Pet Fish Stores

By Jason Gluckman

Are you looking to buy a pet fish but don't know where to start? Here are some things you should look for in a pet fish store.

Common pet fishes and more. A few goldfish do not make a pet fish store. The real deal should offer you a whole array of aquatic animals that live not only in fish bowls and aquariums, but even in ponds. Look for pet fish stores that sell varieties such as Fancy Guppies, Koi, Betta Fish, Angelfish, Mollies, Oscars, African Cichlids, Puffer Fish, and even Eels, Piranhas, and Sharks. Some even carry frogs, shrimp, and crabs for ponds.

All kinds of fish food. You want your pet fish store to be your one-stop shop for all fish needs, especially food. Remember that different kinds of fishes have different dietary requirements. There are vegetarian, omnivore and carnivore types.

Mollies, for example, eat plant material in the form of flakes, pellets or tablets. Do not buy large quantities of fish food because they tend to lose nutritional content over time. Omnivore fishes, on the other hand, eat almost everything, such as freeze-dried foods, bloodworms, tubifex worms, brine shrimp and krill – all of which you should be able to find in your pet fish store. You also need to be able to buy prepared meat sources such as beef heart for your carnivorous Oscars, piranha and eels. The store should likewise carry liquid and gel diets for baby fishes.

Other essentials. A pet fish store must also carry basic fish tank accessories and furniture, filters, air pumps, cartridges, water Pumps, diffusers, tubing, heaters and chillers, to name a few. If the store does not sell these, it should at least be able to order them for you.

If you think that it's easy having a pet fish, think again. Fishes can actually be quite high-maintenance – they need as much time as you would devote to any other pet. You have to keep its living conditions clean and healthy for it to live a long life.

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