Where are the really nice saltwater fish/coral stores in the Upper Midwest...?

[salty150]

Where are the really nice saltwater fish/coral stores in the Upper Midwest...?

Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, etc...

Every LFS seems to look (and feel) the same... smaller(ish), old, cluttered, crowded, humid, etc...

Are there any really nice ones - kind of like World Wide Corals in Orlando, FL...

Just the retail side - not the farm, etc...

It is newer, clean, organized, etc...

Anything sort of like that in the Upper Midwest...?

 

[salty150]

I'll take that as a no... lol

 

[hoffmeyerz]

Lol....
I'm in Michigan (if that wasn't obvious already) and I'm still looking for a really good solid lfs. I've been around much of the state and they're all like you already described, pretty disappointing actually.
I'll follow along as I'd love to see what else is out there!

 

[V A R I A N T]

I'll take that as a no... lol

Sure, because it’s not possible your post got lost in the hundreds of posts made everyday!

If you’re headed to Minneapolis, you should visit Reef Collective and New Wave Aquaria. Zach and team at Reef Collective are fun, love to chat about reefing, and they’re going through a large expansion at the moment. At New Wave, if you watched the BRS videos hosted by Jen, she is the owner of New Wave and has a shop packed of reefing goodies.

And, you might even pop in to Bulk Reef Supply in Golden Valley. They allow car side pickup of items and if you ask, they might even give you a tank tour of the office.

Good luck on your search!

 

[StatelineReefer]

A few of my select LFS, being originally from Illinois and now escaped to Wisconsin.

Badgerland, Beloit, WI - This is exactly the type of 'older' store you mention, but not because it wants to be. Jerimiah is in the process of bringing the store into the future. It's not a matter of what he has, but what he can acquire, This is the older fish store where if you know what you want, the owner knows where to get it for you, no matter what it is. The charm of these older stores is that they have, over time, fostered many wide reaching connections, and friendships, over the years. I realize that might now be what you're looking for though, so I give you....

Blue Line Coral, Naperville, IL - Blue line coral is what I would consider a modern store. Very good selection of corals and fish, provided you go on the right day. The owners and staff are very well versed in coral, fish, and tank chemistry, and have even taught me a thing or two on occasion. Their stock is healthy, and cycled through constantly, make no mistake, you can go there one day and they can look as though they've had a fire sale, and likely they have, the next day, their tanks will be filled with life and color. Very popular store, and with good reason.

Beyond The Reef, Schaumberg, IL - I used to love this place to death, now I just wish it would go away like the relic it is. They are in the process of modernizing however, and that is refreshing to see. Good supply of livestock of all types. Prices are typical Chicago though, high and not justified. It's an option, but it's not the best option.

Reef Plus, North Aurora, IL - A mix of the modern and old, Very nice, easy to maneuver layout, good stock of dry goods and reefkeeping equipment, amazing stock of inverts and fishes, a little lacking on the corals, though this will change depending on what's come in on the most recent shipment. Owner is active in the community and wants to see you succeed, isn't just selling you a bag of water with dollar signs in it.

Sea Escapes, Elgin/South Elgin, IL - This place had so much potential, and they still do, I just feel that the kids they have staffing it might not be the best solution for them. Their selection is incredible, but the greenhouse is underutilized. Still worth checking out if you're in the area.

Aquatics Unlimited Greenfield, WI - THIS is the store you're thinking of. Wide selection of both fresh and saltwater, good livestock, and PRE-CONDITIONED AND QUARANTINED! Of course, you're paying pre-conditioned and quarantined prices... so, there's that. Staff are educated in the ways of the waterkeeper, and that's always refreshing to see. They're pretty far away from me, and I've been there once. I was disappointed that they didn't have what I needed, but it was good to see what they did have, and what they knew, and what they were doing.

 

[RyanN]

Beyond the shore aquatics in Muskegon MI is really nice. It is small and it's in the mall but the quality of the corals and the prices are pretty good. There are basically no dry goods and not a ton of fish but this store is so much nicer than anywhere else I've been.

 

[Seansea]

Im in flat rock mi and there is a place near me that is old as hell and behind a house but is one of the coolest reef stores you will see. Its called tropicorium and if you drive too fast you'll cruise right past it. Its been there for something like 45 years and big vats that are old as that and at this point might as well be the ocean. Sharks cruising around in them and a 25 year old queen angel fish. Dude has good prices on stuff. I picked up a nice war coral yesterday for 15 bucks and hammer for 30. Id have to cough up more dough and pay for shipping to get alot of this stuff online. He doesnt carry alot of the really rare sps stuff though if that is what your after.

