Buy most of my stuff at Seaside because it is closest. Last time I went, however, when I bought a pair of clowns and asked about whether they run copper through the fish lines and whether I should quarantine the fish. Owner was pretty indignent. Said some stores run copper but he doesn't. Spent more than 10,000 on UV sterilization and his fish don't need to be put in a QT. Also said most fish die in QT because of PH issues and not to blame them if I QT the fish and they die. Last week I went to Amazing Aquariums. What a shop. Is there any better in Orange County?
Lfs in so cal
- Thread starter Spssteven
- Start date
anyone know if they just moved or are they gone? i wonder if he liquidated everything..... he had some nice setups and corals
Alex482455
Member
I have the same feeling about medusa. They are priced the highest I have ever seen. Nature aquarium is AMAZING owner orders me whatever fish I want it's always healthy. So far for fishes I like The Aquarium in Culver just cuz they have healthy fishes and they run copper btw awesome coral selections.
Urchinhead
New member
The owners are Steve an Natalie. They have been there over 20 years and I have known them both for about 15. Steve gets things in that I swear are smuggled in (but they aren't) and are absolutely gorgeous. He doesn't deal in frags for the most part only colonies. I have seen chalice colonies with 20+ heads in there (like Mummy Eye) that would be thousands elsewhere that he sells for a couple of hundred. And he always has some of the most amazing Blasto Welsi!
And if he knows you and likes you there is the special "For you?" price. For example a 50 head Joker Acan for $80 that would be $500+ or a terminal male Rhomboid Wrasse for $100. He also has a Sunday "still in the bag" sale on all fish with a 30% discount. Its actually best to get them while they are in the bag because his husbandry leaves something to be desired at times.
Stay away from Super Pets in Temple City (if they still have a salt selection)! I came in one day to find one of the employee's with her hand in a tank with a Blue Ring Octopus and the owner didn't bother to even mention to her that it was considered dangerous! The octopus was stressed and she was lucky that I got to her before she had scooped it up with her hand (she was planning to scoop it up).
When I asked the owner about selling it he rudely informed me that the customer should know what it was when they bought it and if they didn't it wasn't his fault! And as to his employee's... He just shrugged. I haven't been back since.
This place caters to the the affluent Arcadia and San Marino Chinese (the owner is white) and their foo foo dogs with special grooming and pet foods and has a fish business on the side.
reelfishy
reelin and dealin
What happened to Vivid Aquariums??
What happened to Vivid Aquariums??
So I picked up my LED's :bounce3::bounce1: near Sherman Oaks and thought I'd visit Vivid. Boy, was I dissapointed.
The coral selection is still awesome although overpriced as always. What really caught my eyes were 6 DEAD fish and 3~4 about to die.
Another dissapointing thing was I thought I found a gem favia named "twilight" 2 heads for $40.00 it looked amazing so I asked the worker to bag it up for me.. He picks it up and looks around the entire frag tank and says "this is the last one". I asked if that was a problem. He said he'd get in trouble from the owner. WHAT???? Then he quikly takes it to one of the NFS tanks in the back.
Vivid was one of the first "reel" SW lfs I've visited when starting SW and was mezmorized.. I can't say todays experience was something to be mezmorized about.
I still bought a hybrid pygmy angel and a nem. lol
What happened to Vivid Aquariums??
So I picked up my LED's :bounce3::bounce1: near Sherman Oaks and thought I'd visit Vivid. Boy, was I dissapointed.
The coral selection is still awesome although overpriced as always. What really caught my eyes were 6 DEAD fish and 3~4 about to die.
Another dissapointing thing was I thought I found a gem favia named "twilight" 2 heads for $40.00 it looked amazing so I asked the worker to bag it up for me.. He picks it up and looks around the entire frag tank and says "this is the last one". I asked if that was a problem. He said he'd get in trouble from the owner. WHAT???? Then he quikly takes it to one of the NFS tanks in the back.
Vivid was one of the first "reel" SW lfs I've visited when starting SW and was mezmorized.. I can't say todays experience was something to be mezmorized about.
I still bought a hybrid pygmy angel and a nem. lol
Six2seven
New member
Wow, I haven't been in Pasadena tropical fish in quite some time now. So many stores have changed and I think customer service has everything to do with stores surviving. I don't know if stores were better before, or if I was just a newb and didn't know any better.
I remember reef hot spot was so amazing then it felt like it was going down hill, and then it closed down.
