What to look for before purchasing new fish

[C. Andrew Nelson]

agreed. the nice thing is though the owner of my lfs is more my friend and pays me a visit to look at the tanks I own we have a barter system going on I make baby plants he gives me plants I want! simple and I'm happy with it!

That's the way to go. A little over a year ago I thinned out the anubias jungle in my tank and traded them in for store credit at my LFS. Prety much every fish in my tank now is a result of that store credit. Plus I gave a free plug in one of my YouTube videos to the store. So I get very good treatment from the owner when I go in there.

[aquatic hoyt]

yeah! me and chris are pretty good hobbyist friends. being family run you can tell its more about the fish than dollahs if you know what i'm saying.

plus me and chris talk on the phone for a good 30 minutes twice a week about fish in general!

hes a nice guy but i'm the same way too. will work for him in two years definetly

[saban12013]

Good tips by everyone so far. One thing that I have told customers in my store is to imagine their aquarium a year from now. What fish do you see? Next would be to backtrack and get it to that point. Not just to get a fish and have something, but to stock the tank in a safe and compatible way. Research each specimen that catches your eye and see if it fits your plan. Go to your local LFS and watch the fish you like. See how they move about the tank, are they in large groups or solo? Do they swim at the top, bottom, or midway throughout? I have always been a firm believer in mapping my tank and taking the time to get it right. Looking for healthy fish is vital, as is a quarantine tank (imo), but never leave out the long term aspect.

[Crazygar]

+1 Saban

Gary