 

[piranhaman00]

Reef collective in MN

 

[dwest]

Im in flat rock mi and there is a place near me that is old as hell and behind a house but is one of the coolest reef stores you will see. Its called tropicorium and if you drive too fast you'll cruise right past it. Its been there for something like 45 years and big vats that are old as that and at this point might as well be the ocean. Sharks cruising around in them and a 25 year old queen angel fish. Dude has good prices on stuff. I picked up a nice war coral yesterday for 15 bucks and hammer for 30. Id have to cough up more dough and pay for shipping to get alot of this stuff online. He doesnt carry alot of the really rare sps stuff though if that is what your after.

I used to drive 4 hours to go to tropicorium. This is waaaayyy back 25 ish years ago.

 

[Seansea]

I used to drive 4 hours to go to tropicorium. This is waaaayyy back 25 ish years ago.

I was in there yesterday and there were people from all over the state and some from indiana He had $40 rbtas that have insane colors.

 

[Reeflix]

Where are the really nice saltwater fish/coral stores in the Upper Midwest...?

Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, etc...

Every LFS seems to look (and feel) the same... smaller(ish), old, cluttered, crowded, humid, etc...

Are there any really nice ones - kind of like World Wide Corals in Orlando, FL...

Just the retail side - not the farm, etc...

It is newer, clean, organized, etc...

Anything sort of like that in the Upper Midwest...?

this not where you are butttt... i agree. most are small cluttered ect. my fish store (elite reef) has a completely different feel. very clean organized bright and great selections. if you are ever in CO check it out!

 

[Reeflix]

its in kind of a warehouse but i doesnt look like that

 

[hoffmeyerz]

I used to drive 4 hours to go to tropicorium. This is waaaayyy back 25 ish years ago.

I was in there about a year ago and it was NOT what it used to be. Many of the tanks were so dirty I couldn't even see in them, I was so disappointed cause I read so much about it. Granted it was neat to look in some of the large pools but I was not comfortable buying anything from there. Maybe I'll check it out again if it has gotten better....hope so!

 

[dwest]

I was in there about a year ago and it was NOT what it used to be. Many of the tanks were so dirty I couldn't even see in them, I was so disappointed cause I read so much about it. Granted it was neat to look in some of the large pools but I was not comfortable buying anything from there. Maybe I'll check it out again if it has gotten better....hope so!

Yep, if I’m thinking right, the owner (Dick Perrin?) may have gotten into some trouble and maybe new owners??

 

[marcinpolak]

A few of my select LFS, being originally from Illinois and now escaped to Wisconsin.

Badgerland, Beloit, WI - This is exactly the type of 'older' store you mention, but not because it wants to be. Jerimiah is in the process of bringing the store into the future. It's not a matter of what he has, but what he can acquire, This is the older fish store where if you know what you want, the owner knows where to get it for you, no matter what it is. The charm of these older stores is that they have, over time, fostered many wide reaching connections, and friendships, over the years. I realize that might now be what you're looking for though, so I give you....

Blue Line Coral, Naperville, IL - Blue line coral is what I would consider a modern store. Very good selection of corals and fish, provided you go on the right day. The owners and staff are very well versed in coral, fish, and tank chemistry, and have even taught me a thing or two on occasion. Their stock is healthy, and cycled through constantly, make no mistake, you can go there one day and they can look as though they've had a fire sale, and likely they have, the next day, their tanks will be filled with life and color. Very popular store, and with good reason.

Beyond The Reef, Schaumberg, IL - I used to love this place to death, now I just wish it would go away like the relic it is. They are in the process of modernizing however, and that is refreshing to see. Good supply of livestock of all types. Prices are typical Chicago though, high and not justified. It's an option, but it's not the best option.

Reef Plus, North Aurora, IL - A mix of the modern and old, Very nice, easy to maneuver layout, good stock of dry goods and reefkeeping equipment, amazing stock of inverts and fishes, a little lacking on the corals, though this will change depending on what's come in on the most recent shipment. Owner is active in the community and wants to see you succeed, isn't just selling you a bag of water with dollar signs in it.

Sea Escapes, Elgin/South Elgin, IL - This place had so much potential, and they still do, I just feel that the kids they have staffing it might not be the best solution for them. Their selection is incredible, but the greenhouse is underutilized. Still worth checking out if you're in the area.

Aquatics Unlimited Greenfield, WI - THIS is the store you're thinking of. Wide selection of both fresh and saltwater, good livestock, and PRE-CONDITIONED AND QUARANTINED! Of course, you're paying pre-conditioned and quarantined prices... so, there's that. Staff are educated in the ways of the waterkeeper, and that's always refreshing to see. They're pretty far away from me, and I've been there once. I was disappointed that they didn't have what I needed, but it was good to see what they did have, and what they knew, and what they were doing.

+1 for blue line coral!

 

[Seansea]

Yep, if I’m thinking right, the owner (Dick Perrin?) may have gotten into some trouble and maybe new owners??

His son runs it now.