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Ok thanks. I think I'll map out alittle trip for when I leave work I can go over there and check out those stores.
LFS in Michigan
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Ok thanks. I think I'll map out alittle trip for when I leave work I can go over there and check out those stores.
here he is inspecting the moss ball i got. he was really convinced for a while it was food, i kept nibbling on it and swimming around it, like he was trying to find the opening.
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LOL nice puffer!
just wanted to give an update, stopped by fantastic fins this weekend (havent been by in like 9 months) and for this area i have to say they have hands down the best fish selection. lots of discus and different plecos, plus there trying to stock a wider variety of shrimp and nano fish now too, plus just a good selection of other fish. they didnt have much in the way of plants however. overall worth checking out if you in the area.
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They're a shady looking store but their discus and plecos are very impressive. Have yet to see better
- Mumford
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Thanks for the update. Did you by chance notice how their selection on Angelfish was? Especially on the types of Angels that they had? Was thinking about making making a trip to the area to check them out. Thanks.
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i didnt pay much attention, they did have some but as to what types im not sure they were young ones though. maybe an inch or two in diameter. Alot of there fish were juveniles, they also were getting more fish in yesterday but no clue as to what.
ya i know what ya mean about them looking shady, i must of drove past there store for over a year before i stopped in cause from the road they looked out of business lol. but the guys working there seemed pretty knowledgeable and were helpful. unlike some places they actually knew what plants shrimp and fish we were talking about and if they had them or when they might get some.
ya i know what ya mean about them looking shady, i must of drove past there store for over a year before i stopped in cause from the road they looked out of business lol. but the guys working there seemed pretty knowledgeable and were helpful. unlike some places they actually knew what plants shrimp and fish we were talking about and if they had them or when they might get some.
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I've been there once and I was impressed with the employees and the store which when I drove 45 min to 1 hour to go there at first I was thinking I hope this is worth it. I wish I it wasn't that far from me because I would go there more often. When I go to the local auctions I always see someone with a fin shirt.
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If it a tall kind of skinny guy then that is dale he know tons of suff about plecos.
I work in Troy and Live in Sterling Heights. I mostly focus on SW selection but for here I'll list what I've come across.
Atlantis fish shop: A good store. I've been in there 2-3 times to check stuff out and kill time on lunch break. Their FW selection is limited and their plants looked sort of rough. Their prices are good on dry goods and they have a good variety of substrates. Their SW selection is pretty good though coral prices are higher. The tall guy working there most of the time seems awkward, though somewhat knowledgeable. The store is clean.
Amazon Stingray: Right down the road from Atlantis, their stingrays are amazing. If I had the room for a large tank I would get one hands down. The lady there is really nice and I had a great conversation with her. It seems that they get shipments in regularly and the livestock looks in good health.
Kees Aquarium: Best LFS in the area IMO. Clean, helpful employees though sometimes a few of them come off quite arrogant. Good plant tank, healthy livestock, and overall a very enjoyable place to be.
Moby Dicks - awesome livestock, small store. I used to go here a lot when I lived in Auburn Hills. It gets really busy on weekends so you have to grab an employee to get service. Overall some very good employees though who are knowledgeable and overall really nice.
Tropical Fish & Pond (14 & Woodward): I'm conflicted about this place... Very nice reptile selection - some great looking geckos! I was also quite surprised with their really good prices. I spent a good amount of time in there checking out everything. The guy working - presumably the owner - was friendly and asked if I was looking for anything while he sorted out the decade old selection of books for sale. Regarding their fish, it was mixed. Some fish were really nice but most of the fish were only okay. Their tanks are mostly individually run using HOB power filters or under gravel filters. The result is quite a bit of noise - but the benefit is that any infections stay isolated. I found a few nice full grown fish for good prices. Those can be harder to find. That being said the place was totally gross. I'm not easily grossed out but the place stunk. There were dried up fish underneath the tanks by the rocks. The tanks all had quite a bit of algae growing. A whole corner of the store was taken up by old crusty tanks waiting to be sold off. The plants were insufficiently lit. There is a larger SW system with like an 8ft trickle filter but it was covered up by old tanks. Interestingly enough I didn't notice many heaters. He keeps the place warm for the herps, but I felt a few of the tropical tanks were quite cold, 65-70 if I had to guess. But again the prices seemed quite good. They had some really cool spiders & scorpions. They even had tiny rose legged tarantulas for sale in sauce cups for $4. If it were my store I would spend my spare time cleaning it up and removing the hazards (by the SW filter there is a metal electrical conduit which has rusted through exposing the electrical wires - which looked wet). It just seems like the owner should spend more time keeping the place up.
Pet Haven (16 & Van ****): Owner seems nice. The tanks and inhabitants are in decent condition. Doesn't seem like a store for more advanced hobbyists but a decent place to get some fish for your kids. There are a bunch of little antiques and stuff in the front of the store.
