Pets of Windsor in Plainsboro NJ (don't have the address) Is a good little mom and pop run place who know thier stuff on fish and have a good selection for thier size. (609) 936-0110
LFS in your area
- Thread starter Needeles
- Start date
i went to this place today and it was great. i think it deserves another recommendation! all the staff are very friendly and educated. they also seem to have a huge variety of nice healthy fish and the prices arent taht bad - buy 2 get 1 free on most freshwater fish!
and what i would recommend is
Royal Aqua World Inc.
815 65th Street
Brooklyn NY 11220
(718)238-0918
they dont care much about costumer service as much as Pacific Aquarium but they have nice planted show tanks and very healthy fish. they have everything you need for a basic aquarium setup.
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Petland
10500 Ulmerton Rd. Suite 506
Largo, Fl 33771
I happen to be the kennel manager at that store, and I do alot of work in the fish department, and we do alot of work to keep that fish section in tip top shape. With lots of healthy fish. We can order tons of fish even if it's not in stock in our tanks. The owners also own half of the Tampa branch if your ever in that area. Sadly...I don't know the physical address of that store though.
10500 Ulmerton Rd. Suite 506
Largo, Fl 33771
I happen to be the kennel manager at that store, and I do alot of work in the fish department, and we do alot of work to keep that fish section in tip top shape. With lots of healthy fish. We can order tons of fish even if it's not in stock in our tanks. The owners also own half of the Tampa branch if your ever in that area. Sadly...I don't know the physical address of that store though.
well, I hit a ton of shops recently in northwest IL area, so thought I'd post some reviews.
Rockford:
Petland
open 7 days a week
small chain store
tropicals and saltwater
pro's- relativly clean, staff seem to know something. selection is decent, a few uncommon things, and a decent hardware slection. A good place to check out.
cons- The only place on my list where I spotted an obvious disease (ich). Petsmart has about as much.
Rochelle
Abby and Maries
they were having their going out of buisness sale when i stopped in
Oregon
A perfect Parrot
Pro's- decently clean, nice people
con's - its a bird shop with some fish and fish supplies. VERY little selction, no saltwater
Mt Morris
Angies aquatic atrium
Pro's-detailed descriptions on tanks, individual tank filters
cons- Not a lot of selection, severe algea problems, no saltwater
Sycamore
Pets and More
Pro's-they have fish
cons- small selection, tattoed and dyed fish. Dead fish in tanks. fe lables, many incorrect. The petco in dekalb is nicer, and theres a new petsmart opening, i'd go there first. the betta's were mostly dead. no saltwater
Sterling
Petland
open 7 days a week
Pros- lots of sales, buy one get 1 free tuesdays. new store, very clean.
Cons-Smaller then the Rockford store, not a lot of selection, no saltwater
Shark's cove
open 7 days a week
pros- some saltwater, but most fo the tansk were empty. a bit more hardware then some stores. A few things I don't see often like rummynose tetra's
cons-not a whole lot of selection, empty tanks. can be difficult to find, its in the kmart plaza.
Quad Cites shops
Davenport
Aquatic Envroments
Fresh and Salt
not open sundays
Pro's- this place is very nice. they managed to cram a lot into a very limited space, all while keeping everything in top form. the betta's have compartments in the main tanks so are filtered and headed. excellent selection of saltwater and coral. Staff seem knowledgable and talked a customer out of more fish. hardware sleection a mix of the normal and soem high end stuff including hoods/lighting. This place is worth visiting.
Cons- small and somewhat cramped. no eheim products.
Petmart
pros- lots of tanks
cons-many tanks were empty. not a lot of selection. A few dead fish and the Betta's were mostly dead or near dead.
Rock Island
Roe Aqurium & pet Co
closed sundays
Fresh only
Pros- Incredible selction of Cichlids, many of them breeding pairs. Been in buisness a long time, has a 24 yr old prehistoric catfish. Good slection of foods. If your looking for african's, this is a good place to go. Lots of larger fish as well and a number of them on sale.
cons-first impression is rather disapponting, until you look at the fish, then you ignore the hardware.
Moline
Pet Depot
closed sundays
salt and fresh
Pros- big selection, including some rarer stuff like greenfire tetra's, amny angels and a number of pleco's. A few breeders as well, and a very good selection of cichlids. They also sell bio-spira. Well worth checking out.
cons- average selection of hardware and lower then average food selection. Someone on staff seems knowledgable, Unfortunatly, I didn't find them. although they have salt, the selection is limited.
Rockford:
Petland
open 7 days a week
small chain store
tropicals and saltwater
pro's- relativly clean, staff seem to know something. selection is decent, a few uncommon things, and a decent hardware slection. A good place to check out.
cons- The only place on my list where I spotted an obvious disease (ich). Petsmart has about as much.
