New fish store.... kinda

[AquAddiction]

I just got a postcard in the mail:

[Picture of tank] x [Picture of fish] =
AQUATRADERS an aquatic superstore just around the corner.

Grand Opening...

10% Introductory Discount.*

*Bring this invitation and receive 10% off of supplies only on your next purchase & receive a free gift (Valid through 11/25/2004. See store for details.)

AQUATRADERS
395 East San Bruno Ave
CA 94066
(650) 872-1993
(Cross street 3rd Ave)

Opens daily except Thursday
11:30am - 6:00pm

I wonder if this is the new Fish 99? It doesn't list the CITY (see address above), but the map on the postcard shows that is is around/near the tanforan area (E San Bruno Ave x San Mateo Ave). Hmmm.. gotta go check it out.

 

[reefer on a budget]

i believe its the same place. there were talks months ago about fish99 moving so i guess this is it.
notice the same business hrs.

 

[amgbenzs]

it is the old 99 fish but with a new name. I have past there a few times just to see how it is progressing.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Heheh yup, that would be the same place that's on the corner of the street where my parents live (3rd Avenue), it's still fish99.

If you want to go here, easiest way is to take 101, and take the san bruno avenue exit, then just make sure to drive away from the United Airlines maintainence base (ironically the west direction, San Bruno Ave East is considered where it lies compared to El Camino).

 

[JoeMack]

They got busted for selling wholesale to us normal people. I hear they have to have a special off to the side retail area.

IMHO no one should shop there. Anyone with a dead seahorse/ clam tank with no lights should be dispised

 

[GreshamH]

Fish and Wildilife had something to say to 99Fish a few weeks back. The notice was posted on the board in US F&W Service's office for the public to see. Something about non CITES clams from Vietnam being imported by them IIRC. Struck me as odd as usually its things like Beluga cavier, bear gall bladders, turtle shells and animal skins that are posted on that board. Very occasionally you'll see a red arawona (they listed it's value @ $45 ) or something on it, but rarely MO.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Wow Gresham, so you're saying the US F&W Service office is the place to go to find out who's got the super rare frags eh?

But on a more legal note, assuming they did get "shut down" or whatever by F&W, can you just move your store to another location and call it something else and be free and clear?

 

[chipmunk]

But on a more legal note, assuming they did get "shut down" or whatever by F&W, can you just move your store to another location and call it something else and be free and clear?

Of course not. well more accurately, you can do whatever you want. doesn't mean you'll get away with it.

I heard they were moving half a year ago so I doubt their move was because of a F&W visit "a few weeks ago" mentioned above.

 

[chipmunk]

I was bored so I drove over there to check it out. It's just like the old Fish 99 except a bit bigger and bit cleaner.

Really lacking in reef stuff, but that's their intention. Don't go there looking for corals because they don't carry them.

 

[GreshamH]

They didn't get shut down, just fined (slapped on the wrist) and it wasn't a visit, it happens at the port of entry (SFO). One could only hope the penalty for smuggling was harsher. It really screws things up for us legal people. Stepped up inspections means longer waits for shipments, and with the recent spat of cancelled flights, every second counts. Northwest has had 2 flights turned back to Tokyo (refuels there) in mid flight due to electical problems in the past month. That means for two weeks, most of us had day late shipments from PI.

 

[reefer on a budget]

fish99.. i believe they started out in the industrial part of burlingame many years back as four seasons(aka aqua 123) as a wholesaler also opened to the public on certain days of the wk. back then they carried a lot more reef stuff such as live rock, anemones and coral. Then came fish99 and now this new gig.
i wouldnt be surprised if you see them in the advertiser as the previous 2 businesses listed ads there.

 

[sfsuphysics]

I was bored so I drove over there to check it out. It's just like the old Fish 99 except a bit bigger and bit cleaner.

Really lacking in reef stuff, but that's their intention. Don't go there looking for corals because they don't carry them.

Does it still feel like a sauna in the place??

But from what I heard they were cutting back on their saltwater side of things because.. well I think they realized they were fricking clueless about SW stuff, now can go back to goldfish. Don't know how true that is, but maybe enough locals realized how crappy they were and stopped buying from them, well except 6th avenue that is

 

[chipmunk]

Does it still feel like a sauna in the place??

Yes. But it wasn't that bad yesterday. When they crank up those big heaters you get smothered with fishy steam.

I did pick up a couple of scooter blennies and an LTA because well, I buy things on impulse sometimes.

 

[GreshamH]

Did they drag that deafenning air pump to their new location?

 

[nanoguy]

Give them a year or two and then they will relocate again, change their name, and put the business under another relatives name. Those guys there are super shady......

 

[sfsuphysics]

I just realized their name now is one of the many names they used on their ebay store.

 

[reefer on a budget]

went there on fri and its definitely the same people that were running fish99.
there werent many fish and it looks like they're gonna stock more drygoods for their showroom.
the fish system is the same crappy one they used on the previous location. you would think they'd learn by now and try to improve their system upon every move.

 

[Coral_Geek]

Give them a year or two and then they will relocate again, change their name, and put the business under another relatives name. Those guys there are super shady......

They were called Aquarium Seasons before they were 99 fish. The new name is under a couple of employees names because the real owner has run out of family to put the store name under. They specialize in cheap junk imported from China. These people give little regard for proper animal husbandry and should be avoided at all costs. They give livestock importers a bad name.

 

[waterboy82]

I just read through all the postings about aquatrader. I just signed up tonight on reefcentral. I went there for the first time today and I thought it was a neat place, but based on what everyone is saying it doesn't sound like the best place to patronize. Are the fish safe? i bought 8 fish for my freshwater thank from them today at what I thought were good deals. What bad "animal husbandry" have they done? Thanks in advance for your reply.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Well from what I understand, and please note this was just what I heard as 2nd hand info, do not take it as gospel, they started primarily with freshwater fish, and did a fairly good job at it, but they wanted to get into the saltwater fish, and really had no idea what they were doing, they hired outside help to set up their system, and it never got finished, and they just went ahead (maybe they finished it themselves, or got someone else I don't know), and they really didn't know much about saltwater they through it was the same as freshwater just was salty water. Unfortunately (for them) that view of their practices seems to have tarnished their image, and maybe other things have as well. Maybe that's why they keep moving, and keep changing their names..

Either way I went into the store when it was on San Mateo Ave, in San Bruno once. It was quite appalling what I saw too, fish were literally packed into tanks, there wear dead fish in most all the tanks, it seemed all the tanks were connected to one another as well into a primariy filtration system (that's really assuming they were filtering too, I really doubt they had skimmers), they didn't have heaters in tanks just raised the temperature of whole building up to atleast 80 (which who knows might be more efficient) but considering they kept both fresh and saltwater tanks all in the same area they're keeping all the tanks at that high temp.

I'm sure this is a warehouse type mentality for the way things are done, not the LFS type of things (well except maybe 6th avenue ), although from what I heard this is the LCD for warehouses. Are they good deals? Sure they're great prices (assuming you get healthy fish). I can understand the whole "trying to make a living" concept, but I wouldn't shop at any other store that had conditions like they have, or a lack of knowledge (which who knows they may have, but I didn't hear anyone talk in the store the last time I went), so why should I go into the store just for cheap deals.

Most would probably rank it up there with the 6th avenue sunday sale, sure you could find some good deals, but at what price in the long run?