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July 16, 2010
Ecosystem Displays
By Patrick Donston
An Amazon River ecosystem is a really cool display. It incorporates different rocks, driftwood, lush-green plants and thousands of fish choices. What's really neat is the diversification and appearances a shop can experiment with. They can be small (5 to 10 gallons) with small tetras and algae-eating shrimp or moderate with unique specimens. Larger displays ... More»
June 22, 2010
“Frankenfish”
By David Lass
Commercial breeders of ornamental fish have adopted many of the scientific breakthroughs in genetic manipulation, and have come up with quite a few fish that exist nowhere in nature. Some folks deride these fish, and call them “Frankenfish.” I have a different opinion. I applaud what they have been doing in coming up with new fish--as long as we are not talking ... More»
June 14, 2010
The Yellow Foxface
By Patrick Donston
My favorite marine fish to stock in the shop is the yellow foxface (L. vulpinus). Mind you, it's not my favorite fish, but it's a great fish to have on hand for any shop (big or small) carrying marine livestock. Here's why. It's a beautifully colored fish. The body is mainly "lemon" yellow with a white head and black bands over the eyes. A long snout gives it ... More»
June 9, 2010
Keeping Discus
By David Lass
Discus have a reputation for being difficult fish to keep--but most discus available today do not deserve that reputation. Even though there are sometimes wild discus offered for sale to stores by fish wholesalers, the vast majority of the discus for sale in the hobby/industry are commercially raised. The only requirements they have is that they like the ... More»
June 2, 2010
Buy Florida Fish
By David Lass
Without too much flag-waving, I hope you will allow me to use my space here to make an appeal to you to buy fish from Florida. The Florida fish farming industry has been having difficult times for the past couple of years, primarily because of intense competition from fish farms throughout the Far East. The industry in countries such as China, Singapore ... More»
May 24, 2010
Learning by Listening
By Patrick Donston
I wanted to describe conducting a job interview as being analogous to something in life. After I thought about it, I don't think it's like any social interaction at all. It's not like meeting a new acquaintance, a first date or any other business meeting. A job interview is a sales pitch by the candidate to persuade you into banking on them. It is the conductor's ... More»
May 21, 2010
The Nitrogen Cycle
By David Lass
While this may be old hat, I really believe that the Nitrogen Cycle cannot be over-emphasized in terms of its importance for successful aquariums. With new hobbyists, it is absolutely critical that they understand the process. To cover it quickly, the Nitrogen Cycle is the key to all life in an aquarium. Fish, decaying food, plants, etc., produce ammonia ... More»
May 11, 2010
Interview Interuptus
By Patrick Donston
A few weeks ago, I scheduled an interview for a potential new employee. I usually have phone interviews first before I make any decisions on who I want to see in person. This particular applicant is a college student, sophomore year, and a customer of ours looking for part-time work. I liked how the young candidate presented himself over the ... More»
May 4, 2010
Pond Business - Sharing the Space
By David Lass
As we are coming into the pond season, at least here in the Northeast, I thought I would offer some observations on the changing nature of that business. In recent years, almost every lawn maintenance company--and every guy with a truck and a lawnmower--has become an expert in the pond business. Rather than perceiving this as a threat to a local ... More»
April 26, 2010
Aquarium Plants for Profit
By David Lass
If you do not have a large section of your fish room devoted to live plants you are missing out on one of the fastest growing--and most profitable--segments of the aquatics business. Besides simply making a fish tank look better, live plants in a tank significantly improve the health of the fish. Healthy, fast-growing aquarium plants use ammonia, nitrites and ... More»
April 19, 2010
The Price of Skimping on Protein Skimmers
By Patrick Donston
If you've read some of my previous blogs, you know the importance I place on systems and husbandry practices. It's the foundation of success in the marine ornamental industry. Clients go to healthy livestock and word of mouth travels, too. Captive marine fishes are often exposed to seawater of inferior quality and physical settings ... More»
April 9, 2010
Balloon Belly Fish
By David Lass
On the freshwater side of the hobby/industry, virtually all of the fish that we offer for sale have been raised commercially in either the Far East or Florida. The fish farmers have done wonderful things with creating new and interesting varieties, especially of livebearers such as guppies, platies, mollies and swordtails. In addition to color ... More»
March 31, 2010
What Great Managers Are Made Of
By Patrick Donston
Does your management team understand what you truly expect from them? Do they know what really makes a great manager? I asked myself these questions a few months ago and decided to be clear and cogent. I put it down in writing; created a management manual. I wanted the manual to give specific instructions and policies ... More»
March 23, 2010
Far East Super Ick
By David Lass
During the past few years, the bacteria, protozoa and parasites that cause fish diseases have been doing a little “genetic modification” of their own--meaning that they have become somewhat/very resistant to the standard treatments used in the industry. Tetracycline, which has probably been the most-used antibiotic in the business, is in ... More»
March 15, 2010
QuickCure and Antibiotics
By David Lass
Medicating fish is an important and often controversial topic in the hobby and industry. It is my opinion that it is the job of fish wholesalers to do as much medication as is required while they have the fish, so that when the fish go into the retail store they should not require any medication. Oh, if wishing made it so. The reality of handling ... More»
March 5, 2010
Hole in the Head
By Patrick Donston
A fish disease that's always fascinated me has been "Hole in the Head," also referred to as HLLD (head and lateral line disease). One reason is it's easy to diagnose, yet challenging to cure. I've read many articles, fish disease books and scientific journals on the subject. There is a variety of opinions, with some coming to no conclusion ... More»
February 25, 2010
Taken with a Grain of Salt
By David Lass
