Age is the first question with lampeyes
Ask the fish shop how old their Norman's lampeyes are before anything else, because age changes the value of this purchase more than with most small fish. Lampeyes are relatively short-lived, so a school of mature adults may give you only a short season of display, while younger fish offer a much longer run. A shop that buys in young stock and can say so plainly is giving you the most useful fact about the tank in front of you.
Follow by asking where the fish were bred and how long they have been in the shop. Locally bred lampeyes that have settled and fed in store for a while are a safer buy than a batch that arrived days ago. If the shop cannot answer either question, treat the fish as unknown age and condition and price your risk accordingly.
Ask about the water they are swimming in
Ask what temperature the Norman's lampeyes are kept at in the shop, and whether the tank is heated. These fish come from warm West African waters, and a school held too cool colours down and becomes vulnerable. Knowing the shop temperature lets you match your home tank before the fish arrive rather than correcting conditions after a stressful move.
Ask about hardness, pH, and how often the shop changes water in that system. Lampeyes suit a fairly wide range once acclimated, but a sharp difference between shop water and your tap water calls for a slow drip acclimation at home. The shop's answers tell you how gradual that first evening needs to be.
Ask what they eat and how the school is behaving
Ask what the Norman's lampeyes are currently feeding on, and whether they take dry food readily. Some lampeyes arrive shy about prepared foods and need small live or frozen offerings at first. Knowing the current diet lets you buy the same food for the first week, removing one variable while the school settles into your tank.
Then watch the school while you talk. Healthy lampeyes hold together in open water, eyes bright, fins spread, rising eagerly when food appears. Ask whether the tank has been treated for anything and whether any fish have been lost from it recently. A straight answer, plus a school that looks active and even, is a far better sign than a discount on fish that hang listlessly at the surface.
Ask about school size, tankmates, and guarantees
Ask how many Norman's lampeyes make a confident school in a tank your size. In too small a group these fish turn shy and washed out, and males cannot spread their attention naturally. A knowledgeable shop will name a proper group rather than selling you a pair, and will warn you that lampeyes jump, so your lid needs to fit without gaps.
Ask which tankmates they would avoid, since small, peaceful lampeyes lose out to boisterous or fin-nipping companions and to anything large enough to eat them. Finally, ask about the shop's policy if fish die within the first days, and keep your receipt and a home water test result. Recording where the school came from and how it started matters for its future care, and KinsLe Transferrable Profiles lets that lampeye history, records, and routines transfer intact to a new owner if the fish are ever rehomed.