ontop27
Well-Known Member
Exotic yes but i only care about coral haha.
Philly Area LFS
- Thread starter Peeptoad
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OP
OP
Peeptoad
Community Member
We should do a fish crawl! (Kinda like a pub crawl but with Reef Stuff) here are the locations (Minus that pet place, tad bit far) if anyone would like to make a day of visiting fish places!
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/310...47810efaf2fa!2m2!1d-74.882299!2d40.122246!3e0
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/310...47810efaf2fa!2m2!1d-74.882299!2d40.122246!3e0
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I do this about once every three months on a day off hit every lfs I can
OP
OP
Peeptoad
Community Member
I checked out Hidden Reef and Fish Factory today.
Hidden Reef had a lot of dry goods as previously mentioned. Went to buy RedSea Algae control test kit (NO3 and PO4) but it was expired
and the last box, but the best price. Fish looked alright, Coral looked sad. I'll be going back to pick up the test when they get their shipment in.
Fish Factory- Not exactly clean. Lots of fish, pretty decent amount of coral. Nice display tank in the front. Wish I could see into the invert cubes to pick up a few snails/hermit crabs, but couldn't' and left. You can pick up a lot of used items there which was pretty cool. I don't know if I would go back, probably not.
I ended up going back to TSM Corals and picking up a hermit crab and a very nice leather coral, Emily is a saint to deal with me! Back to Aquarium center for some snails. I still gotta check out Sea Gem.
My Personal Preference of stores and why in order:
1. TSM corals - Fish, Corals, Staff, food. (I'll be back at least once a month now...)
2. Aquarium Center - Dry goods, Corals, Fish, Staff, live food
3. Reef to Rift - Fish, Staff, (dry goods - can be pricey)
4. Aquarium Specialties and Research - Corals, Staff
5. Mini Reef- Staff, specialty orders, frozen food, (coral - after close inspection)
6. That Pet/Fish Place - Dry goods, (coral, fish - maybe after close inspection)
7. Hidden Reef - Dry goods, (Fish - maybe after close inspection)
8. Fish Facotry - used items
9. Nemos - meh
Hidden Reef had a lot of dry goods as previously mentioned. Went to buy RedSea Algae control test kit (NO3 and PO4) but it was expired
and the last box, but the best price. Fish looked alright, Coral looked sad. I'll be going back to pick up the test when they get their shipment in.Fish Factory- Not exactly clean. Lots of fish, pretty decent amount of coral. Nice display tank in the front. Wish I could see into the invert cubes to pick up a few snails/hermit crabs, but couldn't' and left. You can pick up a lot of used items there which was pretty cool. I don't know if I would go back, probably not.
I ended up going back to TSM Corals and picking up a hermit crab and a very nice leather coral, Emily is a saint to deal with me
! Back to Aquarium center for some snails. I still gotta check out Sea Gem.My Personal Preference of stores and why in order:
1. TSM corals - Fish, Corals, Staff, food. (I'll be back at least once a month now...)
2. Aquarium Center - Dry goods, Corals, Fish, Staff, live food
3. Reef to Rift - Fish, Staff, (dry goods - can be pricey)
4. Aquarium Specialties and Research - Corals, Staff
5. Mini Reef- Staff, specialty orders, frozen food, (coral - after close inspection)
6. That Pet/Fish Place - Dry goods, (coral, fish - maybe after close inspection)
7. Hidden Reef - Dry goods, (Fish - maybe after close inspection)
8. Fish Facotry - used items
9. Nemos - meh
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2016
- Messages
- 5,348
- Reaction score
- 6,710
My three areI checked out Hidden Reef and Fish Factory today.
Hidden Reef had a lot of dry goods as previously mentioned. Went to buy RedSea Algae control test kit (NO3 and PO4) but it was expired
Fish Factory- Not exactly clean. Lots of fish, pretty decent amount of coral. Nice display tank in the front. Wish I could see into the invert cubes to pick up a few snails/hermit crabs, but couldn't' and left. You can pick up a lot of used items there which was pretty cool. I don't know if I would go back, probably not.
