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My LFS visit - Aqua Minh Long

AnhBui

Member
Joined
10 Mar 2016
Messages
578
Location
Vietnam
Today is special day. It is a day before our National Independence Day, and there is a long weekend ahead.

I left my office early and went straight to local aqua store with my camera. Street was very crowded although it was yet rush hour. In usual day it would take me only 30 minutes to go there. Today it took me 45 minutes. But never mind because I reached where I want to visit.

I would say Aqua Minh Long is a small aqua store located in an alley of Le Trong Tan street. Store owners lease a three story house and turn ground floor into an aqua shop. In the ground floor they divide the shop into two areas. The first one is display area. This is where guests are being welcomed and orders are to be made. The second area is where you can go there choose plants, wood and rocks

Entrance view
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Right hand side view
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Left hand side view
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Since both owners were out for business so I did not have chance to talk with them. Instead most of my time spent for taking pictures and chit chat with my friend, who is a hobbyist and their customer

Enough words. It's time for pictures. Note that all my pictures are ToC (straight out of camera) and reflect very true colours of plants, and tank conditions

Left hand side tank - trimmed yesterday

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Right hand side tank

An Igu 2009 leaf - Bigger than an adult's palm

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See how small it is comparing with Igu 2009 leaf
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Like this plant but don't know its name
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Closeup to a leaf
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Greeting to hobbyists
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No chiller for this tank. Only air conditioner
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Plant in their first tank
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A snail at the biggest tank
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Left the store with three Amanos for T1. I am now ready for my long weekend with family

Thanks for reading and cheers guys!
 
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just amazing. my number one store is definitely a store that have lots of display tank to show. its give customer ideals and give them a chance to get into the hobby. thank for sharing. i might just do same at my local store

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Thanks Thang. Love to see yours someday


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Lovely shop. They sure know how to grow plants....
 
Lovely shop. They sure know how to grow plants....


What a store

and what healthy plants

Definitely they do. The Dutch style variation tank is one of the shop's restoration project. The tank is nearly two years old. I am told that the tank was setup with their dirt and it was covered by a layer of ADA Amazonia on top

For restoration, he does not do any change on layout and add more substrate, fert or additives, but increases Co2 and lighting hours with 4 T5 tubes




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The way the store entrance is setup already says a lot about the popularity of planted tanks in your region.. :) Realy lovely, something i never have seen in my life.. It also reflex the quality of knowledge the shop poseses. I guess it would make somebody realy feel comfortable to buy something there.

Over here in my country and even neighbouring countries i do not know of one shop investing in a display tank like that, not even one tank.. All shops in my erea which are in my reach all 7 of them are all setup like a complete disaster compaired to your pictures. It is all setup aimed towards quick selling only strategy, (Cash and cary system) with actualy in majority very unskilled employees. I realy would love to see an LFS for once displaying such realy nice tanks, to make the customer aware of what's possible and how beautiful this hobby can be.
 
I didn't know you owned an LFS Tim... :)

I guess over here (in the wild wild west) the aquarium bussines is taken over by sales managers employed to sell and do not have real affinity for aquariums in general. They probably do not see profit enough in setting up and maintaining a nice display tank, also see no profit in investing in employees having this skill. In the west the world turns around making profit as fast as possible with the least investment possible.. At least thats the impression i get when visiting petshops.. That's what the majority are, petshops with an aquarium corner.. The 2 shops i know wich are aquarium shops only also do probably not have the financial means to hire nor posses the skill to setup and maintain a display tank. When you ask they act like they know all about it, but have zip to show. And the conversatons are mostly very breefly aimt towards bying something you actualy do not need. Strange concept.. But people seem to fall for it.

It's so true what George sais in his conclusion.. It would be a win win for every lfs.. But i know not one who's actualy realizing that fact.
 
The way the store entrance is setup already says a lot about the popularity of planted tanks in your region.. :) Realy lovely, something i never have seen in my life.. It also reflex the quality of knowledge the shop poseses. I guess it would make somebody realy feel comfortable to buy something there.
I agree with you on this point. The marine community in this country is small and the hobby is more expensive than a planted tank
 
Good question...not long since moved to another county. I had built up a a great relationship with the guys at my LFSs where I used to live.
I've only visited my local Maidenhead a few times and need to get to know them a little bit first...they aren't doing too badly tho', they have two pretty good display tanks already;)

P.S. nice pictures.
 
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