Southern California LFS's

[Fishumms]

In Los Angeles the three places I go to are Allan's on Lincoln between Rose and Venice, Medusa on Pico just east of Bundy, and Koyoto on Wilshire east of Wilcox. Koyoto is run by this old man, and he is hard to understand, and the place is difficult to navigate, but if you go and are patient you will be there all day and end up with so much info and stuff.

[LedxZep]

Nature Aquarium has some nice stuff and amazing looking tanks, but the prices seem too overpriced... He was selling SS grade crystal red shrimp for $30 a piece. Although i do like that he sells ada stuff and has good pieces of driftwood.

[ZID ZULANDER]

If you dont support the local stores they will not be around very long. There are ways to see about a discounted price is offered without insulting people. Sometimes it doesnt hurt to ask but the way its done and the price offered is something to consider.

[Mudman]

Checked out Nature Aquarium yesterday- it was a long drive in traffic. But worth it.

It was nice to see the ADA and Do!Aqua tanks in person, they are quite nice. I was very impressed over all by the shop, the dude had some really nice planted tanks!

Price was up and down on a lot of things. Some were higher than usual- but other things were a fair price. I found prices to be a little bit better then Tongs Tropical Fish. The guy there was very friendly and polite. He was very knowledgable as well.

There were some VERY nice pieces of driftwood. Price on it was higher than expected, however the next time I cruise by there- I will pick some up.

[Black Mamba]

getting back into the hobby again.

four years ago i had a sweet 80 gallon tank with 24 jumbo cardinal tetras, 12 pseudomugil furcatas and 6 congo tetras, not to mention a good amount of amano shrimp.

i'm going to be doing a 70 gallon rimless cube this time but since the last time i was into this stuff, a lot of the good quality stores have closed their doors.

anyone know where i can find any sort of pseudomugils (furcatus, signifer or gertrudae) and quality cardinals in my local area (Huntington Beach)? or any LFS store in OC that sells more unique fish/inverts?

[xmas_one]

Anybody hit that place on Hindry in Inglewood? I used to go there a lot when I was into reefs years ago. I remember they had stuff you couldn't find at your average LFS..

[chris.rivera3]

Hey Dan! are you talking about aquatic outlet??? i was there a few weeks ago and IMO they haven't been keeping up with freshwater stuff...however, they have amazing reef/saltwater stuff

Originally Posted by xmas_one

Anybody hit that place on Hindry in Inglewood? I used to go there a lot when I was into reefs years ago. I remember they had stuff you couldn't find at your average LFS..

[Black Mamba]

So after reading about Nature Aquarium from posts and reviews on other sites, my friend and I went to check it out. It was a bit of a drive from HB to Santa Monica but it was well worth the drive. Toru the owner was very personable and informative. He has three of the most beautiful planted tanks I've ever seen in a store. He had some fish that I've never seen before like Asian rummy noses and a type of goby who's name I forget. He had a lot of gertrudaes and furcatas along with some galaxy rasboras that looked really sweet. I ended up picking up some ADA Amazonia substrate, soil and powder there since my only other option was getting it online. Toru also had really nice Seiku rocks but IMO they were very pricey ($6 per lb). I ended up getting a cheaper alternative at a rock yard not too far from there...50lbs for $8.

All in all Nature Aquarium was as good as advertised. You may be able to get certain things cheaper online but I like supporting LFS. They are becoming more rare to come by but nothing beats getting valuable information like I did from Toru.

[astrosag]

I read through a lot of the posts but not all so I apologize if this is redundant.

I usually go to Tong's and then a much smaller, simpler one on Hacienda in La Puente.

Though Tong's is nice, I haven't found a store with a great plant selection. Rarely see any mosses. Can't find Dwarf Riccia anywhere and haven't seen any HC.

Am I missing something here?

If anyone can guide me to the right place, I'd really appreciate it!

[ZID ZULANDER]

I know that Tongs in Fountain valley gets some HC once in awhile. It just depends on when they get their plants in. As for the other items you probably will not find them at either location. Nature Aquarium in Santa Monica should have at least a few moss type plants and possibly the Dwarf Riccia. You could always post a WTB ad in the SNS for what you are looking for. I am sure that someone will have what you are looking for.

[astrosag]

Thanks Zid, it looks like I'll have to do exactly as you say. I've been to a couple reputable LFS that haven't even heard of Dwarf Riccia!

Most of them, however, are more on the cichlid tank and saltwater tank side.... I haven't met many that are as involved in planted tanks.

[lamthuyduong]

Went to Tong's Tropical Fish in Whittier, Ca. I was looking for Anubias for my tank. They had two tanks with plants. Mostly broad leaf Anubias and java fern. No rare plants. Not a big selection.

[kuni]

Nature Aquarium is great. When I visited LA and stopped there, I saw fish (and plants) that I've never seen in any retail store since.

[jameslibtech]

I agree Nature's Aquarium is an awesome little ADA place, the owner Toro is a little quiet but once you engage him, he is a wealth of information. He has beautiful iwagami show tanks set up as well as some other beautiful display tanks and a great selection of plants and community tank fish. Other fav is Jim's exotic fish...not the most amazing fish selection or plant selection, but overall the associates make it what it is.

[fizzout]

I just visited Lotus Aquarium in Lawndale (14704 Hawthorne Blvd) and I think this place has great potential. Apparently, they just opened within the last year and they are getting the business going. Since this place is close to me in the South Bay, it will be quite convenient for me. Their inventory is still spotty, but they did have a good variety of fish and products.