Why I Love Small Fish Stores - Episode 294 

The "I want to sell what no one has" is so true. I wanted to do this and I got together with local fish shops and they all explained why no ones doing it. Saved me time, money and sanity.

Went to a small local fish store today. Spent money, came home happy. Can't wait to do it again.

Corey you are such a remarkable man. So much knowledge and so much love. Thanks.

The Giga Zoo video is awesome you can see the shop is definitely a lifelong passion

Absolutely loved the Giga Zoo video. Half an hour of Cory in full nerd appreciation mode. Gold.

I have even more respect for ya after listening to this and how much you truly appreciate the hobby and interacting with other hobbyist. Staying humble and placing everyone on the same level and involvement no matter their experience, knowledge or fame means alot. Sometimes we meet our "hero's" we look up to in whatever it is we do and like you experienced it can either be amazing or a complete let down. Even worst it can affect your own passion. I had very similar experiences as I came up through martial arts and like you I have always gone out of my way to talk and treat everyone special. It is amazing years later those same individuals come up and thank you for making a positive and encouraging impact on them and without even knowing helped shape their future or even keep them from quiting something. Keep up the good work and true, honest rants. People need to hear it. Be Good

As a metal fabricator by trade, I absolutely loved the Giga Zoo episode

Dustin at The Fish Room is so inspiring! I recently moved away from New Mexico to a larger metropolitan area, and I miss his store immensely. I’ve found another RPP store near me that I like, but it just doesn’t have the feel that The Fish Room does. Dustin bought fish from me once or twice per month, and it was just always a positive experience. I’m so happy to see Aquarium Co-op support him! The Waterfront SLC in Utah is a very similar vibe. Anybody in that part of the country should check them out as well!

I drive over an hour to a small store in Fremont IN to get your products, great clean store with a wonderful owner btw.

I’m so excited for Dustin and the success he is having with the Fish Room. It was so cool to meet you and your wife last weekend. Cheers! 😊

"Fluval # yourtripping" rofl 😂😂😂😂

Your Giga Zoo Vlog as ever was honest and from the heart. IMHO the way everything surprised you, the attention to detail and work ethic the owner had. The guy was everything you wished for the Coop and your own fishkeeping path in the future. You as professional as you always are also the kid in the perfect candy shop. Your best vlog yet. Again is this one the behind the scenes about Giga Zoo added so much more depth to the story. A perfect insight on the main priority of business. Do your best to be as consistently good as you can. Be as least as good as your direct competitors. Show better service than the chains whenever you can. With the key point that most ignore. At least 80 percent of your product, while keeping the quality, balance of quarantine/good care of all your stock. Being 90 percent of what the customer will need and buy. If your bread and butter are 20 percent more than the chain. With your stock quarantined, healthy, with double the survival rate. The customer will come back to you. Yes the rare and oddball bring in the people to look at them. Look not buy. By the time two odd balls have sold. You in order to pay the bills and keep the lights on should have taken in sales of bread and butter six times plus the profit that the two odd balls raise. The odd balls cost in terms of the cost of that fish, that tank could have four tanks full of basic fish in and sold before the odd ball, feeding and risk of dead money if that fish is not sold or dies. So when they have 90 percent rare and odd ball. Ten of the high turn over. It stops the main customers as you are not stocking what they need. Your sales are tanks one off unless the customer needs more heaters pumps lights filtration again not a frequent sale. Even fish that odd ball might last ten or twenty years. Community fish are a regular replacement. Your highest turnover is consumables. Food water treatments meds filter media ect. Get that balance wrong, you are doomed.

Thanks for the livestream, really enjoyed it and I love all the products that Aquarium Co-Op sells!!!

I live near Fort Wayne IN and there’s no club here. 350,000 population.

Absolutely love that video. The only reason I haven’t finished it is because of how busy I am. I could tell that guy had an amazing story. I’m so glad you told it.❤

Found your guy's products at The Golden Guppy in Wisconsin, and i tell you i drive the 1 1/2 to that store instead of more local shops because The Golden Guppy is a great shop and i love the fact they carry Easy root tabs and Easy Green!

I forgot to mention that that shirt really suits you, both the color and pattern. I was the first that came to my mind :)

Great stream and congratulations to the whole Co-op team on 1M subscribers again!

Soo often fish are sold with a catchy name by some vendors. Some don’t have time or effort to correctly identify. Some know what they are knowing or hoping that the customer will just buy it. Oh that fancy fake name is great with neons. Ends up as a convict, redtail catfish, Oscar or dobie sold at just over an inch. As it grows everything is food.

Glad to hear you're getting some loaches. Still love the previous tiger barb and loach tank. Always made me smile.❤

Looking at opening my own lfs, I’ll be the only one in the county!

