"The Wholesale World of Tropical Fish and the Dedicated Folks Who Bring Them to You"," Most pet stores buy their fish from wholesalers, who get their fish and other animals from fish farms around the world.
Years ago, I knew one such wholesale dealer.
is located on Lloyd Road in Willowick, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland.
It is more fascinating than a zoo, and all the creatures are well cared for.
Walking down aisle after aisle of huge aquariums, it is fun to see the different breeds and sizes of their fish.
started his fish business in the basement of his house.
He then moved into a bigger location, and it just kept growing.
What exactly does a wholesaler do? Retail stores buy livestock from the wholesaler, who then delivers the merchandise to them.
Fish and other livestock are packaged safely in thick, styrofoam containers for the trip to the store.
Then, they are released into the tank, and are there for you to purchase.
When the large pet superstores came into existence, their presence somewhat hurt private wholesalers' and pet stores' businesses, but the hardiest establishments, like TFD, survived.
Fishkeeping is a labor of love, because there is emphasis on making sure the fish are healthy and well fed, as well as keeping the customers happy and well supplied.
The creatures are shipped out on a frequent basis, to get them in good homes as quickly as possible.
When you see different tropical fish in pet stores, realize that many of them came from very far away, with the help of a chain of people (truckers, stockers, clerks, biologists and others) who made sure the fish arrive to you in healthy condition.
They cannot be put together once at the warehouse, so they are kept each in their own individual cup, that must be cleaned frequently.
Enjoy your goldfish, cichlids, angelfish and marine corals as you realize that it took a lot of miles traveled, and manpower to bring them to your home aquarium by people who truly do care.
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