# Fancy goldfish where to buy



## mini coz (Feb 20, 2008)

hi im wondering if anyone can recommend people i can go to or a good website where i can buy good fancy goldfish from, mainly orandas thanks in advance :2thumb:


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

your a little way away from me for me to recommend my awesome fish specialist. but here are some tips that i use to make sure a petshop is good at what they do:

1) first off check all there tanks. You want them to be clean, fish to be active, bright, and moving about happily - and no dead ones hanging around. 

2) How is the stocking level in thier tanks? Yes, fish shops can stock alot into a tank, they have better filters and fish wont be there long... but i know ive seen some tanks which where just packed full of fish to the point it was stupid. If they care they will make sure each fish has adequate space for its stay

3) Research a few really simple questions: can Angel fish live with neons? how long do i leave my tank before i add my fish? etc... have the right answers in mind - if they give you the wrong one, or seem to just be pushing for a sale - walk away. They clearly have no interest in their stock above money.

4) I find that shops dedicated souly to the selling of fish tend to be a little more wise that 'general pet shops' that do a bit of everything.

5) NEVER BUY FISH FROM PETS AT HOME. EVER. PERIOD.


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

If you are looking for an online goldfish supplier, Star Fisheries are meant to be the best 

Oranda Calico Jumbo Oranda Calico Jumbo [] - - It's Free! : Star Fisheries, Fancy Goldfish


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## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

5 Is garbage. Pets @ Home stores are variable just like any other store, some are really good and some are absolutely terrible. I've had excellent fish from Pets @ Home in the past.

As to 1, although you'd think it's a good guideline, go to a busy store on a bank holiday you are guaranteed dead fish as 1) staff wont have time to keep checking tanks so will only fish them out when they are near that tank whilst serving and 2) you get a lot of idiots tapping the glass etc which can cause excessive fish deaths. You can only really use the no dead fish bit if you go on a quiet day where you can see the staff have time to check tanks etc.

As to Angel fish with neons, sometimes they can, so that particularly member of staff may have kept them together at some point and not be aware of how wrong it can go. Try Oscars with neons instead. 

Here's a tip from somebody who worked in a VERY busy fish room once. Make sure to ask them these 2 questions:-

1) How often do you clean the gravel and do water changes in the display tanks (the one I worked at the answer was never as we never had time as we were serving constantly, bad.).

2) How do you process the new water for water changes and top ups? (the one I worked at we were banned from using dechlorinator, the reason been it cost money....)

Those 2 questions will tell you with certainty whether they are just after profit or actually give a hoot.

Definitely ask them though about cycling etc, as I can guarantee that 90% of them will either try to sell you a useless product and claim you can add fish sooner, or tell you to just stand the tank for 3 days....

Ade


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

mini coz said:


> hi im wondering if anyone can recommend people i can go to or a good website where i can buy good fancy goldfish from, mainly orandas thanks in advance :2thumb:


 I recommend dobbies,I got my fish from there and they were very helpful :2thumb:


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

> As to 1, although you'd think it's a good guideline, go to a busy store on a bank holiday you are guaranteed dead fish as 1) staff wont have time to keep checking tanks so will only fish them out when they are near that tank whilst serving and 2) you get a lot of idiots tapping the glass etc which can cause excessive fish deaths. You can only really use the no dead fish bit if you go on a quiet day where you can see the staff have time to check tanks etc.


Amen to that!!

Thank you for your post Wolfenrook. Spot on!


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## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

Moogloo said:


> Amen to that!!
> 
> Thank you for your post Wolfenrook. Spot on!


No problem Moogloo. Until I actually worked in a fish room I too thought that dead fish in a tank were a bad sign, having worked in one now though I understand that often they are actually caused by the visitors or often just the effect of the sheer numbers. In our tanks at home 2 fish going south is cause for concern, when you have 100s though it's just par for the course. The only difference between a shop where you never ever see dead fish and one where you do is often only the difference between a quite shop and a very busy one.

