Who lives the closest & farthest from a saltwater fish store? What do you do if you live FAR away?

How far away from a saltwater fish store do you live?

  • 0 - 5 miles

    Votes: 197 30.3%
  • 6 - 25 miles

    Votes: 237 36.5%
  • 26 - 50 miles

    Votes: 98 15.1%
  • 51 - 100 miles

    Votes: 61 9.4%
  • 101 - 150 miles

    Votes: 21 3.2%
  • 151 - 250 miles

    Votes: 14 2.2%
  • 250 miles+

    Votes: 14 2.2%
  • 500 miles+

    Votes: 1 0.2%
  • 1000 miles+ (you better post in the thread)

    Votes: 2 0.3%
  • 2500+ miles (where the heck are you)

    Votes: 5 0.8%

  • Total voters
    650

McPuff

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I live about 10 minutes from saltwater aquarium stores. Are they good... no. Realistically, I live about an hour and a half from good ones. Thankfully Wisconsin has some very good coral suppliers and shipping for online orders is always easy.

I just wish Madison had some better aquarium stores in general.
Madison used to have a few stores but it's been a while. Surprising that they still can't support a good store there.

In SE Michigan I've got quite a few to choose between, and the one I frequent the most is only a mile away.
 

Swede Reef

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I am luck to have a local saltwater store with large selections. Never know what you might find. It has been here for a long time. The Fish Store must be the oldest one in Atlanta, GA. For corals there are several places less than 20 miles away.
 

Swede Reef

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I am luck to have a local saltwater store with large selections. Never know what you might find. It has been here for a long time. The Fish Store must be the oldest one in Atlanta, GA. For corals there are several places less than 20 miles away.
Not counting petco.
 

Schraufabagel

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Madison used to have a few stores but it's been a while. Surprising that they still can't support a good store there.

In SE Michigan I've got quite a few to choose between, and the one I frequent the most is only a mile away.
A few are still listed on google maps but went out of business either during covid or the months prior. The ones left standing are Petsmart (barf) and other local shops such as Animart that are middle of the road at best
 

daileyo

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Technically there are a couple of fish stores withing 5 miles of me. However, I don't count them (yet) because:
  • One is a chain; and this chain location does not take care of or stock there saltwater pets. Generally the tanks are always empty, and when they aren't I feel bad for the inhabitants of the tank
  • The other is a smaller store that has fresh water; and is starting to get salt water. They look promising, but just aren't there yet.
For now I travel about 120 miles to get to larger towns that have a good variety of LFS that have a good selection that is kept in stock and cared for.

I can get overnight packages, but I haven't ordered much online yet. If a good LFS were to be closer to me; I'd probably be further along with having coral going in my tank. Between initial struggles and the distance to get good starts, I am more delayed in getting things like coral going in my tank.
 
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Silentreefer

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I live in hawaii so if we are talking coral and fish, which i assume we are since this is r2r, im about 2500 miles away from the nearest fish store lucky i live hawaii lol
 

Steve Marshall

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I’m very fortunate. I’m in between WWC and Top shelf aquatics. 1.5 miles from each store.
 

LPS Bum

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I'm about 12-15 min from a LFS that I really like. Solid prices and pretty healthy livestock, which I really appreciate. It's a family business too, which I really like. Selection and stock is an issue though, so other than frozen fish food, it's hit or miss when it comes to buying a fish or coral.
 

Bruce Burnett

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Closest is about 2.5 hours away. I don't consider petco to be a sw fish store but have been using them more than I thought I would. 3.5 hrs away are more and then 5.5 hours away there are over a dozen but to far for a single day trip.
So 2.4 hours to Vegas, 3.5 to Phoenix, 5.5 to orange county California and 7hr so San Diego I actually have immediate family in all those locations. So I don't have to do a round trip same day.
 

Karen00

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Bout 40 minutes to closest LFS, so not too bad. In and out of Toronto daily ( 1 1/2 hr drive) so often stop on way home and usually spend all kinds of money lol.
Anyone on the site a massive distance away with a reef? Antarctica lol?
Which one do you go to? Candy Corals is the closest one to me in Toronto.
 

Karen00

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I have a ten-hour round trip drive to Edmonton for the closest LFS -- about 1000km of driving for mysis and the like. The only way to do this is to make a day of it, but I still end up driving in the dark on two lane highways with logging trucks and moose, which is certainly not ideal, and especially in wintry weather. In addition to Human Emergency Equipment, I always travel with Fish Emergency Equipment, including styrofoam coolers, heat packs, extra bags, and I even have a small pump with a USB port.
Which pump do you have with a usb port? I lived in Alberta as a child so I know how it can get remote pretty quickly out that way!
 

Karen00

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I live about 14 mi/23km from a dedicated reef shop that has a great selection of everything. The problem is I have to deal with some of the worst traffic to reach it. Sometimes I feel like I'm driving to the other side of the world it can take so long! Haha. There are others slightly beyond it but it's the same traffic!
 

rtparty

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The store I visit is about 50 miles away. There is only one other store closer than that that I would even step foot in at this point and I've never been there. I find it far easier to shop online and overnight it in (as long as they don't use FedEx.)

I would support a LFS in a heartbeat if any of them were worth my time and money.
 

davidcalgary29

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Which pump do you have with a usb port? I lived in Alberta as a child so I know how it can get remote pretty quickly out that way!
It's a micropump that I got off of Amazon. I was originally going to thread it through the spout of a spigot to make a no-drill cocktail jarquarium (complete with sexy shrimp!) but keep it around the car so I can use it in emergencies with a cigarette lighter USB port.
 

P-Dub

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1. How close to a saltwater fish store do you live? Tell us about it! ~6,200miles and at least 3-4 flights spanning about 24 hours or more depending on flights. It's a tiny little island out in the middle of the western Pacific.

2. If you live FAR away how FAR are you? ~6,200miles.

3. For those that live too FAR away from a LFS to drive or to even get an overnight package how is reefing affected by the distance? It is tough sometimes, particularly getting any equipment sent here.
 
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Karen00

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It's a micropump that I got off of Amazon. I was originally going to thread it through the spout of a spigot to make a no-drill cocktail jarquarium (complete with sexy shrimp!) but keep it around the car so I can use it in emergencies with a cigarette lighter USB port.
Nice! Thanks! That's going to get added to my already massive Amazon list! Haha. Jeff Bezos owes me a free trip on his Blue Origin for all the money I spend with him. LOL
 

ying yang

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I put 0- 5 miles as live about 4 miles from a national company but after I told them about " you have aiptasia in that tank over there " and managers reply was yeah we know but don't worry about it and every saltwater tank will get one eventually ,now I know this maybe the case but it was at begginning of setting my first saltwater tank and as scared would get all nasty pests on everything I was of the thinking everything needed quarantined and if this store didn't even make effort to remove big big aiptasia from their tanks then I stay away.
So lfs I been using is in next town to me about 8- 9 miles away but have a few lfs in or around my city from 6- 12 miles away probably about 4 and probably around 20 lfs in a 30-40 miles radius so got alot to choose from tbh
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 72 51.8%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 70 50.4%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 35 25.2%
  • None.

    Votes: 31 22.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.5%

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