Rochelle
Abby and Maries
they were having their going out of buisness sale when i stopped in
Oregon
A perfect Parrot
Pro's- decently clean, nice people
con's - its a bird shop with some fish and fish supplies. VERY little selction, no saltwater
Mt Morris
Angies aquatic atrium
Pro's-detailed descriptions on tanks, individual tank filters
cons- Not a lot of selection, severe algea problems, no saltwater
Sycamore
Pets and More
Pro's-they have fish
cons- small selection, tattoed and dyed fish. Dead fish in tanks. fe lables, many incorrect. The petco in dekalb is nicer, and theres a new petsmart opening, i'd go there first. the betta's were mostly dead. no saltwater
Sterling
Petland
open 7 days a week
Pros- lots of sales, buy one get 1 free tuesdays. new store, very clean.
Cons-Smaller then the Rockford store, not a lot of selection, no saltwater
Shark's cove
open 7 days a week
pros- some saltwater, but most fo the tansk were empty. a bit more hardware then some stores. A few things I don't see often like rummynose tetra's
cons-not a whole lot of selection, empty tanks. can be difficult to find, its in the kmart plaza.
Quad Cites shops
Davenport
Aquatic Envroments
Fresh and Salt
not open sundays
Pro's- this place is very nice. they managed to cram a lot into a very limited space, all while keeping everything in top form. the betta's have compartments in the main tanks so are filtered and headed. excellent selection of saltwater and coral. Staff seem knowledgable and talked a customer out of more fish. hardware sleection a mix of the normal and soem high end stuff including hoods/lighting. This place is worth visiting.
Cons- small and somewhat cramped. no eheim products.
Petmart
pros- lots of tanks
cons-many tanks were empty. not a lot of selection. A few dead fish and the Betta's were mostly dead or near dead.
Rock Island
Roe Aqurium & pet Co
closed sundays
Fresh only
Pros- Incredible selction of Cichlids, many of them breeding pairs. Been in buisness a long time, has a 24 yr old prehistoric catfish. Good slection of foods. If your looking for african's, this is a good place to go. Lots of larger fish as well and a number of them on sale.
cons-first impression is rather disapponting, until you look at the fish, then you ignore the hardware.
Moline
Pet Depot
closed sundays
salt and fresh
Pros- big selection, including some rarer stuff like greenfire tetra's, amny angels and a number of pleco's. A few breeders as well, and a very good selection of cichlids. They also sell bio-spira. Well worth checking out.
cons- average selection of hardware and lower then average food selection. Someone on staff seems knowledgable, Unfortunatly, I didn't find them. although they have salt, the selection is limited.
LFS in Chicagoland Area
Store Name: Coral Reef Pet Center
Address: 7723 W Lawrence Ave, Norridge, IL 60706
Phone: (708) 456-0768
Good Selection of Freshwater and Saltwater. Great selection of Live Coral. Very knowledgable staff.
Decent Bird, reptile and small mammal selection.
Cons: Prices a bit higher than petsmart and pet supplies plus (but I guess it's worth paying more to have people that know what's what!)
Store Name: Coral Reef Pet Center
Address: 7723 W Lawrence Ave, Norridge, IL 60706
Phone: (708) 456-0768
Good Selection of Freshwater and Saltwater. Great selection of Live Coral. Very knowledgable staff.
Decent Bird, reptile and small mammal selection.
Cons: Prices a bit higher than petsmart and pet supplies plus (but I guess it's worth paying more to have people that know what's what!)
Nashville, Tennessee
The Aquatic Critter
Nolensville Road @ Tusculum Road
Nashville, TN 37211
http://www.aquaticcritter.com/Freshwater/freshwater.htm
The people there actually can explain the cycling process to newbies and they advise about buying the schooling fish in numbers. They even have sales for some of their tetras like six for $6 to discourage buying in smaller amounts. This is the only place in the Nashville area I am aware of that has knowledgable staff.
Stasia
The Aquatic Critter
Nolensville Road @ Tusculum Road
Nashville, TN 37211
http://www.aquaticcritter.com/Freshwater/freshwater.htm
The people there actually can explain the cycling process to newbies and they advise about buying the schooling fish in numbers. They even have sales for some of their tetras like six for $6 to discourage buying in smaller amounts. This is the only place in the Nashville area I am aware of that has knowledgable staff.
Stasia
Old Orchard Aquarium
9235 Skokie Blvd.
9235 Skokie Blvd.
Skokie, IL 60077
Phone (847) 675-3474
Oldorchardaquarium@sbcglobal.net
Store Hours:
Monday 11-7
Tuesdaythru Friday 11-8
Saturday& Sunday 11-5
http://www.oldorchardaquarium.com/
A great lfs that has tons of saltwater and freshwater stuff, staff is also knowledgeable and willing to help, best part of this place is the 2000 gallon shark pond they have.
http://www.oldorchardaquarium.com/
A great lfs that has tons of saltwater and freshwater stuff, staff is also knowledgeable and willing to help, best part of this place is the 2000 gallon shark pond they have.