Better to look at the fish in the tank with them. Do they have torn fins? Marks on their bodies? Ulcers or signs of fungus? Are they clamping fins or gasping at the water surface? Ill health is far easier to spot in living fish than it is in a dead one. : victory:

Often though I find I can learn the most by chatting with the staff than any other way. Here's a fun one, try buying 3 pangasius catfish to go in a 3 foot tank. If they are willing to sell them to you, you can be 100% sure they just want your money. Doesn't mean the fish wont be perfectly healthy, but does mean you can't trust a word they say, plus it's funny. :lol2:

Ade


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

More to the point... if they stock pangasius catfish... dont buy from them!


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## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

Moogloo said:


> More to the point... if they stock pangasius catfish... dont buy from them!


Now that is just silly as it rules out 90% of shops you will ever find. It also ignores the fact that it's not usually up to the staff what fish they stock, but rather the manager. Quit blaming the shops for stocking fish that sell well, start blaming the morons that buy them, like the bloke who tried to buy 3 from me once to go in a 4 foot tank and when I pointed out how big they grew replied "well if they get to big I'll just bring them back".

There ARE people out there who can and do house monster fish properly, so just stocking them isn't the huge crime a lot of people seem to reckon. So long as they are sold responsibly it's not a huge problem. It's the stores that sell monster fish irresponsibly that you need to vetoe.

Vetoeing a store just because they stock fish you don't agree with, well you will miss out on some pretty good shops by doing so.

Ade


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## jessemon (May 31, 2012)

Hi there. I'm from Bedfordshire too! I'm new to the forum but I've been keeping fish for donkey's years (however long that is).

I've bought panda moors from Star Fisheries before and the staff were great, the fish were well packaged and healthy.

As for shops, my closest place is the Japanese Koi Company, which I visit every week at the as I get my RO from there until my unit is fixed. But their fancies are usually sorry looking things, although they do sometimes have some nice tropicals/marines. I've visited loads of aquatics shops in the Beds, Herts and Cambs area, but I haven't noticed many with particularly decent fancies but you never know what the stock levels are like, it can be hit and miss depending what day you go. However I did this year take a trip to Swallow Aquatics at East Harling in Norfolk, and they had some lovely goldies and fab fish display tanks. Also a nice reptile and furry animal section too. If you have transport and the spare time, it's worth a trip in my opinion. I've also noticed some quite nice fancies at the Maidenhead Aquatics at the Scotsdale Garden centre in Cambridge the few times I've dropped in.

I hope you find something you like anyway!

Jess.


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

> Now that is just silly as it rules out 90% of shops you will ever find. It also ignores the fact that it's not usually up to the staff what fish they stock, but rather the manager. Quit blaming the shops for stocking fish that sell well, start blaming the morons that buy them


Agreed its the idiots that buy them!! Customers are stupid and rarely listen because they know better 

However it works both ways. Dont stock fish you dont know about/cant sell to appropriate tanks, its not just bad for the fish but its bad for business when you sell fish that come back/eat otherfish/grow huge etc... or you end up losing customers. Nothing wrong with specially ordering them... makes no sense business wise or ethically to be stocking tankbusters.

Anyhoo...

There is Dunstable Aquatics... small shop but the guy will go out of his way to get in what you want  the kind of shop where customer service is well worth the trip there.


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## phoneutria (Aug 14, 2009)

*Where to Buy Fancy Goldfish My Experience*

Hi I know this is old, but obviously lots of people will still be looking at it for options. 

So Here is my 2 pennies worth, again only my experience. 
I bought 3 very high grade well bred fancy goldfish (1 x ryukin, 1 x Red Oranda and 1x Side view Ranchu) from Star Fisheries, in Surrey. I found them on the internet here : Star Fisheries, Fancy Goldfish

I rang and spoke to the proprietor Andy, who was just so helpful concerning everything you could imagine about Goldfish. Members of the public can Buy direct from them and visit by appointment. They also sell to the trade, so maybe you could ask Andy for a store that stocks his fish nearby to you?

Anyway, really amazing varieties (including some ultra rare strains!) direct from top farms in Japan, China and I believe he is going to start stocking some of the high quality Thai bred fish soon. 

Hope it helps for anyone who is looking.

best regards,

G


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