so alot of reefers in calgary don't buy livestock in LFS??
i have been into forums down the states and they seems to be the other way around... it seems that they pretty much support the local business, the thing is, if you go elsewhere to buy stuff, like livestock, the selection is very limited to the fact that only what they ship to you is what you get.. i tends to like to go and look at the real thing, use my judgement for sustainability. this give me good results so far because this way i have no "junk" or stuff that i don't really like in my reef tank.
personally, i go to all of them and purchase their livestock before, they all have different problems, because they are all from 4-5 big suppliers. Gold have nice prices, but often i seen coral died off in their system after they stay for more than 1 week. especially LPS. oceans have "sustainable corals, though selection is few but i do get nice stuff sometimes. maybe due to the fact that nice pieces are gone as soon as they arrive..." big al's -they do not know what they are doing, and pieces? in my dictionary they don't even qualify to be selling marine stuff. Wai's have nice corals and mushrooms, lps, but not very friendly, and i have heard stories when the owner give very wrong advise to accompany the deal.
in fish wise,
ocean have fully cured fishes, sometimes pricey.
gold have nice prices,
big al? i don't know what to say, damsels dies in their tank, and fish corpses on the edge of tanks everywhere.
pieces have aquacultured clowns and that is it.
riverfront have sick fish and freshwater fish people selling it, and telling me they do not know a majestic angel is not a blue face.
wai's have nice fish but big price tag.
to tell you the truth, i work in one of these stores and i give my opinion from my head, unbiased.
i guess my thinking is, we still have to support these local fish store, and educate them to relize the vast amount of knowledge in these forums and discussion board. at the end of the day, good selection, knowledgible LFS is benefiting the local reefers.
Cheers
