Today I was wanting to talk about just where to get hardy and rare fish in your area. I have been trying to track down a very specific color of discus and I have been really struggling to find it.
That being said one of my favorite things to do is get rare fish that no one else really has in the area or at least are hard to find can’t find most fish shops and the hunt is part of the fun.
Local Breeders
So with that one of my favorite places to find fish is just from the local breeders that are in your area. This is one of the places where I find not only some of the rarest fish in your area but also some of the hardiest fish as well because usually whomever you’re getting them from has bred them in their tanks or at the very least they’ve been in their tanks for a while.
And so you know that they’ve adapted to your tap water and water in your area. And so the best way to find them is just visiting your local fish store at least once or twice a week.
I am kind of nerdy in that way always trying to see what new stuff coming in. And so whenever you’re at a fish store just fine anyway, if you start seeing people a lot they’re probably also super into fish as well.
And so they probably have some stuff that you may not be able to find at your local pet store or aquarium shop and so just networking with people getting people’s numbers creating those friendships is a great way to kind of find some really rare fish or find fish that are adapted to your local area.
Local Fish Clubs
Another one that I like to do is join the local fish clubs in your area. Another great place to find local aquarists that have similar interests as you. For example one of them in my area is just a general Fish Club (The Great Salt Lake Aquarium Society) that have meetings once a month and they talk about different topics. Or another one I am a part of is a club that focuses on breeding and showing guppies (Utah Fancy Guppy Associates).
So it’s also a great place to learn about fish. I don’t know about you, I love learning stuff on YouTube or the internet about fish but getting into a local area and finding people in your area is.
Getting to know and have some friends talking about fish is always great since there aren’t many people that know enough to talk about fish with me. My wife is awesome and tries to be supportive but she can’t talk about fish in the depths that I like.
But most fish clubs have some form of an auction for people to sell their extra fish, fish they have bred, or fish that they no longer want. So this is a great place to find those fish that you are looking for at your local fish clubs.
Online Auction Sites
But that also leads to the next one is fish auctions, whether that’s in person at your local fish club, or whether that’s finding them online like Aqua bid is a great auction site for fish that you can’t find at a fish club auction or that you can’t find anywhere else.
Believe it or not, eBay can sometimes be a great place to find fish that you can’t normally find in your area. So that’s always a great place to look as well. Those are the two main online auction sites where you can find fish that tend to be a little bit more on the rare side or harder to find.
Online Fish Clubs
Another one is joining a Fish Club online such as on Facebook or Instagram. What I like about this is you can find a club or a group that is specific to the fish that you’re trying to look for. So one that I’ve recently dove into is I’m trying to figure out how to breed discus right now. And so I’ve joined a few discus clubs on Facebook.
It’s a great place for information but also they can lead you to places where that specific fish that you’re looking for is sold.
Online Fish Forums
Also, another great place online is fish forums. This is another great place similar to a fish group on Facebook. You can join a fish form with a bunch of people that want to talk about the same fish as you and often have experts on those specific fish. Usually, they also have a for sale selection where you can buy fish from breeders that aren’t local to your area.
Online Stores
Another great place is online websites that carry a wide variety of fish. They can do this because they don’t have to have a physical retail location so they can usually offer a wider range of fish, usually a little bit more specific to a certain type of fish.
Mom and Pop Shop
But ultimately my favorite place to get fish if you have a good one is your local mom and pop shop. They appreciate the business. They’re the ones that keep the hobby going.
My current favorite place is the waterfront they live near my house in Utah. They have great fish that specialize, usually monster fish, or some of your predatory fish but they always bring in all sorts of rare fish that you really can’t get anywhere else.
So always supporting your mom and pop shops great, a great place to find fish. But regardless of where you’re looking for fish or where you’re finding them, it’s always great to find out about a new place to find fish.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not a super patient person when I decide I want a fish and do a ton of research. And I go out and figure out if I can keep it or not. And then I want to fish in like a week or two because I’ve done a lot of research about hyped up about it and want it now.
Online Classifieds
Then another great one that I forgot about is your local classified. Websites are also a great place to find fish as well for like in Utah, we have KSL they have a great classified area that has a great pet section
Hopefully, these resources are great for you to be able to find those fish. where you can find fish. I know that every region has some sort of that in the area and so checking your online classifieds is also another great place to find great fish