I ended up going back to TSM Corals and picking up a hermit crab and a very nice leather coral, Emily is a saint to deal with me
My Personal Preference of stores and why in order:
1. TSM corals - Fish, Corals, Staff, food. (I'll be back at least once a month now...)
2. Aquarium Center - Dry goods, Corals, Fish, Staff, live food
3. Reef to Rift - Fish, Staff, (dry goods - can be pricey)
4. Aquarium Specialties and Research - Corals, Staff
5. Mini Reef- Staff, specialty orders, frozen food, (coral - after close inspection)
6. That Pet/Fish Place - Dry goods, (coral, fish - maybe after close inspection)
7. Hidden Reef - Dry goods, (Fish - maybe after close inspection)
8. Fish Facotry - used items
9. Nemos - meh
Tsm
Aquarium center
Fish factory
And I have been to reef to rift and that's four
But the diffence between tsm and everyone else is is rediculous. And the only place I'll buy anything alive is tsm.
O next time u go there be sure to tell ray I was the one who sent ya please
OP
OP
Peeptoad
Community Member
I will!!! (They are waiting on an invert shipment, when they get cleaner shrimp back in stock I will be over there to pick one up.
apathium
New Member
Finally a topic I can actually contribute to! (well, contribute more than the average user) I've been to nearly LFS I could find in the past six months, and now have my favorites.
1) That Pet/Fish Place
Never been, but hoping to go sometime soon. One of the few places I haven't checked out in the area. Although, I have heard that the quality of the store has gone downhill in recent years, but I can't attest to this myself since I've never made the trip.
2) Reef To Rift
I've been here about 2-3 times now. First two times I couldn't find anything I liked, and the staff didn't seem that knowledgable. To be fair, I probably went there on their "off" days, so I haven't ruled this LFS out yet. On my third trip, I did end up purchasing a black and white ocellaris clown. When I bought him he was maybe 1.5 inches (roughly 4 months ago), and he's now 2.5 inches! crazy
3) Aquarium Center
Also been here a few times, maybe 4-6 over the past few months. Purchased a blue hippo tang from this lfs that died within 24 hours (yes, I drip acclimate!) so that was disappointing. Also bought a yellowtail damsel from here that was doing really well for a solid month before he kicked the bucket. Staff seems really knowledgeable here, no dead fish / funny acting critters, and they have a good selection of coral frags. I'm hoping that my bad experience with livestock from here is a fluke.
4) MiniReef
Never been, but looks worth a trip at some point. Haven't heard much about this lfs though honestly.
5) The Hidden Reef
Have yet to go to this lfs, but it's my next destination once I get time off work. Fellow aquarists in the area cannot recommend this place enough and have been pushing me to go for a while. I'm excited to try it out!
6) That Fish Factory
Surprisingly have never heard of this place, so I can't comment. Based on others posters here though I'll take a look.
EDIT: did a quick google search and it turns out that yup, I have been here before. This store was a major disappointment only because it advertised itself as stocking both freshwater / saltwater livestock, but after making the 45 minute trek, it turns out they only stocked freshwater fish. (obviously I should've called before going there, duh).
7) Aquarium Specialties & Research
The owner of A.S.R. is a goldmine of information! I've visited A.S.R. twice now, and I recommend heading there if you are new to corals. Not much of a selection to be honest (beyond paired clownfish in a variety of species), but definitely check it out if you are looking for an anemone or some quality frags. (Bonus tip: if the owner still has them in stock, check out his rose BTAs! They are all splitters and I have a friend who now has six rose BTAs after purchasing one from A.S.R. about a year ago)
8) Captain Nemo's (note: recently rebranded as Natural Pet, given their fairly extensive dog/cat supply section)
This lfs gets such a bad rep, and—quite honestly—it's undeserved. If you haven't been here in the past 3 months, I would hold back from commenting negatively on this place, because it's really made a HUGE turn around recently. They have an excellent selection of dry goods, general aquarium equipment (got my protein skimmer from here ~ $50 cheaper than Amazon), as well as livestock. With livestock, check their Facebook page for updates on incoming shipments, because their orders can really vary.
