So I went out today with the intention to make my weekly rounds to the local fish stores in my area. My route is usually:
Todd's
Reef N' Pond
Key's
Neptune's
I rarely visit Elite Reef because it is sooo far north for me and not near any other stores. I have also not been to Aquamart in about a year. I used to go there pretty often, but they just kept going down hill.
By that same respect Reef N' Pond has long been my go to place. I have always felt that the owner (Evan) was a pretty good guy. He always helped me out when I had questions or even lent me equipment when things went bad. Their coral selection was always decent as well, and I have purchased many colonies and anemones from them.
Now it is time for experience today. I started by heading over to Todd's, which it seems suddenly decided to close on Sunday even though they have always seemed to be pretty busy on Sundays. So I really started my adventure at Reef N' Pond.
WOW, what a dissapointment!!! Ever since Evan went back to China, that place has gone to the dump. The guys that work there are nice enough, but that is about all they have going for them right now. Their coral flats are over run with kenya trees, and everything looks pretty sad. The selection was downright pathetic, half of the tanks were full of cyano or red slime, and even the used equipment section (which I have bought many an item from) was full of nothing but junk. This place is going down hill FAST!!
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum was Aquamart. WOW, what a difference. I remember what it was like before. It was never HORRIBLE, but it was certainly not worth the drive on a regular basis. Despite my past experiences, I decided to make the trip today, and it was well worth it. They have really turned things around there. I was amazed at all of the selection they had. Their coral flats were completely full of incredible corals, and their fish selection was AWESOME. I even bought a Rainbow anemone that I have been looking for, for a while now.
I will definitely be changing my route to add Aquamart and remove Reef N' Pond.
Todd's
Reef N' Pond
Key's
Neptune's
I rarely visit Elite Reef because it is sooo far north for me and not near any other stores. I have also not been to Aquamart in about a year. I used to go there pretty often, but they just kept going down hill.
By that same respect Reef N' Pond has long been my go to place. I have always felt that the owner (Evan) was a pretty good guy. He always helped me out when I had questions or even lent me equipment when things went bad. Their coral selection was always decent as well, and I have purchased many colonies and anemones from them.
Now it is time for experience today. I started by heading over to Todd's, which it seems suddenly decided to close on Sunday even though they have always seemed to be pretty busy on Sundays. So I really started my adventure at Reef N' Pond.
WOW, what a dissapointment!!! Ever since Evan went back to China, that place has gone to the dump. The guys that work there are nice enough, but that is about all they have going for them right now. Their coral flats are over run with kenya trees, and everything looks pretty sad. The selection was downright pathetic, half of the tanks were full of cyano or red slime, and even the used equipment section (which I have bought many an item from) was full of nothing but junk. This place is going down hill FAST!!
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum was Aquamart. WOW, what a difference. I remember what it was like before. It was never HORRIBLE, but it was certainly not worth the drive on a regular basis. Despite my past experiences, I decided to make the trip today, and it was well worth it. They have really turned things around there. I was amazed at all of the selection they had. Their coral flats were completely full of incredible corals, and their fish selection was AWESOME. I even bought a Rainbow anemone that I have been looking for, for a while now.
I will definitely be changing my route to add Aquamart and remove Reef N' Pond.