Oceans & Seas (696 & Gratiot): I went there and their selection is good. It's a bigger store and they have a lot of fish. The employees are not so nice - the girls there pretty much ignored me. I bought a fish that was supposed to be on special - but the guy made me buy their membership deal to get the discount - which was also dumb because there was a coupon to join their membership club for free too... The tanks look a little dated, as do the shelves that support them (the inside in the places I checked didn't seem to be painted so the wood had fuzzies growing on them). Overall not a bad store though. I would certainly check them out.
I'll add more as my adventures take me elsewhere.
Atlantis fish shop: A good store. I've been in there 2-3 times to check stuff out and kill time on lunch break. Their FW selection is limited and their plants looked sort of rough. Their prices are good on dry goods and they have a good variety of substrates. Their SW selection is pretty good though coral prices are higher. The tall guy working there most of the time seems awkward, though somewhat knowledgeable. The store is clean.
Amazon Stingray: Right down the road from Atlantis, their stingrays are amazing. If I had the room for a large tank I would get one hands down. The lady there is really nice and I had a great conversation with her. It seems that they get shipments in regularly and the livestock looks in good health.
Kees Aquarium: Best LFS in the area IMO. Clean, helpful employees though sometimes a few of them come off quite arrogant. Good plant tank, healthy livestock, and overall a very enjoyable place to be.
Moby Dicks - awesome livestock, small store. I used to go here a lot when I lived in Auburn Hills. It gets really busy on weekends so you have to grab an employee to get service. Overall some very good employees though who are knowledgeable and overall really nice.
Tropical Fish & Pond (14 & Woodward): I'm conflicted about this place... Very nice reptile selection - some great looking geckos! I was also quite surprised with their really good prices. I spent a good amount of time in there checking out everything. The guy working - presumably the owner - was friendly and asked if I was looking for anything while he sorted out the decade old selection of books for sale. Regarding their fish, it was mixed. Some fish were really nice but most of the fish were only okay. Their tanks are mostly individually run using HOB power filters or under gravel filters. The result is quite a bit of noise - but the benefit is that any infections stay isolated. I found a few nice full grown fish for good prices. Those can be harder to find. That being said the place was totally gross. I'm not easily grossed out but the place stunk. There were dried up fish underneath the tanks by the rocks. The tanks all had quite a bit of algae growing. A whole corner of the store was taken up by old crusty tanks waiting to be sold off. The plants were insufficiently lit. There is a larger SW system with like an 8ft trickle filter but it was covered up by old tanks. Interestingly enough I didn't notice many heaters. He keeps the place warm for the herps, but I felt a few of the tropical tanks were quite cold, 65-70 if I had to guess. But again the prices seemed quite good. They had some really cool spiders & scorpions. They even had tiny rose legged tarantulas for sale in sauce cups for $4. If it were my store I would spend my spare time cleaning it up and removing the hazards (by the SW filter there is a metal electrical conduit which has rusted through exposing the electrical wires - which looked wet). It just seems like the owner should spend more time keeping the place up.
Pet Haven (16 & Van ****): Owner seems nice. The tanks and inhabitants are in decent condition. Doesn't seem like a store for more advanced hobbyists but a decent place to get some fish for your kids. There are a bunch of little antiques and stuff in the front of the store.
Oceans & Seas (696 & Gratiot): I went there and their selection is good. It's a bigger store and they have a lot of fish. The employees are not so nice - the girls there pretty much ignored me. I bought a fish that was supposed to be on special - but the guy made me buy their membership deal to get the discount - which was also dumb because there was a coupon to join their membership club for free too... The tanks look a little dated, as do the shelves that support them (the inside in the places I checked didn't seem to be painted so the wood had fuzzies growing on them). Overall not a bad store though. I would certainly check them out.
I'll add more as my adventures take me elsewhere.
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Your right in my area ajmckay. I work in Madison Heights. Where exactly is the Pet Haven store? Also thanks for the info on the other stores.
Pet Haven is at 16 (Big Beaver) and Van **** - by the Hockey store and Home Depot.
It's a smaller place but seems to always be open. I try to go to even the smallest places because you never know what you might find!
Also, for lunch today I stopped by Royal Tropical Fish & Brid (11 mile & Woodward) and I would have to say that I'm more than impressed with this store. IMO it ranks with Moby Dicks and Kees as one of the finest LFS in the area. Their fish selection is great (only FW), they have a wide variety of dry goods as well including decorations and rocks/driftwood & stuff. Their plants looked really nice. Their tanks are isolated individually, which as I mentioned before is kinda loud from all the filters running, but I feel good about them because I feel theres less of a chance of cross-tank contamination if some fish deveop an infection or get a parasite. I saw heaters in all the tanks. Their prices are pretty high. Some fish are double what you would pay at Petsmart/Petco or a cheaper LFS, but at the same time the fish looked noticeably healthier and I did not see a single dead/dying fish anywhere, not even close. Specifically, I compared Harlequin Rasbora to those I found at Petco and the ones at Royal were significantly more robust and had better coloring. Oh, and did I mention that the staff is awesome? Sue is apparently there most of the time and she's extremely friendly and knowledgeable. She gave me tons of info on Lovebirds while I was there.
