Tropical Fish Bowl

After hearing so much about this place I was a bit let down. I felt like the selection, although was told they were running low, was no better than Petsmart or Petco. I drove an hour to see this place, and really didn’t feel like I got anywhere as I’m working on rebuilding my tank. The guy I was talking to seemed knowledgeable, but didn’t really give me the answers I needed. Talked about fish in their scientific name to seem almost like he was trying to impress me, but really all it did was frustrate and confuse me. Like I said he seemed knowledgeable, but didn’t really tell me much. Not a bad shop, but the prices and selection were poor.

Tropical Fish Bowl has routinely disappointed me. I’ve purchased fish from them in the past and found out later that it was an entirely different type of fish than what was supposedly sold… which made moot my careful tank planning. But, I decided that it was just a simple mistake. No big deal. They even offered to let me return the fish. I decided to keep them due to the hassles involved in transporting the fish across town.
Today, however, may be my last visit there. When approached by a member of the staff about whether or not I needed assistance, I pointed out a dead freshwater puffer in a tank. He said, ah. I’ll get that gourami out of there. Later when approached again by the fellow, he was quite eager to offer me erroneous advice about fish pairings. Fortunately I have a robust data package and found legitimate answers through google.
I don’t expect rocket scientists at a fish shop, but at the very least don’t pretend to be an expert and perpetuate potentially tank sabotaging falseties.
Later, I asked for assistance in purchasing the fish I’d researched on my phone… and the fellow said that he’d be with me shortly. I waited for about five minutes, and eventually left., noting on my way out that the puffer corpse remained in the tank.
Upon exit I saw the young man and his coworker out in the parking lot. Perhaps they were busier than they looked… but it seemed one man was idly standing by, watching the other mull about.
I’m all for supporting local business, but due to this and past experiences, I will likely be shopping elsewhere.