I remember vivid having such a magnificent display tank, great fish and wonderful corals. I went it one day and the display was redone. Still nice but not like before.
Some stores in the OC are still very nice but its not my area and I do not remember the names. I think I have been to every SW store in Los angels. I have covered all the weird little stores like bobs tropical fish off of the 60fwy and Atlantic, to weird little shops like Kyoto on Wiltshire in Los Angeles.
I'm so bad with names but there's one that creeped me out, it felt like a big warehouse in Ontario somewhere. No one in the store and it was huge. Fish all looked sick and one coral tank needed work done badly.
I have to give credit where it is do and one store I have seen improvement is pacific reef in Torrance. A couple of years ago I think I might have said worst store ever but they are really trying to clean it up. Lots of fish but still working on corals. Still no sps.
I live in San Pedro and sad to say, seven seas is still the very over priced. I needed salt and did not feel like driving anywhere but they were trying to sell me the big bucket of RSCP for $95. That's insane. I usually buy it online for around 54-60. I like to be a good patron and visit all the LF stores and buy for a little more so I don't have to wait but wow that was high for me.
Still have not visited that store in San capistrano, hear good things but again not my area.
I now work in Ontario and visited TRFS in rancho cucamonga, nice guy and nice store but lots of algae, I hope he wins that battle. Mystic reef has great customer service but store was ok. Are there any other stores in Ontario-Fontana worth visiting?
I remember reef hot spot was so amazing then it felt like it was going down hill, and then it closed down.
I remember vivid having such a magnificent display tank, great fish and wonderful corals. I went it one day and the display was redone. Still nice but not like before.
Some stores in the OC are still very nice but its not my area and I do not remember the names. I think I have been to every SW store in Los angels. I have covered all the weird little stores like bobs tropical fish off of the 60fwy and Atlantic, to weird little shops like Kyoto on Wiltshire in Los Angeles.
I'm so bad with names but there's one that creeped me out, it felt like a big warehouse in Ontario somewhere. No one in the store and it was huge. Fish all looked sick and one coral tank needed work done badly.
I have to give credit where it is do and one store I have seen improvement is pacific reef in Torrance. A couple of years ago I think I might have said worst store ever but they are really trying to clean it up. Lots of fish but still working on corals. Still no sps.
I live in San Pedro and sad to say, seven seas is still the very over priced. I needed salt and did not feel like driving anywhere but they were trying to sell me the big bucket of RSCP for $95. That's insane. I usually buy it online for around 54-60. I like to be a good patron and visit all the LF stores and buy for a little more so I don't have to wait but wow that was high for me.
Still have not visited that store in San capistrano, hear good things but again not my area.
I now work in Ontario and visited TRFS in rancho cucamonga, nice guy and nice store but lots of algae, I hope he wins that battle. Mystic reef has great customer service but store was ok. Are there any other stores in Ontario-Fontana worth visiting?
solitude127
Proud user of IO Salt!
I know they're working on that section. Last time I was in there, they were talking about redoing all of the lighting for a SPS frag tank. They were looking into ATI SP. When talking with the owner (Doug) he has a lot of plans for that store and he's planning for the long haul. But yes, I agree, their fish selection is much better now.
WOW, you live in Pedro and work in Ontario????
Six2seven
New member
Yea now i do, crazy right! I signed a ten year contract and they bought me a Prius so I couldn't turn it down. But I really am starting to hate the drive, might be moving soon.
davocean
Active member
I just recently went to an LFS in Redondo Beach call Aquatic Fantasy, on PCH.
I was pretty pleased w/ this place, nice size frags all healthy and pretty good prices, and a nice selection of healthy fish in clean tanks, friendly staff.
Definitely worth a look for anyone in that area.
I was pretty pleased w/ this place, nice size frags all healthy and pretty good prices, and a nice selection of healthy fish in clean tanks, friendly staff.
Definitely worth a look for anyone in that area.
solitude127
Proud user of IO Salt!
I've been there many of times. Their fish selection is usually better than their coral selection. It's nice to see that they're upping their coral selection.
Just a heads up, Jim's Exotic Fish in El Segundo (jimsexoticfish.com) just recently rebuilt their entire reef system and lined up a new distributor that's been supplying them with some AMAZING livestock lately. I can't say enough good things about this store, very friendly and knowledgable family run place.
Here's a few of the critters I've picked up from them over the past year
Sorry to hijack a little but what is that fish in the second picture with the blue and red color? I am a complete newb!