The best place in the Rhode Island area is:
Aqua-Life Aquarium
401-331-5376
389 Wickenden St.
Providence, RI
www.aqualifecentral.com
They are a "Mom and Pop" outfit, and have been in the biz for over 30 years. Store is small, but tanks are clean and almost anything can be ordered on a weekly basis. A lot of knowledge and friendly "ease-of-mind" advice is top-notch.
Aqua-Life Aquarium
401-331-5376
389 Wickenden St.
Providence, RI
www.aqualifecentral.com
They are a "Mom and Pop" outfit, and have been in the biz for over 30 years. Store is small, but tanks are clean and almost anything can be ordered on a weekly basis. A lot of knowledge and friendly "ease-of-mind" advice is top-notch.
Puppy Center
[SIZE=-1]1148 New Britain Ave
West Hartford, CT 06110
(860) 232-8888
Pros - HUGE selection of fish, salt and fresh.
Cons - All the tanks are hooked up to a single filtration system when I sold my angel fish and couple of xl albino corys the staff was less then helpful. One claimed they don't buy fish (yet I called in advanced and they told me they always are buying fish granted the conditions are right) Another one simply took my fish from the plastic bag and dumped them into a tank..no ph check probably didn't even look at what kind of fish it was cause a medium size angel doesn't belong in a tank with a bunch of adult Cichlids! I went over to ask about how the ph levels were because I try and maintain a good level in my tank. He smiled at me and says "Oh i never check the ph! why should I?" I smiled and said i dont know i was just curious :mad2: ...RED FLAG LOL anywho it kills me to write this because I along with a couple others on this board visit there quite often but i was just floored at his comments.
Magic Pet Shop
1107 Silas Deane Hwy
Wethersfield, CT 06109
(860) 563-3836
Pros - Staff is simply amazing! I go there almost weekly and we bull**** for HOURS about fish and different tips/tricks/questions etc. Every tank has their own filter system and if you buy in bulk (close to 75 dollars and ^) they usually give you 10% off your final price. They also offer to order any fish your looking for with no problems. They order roughly 4 times a week
Cons - Prices are somewhat higher then most places and selection is sometimes low
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]1148 New Britain Ave
West Hartford, CT 06110
(860) 232-8888
Pros - HUGE selection of fish, salt and fresh.
Cons - All the tanks are hooked up to a single filtration system when I sold my angel fish and couple of xl albino corys the staff was less then helpful. One claimed they don't buy fish (yet I called in advanced and they told me they always are buying fish granted the conditions are right) Another one simply took my fish from the plastic bag and dumped them into a tank..no ph check probably didn't even look at what kind of fish it was cause a medium size angel doesn't belong in a tank with a bunch of adult Cichlids! I went over to ask about how the ph levels were because I try and maintain a good level in my tank. He smiled at me and says "Oh i never check the ph! why should I?" I smiled and said i dont know i was just curious :mad2: ...RED FLAG LOL anywho it kills me to write this because I along with a couple others on this board visit there quite often but i was just floored at his comments.
Magic Pet Shop
1107 Silas Deane Hwy
Wethersfield, CT 06109
(860) 563-3836
Pros - Staff is simply amazing! I go there almost weekly and we bull**** for HOURS about fish and different tips/tricks/questions etc. Every tank has their own filter system and if you buy in bulk (close to 75 dollars and ^) they usually give you 10% off your final price. They also offer to order any fish your looking for with no problems. They order roughly 4 times a week
Cons - Prices are somewhat higher then most places and selection is sometimes low
[/SIZE]
Aaron's Aquarium
1024 Stuyvesant Ave., Union, New Jersey
(908)-687-1771
http://www.aaronsaquarium.com/
Monday-Friday-10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m./Saturday-10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Sunday-10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
The store is very clean and has some beautiful fish, both freshwater and saltwater. Even though I have only been there a few times, I have not seen one sick or dead fish in any of the tanks. The tanks are very clean and none are overstocked. They also have aquarium kits, stands, and tanks for sale as well as fish foods, medications, test kits, etc. The people that work there are very nice. There are both exotic and common freshwater and saltwater fish. You can find any fish from a yellow tang to a stingray or a guppy to a discus. I would definitely recommend going to the store.
1024 Stuyvesant Ave., Union, New Jersey
(908)-687-1771
http://www.aaronsaquarium.com/
Monday-Friday-10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m./Saturday-10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Sunday-10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
The store is very clean and has some beautiful fish, both freshwater and saltwater. Even though I have only been there a few times, I have not seen one sick or dead fish in any of the tanks. The tanks are very clean and none are overstocked. They also have aquarium kits, stands, and tanks for sale as well as fish foods, medications, test kits, etc. The people that work there are very nice. There are both exotic and common freshwater and saltwater fish. You can find any fish from a yellow tang to a stingray or a guppy to a discus. I would definitely recommend going to the store.
