Cast your vote and show your support for your favourite aquatic store in our Readers’ Poll – and you could win a year subscription to Practical Fishkeeping!
Once again, it is your chance to recognise the retailers that go above and beyond for fishkeepers across the UK. Remember, every vote counts, and every nomination is a thank you to the people who help make our hobby what it is.
This year, there are a couple of changes to the categories in the Readers’ Poll. Of course, this is your poll – it is your chance to show your support for the shops that support you – so we do welcome feedback on these changes for future polls.
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Changes to the PFK Readers' Poll Categories
The key change is the introduction of the Nano Freshwater Retailer category. Freshwater shrimps, domestic and wild Bettas, tiny shoaling fish, killifish, and nano aquascapes continue to be incredibly popular as they give people the chance to keep beautiful livestock in a modest amount of space. Plenty of stores excel at this niche and it was not covered in the previous categories.
Unfortunately, a category had to make way to allow this to happen. I am sorry to say that category is the Discus Retailer. While these fish are a key area of the hobby, they do fit comfortably within the existing Cichlid Retailer category and as such, it seemed the sensible option.
The other change is much more subtle and is almost in name only. Previously, there was a Marine Fish Retailer category and a Coral Retailer category, which excluded the other invertebrates that we all love to keep: various clean-up crew, pistol shrimp, and clams to name just three. As such, Coral Retailer has become Marine Invertebrate Retailer instead to ensure stores that consistently stock marvellous marine crustaceans and molluscs are included in the poll.
Photo by Shutterstock
Remember!
The Readers’ Poll is only possible because of you and your votes! You can vote for a newly emerging online retailer, a brick-and-mortar shop that has really hit the ground running in a particular niche, or a familiar face that always provides exceptional service and livestock.
We want to see the best of the best, so only vote for a store in the categories that they really excel at. There are 11 categories, which means it is unlikely that a single shop will be the best in the country in all of them. Stores will, of course, appreciate your votes in categories that they do not specialise in, but it may result in other fishkeepers travelling to visit new – to them – stores for a specific reason, only to be disappointed when they arrive.
The Readers’ Poll is not just about the shop name. It is about the people who work incredibly hard to make sure their customers get the most enjoyment out of this fantastic hobby. Whether that is tracking down obscure species, spending time troubleshooting faulty equipment, or explaining how to cycle a fish tank with the same enthusiasm every time, without them the hobby would… well, I dread to think.
How to Vote in the Readers' Poll
You can cast your vote here. Once there, enter the name of a shop alongside each category in the Readers' Poll. If you don't have a store in mind for a particular category, that's absolutely fine – you can leave it blank.
For anyone new to the Readers' Poll, or indeed those who are familiar with it but want a reminder of the categories, here's a breakdown of them all so you know exactly what we're asking you to vote for:
Retailer of the Year
Big or small, chain or standalone, all we want is for you to tell us the single best store you know of.
Independent Retailer of the Year
Specifically, we’re asking you about your favourite store that isn’t part of a larger chain. We like to let the little (and often not so little) stores shine.
Online Retailer of the Year
This can be any online store related to the hobby, whether they have a physical shop as well, or not, or if they focus on a particular species, or are a more generalist shop.
Aquascaping Retailer of the Year
Whether it’s for the best plants, hardscape, or the best supporting hardware for a planted tank, tell us who keeps your ‘scapes looking great.
Cichlid Retailer of the Year
It could be a dwarf species, it could be African Rift Valley species, or for the first time this year, discus. We want to know where you’ve seen the best selection of cichlids.
Catfish Retailer of the Year
Whether you prefer dinky Gastrodermus, rare suckermouths, or Synodontis, we want you to tell us the store that has the best catfish.
Nano Freshwater Retailer of the Year
Everything and anything that is suitable for small freshwater tanks. If a shop has brilliant Betta splendens, fancy Caridina shrimp, or just a good all-round selection of small fish, this is the category for them.
Oddball Retailer of the Year
Everything freshwater and unusual lives in this category, from pufferfish to fire eels, archerfish to Polypterus, knifefish to stingrays, and everything in between.
Marine Fish Retailer of the Year
The best store for marine fish, whether that is rare angelfish, familiar favourites like clownfish, or reef safe wrasses.
Marine Invertebrate Retailer of the Year
Which shop has the best selection of corals, shrimp, crabs, snails, clams and any other marine organisms without a backbone?
Pond Retailer of the Year
A catch all category for everything that goes outdoors, whether koi, goldfish, pond plants or hardware.
What you could win!
The Readers’ Poll only works because all of you get involved and care deeply about supporting fantastic shops. As such, we always like to give something back as a thank you for casting your vote. This year, we are keeping things simple, with something any fishkeeper can utilise, no matter what area of the hobby they focus on.
And that is a year subscription to Practical Fishkeeping! Three lucky winners will be chosen at random to win either a print or digital subscription, we will ask the winners what their preference is when we contact them to inform them that they are one of the lucky three. If you already have an active subscription, fear not, you won’t miss out. We will just add the year on to the end of your current subscription.
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If you want a reminder of who won what in 2025, you can still see the full list of winners on our website.