Asheville NC

[crossroads of sanity]

Hey guys, embarrassing to say but I started a thread just like this looking to see if there is anyone local. I currently do all my shopping at skips reef and he is awesome. But I would love to do some trading and buying from hobbyists as well.

 

[Pvtgloss]

Hey guys, embarrassing to say but I started a thread just like this looking to see if there is anyone local. I currently do all my shopping at skips reef and he is awesome. But I would love to do some trading and buying from hobbyists as well.

I'm in Hendersonville. I've been to skips reef but I do most my purchasing online.

 

[Mas0n]

Cool thread! Also in the area, I'll have to check out Skips.

 

[badsmitty]

I would warn anyone from getting anything from savage reef
I bought some zoas from him in March and I still haven't received the zoa's or a refund

 

[Kingd3v0n]

Are you ready for frags yet? I might have some things you want. I am In fletcher

I'm ready! Still have frags?

 

[sdgwc6]

I’m in Sylva and our LFS actually has a tiny saltwater section. Everything they get sells super quickly and I really don’t want to buy anything from the next closest place - Petco. One of the employees there said never to buy rocks or corals from them because they all have pests and they make them vacuum the sand every couple of days. What the heck kind of ecosystem is that?! I haven’t made it down to Skips but I see and hear good things. What has anyone heard about Aquarium and Imports off Hendersonville rd? I’ve been ordering online and just eating the $40-50 shipping but gosh it would be nice to have something more than six little tanks of stuff to pick from.

 

[john_ob]

I’m in Sylva and our LFS actually has a tiny saltwater section. Everything they get sells super quickly and I really don’t want to buy anything from the next closest place - Petco. One of the employees there said never to buy rocks or corals from them because they all have pests and they make them vacuum the sand every couple of days. What the heck kind of ecosystem is that?! I haven’t made it down to Skips but I see and hear good things. What has anyone heard about Aquarium and Imports off Hendersonville rd? I’ve been ordering online and just eating the $40-50 shipping but gosh it would be nice to have something more than six little tanks of stuff to pick from.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I’m not here to tell you to avoid shopping at your LFS with the small saltwater section, but I know the place you’re referring to. All I’ll say is: proceed with caution and quarantine everything!

During my first visit there, I bought a clownfish that seemed perfectly healthy, but within hours of acclimation, it developed severe tail rot and died in less than 48 hours. My second purchase included a few chromis and two PJ cardinals, and the next day, my tank was covered in velvet, wiping out nearly all my fish. I was able to save only two, which I transferred to a copper-treated hospital tank.

When I went back to the store to discuss what happened and check on their stock, I found all the saltwater tanks were empty, with the lights off. After talking to the staff, they confirmed that velvet had wiped out their stock as well. Despite this, they refused to offer any apology or reimbursement, pointing to a sign stating all saltwater fish sales are not guaranteed. That was the last time I shopped at Fish and More.

I learned some valuable lessons from that experience: nothing goes into my display tank without being quarantined, and I’ll never shop there again.

I've never been to Aquarium and Imports, but Skip's is great! While they don’t have a huge selection, everything I’ve bought from them has been top quality. They keep all their fish in full-strength copper treatment, and each tank has a QR code providing details like where the fish came from, when it was caught, and when the store received it. They also regularly bring in new stock and will place special orders if you’re looking for something specific. Their fish prices are reasonable, though coral prices tend to be a bit higher.

If you’re up for the drive to Skip’s, consider going a little further in the opposite direction toward Alpharetta. There are a few nice stores there, with Pure Reef being my absolute favorite. It’s now my go-to store, huge is an understatement, beautifully maintained, and offering an unbeatable selection of fish and corals. Like Skip’s, they also quarantine their fish in copper.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I'm ready! Still have frags?

Idk how willing to drive you are, but I've got dozens of toadstool coral babies I'd happily give you. Located in Durham.

 

[John Neuzil]

Great stores in Knoxville and its really not very far.

 

[d6s]

I would warn anyone from getting anything from savage reef
I bought some zoas from him in March and I still haven't received the zoa's or a refund

Yeah definitely. Most of my coral’s early on in my tank came from him. He didn’t include a chunky bob marley Zoa in one of my shipments and then sold me an expired (by 7 years) Red Sea test kit.

