Buy Live Fish Online

Tropical Fish World in Gaithersburg closes after sales sink

For 22 years, schoolchildren could walk through a Gaithersburg store in the fluorescent glow of more than 300 aquariums and squish their foreheads on the glass to watch their favorite fish swim.

Wide-eyed, they could watch stingrays, seahorses, or, for a few months, even sharks.

But Thursday, posters adorned with crayon drawings of fish to thank the owner, Jim Karanikas, for his fun tour, were the only scaled creatures swimming in the nearly empty, 3,000-square-foot store.

Tropical Fish World at 16529 S. Frederick Ave. closed Thursday, with Karanikas� regret.

He can�t compete with the online marketplace, he said, adding that big box stores such as Petco and Walmart can offer much better deals because they are able to buy in bulk.

They may have sold fish tanks for about 10 to 15 percent less than he did, he said, but a lot of it was perception people thinking the chain stores would be cheaper.

His store was known for its variety of large, foreign fish. A few customer favorites were freshwater stingrays, live corals, and koi and pond fish in a 1,300-gallon tank.

Temporary residents of the tanks included a 5-foot-long alligator and three nurse sharks.

Roberto Miranda, a fish hobbyist and customer of nine years who lives in Capitol Heights, left the store with about 23 tanks Thursday, to add to his collection of about 20 aquariums.

�I�m heartbroken,� he said. �A lot of people are heartbroken. And a lot more will be heartbroken when they find out.�

A few fish stores remain in Montgomery County, such as Aquarium One and Congressional Aquarium Inc. in Rockville. Scales Tropical Fish Warehouse in Cloverly closed within the last few years, according to Matt Quinn, a board member of the Capital Cichlid Association, a tropical fish club based in the county.

Besides Tropical Fish World, Karanikas, 50, had worked one other job in his life at another fish store.

He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in marine biology.

His expertise, and his ability and willingness to help anyone who walked in the door, are what made the store so special, Quinn said.

�Jim really went out of his way to keep the fish healthy, take care of customers, and to work and support hobbyists,� Quinn said.

The store�s sales started slipping in the late �90s, when fish stores went virtual, charging less money and making expert fish and aquarium-caring advice accessible anytime, Karanikas said.

Buying Live Fish Online | Incredible Aquatic Species

In the past years most people bought their pet fish from pet stores.  While that is still a common way to buy fish for a home aquarium many have also taken advantage of the convenience of the internet and have chosen to buy their pet fish online.  If you are considering buying fish off the internet here is are some helpful tips for buying live fish online.

One of the first things to consider when you are thinking of buying live fish online is where you are buying the fish from.  There are a number of different stores on the internet that sell fish for home aquariums but you will want to research whichever site you are thinking about purchasing your fish from.  Be sure to read other customer reviews and see their comments and what they have to say about the online store.  This will potentially save you both time and money.

Another important thing to consider is if there is a warranty offered.  Be sure to only purchase your fish from an online store that offers the guarantee that your fish will be delivered to you alive. If by chance you get your fish and it is not alive you will want to know they will replace it with no problems.

Similar to buying anything else on the computer, always be careful about your purchase. If you choose to shop local sites or online auction sites you want to remember to take all the necessary precautions if you choose to meet someone to buy fish from.  Never meet them alone and avoid having them come to your house.  You should always pick a public place to meet such as a store parking lot and make sure you take a friend along.

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