The items most coveted and required for keeping our fish are overpriced and uber expensive. Of course a prudent, diligent individual would most certainly go online to look for the item at a substantually lower cost. A hobbyist has to decide, most times in an emergency situation, whether to buy online or go to the lfs. Add in the shipping on an item and it is still cheaper online in most cases. Already stressed, a hobbyist is quite resentful of paying 300% markup on an item needed in a crisis.
So, if lfs stores could help the hobbyist by making dry goods as available and competively priced as online perhaps the proprieter could reap the benefits. Consider the means to a clean and neat establishment. Display plants, fish, and invertebrates in environments that benefits their well being and educate the dumb *** Nemo, Tanked idiots about keeping fish, instead of ripping them off. Eventually the strong willed (with the cash) will find the members of a local club who will educate, entertain and enlighten them.
Those experienced at running an aquarium business could chime in and enlighten us hobbyist as to where they see the problem to be from your prospective. Perhaps we can all realize a happy and profitable medium.
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Avatar
Plenipotentiary-at-large
Much ado about nothing?
Personally I don't care to or find great receptivity in telling alleged 'professionals' how they're alienating clientele or flat out blowing it. And in this particular instance, I'd venture to say they the receptivity coefficient is well into negative territory.
Fact is if this store was already a sponsor this thread wouldn't even be possible because sponsors currently operate under an aura of impunity/immunity lest they be alienated and withdraw support from CCA. I'm as willing to offer constructive input as anyone if circumstances permit and seem conducive to doing so, but as for the establishment in question, really now, where would you even begin?
Have to pick your battles and sometimes recognize that some of them just aren't worth fighting, and similarly, that there are such things as lost causes and instances where the death of something isn't necessarily a bad thing. They may have wild fish, but if the guys on the other end of the pipe play it anything like they do on this end, they probably kill twice what they ship or use dynamite or for collecting.
I wish them the best at their new locale, but whatever it looks like when it opens, I'll lay odds that in 18 months it will be pretty much just like what it grew into before they started their move. And for the record, I'll take stock from Atlantis or Jeff Rapp or others online and local breeders anytime over anything offered locally in the DC/Baltimore metro area at LFS. In fact, make that every time.
If we were all as adept as folks like Sara, Michael, Tony, Matt and others at breeding our stock we'd have far less cause for bemoaning the demise of every LFS, and that's not to say that there are some that aren't missed (whatever you do if you go into this business, think twice about having anyone on staff that goes by the name of Andrew, may they live long prosper irrespective of any connection that may exist between their association with the very best stores and their untimely demise).
I've bought a total of two pair of fish in the last year from LFS, the rest coming from conventions, meeting auctions and members, and would be happy to never again feel the need to buy wild fish that were taken in ways that might very well shame me to own them if I but knew what was entailed in their capture. Similarly, as a club we have a pretty good support network for members in need during times of need/crisis - know I'd make a drive to bring someone filters, air pumps, spare tanks or the like if required, know there's a least a couple dozen folks on the site that would do the same. So while I like to wander the aisles of fish stores much as others, aside from the chance to buy live or frozen food, hard to see the demise of every business that sells fish as an automatic or inherent tragedy.
Fact is they just aren't all equal and this one seems to enjoy the patronage of a whopping grand total of 3 CCA members - that speaks volumes about the essential nature of their continued presence in the community whatever else may be said.
Personally I don't care to or find great receptivity in telling alleged 'professionals' how they're alienating clientele or flat out blowing it. And in this particular instance, I'd venture to say they the receptivity coefficient is well into negative territory.
Fact is if this store was already a sponsor this thread wouldn't even be possible because sponsors currently operate under an aura of impunity/immunity lest they be alienated and withdraw support from CCA. I'm as willing to offer constructive input as anyone if circumstances permit and seem conducive to doing so, but as for the establishment in question, really now, where would you even begin?
Have to pick your battles and sometimes recognize that some of them just aren't worth fighting, and similarly, that there are such things as lost causes and instances where the death of something isn't necessarily a bad thing. They may have wild fish, but if the guys on the other end of the pipe play it anything like they do on this end, they probably kill twice what they ship or use dynamite or for collecting.
I wish them the best at their new locale, but whatever it looks like when it opens, I'll lay odds that in 18 months it will be pretty much just like what it grew into before they started their move. And for the record, I'll take stock from Atlantis or Jeff Rapp or others online and local breeders anytime over anything offered locally in the DC/Baltimore metro area at LFS. In fact, make that every time.
If we were all as adept as folks like Sara, Michael, Tony, Matt and others at breeding our stock we'd have far less cause for bemoaning the demise of every LFS, and that's not to say that there are some that aren't missed (whatever you do if you go into this business, think twice about having anyone on staff that goes by the name of Andrew, may they live long prosper irrespective of any connection that may exist between their association with the very best stores and their untimely demise).
I've bought a total of two pair of fish in the last year from LFS, the rest coming from conventions, meeting auctions and members, and would be happy to never again feel the need to buy wild fish that were taken in ways that might very well shame me to own them if I but knew what was entailed in their capture. Similarly, as a club we have a pretty good support network for members in need during times of need/crisis - know I'd make a drive to bring someone filters, air pumps, spare tanks or the like if required, know there's a least a couple dozen folks on the site that would do the same. So while I like to wander the aisles of fish stores much as others, aside from the chance to buy live or frozen food, hard to see the demise of every business that sells fish as an automatic or inherent tragedy.
Fact is they just aren't all equal and this one seems to enjoy the patronage of a whopping grand total of 3 CCA members - that speaks volumes about the essential nature of their continued presence in the community whatever else may be said.
Hawkman2000
Members
To tired to read so much.