When I called him out on it he blocked me on FB.

 

[Kingd3v0n]

Idk how willing to drive you are, but I've got dozens of toadstool coral babies I'd happily give you. Located in Durham.

I don't make it to Durham often. But thanks for the offer!

 

[badsmitty]

Yeah definitely. Most of my coral’s early on in my tank came from him. He didn’t include a chunky bob marley Zoa in one of my shipments and then sold me an expired (by 7 years) Red Sea test kit.

When I called him out on it he blocked me on FB.

He blocked me too after he told me I was stealing food from his children’s mouth

 

[BigAl07]

GREAT thread! I Can't believe I've missed it this long!!!

I'm located in Haywood County (zero LFS here). I've met a couple of local reefers here in Haywood recently and one of them has an AMAZING coral system that will hopefully be making a TON of frags soon.

Knoxville TN has a couple of GREAT lfs but since I-40 is closed at the NC/TN line the 60 minute trip is now 180min.

Jefferson City TN has "The Coral Reef TN" which is am awesome small store packed with livestock (FW, SW, Corals, Inverts etc) and they are also Sustainable Aquatics which is a huge PLUS!! It's about a 25min drive off of I-40 but WELL worth the trip. Unfortunately the SA facility isn't open to the public but their affiliation with The Coral Reef means they have a direct line to great Aquacultured stock!!

If anyone in WNC is looking for frags and willing to drive to Haywood County, let me know and I can get you in contact with the local guy with an AMAZING system here.

 

[john_ob]

GREAT thread! I Can't believe I've missed it this long!!!

I'm located in Haywood County (zero LFS here). I've met a couple of local reefers here in Haywood recently and one of them has an AMAZING coral system that will hopefully be making a TON of frags soon.

Knoxville TN has a couple of GREAT lfs but since I-40 is closed at the NC/TN line the 60 minute trip is now 180min.

Jefferson City TN has "The Coral Reef TN" which is am awesome small store packed with livestock (FW, SW, Corals, Inverts etc) and they are also Sustainable Aquatics which is a huge PLUS!! It's about a 25min drive off of I-40 but WELL worth the trip. Unfortunately the SA facility isn't open to the public but their affiliation with The Coral Reef means they have a direct line to great Aquacultured stock!!

If anyone in WNC is looking for frags and willing to drive to Haywood County, let me know and I can get you in contact with the local guy with an AMAZING system here.

Welcome to the thread! It’d be great to see more active members from our area join, but I guess that’s just part of living the rural mountain life. I’m always on the hunt for new interesting pieces for the tank. Huge bonus if I don’t have to drive hours to track them down!

 

[BigAl07]

Welcome to the thread! It’d be great to see more active members from our area join, but I guess that’s just part of living the rural mountain life. I’m always on the hunt for new interesting pieces for the tank. Huge bonus if I don’t have to drive hours to track them down!

Shoot me a PM and I can message you his contact info and you can reach out to him directly.

Allen in NC :)

 

[Mas0n]

What kind of frags @BigAl07? Would be nice to have some local options!

Glad to know there are some WNC reefers around.

 

[BigAl07]

What kind of frags @BigAl07? Would be nice to have some local options!

Glad to know there are some WNC reefers around.

He has a TON of Colonies, mini colonies, and some already fragged. He has LPS, SPS, and some softies. It's an impressive setup and a GREAT resource to have here in the same town (Canton) and me.

Allen in NC

 

[Reeferonreefer]

So if I start a WNC reef club you folks might be down to join? I'm thinking monthly meets at a restaurant, quarterly frag swaps at either a venue or member's house. If there's already a reef club I'm not aware of by now, of course let's join that, but it sounds like someone needs to put up a website and get one going...

 

[Mas0n]

So if I start a WNC reef club you folks might be down to join? I'm thinking monthly meets at a restaurant, quarterly frag swaps at either a venue or member's house. If there's already a reef club I'm not aware of by now, of course let's join that, but it sounds like someone needs to put up a website and get one going...

There's a few on FB that are kind of inactive.

But I'd be down to hangout and talk tank with others from the area.

 

[babyhuey]

Id love to join a local club if there is a wnc one? i recently joined the Charlotte one as I didnt think there was one locally