Is our hobby fading? Where you guys visit to get info these days?

[moga]

I have been keeping coral and fish for 16 years now.. and there were some great moment and down side of this hobby..

 

I just trying to keep up what I have in my tank. some corals. and fish..

 

i was supersized by visiting closed Marinescene store last Saturday .. my kids wanted to buy me a coral for father's day gift.~

 

I was shocked more that it was closed year ago.. (sorry if i wasn't active on this forum these days)..I thanked them for great selection / examples of reef hobby

it was bit expensive for me but it was great store for sure..

 

I still have great joy of keeping my tank up and running.. but somewhat I just don't visit the local fish stores around me.. which i should time to time.

 

Any info pot you guys visit to get informed? i go to reefcentral and reefbuilders sites tho.

 

 

 

 

 

[Origami]

I come here. I search both RC and R2R. I'll post mostly here, though.

 

Tom White closed MS over a year ago with plans to retire from the retail business. He announced it here and sold off a lot of stuff from the old shop. I was there on the last day. It was a milestone as it was probably the first saltwater store that I'd visited when starting out.

[smh254]

I think it's growing and not fading. I look at forms like R2R and there are a lot of new comers every day. I think that's it's doubled in the last few years. At lest it seems that way to me.

 

 

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[Nart]

I actually asked a similar question during the Big Fish Deal event of 2017 when Joey Mullen (King of DIY), Shane Linder (Planet Catfish), and Larry Johnson (Lake Malawi explorer) were on the Q&A Panel.

 

I asked: "I noticed many of the local fish stores that I grew up with are no longer in business. It feels like the fish hobby as a whole is declining. Do you guys feel that way too?"

 

They replied: Absolutely not. If anything, it's grown quite a bit, especially more so because of access to the internet. In regards to the local fish stores closing, you'll get some angry owners saying I can't compete with the bigger chain stores selling cherry barbs for $2. Why are you selling cherry barbs anyways?? The person willing to pay the cash isn't looking for a cherry barb. Sell something more unique that the bigger chain stores do not sell.

 

Anyways, their response made sense in a way. I do notice the LFS that are still open and making a profit are the fish stores willing to embrace change and utilizing the internet and social media to their advantage. Also, they sell things that chain stores do not, or if they do, they sell better items. I do my part in buying a good portion of my stuff from the local fish store, even though for some items I can clearly save $10 shopping online. Don't forget, a lot of fish stores exist only online as well. So those stores are keeping up with the trend.

 

A bit more than what you needed to know. I visit here and several other forums/google and do a collective research before making a decision usually.

Not sure if we are allowed to mention or link other sites on here? so I will stay away from that.

Edited June 19, 2017 by Nart

[sen5241b]

Definitely not fading. I think a lot of LFSs have trouble competing with hobbyists selling stuff out of their tanks.

[Capital Aquarium]

It is fading on the local level because of the rise of internet shops like Bulk Reef Supple and Marine Depot for dry goods and Live Aquaria for livestock but it is growing on a national level. I think much of it has to do with the culture of immediate satisfaction we live in. I know my shop as well as others will happily match the prices of pumps, skimmers, apex equipment and lighting from online stores but rarely are we given the opportunity because everyone just defaults to online shopping now. Nobody wants to wait an extra day or two to get their new product and support the local shops. The list goes on and on of local stores that have closed and It will unfortunately eventually lead to the decline of the hobby overall as less and less people are going to have the experience I am assuming most of us had of walking in to a pet store as a kid and seeing all the different species of fish/inverts/corals and capturing our imagination. Its sad really. Just my two cents

Edited June 19, 2017 by Capital Aquarium

[zygote2k]

Service side of the hobby is certainly growing and there's more service companies popping up than there are retail shops. I'm also seeing service/retail shops popping up too.

I think the overall hobby is growing, but moving away from the mom and pop shops of the past 25 years into online sales and hybrid shops.

Just different, not declining.

[moga]

Thanks for the great insight. It's good sign that hobby just transformed in many ways..

 

Go Wamas~

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

Interesting discussion. I figured small local stores are getting hammered by the online stores and by Petco/Petsmart for basic drygoods.