I'd say about 80% of my current livestock actually came from Nemo's/Natural Pet, and none of them have perished nor introduced illness, etc. If you go, ask the cashier upon entering if you can speak to "The Fish Guy". I have NEVER met someone more knowledgable about saltwater aquariums than him! I visit the store at least once every 2-3 weeks just to chat with him about my tank/fish (he remembers regular customers / the particulars of their tanks), as well as to get some advice whenever problems arise. A few months back, he pointed me in the right direction when treating a serious ich outbreak by advising me to pursue hyposalinity as my course of treatment, as well as telling me not to bother purchasing any of the store's ich medications as they wouldn't resolve a thing. He actually cares about the livelihood of your reef tank and its inhabitants, rather than his role as "salesman". [unfortunately, I have no idea what his real name is -- oops!]
re: aiptasia epidemic at Nemo's -- they actually resolved this about a month ago by introducing none other than copperband butterfly fish! I fell in love with one while visiting and he's been doing extremely well in my tank ever since (he's living the high life on a diet that's 95% live brine, lol).
last thing re: Nemo's -- in the spirit of fairness, don't bother purchasing any frags from here. In my experience they are all pretty overpriced, and there isn't that wide of a selection compared to other lfs stores in the area.
1) That Pet/Fish Place
Never been, but hoping to go sometime soon. One of the few places I haven't checked out in the area. Although, I have heard that the quality of the store has gone downhill in recent years, but I can't attest to this myself since I've never made the trip.
2) Reef To Rift
I've been here about 2-3 times now. First two times I couldn't find anything I liked, and the staff didn't seem that knowledgable. To be fair, I probably went there on their "off" days, so I haven't ruled this LFS out yet. On my third trip, I did end up purchasing a black and white ocellaris clown. When I bought him he was maybe 1.5 inches (roughly 4 months ago), and he's now 2.5 inches! crazy
3) Aquarium Center
Also been here a few times, maybe 4-6 over the past few months. Purchased a blue hippo tang from this lfs that died within 24 hours (yes, I drip acclimate!) so that was disappointing. Also bought a yellowtail damsel from here that was doing really well for a solid month before he kicked the bucket. Staff seems really knowledgeable here, no dead fish / funny acting critters, and they have a good selection of coral frags. I'm hoping that my bad experience with livestock from here is a fluke.
4) MiniReef
Never been, but looks worth a trip at some point. Haven't heard much about this lfs though honestly.
5) The Hidden Reef
Have yet to go to this lfs, but it's my next destination once I get time off work. Fellow aquarists in the area cannot recommend this place enough and have been pushing me to go for a while. I'm excited to try it out!
6) That Fish Factory
Surprisingly have never heard of this place, so I can't comment. Based on others posters here though I'll take a look.
EDIT: did a quick google search and it turns out that yup, I have been here before. This store was a major disappointment only because it advertised itself as stocking both freshwater / saltwater livestock, but after making the 45 minute trek, it turns out they only stocked freshwater fish. (obviously I should've called before going there, duh).
7) Aquarium Specialties & Research
The owner of A.S.R. is a goldmine of information! I've visited A.S.R. twice now, and I recommend heading there if you are new to corals. Not much of a selection to be honest (beyond paired clownfish in a variety of species), but definitely check it out if you are looking for an anemone or some quality frags. (Bonus tip: if the owner still has them in stock, check out his rose BTAs! They are all splitters and I have a friend who now has six rose BTAs after purchasing one from A.S.R. about a year ago)
8) Captain Nemo's (note: recently rebranded as Natural Pet, given their fairly extensive dog/cat supply section)
This lfs gets such a bad rep, and—quite honestly—it's undeserved. If you haven't been here in the past 3 months, I would hold back from commenting negatively on this place, because it's really made a HUGE turn around recently. They have an excellent selection of dry goods, general aquarium equipment (got my protein skimmer from here ~ $50 cheaper than Amazon), as well as livestock. With livestock, check their Facebook page for updates on incoming shipments, because their orders can really vary.
