Bay Area LFS List! :D
- Thread starter Rurouni Kenshin
- Start date
reefkeeper1
New member
I swear, there are some stores in the Bay Area where the saltwater tanks look like they're using technology from 1975. I feel fortunate that although there are the crappy stores out there, there are good ones close to where I live.
15 years ago, when my brother was living in Santa Clara during a summer GE internship, he drove around and scoped out all the baseball card shops and tropical fish shops in the South Bay. Now he's obsessed with Rise of Nations.
15 years ago, when my brother was living in Santa Clara during a summer GE internship, he drove around and scoped out all the baseball card shops and tropical fish shops in the South Bay. Now he's obsessed with Rise of Nations.
Rurouni Kenshin
New member
That is true! i've been to a lot of them! Reefkeeper have you been to SeaScapes in mtn view?
reefkeeper1
New member
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Seascapes was a nice store. Today, it's just not worth visiting for a serious reefkeeper. I like going to Natural Life Aquarium on this side of the bay and if I feel like making a trip, I'll go to Aquatic Gallery. When I first started in 1997, T&T in San Jose was an interesting place to visit. I liked the Wiener Schnitzel across the street. I haven't been there for awhile though. I miss McCloud's. Anyone here have some good history on that line of shops?
Up in the city, 7th Avenue's philosophy is shove as much livestock in a tank as possible and try to move it at a low price. Nippon seems like a nice clean place with a lot of stuff. I have a lot of respect for anyone working in or running a lfs. I have enough issues and spend enough time just with a single 150-gallon tank. I can't imagine running a whole shop full of tanks.
Up in the city, 7th Avenue's philosophy is shove as much livestock in a tank as possible and try to move it at a low price. Nippon seems like a nice clean place with a lot of stuff. I have a lot of respect for anyone working in or running a lfs. I have enough issues and spend enough time just with a single 150-gallon tank. I can't imagine running a whole shop full of tanks.
reefkeeper1
New member
Actually, it's Sixth Avenue Aquarium - you can buy your SO flowers if you drag her or him there
If anyone's ever up in the city, you should also visit Ocean Aquarium - it's such a wonderful and idiosyncratic store. I guess Ocean used to do salt, but now they're only freshwater. Here are some pics with my freshwater planted tank only buddy Sean from a few years ago. The are two pics of the front of Sixth Avenue Aquarium, but the aquarium shots are all from Ocean Aquarium.
http://www.planttank.com/OceanAquarium20010724/index.html
Now I have to go off and drill some ventilation holes on the top of my canopy. It's starting to heat up in Mountain View during the day.
If anyone's ever up in the city, you should also visit Ocean Aquarium - it's such a wonderful and idiosyncratic store. I guess Ocean used to do salt, but now they're only freshwater. Here are some pics with my freshwater planted tank only buddy Sean from a few years ago. The are two pics of the front of Sixth Avenue Aquarium, but the aquarium shots are all from Ocean Aquarium.http://www.planttank.com/OceanAquarium20010724/index.html
Now I have to go off and drill some ventilation holes on the top of my canopy. It's starting to heat up in Mountain View during the day.
Rurouni Kenshin
New member
I've been there once too not much.............
Coral_Geek
New member
McCloud's had something like 10 locations at their peak. PetsMart pretty much targeted them when they came to Northern California. PetsMart used to put up price comparison cards on products to show thier price was lower than McCloud's. McCloud's wasn't able to compete with a national, well financed, extreme discounter and they went bankrupt. They were able to keep one store going but it is up in Sonora so it isn't a terribly convenient stop. Kind of a sad story but I think most average (read non-educated non-reefers) prefer low cost over everything else and it kills off the quality mom and pop operations who can't buy products by the truckload. The moral of the story is find a place that does it right and spend your dollars there without constantly begging for deals so that they will be around tomorrow. Otherwise you will be left on a street with Petcos on the right side and PetsMarts up the left side. The online guys are cheap for the most part but they have nothing else to offer. If cheap is all you are looking for find another hobby. This one takes some money to do right and the animals shouldn't have to pay the price for a cheap person's lack of resources. You can get into stamp collecting for 37 cents. Peace.reefkeeper1 said:
reefkeeper1
New member
mosey, I remember the one in Santa Clara. I remember they had this lady from Marineland demoing their Bio-Wheel - I have a few of those in my garage. The first McCloud's I went to was somewhere in the east bay. I remember my brother and I driving around Fremont trying to find it (it was probably gone by then) while Clinton was on the radio saying, "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is". I liked McCloud's because they kept their tanks in great shape and there was a friendliness to the stores that's a great contrast to the sterility of PetSmart or Petco. Coral_Geek, thanks a lot for the history! It must be tough with the lfs stores - not only do they have to deal with the big box stores, now they have to deal with the Internet stores. I miss the Seahorse too in Redwood City.
Rurouni Kenshin
New member
Reefkeeper1 They closed down that Weiner Shnitzel (sp?) last month...........
sfsuphysics
Active member
kite: it's in milpitas, just google a search for aquatic gallery milpitas and you should get an address/map.
lego
New member
When was the last time you went to SeaScapes? They changed ownership about a year ago, and the new owners have done a rennovation. Their saltwater & reef selection is much better now than it has been for a while.
I was in about a week ago and they had a pair of black lanternfish that I had never seen before.
I was in about a week ago and they had a pair of black lanternfish that I had never seen before.
Reefcherie
Premium Member
Maybe I missed it, but Atlantis Aquarium in Freemont is worth a visit as well - at least it was a few months back. Ming has some beautiful corals!
Cheri
Cheri
reef-freaky
Premium Member
I remember McClouds as well. I used to sell back tons of caulerpa to the fish manager. They were located right next to Diver Dans in Santa Clara.
SeaScapes in its prime was a pretty cool store, the owner wasn't, but the store was. I was last in there about 2-3 months ago and there main coral tank had become a hair algae haven with a 3 ft eel....so sad. The service wasn't the best either but that could be just based on that evening.
Steve
SeaScapes in its prime was a pretty cool store, the owner wasn't, but the store was. I was last in there about 2-3 months ago and there main coral tank had become a hair algae haven with a 3 ft eel....so sad. The service wasn't the best either but that could be just based on that evening.
Steve
Natterjak
New member
There's also a Pet Club in Mountain View, next to Costco.
I've been to Wet Pets in Pleasanton and wasn't too sure about buying fish from there, tanks seemed dirty, and there were some sick fish. (There's also a pet store next door that was even worse, not sure if they're affiliated or not.)
I really like Aquatic Gallery and Mermaid Aquarium. Connie's in Castro Valley is a good place for RO water - $.25/gallon
I've been to Wet Pets in Pleasanton and wasn't too sure about buying fish from there, tanks seemed dirty, and there were some sick fish. (There's also a pet store next door that was even worse, not sure if they're affiliated or not.)
I really like Aquatic Gallery and Mermaid Aquarium. Connie's in Castro Valley is a good place for RO water - $.25/gallon
Mekong
Active member
Well if even Chico is included in this list I guess Monterey isnt that far out.
Near Monterey in Marina, there is a great LFS called picutre pets, great corals and fish.
In Sea Side there is another store that sells corals, but the are horrible, not a single light over the corals, and always dead fish.
Near Monterey in Marina, there is a great LFS called picutre pets, great corals and fish.
In Sea Side there is another store that sells corals, but the are horrible, not a single light over the corals, and always dead fish.
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