What's up with chain stores?

Hi!

To read the posts around here, one would think the best way to obtain native fish is by snagging mislabeled fish in chain pet stores. I'm in walking distance to one of the nicest tropical fish stores around, the tanks are clean, the fish healthy, the plants thriving, I'm fairly spoiled, I expect the best....but they don't do natives. So, I wander off to the promise land of chain pet stores and, I'm sorry, it's gross. I don't know that I would take a fish from one of their tanks even if it were free. I just want to know, are these "finds" just a bunch of fish tales?



Enjoy!

im not 100% sure but i think in some states you cannot sell most "native fish" unless they are bait fish.

not sure on that, but it seems to be that way, the local stores here that ive talked to said they would love to sell sunfish, but since they are native, they are only allowed to give them away free, they cannot be sold.

matthew

Stowaway fish in feeder or ghost shrimp tanks are rarely "sold" or ment to be, you just have to ask or get a relationship with the people there. Honestly in some states and depending on the species they legally cannot sell you the fish. Other than species like flagfish, sailfin mollies, gars, hogchocker, a few others, it is rare to find native fish being sold purposely. Some native fish just aren't attractive to the masses, but alot of it has to do with the fact native fish aren't commerically mass produced, and your LFS can't just go out, collect wild fish and sell them without various permits. Some of those that are properly permitted can surely explain in greater detail.

No one is giving you a fish tale about their finds. I can go to the LFS a half mile away and get a dozen bluefin killies any day of the week. Occassionally a bullhead, tadpole madtom, LMB, sailfin mollie, or swamp darter can be found. They actively sell flagfish, various gars, and channel cat. Even saw some tiger musky last month.

I probably go to the same LFSs as ashtonmj (because the ones in my part of Virginia all suck) and I've had one store either give or sell me for very cheap swamp darters, bluefin killies, a tadpole madtom and what I think is a logperch but I haven't been able to confirm because my books are all still in boxes. Another store in the area flat out told me there was no way in hell I could have the natives from their feeder tanks. The local big boxes that I visit for gerbil food and dry fishfood have only ever had two "contaminants" that I've seen out of three years of visiting. So it really depends. It probably depends on their wholesaler and on local laws. There could be an employee that's snagging all the natives before they hit the floor, too.

As a former employee of a small non-chain pet store, I can tell you that VERY few native species ever come through in the bags of fish. I did get the occasional channel catfish, killifish, and a few "cichlids" that looked mysteriously like green sunfish.
I would never buy a fish from a major chain store unless it was food for my snakes or turtles, most major chains just don't have knowledgable staff, no offense to the people that work there but the companies don't offer any incentive to the employees to become more adept at keeping the animals that they are selling.
The best bet is to visit a small family owned business that has been around for awhile, get in good with them and you can get fish that aren't usually available to the general public...and they will be in much better shape when you get them!

Nate