Watch out for City Pets. Let me just put it this way. I, personally, would not buy anything from them in which I relied on a guarantee nor would I buy anything from them for more money than I was willing to throw away. Had a very bad experience with them on a tank setup. I do buy odds and ends from them, though.
Fish Ranch is good. T & T Tropical Fish (or some such name) on Hwy 6 has a nice fish selection. Not the every day fish. Clean tanks, nice owner.
Do NOT spend a single penny at Pet Land off of Westheimer towards Hwy 6 side. They do deals under the table, pocketing the tax money. You get a hand written piece of paper as a receipt which means you have absolutely no warrantees whatsoever from anything you've purchased. If you buy from them, only use a credit card and require a receipt from the actual register (although, personally, I would not support that kind of business no matter what).
Just got my setup from Aquarium World. The saying about their high prices is true. They prove one thing for sure. You don't always get what you pay for. The products themselves are fine, but Dave is incredibly pushy and they have a very limited supply of equipment, fish and all (but lots of tanks and stands). Their knowledge is greatly lacking. Sold me Riccia, calling it "another kind of Java Moss". Yeah, mkay. Horrible setup. Do not have them do any actual work for you. You can do a much better job. They sent two girls over; couldn't pre-drill a hole for a screw; kept reaming it out. I finally had to do it myself. UV sterilizer installed cockeyed where air can get trapped. I will reinstall it myself. Didn't clean tank. Never did get it level even though I paid $235 for installation, stressing leveling. And to top it all off, finally got the steam cleaner out today to clean up their muddy footprints that they left and never cleaned up (as they promised). The girl with the muddy shoes didn't catch the simple hint of, "maybe it would be a good idea to take your shoes off so you won't track any more mud on the carpet?" Next time, I'll tell her to take her damn muddy shoes off! She kept them on, making more of a mess. Oh, well, the carpet needed to be steam cleaned, I guess.
Of all the store, Fish Ranch has been the best as far as honesty and quality. If they don't have it, ask, and they might get it for you. Laid back people. Know their stuff. Miss Charles (he's gone). New owner. They're installing a wonderful new plant section. Might be up by now.
Oh, and stay clear, clear away from Pets-R-Us in the Fountains (around Kirkwood/59). Bought some rocks and driftwood only to find out later it was USED. They pulled it out of some tanks they took down because the fish kept dying. Ack! I threw the wood/rocks away. Just not worth it.
Fish Gallery expensive. NO GUARANTEE ON FISH WHATSOEVER. Be aware of that. They've shorted me twice on fish now so count carefully. Be very particular as to which fish you get since there is no guarantee. They do get unusual fish in, but their prices are outrageous. Still, best place for plants. Would not buy a setup from them. Tried, but no one could quote me a price. After being told I'd be called back 4 times, but wasn't, finally got the manager. Then got a quote. They made Aquarium World look like a discount shop! They seem to know their stuff, but just count everything before leaving.
I'll give Mike's a try. Hadn't been there.
But I completely agree. For such a large city, the LFS around here have problems. I'd give anything for just a simple, friendly LFS close by.
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