 

I would have thought the numbers of saltwater fishkeepers is decreasing, precipitously. (Just look at the aquariun supply section at Petsmart/petco and compare them to the dog *clothing* section. To say nothing of the bewildering variety of big name and botique dog and cat foods). However, I'll believe the posters in this thread know what they're talking about. . (Maybe it's an hobby enthusiast thing - where profits in a hobby industry are driven by hard-code enthusiast segments, while the more mainstream segments are commoditized, or even collapse -e.g. photography)

 

I can totally believe the "fish store" of the future could be basically a (mall?) show room for a service company. (Maybe they could have 4-5 different tank types to display). Or maybe someone's "home office" (ie fish basement) where they do botique fish sales for local service providers, aquarium clubs, and special orders.

 

There are some benefits - we can have animals go straight from collector to consumer now. Not that I hate Capitol Aquarium or any of the stores I grow up with - but just from an ethical perspective since even with the best collection, wholesale, and shipping practices it seems to me fish sales are unavoidably a livestock hot potato game. But I still agree with those who think that something will be lost in the process.

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

One other thought - Marine Depot and especially Bulk Reed Supply have made excellent contributions to the hobby in some of the things they've put on YouTube. They have the net profits, equipment, space and expertise to give a semblance of testing to many common reefkeeping questions, and I've learned a great deal. That counts for something in my book.

 

This doesn't necessarily mean that I'll buy my apex from them, vs various LFS's......

[Keraxis]

Its growing.  You should see the things at shows these days.  Plug and play systems.  Some of the craziest brightest corals. I was looking at videos for reefapaloza and its crazy.. iam actually thinking about going next time.  

[malacoda]

It is fading on the local level because of the rise of internet shops like Bulk Reef Supple and Marine Depot for dry goods and Live Aquaria for livestock but it is growing on a national level. I think much of it has to do with the culture of immediate satisfaction we live in. I know my shop as well as others will happily match the prices of pumps, skimmers, apex equipment and lighting from online stores but rarely are we given the opportunity because everyone just defaults to online shopping now. Nobody wants to wait an extra day or two to get their new product and support the local shops. The list goes on and on of local stores that have closed and It will unfortunately eventually lead to the decline of the hobby overall as less and less people are going to have the experience I am assuming most of us had of walking in to a pet store as a kid and seeing all the different species of fish/inverts/corals and capturing our imagination. Its sad really. Just my two cents

 

 

Service side of the hobby is certainly growing and there's more service companies popping up than there are retail shops. I'm also seeing service/retail shops popping up too.

I think the overall hobby is growing, but moving away from the mom and pop shops of the past 25 years into online sales and hybrid shops.

Just different, not declining.

 

I think these two responses sum it perfectly.

[sen5241b]

The price of corals (and other stuff) is skyrocketing. Maybe because of the increased popularity of the hobby. Am I the only one that remembers when you could a deep blue maxima for $25? Or a fist sized lobo, chalice or brain for under $50?  Five years ago, I do not recall seeing so many corals for hundreds of dollars. 

[treesprite]

The price of corals (and other stuff) is skyrocketing. Maybe because of the increased popularity of the hobby. Am I the only one that remembers when you could a deep blue maxima for $25? Or a fist sized lobo, chalice or brain for under $50?  Five years ago, I do not recall seeing so many corals for hundreds of dollars. 

 

I think the expense is weighted higher for experienced hobbyists. The availability of inexpensive corals for folks in their early hobby years, is huge. But experienced hobbyists who have been through all the standard common corals, have developed particular tastes and often fall in the trap of the sort of coral acquisition trends which cause demands that allow prices to go up for particular types of corals. 

[sen5241b]

I think the expense is weighted higher for experienced hobbyists. The availability of inexpensive corals for folks in their early hobby years, is huge. But experienced hobbyists who have been through all the standard common corals, have developed particular tastes and often fall in the trap of the sort of coral acquisition trends which cause demands that allow prices to go up for particular types of corals. 

 

Not sure I agree. I've see mushrooms and zoas go way up.

[Keraxis]

Not sure I agree. I've see mushrooms and zoas go way up.

Mushrooms are the hot coral at the moment. If you think back Iam sure you can remember the chalice craze or the acan one.  Zoas are crazy because of the morphs and a collectors mentality around them