Beachwood or Cleveland LFS/Aquariums

[energy_crisis]

Hi everyone,

I'm from LA and have been in Beachwood for the past couple of weeks and will be for another week on business so I'd thought it would be cool to check out any good lfs or aquariums in the area this weekend.

Anyone have suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[USAquatics]

Your on a tough side of town for LFS. Your closest is RMS in Willoughby (10 minutes). If you wanted to take a day trip you could see...
Aquarium Adventure in Brooklyn (20-30 minutes), Aquatic Technology in Columbia Station (30-40 minutes), and then Salty Critter in Vermillon (about an hour).

Have fun.



Aquarium Adventure is a huge store fair with salt, grea with fresh, Aquatic Tech is nice. Tons of stock, they have a rep for so-so customer service, Salty Critter is a small shop with Coral Galore. Tons of coral, plus all of the hottest dry goods. At GREAT PRICES TOO.

If you can only make it to one, I'd say Salty 1st, Aquatic Tech 2nd,
RMS 3rd. (but they are close) and AA 4th.

 

[mattyice]

if you go to aquatic tech save yourself and just look around and only ask for help when you found something you want and want to get it, i thought they had the worst customer service but good livestock with expensive prices, Salty Critter is the way to go prolly the best place i have ever gone to for reef supplies, and livestock

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Aquatic Tech really is only good for finding some exotic livestock that you might be having trouble finding anywhere else. They seem to get octopusses in fairly regularly, which is something I've never seen at any other LFS. However, as stated before, their prices are high. I wouldn't even bother using them for dry goods.

 

[Kustomreefer]

I would spend as much time as possible at Salty Critter.Great selection, really nice store and friendly help! Kustomreefer

 

[energy_crisis]

Thanks everyone.

 

[itZme]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10432635#post10432635 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mattyice
if you go to aquatic tech save yourself and just look around and only ask for help when you found something you want and want to get it, i thought they had the worst customer service but good livestock with expensive prices, Salty Critter is the way to go prolly the best place i have ever gone to for reef supplies, and livestock

You might want to try going to Aquatic Tech again if the service was the main problem. I was there a couple weeks ago and Greg was very friendly and took a lot of time for me. He was also telling the other employee there to help the customers. It seems as though he may be making an effort to give better attention to customers.

Salty Critter seems to do a LOT more walk-in business and has 2-3 employees in a store about 1/4 the total size of AT. They are very attentive and also know that when you are looking around you really don't need them over your shoulder but as soon as you do need them they are right there for you.

 

[mattyice]

for it being over an hour drive for me i would much rather drive the extra 30 minutes and go to Salty, Dan and the other employees have always treated me really well and their livestock prices along with their dry good prices are always good and Dan has always been good to me when checking out of the store too

Would i go back to Aquatic tech? most likely i would, but the problem i had is that the store looked very unorganized when i was there and the livestock, although some of it rare, did not look to be in the best condition and the prices were pretty outrageous, especially on the more rare items, when i saw their pair of crosshatches were on sale for 1300 and they wanted 450 for a 2.5" goldflake angel i was pretty dissapointed, for those prices i would much rather shop online at liveaquaria, the price could easily be another salty critter if it became more organized and the prices more fair

 

[USAquatics]

Seems allot off topic. The Original post was for a LFS in the Beechwood area.

BTW $450.00 for a Goldflake is a reasonable price in Ohio. Providing that you get the option of watching it feed, interact, BREATH, at a LFS. Spending less at an on line site often cost more.

My .02.

 

[itZme]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10435614#post10435614 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by USAquatics
Seems allot off topic. The Original post was for a LFS in the Beechwood area.

BTW $450.00 for a Goldflake is a reasonable price in Ohio. Providing that you get the option of watching it feed, interact, BREATH, at a LFS. Spending less at an on line site often cost more.

My .02.

Good thing you stopped by to get the thread back on topic.

Aquatic Technology and Salty Critter are in the Beechwood area if you consider the fact that people drive from Erie, PA to Salty Critter because it is the LFS for them.

Also, The OP asked about the Beechwood/Cleveland area.

I saw someone giving advice to a person from out of town and thought maybe their advice wasn't exactly accurate and maybe they were there on a day when there was a problem and Greg couldn't give the service that they expected.

I have been there before when you couldn't get someone to help you even if you stood at the counter with money in your hand.

That being said, If I were in Ohio from another state I would want to visit every shop that I could and I didn't want the OP to be discouraged from visiting by the opinion of one reply so I gave my own opinion.

I didn't think that replying with a personal opinion to a thread about LFS was off topic. But I did think your reply debating the LFS vs. online retailer was very off topic.

 

[Rhodophyta]

I think it is not so much who is on topic, but who is most helpful informing the first poster about his questions. If anything we should compete about adding the most useful information to the post.

Not to compete, I'd also mention Pet Emporium in Strongsville and Tropical Aquarium in Brunswick. Both are a few miles apart on Rt 42, and not far off the line going to AT. PE tends to sell out everything quickly so it is good to get there soon after the new stock comes in. TA is good at ordering stuff in and have a knowledgeable owner.

Also from the east side of Cleveland, many of the Akron area shops are probably as close or closer than the ones we've mentioned. Two Turtles is a straight shot from Beachwood south on 271 and 8, and only about half an hour drive from the center of Beachwood.

 

[sohal1025]

I've stopped at Jurasic Pets and had good/friendlt service. I think that was on Richmond Rd.(but not 100% sure) Thats not far from Beachwood.