Fish Stores?

[JMetaxas]

Charlie was the owner of Marine Inverts in Milford... he was a great guy. Had a party at the store after hours and drove off the road on the way home... real shame.. he’s not forgotten by many of us from the old days..

RIP Charlie..

I liked that guy. It was the early days of Reefing. Florida live rock was $10/lb. I used to see people come in after payday, buy a 10lb rock and drop a G-note.

 

[VSVP bet]

Im from Stamford...

Fishbowl Pets in Stamford - Limited selection but always has great healthy fish, probably the most healthy Ive seen anywhere. Tony can order you anything...
Life Aquatic - Owner is Randy, he has good fish and frags, he just recently moved, once his operation is at full force again, will probably be better than ever.
House of Fins - I really like the staff and have good relationships with a few of the sales guys, expensive but quality, they get in the coolest colonies.
Greenwich Aquaria - Also have good relations with this store, always bring in frags for credit. Greenwich Aquaria had the best frags IMO.

 

[White Monkey]

I have had a great experience every time I go to Max Reef Aquatics in Bridgeport which I noticed nobody has mentioned.

They've got a ton of options for used equipment. A large variety of fish and inverts. They'll special order stuff and maintain/build aquariums for their customers. They also have a really clean/ organized set up. Kevin there is a great guy.

Shout out to Wetpets in Vernon too. They're wonderful there. Steve is really a pleasure to talk to.

I'm not a big fan of Aquatic Wildlife CO, they can go kick rocks if you ask me. Bad attitudes, one big marine system, their fish are always sick and they're pricey.

I really enjoy Blake's Aqua Den too. Theyve got a couple staff that are really passionate about the hobby.

 

[ibob991]

Maxreef left a bad taste in my mouth when I would constantly ask them to order me in lrs frozen food and they would never have it in stock. Now I get it from wet pets and I recently spoke with Blake's and it's possible they will be able to carry it.

 

[Skydvr]

Reach out to Larry if you are having issues getting LRS at your LFS.
He’ll work with them to make sure they have it in stock and stock it properly. He knows how to work the supply chain so he isn’t missing out on sales.

I wish I knew about Max Reef last weekend. I was out that way and checked out a few stores.

I stopped at House of Fins. Man are they pricey. Good quality livestock, though the tanks are a bit crowded, which leads to some aggressive behaviors and shredded fins. I think the sales team works on commissions. I know their clientele is high end service contracts, the average reefer is not their typical customer. $75 for a single high fin goby is out of my price range when you can get mated pairs with a comensel shrimp for not much more than that. It was nice to see actual colonies for sale.

 

[pjb9166]

+ 1 for Aqua Dreams. Chris is Awesome. Definitely on top of his game. Active in running his store with the hobbyist in mind. Checkout AD's monthly specials on their website. My to go to store especially for corals.

Emmons Tropical Fish in Simsbury. Can't say enough about them. I've been dealing with Steve since the early 80's. Recommend them for fish.

Both stores have successfully passed the test of time 20+ years. As for some of us more seasoned hobbyists "older" . We have seen so many stores close and fall to the waist side. Got to ask yourself why? Why can shops like the one's mentioned stay in business for So long?

 

[ScottB]

What part of CT you in? If you are in Fairfield county area, Exotic Fish and Corals in Milford CT, and Life Aquatic in New Canaan. Greenwich Aquaria and House of Fins both in Greenwich.

Stop on by Life Aquatic in New Canaan. I have a bunch of acro & monti & zoas and running out of room. Randy & I would love to see you; it is obviously a little quiet these days, with folks just "grab and go" for fish food.

Greenwich Aquaria has 15-20 of my pieces too.

And thank you for the shout out.
scott