During the last forty years things have changed dramatically, and with the pandemic things changed even more. In terms of the hobby, from the pandemic until now have been the best of times and the worst of times, for virtually…
12 reasons why every reefkeeper should work in their LFS
If you’ve never worked in an aquarium store before, there are some great reasons why you should. It doesn’t haven’t to be on a full-time basis, it doesn’t even have to be paid work, but the experience that you’ll get…
Salty Q&A: Highly Rated LFS Falls Short
Caribbean Chris and I get lots of excellent, thought-provoking questions from Saltwater Smarts visitors that we believe might be of general interest to other salties out there. So we thought it would be worthwhile to begin posting some of them…
Some Subtle Signs that a Fish is Sick
Most marine aquarium hobbyists learn quickly to identify common warning signs of ill health in fish—white spots, excessive mucus production, bulging eyes, frayed fins, etc. But sometimes ailing fish exhibit much more subtle symptoms that are evident only to someone…
8 Characteristics of a Good LFS Customer
In a recent Marine Aquarium Acronyms post, we defined the term “LFS” (local fish store) and described eight key characteristics to look for when choosing one. Well, as they say, turnabout is fair play. In this post, we’re going to…
Marine Aquarium Acronyms: LFS Defined (Plus 8 Traits of a Good One)
Among marine aquarium enthusiasts, it’s fairly safe to say that no acronym is bandied about with greater frequency than “LFS.” But what exactly does that mean? London Free School? Libertarian Futurist Society? Laughing, Fraudulent Seals? I kid, of course. In…
Buying Marine Fish and Inverts: LFS vs. Online
Once a new saltwater aquarium is up and running, fully cycled, and ready to receive fish and/or invertebrates, the hobbyist has the choice of buying livestock from a local fish store (LFS) or from various online sources. Both options are…
9 Tips to Maintain a Healthy Marine Fish Aquarium
There’s no better teacher than experience, and with nearly a half century of saltwater aquarium keeping under his belt, Richard “Dick” Hilgers certainly has plenty of experiences to share! Currently the owner of The Cultured Reef, a coral-aquaculture facility located…
Guide to Choosing Healthy Saltwater Fish at your LFS
A healthy, thriving community of saltwater fish begins with the judicious selection of specimens at your LFS. While not every potential health problem or disease will be evident to the naked eye, cautious appraisal of all prospective specimens for health…