One of the subjects that always generate a great deal of debate, and where all hobbyists have an opinion, has to do with the use of salt in freshwater aquariums. Many “experts” on the Internet opine that salt should be added to all freshwater tanks. Many fish wholesalers add salt to their tanks. What I will give you here is just my ... More»
February 16, 2010
Gathering Attention
By Patrick Donston
I often chat with customers who come to us for the first time. The one comment I hear most is, "Your tanks are so clean, there's no fungus like I've seen in other stores." After a sincere thanks, I'll go on to tell them a little more about us, always ending with, "have fun and enjoy your visit." What about this so called fungus? I hope you all know they ... More»
February 4, 2010
Betting on Bettas
By David Lass
One of the most popular fish that we sell in local fish stores is the male Betta--Siamese Fighting Fish--Betta splendens. These wonderful fish have all of the qualities we like to see in fish. They are beautiful, coming in many different color varieties, all with long flowing fins. They can be kept in small containers without need for aeration. They ... More»
January 26, 2010
Holiday Rebound
By Patrick Donston
How was business this past holiday season for you? I've been talking with livestock suppliers, wholesalers, and manufacturers, and getting mixed responses from dismal to good. I've been told numerous shops are closing down, while few boast successful numbers. If your aquatic numbers were not what you hoped for this season, now is the time ... More»
January 18, 2010
Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself
By David Lass
I am pleased and honored to contribute to Patrick Donston’s “Fish Absolutely” blog here on PetProductNewsInternational.com. I have known Patrick for many years, and he is one of the most knowledgeable fish professionals in our industry; in addition, he is a skilled communicator and teacher. I will do my best to provide thoughts and information ... More»
January 7, 2010
Synthesizing Values
By Patrick Donston
Previously, I've mentioned the importance of lighting in your reef displays. If you attempt to use a variety of light sources, your customers will be able to see (and with the help of your staff) understand the differences between them. The appearances they emit are keys in factoring benefits and consumer aspirations. One should factor Kelvin ... More»
December 4, 2009
Lighting the Way
By Patrick Donston
If you carry marine livestock--your reef section should be one of the most impressive areas of your store. "A true feeling of being underwater," that's what I like to tell myself every time I want anyone to know how it should appear. Lighting is a crucial consideration when displaying your store’s living reefs. I recommend using multiple tanks or ... More»
November 19, 2009
Contrary to Popular Belief
By Patrick Donston
I've always been one to view things in multiple directions—Look at it from another point of view; Ask "Why?" Question authority--you know what I'm trying to say. A sphere is only viewable from one side; to see the full picture you need to rotate it. In this spirit, I would like to share with you one of my “Contradictory Bold Statements about the ... More»
October 30, 2009
Probiotics—For Life
By Patrick Donston
We, as owners and managers, must always focus on our customers’ wants and needs. We should be striving to keep them up to date on new products, ideas and technology that arise. By doing so, we earn their confidence and respect, thus their loyalty over time. I wanted to share with you a recent trend in new products that seem to be entering ... More»
October 12, 2009
Influential Listening
By Patrick Donston
About 12 years ago, a mom came into our shop with her little boy to buy an aquarium. While answering her questions, the little boy tugged on his Mom's sleeve, and made a gesture that he had to go to the bathroom. Glenn, my manager, took the little boy to the restroom so his Mom could continue to shop. When the little boy opened the store's restroom ... More»
September 28, 2009
Knowledge Sells
By Patrick Donston
Knowledge is power--we've all heard that before. The key is that the knowledge must be shared; smart business owners won't have successful businesses unless they have a way to communicate their facts and ideas throughout their whole company. As such, training manuals are a must. I mentioned in my previous blog how important an aquatic manual is ... More»
August 26, 2009
Knowledge is Strength
By Patrick Donston
I've mentioned in previous blogs how a knowledgeable staff can help a shop develop and promote good marketing techniques. A strong staff offers advantages over the competition by: 1) becoming a shop where advanced hobbyists and newbies go to for information; 2) making fewer mistakes or misleading customers, thus giving the shop a better reputation ... More»
August 13, 2009
To UV or Not to UV
By Patrick Donston
Ultraviolet sterilization is the most important part of a marine system when it comes to parasitic disease and bacteria control. I've had conversations with shop owners who don't use them, use them incorrectly or believe they do more harm than good. I think maybe they don't understand them or know how to use them properly. When choosing a UV system ... More»
July 31, 2009
Show Going
By Patrick Donston
Does anyone out there go to trade shows anymore? I was wondering because the ones I've traveled to in the past year had lower attendance than in previous years. Not just buyers were missing; the aquatic exhibitors also had less of a presence than in the booming years. I realize the economy doesn't make it easy for us to generate expendable income ... More»
July 21, 2009
Water of Life
By Patrick Donston
From my experiences and education, I've learned that water is crucial to healthy living creatures. I’ve also learned that the average hobbyist and store employee truly do not understand water quality and its effect on fish health. I know that most shops teach their staffs to understand the significance of pHs, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates when it ... More»
July 8, 2009
Becoming ‘The Best’
By Patrick Donston
All of us should be striving to have the best fish department or store in our areas. The question is how to truly market your shop and build it as the best. Always debatable, the best fish shop is probably the one that most hobbyists visit, therefore selling the most fish. There are three general shop characteristics consumers will seek out when looking for a good place ... More»
June 29, 2009
More than a Profession
By Patrick Donston
I found myself sitting and staring at the aquarium in my grandmother’s living room. I was mesmerized by the sound and colors as the fish swam about in the glowing light through the decorations. I noticed a community of life, a society that seemed to depend upon each individual. I can’t recall all of the fish except for a red ... More»