Local fish stores (2 Viewers)

[codesman]

Hi everyone!
I'm just getting into reefing for myself after helping my uncle almost 20 years ago. I am going to tour the local Twin Cities fish stores soon and I am wondering if I have missed any reef stores or if anyone is willing to provide good/bad experiences with any on the list.

Wet World
Rivershore aquariums
Aqualand
SeaLevel
New Wave Aquaria
Bulk Reef Supply
ReefCo

Thanks in advance!

 

[zoolan70]

Bulk Reef Supply doesn't have a storefront. They are online only, but you can pick up from their building to save shipping costs.

Otherwise, your list looks pretty good. I would swing by Forest Lake Pets just to see it when you are in the north metro as well. Not a huge salt section but an impressive store none-the-less.

 

[spsick]

I would put MN Aquatics and Nee Wave at the top of your list and work your way down.

Rivershore and Aqualand don’t have reefing stuff but still cool shops!

 

[codesman]

Bulk Reef Supply doesn't have a storefront. They are online only, but you can pick up from their building to save shipping costs.

Otherwise, your list looks pretty good. I would swing by Forest Lake Pets just to see it when you are in the north metro as well. Not a huge salt section but an impressive store none-the-less.

that's great to know, thanks

 

[codesman]

I would put MN Aquatics and Nee Wave at the top of your list and work your way down.

Rivershore and Aqualand don’t have reefing stuff but still cool shops!

also great to know, kinda weird that the closest fish stores to the MOA aquarium do not have salt tanks

 

[codesman]

If I'm gong to add forest lake pets, may as well add MN Aquatics in East Bethel as well

 

[Varig]

MN Aquatics is 1000% worth the drive. Great store.

Also, you should checkout the petco in Minnetonka. They have a nice little saltwater section and continue to build it out.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Bulk Reef Supply doesn't have a storefront. They are online only, but you can pick up from their building to save shipping costs.

Otherwise, your list looks pretty good. I would swing by Forest Lake Pets just to see it when you are in the north metro as well. Not a huge salt section but an impressive store none-the-less.

They do have that odds and ends area when you go to pick up stuff though. But it's more of a "this is highly discounted stuff that you pick up on top of your order" than stuff that is actually for sale though....

Rivershore and Aqualand don’t have reefing stuff but still cool shops!

I would argue that Rivershore does have reefing stuff, but the emphasis is more on plants/freshwater than on saltwater at this point in time.

 

[MistakesWereMade]

I have not been to SeaLevel in awhile but last I was there they had not set up there saltwater section yet. They have a pretty extensive setup for freshwater fish and plants. Might be worth a call if they have anything before the drive there.

 

[asifiqbal2]

John had one in the back but he said he had not gotten the chance to set one up. In the front. When I was looking for Mermaid’s Delight reef food I think I cleaned him out. He was the only one in the twin cities that carried this brand
But agree he is a fresh water shop mostly

 

[zoolan70]

They do have that odds and ends area when you go to pick up stuff though. But it's more of a "this is highly discounted stuff that you pick up on top of your order" than stuff that is actually for sale though....

I did just hear about that the other day. That's new to me.

 

[zoolan70]

If I'm gong to add forest lake pets, may as well add MN Aquatics in East Bethel as well

And if you are going to do both of them, then a stop at Kahn's Mongolian for lunch is in order. Or maybe that's just my obsession.

 

[Varig]

Is there more than one Kahn’s? If I’m near the one in Roseville I must admit that I drive straight past it to go to La Tapatia for tacos. Yum.

 

[zoolan70]

Is there more than one Kahn’s? If I’m near the one in Roseville I must admit that I drive straight past it to go to La Tapatia for tacos. Yum.

The one in Roseville is the only one left. I kept the Anoka one in business for a number of years when I worked over there, and then the Burnsville one, but now I have to find an excuse to go up north to get my fix.

 

[spsick]

I did just hear about that the other day. That's new to me.

Yeah when I picked up the other day the had the whole office space they used for the garage sale this year set up with a bunch of stuff. I’m surprised they didn’t announce it locally.

They are housing all the refurbished AI and Ecotech lights, a bunch of Nyos tanks they had to pilfer parts from, any open box stuff that isn’t A grade, and other misc stuff.

 

[H2OHOH]

Had my first visit to MN Aquatics today . Very nice store. Definitely take a visit.

 

[codesman]

Just finished my tour of the local fish stores. I am going to rank them and give a review of the store, in order, mostly so I can consolidate my thoughts and reference this thread in the future.

1. New Wave Aquaria
The store was packed with equipment, consumables, fish, and frags. All the tanks were clean and I didn't notice any aiptasia in the frag tanks. The area by the register was packed with equipment from powerheads to test kits. Great selections of pretty much everything you would need to make and maintain a reef tank. They also quarantine fish before they put them in displays.

2. MN Aquatics
The store was nicely laid out with lots of fish tanks and a couple large frag tanks. All the tanks were clean and I didn't notice any aiptasia in the frag tanks. They had an awesome selection of fish and frags. The store only had a small token section of consumables and equipment. I forgot to ask if they quarantine fish before display.

3. ReefCo
The store has much more open space than any of the other stores making it seem kinda barren even though they have just as many tanks as MN Aquatics. All the tanks in use are relatively clean but the ones that are waiting for fish aren't cleaned often. I didn't notice any aiptasia in the frag tanks. The store only had a small token section of consumables and equipment and some of the more popular Hanna checkers. They do not quarantine fish before displaying.

4. Forest Lake Pets
The store is mostly freshwater but it is packed floor to ceiling with reef equipment and has the greatest selection in the Twin Cities for both equipment and consumables on hand. FLP was the only store that had sump media blocks ready to buy. The only reason FLP wasn't #3 is because their fish and frags were unkempt. Everything had a layer of algae. The fish tanks hadn't been scraped in more than a few days. The selection of fish and frags were small but that's expected when the entirety of all those tanks are kept in a 10'x12' room. They had fish on display that were being actively quarantined with copper. I forgot to ask if they quarantine fish before display. This will probably be my "oh crap I forgot to buy a replacement" store. They seem to have most everything. Their freshwater fish tanks were immaculate.

5. Rivershore Aquariums
The store is 95% freshwater. They have a small algae covered frag tank with struggling frags and some really small tanks for fish. They have a super small reef equipment/consumable section. Their freshwater section was immaculate.

6. Wet World
Something must be going on with this place. Their main 200-ish gallon tank was bare except rock. The frag tanks were dirty and aiptasia ridden. Some of those aiptasia heads were bigger than a quarter. The fish were displaying signs of needing help. I saw a clown fish of all things laying on the sand and gasping. More than a few of the fish tanks had heavy algae. They had a small section of consumables and equipment. The fish selection was ok but mostly clowns. The frag racks had a small but nicely differing selection.

7. SeaLevel
This is a Freshwater only store. They had a token selection of reef consumables like coral feed. Their fish tanks were immaculate.

8. Aqualand
The store is mostly freshwater. They have no corals and six really small saltwater tanks. The only fish that survived there were yellowtail damsels. The tanks were either full of rubble, algae, or a combination of both. The store has a token saltwater consumables section. Obviously not taken care of. The freshwater tanks were ok. Not immaculate but not excessively dirty like the damsel tanks. They did have a huge selection of different freshwater fish and turtles.

 

[spsick]

Really awesome unbiased summary! Very useful for those that are curious about places they haven’t been.