SPS Dominated Reef Aquarium at a Local Fish Store

Most aquarium hobbyists have their preference as to where they purchase livestock. Some have a favorite local fish store (LFS) they frequent, while others venture into the online world and browse from thousands of different stores. Regardless of your personal choice though, both the LFS and the online retailer are there to turn a buck, and both have their drawbacks and benefits.

The LFS

Most towns have a local fish store. Some are great sources of livestock, drygoods, and knowledge, while others not so much. The stores can range in size from a small place with a few staff members, to a huge facility crawling with aquarium nerds. Regardless of a place’s size, the store serves many distinct functions. For one, many aquarium keepers buy their livestock and drygoods there. Additionally, the store might be a vast source of knowledge. Chatting with patrons of the store, or even employees, can help expand your aquarium knowledge. But I must warn you to take any advice with a grain of salt. Some employees may not always give out the best advice, and some may even give you advice with the intention of trying to make a sale. So be careful. Another aspect of the local fish store is that they are also a place for likeminded individuals to hang out and bounce ideas off of each other. Hobbyists are drawn to the store like moths to a light. And naturally congregating hobbyists will interact, gawk at the livestock in the store, and chat with the store’s staff. Additionally, the store itself may interact with the community. Many stores join local aquarium clubs as sponsors, hold sales, and host events. Despite the immediate benefits of the local fish store, there are numerous drawbacks. For one, they are limited in their livestock and equipment selections. The store has a limited target audience and, to keep costs down, won’t keep a lot of items in stock or order rare livestock. Additionally, the store’s expenses are typically greater than an online vendor, further limiting the in-stock equipment and livestock. The local aquarium store will also have higher prices, again this being the typical case. The operating costs of the store force owners to keep prices slightly above those of most online stores.

Online Aquarium Retailers

For those who have a limited number of “brick and mortar” fish stores in the immediate area, the online store might be the best, or only, choice available. Online stores typically have lower operating costs, since they don’t have a storefront, and can offer products at lower prices. Another benefit is the shopper has access to a huge variety of fish, corals, and invertebrates. No longer does the shopper have to drive from store to store looking for a particular fish or piece of equipment. They can click away, moving from site to site with ease.

Wild Orchid Favia from ReefExotic.net

The downside to using online retailers is the inability to see or hold what you are purchasing. This is more of a problem when purchasing livestock, as color morphs and health status are unable to be seen. Some online stores get around this with “what you see is what you get” pictures of the actual livestock being sold. This alleviates some issues, but others still persist. Another of those issues being shipping. Livestock has to be shipped overnight, which could add $20-40 to an order of a single specimen. The shipping is also quite stressful to the animal. Frags could RTN during the trip, fish could die. Though these are serious issues, they can be avoided when the retailer packages things properly. Finally, the last issue with online stores is that you cannot see the livestock’s living conditions. The seller might have great photography skills or may even enhance images, making the process worse.

Regardless of your personal choice of stores, it’s wise to select a responsible retailer. Pick a store who takes care of their livestock, provides great customer service, and gives back to aquarium communities. Don’t just shop for price, but look for quality stores.

DIYReef.com has announced that it will be going out of business. They will be discounting clearance items up to 40% off, with 10% off on other products. Of course the guys at DIYReef won’t be ordering new product, so you’ll have to buy from whatever they have left in stock.

I took advantage of the discounts by purchasing a Reef Fanatic Dual Gauge CO2 Regulator, Reef Fanatic 10 lb CO2 Aluminum Tank, and some CO2 airline tubing and all for under $200.

Hate to see this happening to another aquarium products retailer.

So, for his great customer service, George at GEO gets an A+ in my book. The reactor itself is built like a tank and I can’t wait to get it up and running on my future reef aquarium.

ReefExotic.net is an online retailer who primarily deal rare exotic livestock. In fact, if you take a look at their Rare Exotics collection, I guarantee you’ll be blown away. If you don’t believe me, take a look for yourself.

Browse other sections of ReefExotic.net as well, including the stunning SPS Corals, gorgeous LPS Corals, and the Invertebrates including Tridacna clams. ReefExotic.net also sells Drygoods and Supplements as well.

So, if you’re looking for stunning livestock found nowhere else, visit ReefExotic.net.

I have been blown away by Tunze USA’s customer service. They have a great reputation for a reason…they deliver spectacular service and back up their products 100%. Roger has been aweseome and has answered every email and question within an extremely short time frame.

So, if you are ever on the fence about purchasing a high end aquarium pump/powerhead…choose Tunze. Not only are their products well built and of good quality, but their customer service is amazing. These guys will treat you right.

Thanks For Everything Roger.

Aquarium Specialty Logo

Aquarium Specialty (www.aquariumspecialty.com) is one of my personal favorite online retailers and I’ve had an overwhelmingly positive experience with them on every single order placed. My relationship with them began much like many of you would start a relationship with a retailer…by a single test order. I was looking to purchase a ZEOvit startup kit in order to experiment with the ZEOvit system. I searched around on various websites, but found myself coming back to Aquarium Specialty because of their lower prices and very professional looking website. I was able to gather a few members from my local aquarium club (www.marshreef.com)and sent an email to Scott Groseclose (owner of Aquarium Specialty) telling him what I wanted to do. He responded to my email within minutes and even setup a checkout code for the group buyers to use when they made their orders so that he could lump them together and ship them out to one person, being me of course.

When the order arrived I was amazed at how well the items were packed. Nothing was damaged, despite some of the items being 4-foot long T5HO light bulbs. I immediately sent Scott an email and told him of the successful shipment. But not only was my initial impression a positive one, but every order I have placed with Aquarium Specialty has arrived in perfect condition and in superb time. One order I placed actually got here by the next day, despite me not selecting overnight shipping.

Another huge plus to using Aquarium Specialty is their providing of tracking numbers so you can estimate when your order will arrive. Every order I ever placed would be followed by a tracking number being sent to my email.

Overall, Aquarium Specialty is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the online retailers out there. They have superb customer service and a massive product selection at very competitive prices. I highly recommend using them for whatever you decide to order.

If you do place an order with them, tell Scott that I recommended Aquarium Specialty. I don’t get anything out of it, but I just want to show Scott how great of an impression he left on me.

My name is Brandon Klaus and I’m the administrator for this blog. I am a marine biologist, but plan on adding other authors to the blog so that we can examine the wonderful world of aquariums through many different perspectives. If you are interested in joining the ranks, please email me and tell me more about yourself.

It is my goal to introduce and discuss several topics related to saltwater fish, corals, and equipment, as well as techniques to improve your skills in the tank.

We are here to help you further your knowledge of the saltwater aquarium hobby and to promote conservation through proper husbandry and aquaculture.