I'd say about 80% of my current livestock actually came from Nemo's/Natural Pet, and none of them have perished nor introduced illness, etc. If you go, ask the cashier upon entering if you can speak to "The Fish Guy". I have NEVER met someone more knowledgable about saltwater aquariums than him! I visit the store at least once every 2-3 weeks just to chat with him about my tank/fish (he remembers regular customers / the particulars of their tanks), as well as to get some advice whenever problems arise. A few months back, he pointed me in the right direction when treating a serious ich outbreak by advising me to pursue hyposalinity as my course of treatment, as well as telling me not to bother purchasing any of the store's ich medications as they wouldn't resolve a thing. He actually cares about the livelihood of your reef tank and its inhabitants, rather than his role as "salesman". [unfortunately, I have no idea what his real name is -- oops!]
re: aiptasia epidemic at Nemo's -- they actually resolved this about a month ago by introducing none other than copperband butterfly fish! I fell in love with one while visiting and he's been doing extremely well in my tank ever since (he's living the high life on a diet that's 95% live brine, lol).
last thing re: Nemo's -- in the spirit of fairness, don't bother purchasing any frags from here. In my experience they are all pretty overpriced, and there isn't that wide of a selection compared to other lfs stores in the area.
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Hidden reef has improved thier lighting on the coral selection. I stop in when I am in the area.
Reef to Rift has an excellent fresh water selection. If I was doing a fresh water planted tank I would be there often. Not much for salt but everything looks healthy. I have bought fish here and fish food.
Something fishy in Northampton is wonderful. Only salt. It is a drive from Philadelphia.. up to bethlehem area, but if you are considering that pet place as a destination, this should be on the list. Large selection of coral and fish. They also sell mail order. I try to do all of my buying here. (they have trident in stock)
Coral Lust is new in Pheonixville. Clean store, worth a try.
Captian Nemo… I do stop in occasionally due to location The shark tank is sad.. but what are you going to do.. it would cost money to run it and money to get rid of it. I am just glad we have another local store. Staff is friendly
Reef to Rift has an excellent fresh water selection. If I was doing a fresh water planted tank I would be there often. Not much for salt but everything looks healthy. I have bought fish here and fish food.
Something fishy in Northampton is wonderful. Only salt. It is a drive from Philadelphia.. up to bethlehem area, but if you are considering that pet place as a destination, this should be on the list. Large selection of coral and fish. They also sell mail order. I try to do all of my buying here. (they have trident in stock)
Coral Lust is new in Pheonixville. Clean store, worth a try.
Captian Nemo… I do stop in occasionally due to location The shark tank is sad.. but what are you going to do.. it would cost money to run it and money to get rid of it. I am just glad we have another local store. Staff is friendly
Stopped into coralust this week. The store looks nice, but the selection of livestock is very lacking. Lots of higher end gear, probably a great place to go if you're starting a new tank.
Aquarium Specialties and Research is a definite favorite. Lots of coral, not so many fish, but everything looks healthy. Mike only stocks what he can reasonably sustain / sell. I'd rather choose from a more limited stock of healthy corals and fish than have my pick of unhealthy livestock.
Aquarium Specialties and Research is a definite favorite. Lots of coral, not so many fish, but everything looks healthy. Mike only stocks what he can reasonably sustain / sell. I'd rather choose from a more limited stock of healthy corals and fish than have my pick of unhealthy livestock.
hexcolor reef
Valuable Member
I thank you guys for making this list. I have a question about TSM Aquatics. Is it still active store? I tried calling and texting the number to see if the store is open for walk ins but no answer. Stores hours seem to be only for Saturday one day out of the week. anyone know if the store location is still active
Yes TSM aquatics is open on Saturdays for walk ins. I was there last month and left with a few things.
I was just at Cpt Nemo's/Natural Pet and the store is closing/moving to Fairless Hills. It sounds like they are associated with another chain of pet stores and moving to another pet stores location in Fairless Hills? I'm not quite sure.
I was just at Cpt Nemo's/Natural Pet and the store is closing/moving to Fairless Hills. It sounds like they are associated with another chain of pet stores and moving to another pet stores location in Fairless Hills? I'm not quite sure.
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