It's a smaller place but seems to always be open. I try to go to even the smallest places because you never know what you might find!
Also, for lunch today I stopped by Royal Tropical Fish & Brid (11 mile & Woodward) and I would have to say that I'm more than impressed with this store. IMO it ranks with Moby Dicks and Kees as one of the finest LFS in the area. Their fish selection is great (only FW), they have a wide variety of dry goods as well including decorations and rocks/driftwood & stuff. Their plants looked really nice. Their tanks are isolated individually, which as I mentioned before is kinda loud from all the filters running, but I feel good about them because I feel theres less of a chance of cross-tank contamination if some fish deveop an infection or get a parasite. I saw heaters in all the tanks. Their prices are pretty high. Some fish are double what you would pay at Petsmart/Petco or a cheaper LFS, but at the same time the fish looked noticeably healthier and I did not see a single dead/dying fish anywhere, not even close. Specifically, I compared Harlequin Rasbora to those I found at Petco and the ones at Royal were significantly more robust and had better coloring. Oh, and did I mention that the staff is awesome? Sue is apparently there most of the time and she's extremely friendly and knowledgeable. She gave me tons of info on Lovebirds while I was there.
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Thanks I was Googling it and found it. I'm surprised that I haven't seen it in any of the searches that I have did in the past. When I leave here (work) I'll have to stop in and check it out.
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Well I visited Pet Haven which I agree the owner was nice and asked if I needed any help. I started typing about this place and then I deleted what I was going to say. It's not bad its just unique I guess you could say. Ajmckay you summed it up in your post about this store. Maybe it was me but it seemed like some of the tanks didn't have lights on.
So today I made my first purchase at Royal Tropical Fish & Bird (Woodward & 11 mile). They had some absolutely gorgeous rams. I saw them yesterday and today I decided I need one so it's chillin in my desk drawer until I go home.
I also visited The Aquarium Shop, which is off main st. a few blocks north of 11 mile in downtown Royal Oak. This store is set up similar to others in the area with individual tanks set up on racks and a bit of noise coming from all the filters. Not a bad thing at all. They're a smaller shop and they don't have quite the selection that others do, however, what I did notice were some pretty unique species that I've never seen at other stores before. So that's a huge plus in my opinion. One fish in particular that I had never seen before is the Odessa Barb which looked absolutely awesome and would be a good fish for my 20L but they are a little over my budget right now... They are on my list for future fish though.
This store seems to have great quality livestock and is a little bit cheaper than Royal Tropical but not much. Then again they only have fish so they are a little more specialized. They have a saltwater section as well again with some decently priced fish that looked healthy. I would recommend this store as well. The Employees are helpful and knowledgeable, the owner gave me his card. Another employee there also seemed to be adequately engaged in caring for the livestock and keeping things tidy.
Edit* I should also mention that their lables and prices were accurate and very easy to read. Not necessarily important, but nice.
I also visited The Aquarium Shop, which is off main st. a few blocks north of 11 mile in downtown Royal Oak. This store is set up similar to others in the area with individual tanks set up on racks and a bit of noise coming from all the filters. Not a bad thing at all. They're a smaller shop and they don't have quite the selection that others do, however, what I did notice were some pretty unique species that I've never seen at other stores before. So that's a huge plus in my opinion. One fish in particular that I had never seen before is the Odessa Barb which looked absolutely awesome and would be a good fish for my 20L but they are a little over my budget right now... They are on my list for future fish though.
This store seems to have great quality livestock and is a little bit cheaper than Royal Tropical but not much. Then again they only have fish so they are a little more specialized. They have a saltwater section as well again with some decently priced fish that looked healthy. I would recommend this store as well. The Employees are helpful and knowledgeable, the owner gave me his card. Another employee there also seemed to be adequately engaged in caring for the livestock and keeping things tidy.
Edit* I should also mention that their lables and prices were accurate and very easy to read. Not necessarily important, but nice.
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ajmckay
Did either of the stores have any plants? Also thanks for posting your thoughts.
Did either of the stores have any plants? Also thanks for posting your thoughts.
ya know this isnt a huge thing but i agree ive been in too many stores that the labels are either wrong or you can make it all out. its nice when a store takes a little time to do it right.
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Went to fantastic fins today got a cool hard to find not cheap pleco.
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I've never had of a "cool hard to find not cheap pleco" before. What is the L#?:hihi:
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