San Francisco's best "planted tank" store

[KDahlin]

Originally Posted by iroc

So I just left AF and they did the unthinkable TOOK DOWN THE MAIN WINDOW TANK. it was one of the most fantastic tanks I had ever seen, and now it is no more. Actually they were taking down 3 or 4 tanks while I was there and I got to talk to them about how they plant etc, so it was worth it.

Wow! George sold me some plants out of that on Monday, I had no idea it would be gone. I hope they didn't take down the one by the middle aisle.

[Roc]

Middle aisle tank hadn't been touched but they had taken down 2 of the smaller tanks against the wall as well.

So I have a question to the other bay area ppl, have you ever noticed how Anti ADA Justin from Ocean Aquarium is, I mean he must have spent 25 min taking down there systems the other day and telling me how he has tanks going to 10 years with no filters and small 3000k twist in compacts. He keep saying that ADA doesn't creat eco systems and they don't understand fish and plants and how they go together. He said the words rip-off at least 12 times. Anyone else ever had this convo with him?

[Haeun]

Maybe because it takes away all the business.

But in honesty, it's true that ADA is very expensive. Sure, I fork over the money because the tanks offer an aesthetic value no one else can give and AS because of that extra edge, but if I was just interested in just keeping an ecosystem and not in aesthetics, I could see where he's coming from. But hey, I'm a design freak and I'm willing to pay the extra to have it look nice.
Plus, my mom won't allow anything ugly in the house.

I wish I was in NorCal with all those cool planted tank stores.

[Roc]

Originally Posted by Haeun

Maybe because it takes away all the business.

But in honesty, it's true that ADA is very expensive. Sure, I fork over the money because the tanks offer an aesthetic value no one else can give and AS because of that extra edge, but if I was just interested in just keeping an ecosystem and not in aesthetics, I could see where he's coming from. But hey, I'm a design freak and I'm willing to pay the extra to have it look nice.
Plus, my mom won't allow anything ugly in the house.

I wish I was in NorCal with all those cool planted tank stores.

I don't think they compete for the same business, what most ppl do is goto AF and get some vision, maybe buy some hard to find plants so if they have money some ADA products, then they go right over to Ocean and buy fish since Justin has wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more fish the AF.

[kiwik]

The Ocean one has very nice store owners, especially the lady. Although whenever i get home, i always see some kind of algae on the plants i bought there. I end up always using just half of it (healthy parts). The stunted growth in his tanks actually look pretty cool cuz they're so small. lol. he has some fish in the back that ive never seen in any other fish stores in sf. Once, i was buying some plants and driftwood and a whole bunch of stuff, it was spose to be like 40 dollars. i told the lady i only had 35, and to give me a discount, and she actually gave me the stuff for 35. Another time, she gave me some willow moss, for free. i think it was for free....since she asked her husband in chinese if it's alright to just give it to me to "play" with. LOL maybe i look too much of a little kid to her.

[Momotaro]

When is the last time anyone has been to Albany Aquarium?

I am coming out in a couple of weeks and since I was unable to visit Albany last trip was thinking of stopping there this trip.


Mike

[Roc]

Originally Posted by Momotaro

When is the last time anyone has been to Albany Aquarium?

I am coming out in a couple of weeks and since I was unable to visit Albany last trip was thinking of stopping there this trip.


Mike

I was there on Saturday, got some great deals, funny how I get treated like someone who knows what they are doing now that Tom Barr left some plants there for me to pick up........

They have the same set-up they have had for years and have recently farmed out at lot of the plants from they show tanks including a huge java fern which must have had 300 leaves.

[cmax916]

Hello,

A friend of my was at AF last this past Friday and she told me that there are a bunch "Black" color plants. Does anyone know what those plants are?

[bigstick120]

yes a dead one!

[cmax916]

No, I don't think they are dead. Anyone else?

[Roc]

When I was there they had some very dark purple cripts I think they were Cryptocoryne beckettii maybe thats what they saw

FYI AF has broken down all there tanks within the last 2 months and started over

[cmax916]

Ok, my friend said the mystery black plant looks like a Tropical Hornwort type or Eriocaulon setaceum type.

thanks!

[Fish on Fire]

I would love to go check those places out, I can only use public transportation from UC Berkeley though. XP Which means the stores have to accessible by the BART. XP I would probably get lost trying to find the stores . . .