I 3d printed my own intake to fit your prefilter perfectly. Love it.

Corey I sent from 8 down to 4 and am extremely happy

When you release mass market products in the future, I wonder it if would help to use words like "beta" for the first year. Give beta customers who fill out survey data small discount on improved v2 at which point people who want to complain can kick on rocks. I still have 3 heaters in use with zero flaws and a full tote of trash heaters from 5-10 other manufactures. I also have v1 auto feeders that work fine lol.

Love the analogies

I loved that video I watch every video from the coop

Can't go wrong with Hikari Vibrabites...!!! Thanks for sharing... Keep up your awesomeness and go enjoy some nature today... Also, don't forget to compliment someone today... It just may change their day for the better... Take care

I loved the Giga-Zoo video, and I love that you told the story, what a beautiful and unique store and an amazing story! I'm surprised to hear that the video wasn't doing well.

Your sponge filters are the best. Looking back to your visit to Jack Watley Discus. Gabe pointed out how discus fry home on darker objects confusing said objects for their parents as they feed off the slime coat. Would it be cost effective to have a run of white or off white sponges for use in discus breeding tanks??

Great story amazing video the amount of shear dedication, thought, and talent to the building of that store is proof that when you apply yourself you can build amazing things and make your dreams a reality. I was amazed too by the building job of that shop I can't imagine the well deserved pride he must feel truly an amazing place with a great back story ❤ very inspiring❤

1:21:07 on the topic of live foods, there is a large fish store near me in Columbus, Ohio that offer multiple types of live foods. I’ve never looked at them closely but they are packaged just like the ones that I’ve seen in videos in Europe. The store may do it themselves, it is very large.

final comment, sorry. lol. I would love to see a ton of snakeskin barbs in your big tank. I have no idea why that fish isnt more common. It is super unique looking compared to other fish in the hobby.

Oh man, missed a live stream! I guess I messed up the notifications 😢

Clubs really need help modernizing and taking advantage of social media

I know this is over, but as for the ADA counter issue. See if mobile POS will allow for solution. It might be easier and cheaper to have the portable option like at an apple store

Shrimp King hanging with the Shrimp Pimp…😂 🤣 Shrimp Pimp-that has to be a RU-vid channel, right?

Nice

When I go to buy something I read bad reviews first. Typically that’s the fastest way to see how something is going to break, and the fastest way to see if there’s decent customer service. Good reviews typically aren’t helpful. I also wish you could sort by longest review to find that one person that decided they were QC that day.

I feel like I've reached a roadblock learning about growing aquatic plants. I've been trying to deal with algae and every source has a different answer. Its frustrating as a beginner. It feels like you can only learn the basics and then your on your own.

Thanks for shareing the story of Gigs Zoo and the buisenesstalk :)

The difference here is the man living under the bridge, came from Bavaria, a country that takes care of its citizens and helps them on the right path to success!

liquids on a plane - I am guessing checked only.

I don’t drive on the interstate if I can help it. It scares me. (I’m blind in my left eye) however, if y’all come to Alabama or any other southern state close to me I will absolutely brave the interstate to come meet y’all if I can’t talk my husband into driving me😂

How much more would the Coop light cost if it was fully adjustable WRGB? Would it ever be reasonable to have a separate WRGB version?

Soooo i can carry a wild caught snakehead in my carry-on???? Interesting!

giga zoo, wow

Wait Tropica is Canadian?

Future: Bellevue (Factoria) retail store. :)

Where is the reply family ❤😅

Gws

Amazon reviews have become worthless over the last 5 or so years.

1:03:05 Name the names. They deserve what ridicule may come.

I honestly feel like having no heaters for sale is worse than having an average heater for sale. Even with the failure rate it's above average. And you are discontinuing the fish net as well? I recently canceled my membership bc (1) I'm broke (2) I'm more into reptiles right now (3) the "dent and scratch" page went away (4) at the time the plant prices were just silly (I know they've come back down) and (5) the email newsletter now only focuses on in-store stuff?? I'm sad but it feels like the right thing to do when I don't even know what products are gonna still be available tomorrow...Cory I know you do your best so I guess it's just this horrible economic and political climate making everything a little crappier every day, and not even the best fish store can fight that off forever.

1:03:03 You should name names. Maybe they will think twice about being a jerk next time. If you treat people like that you deserve to be called out.

I'm not against Amazon but I almost never order online. I dont have a LFS so I order aquarium supplies online. The closest CO-OP products are an hkur & a half away from me. in Georgetown, S.C. If you get the chance to partner with a Myrtle Beach store Id be stoked!!