Old Town Aquarium - Question

[mcliffy2]

I'm downtown right by the Loop.

And I would agree on customer service, but the quality is really good for the price. To get an equivalent quality, I think I would have had to pay like 3k for a Tenecor. The glass is really thick (incredibly heavy aquarium).

I would say the customer service is not that great, but if you know what you are doing its fine. For example, my hood was too tight, and because it was a special (almost half off), they said they couldn't replace it (also b/c they said they are made to order and the stain would be different). So I had to spend an hour sanding down the inside of the hood, to get it to fit. Its completely unnoticeable visually. But from a quality standpoint the tank and stand are solid and look nice enough to put in your living room, don't think you'll have to worry about leaks or anything like that. The other weird thing is how their canopies open...they open from the top, so you have to use a ladder or step stool to access the tank. Not ideal, but again, i think looks for the buck its a great deal.

 

[jglackin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9482876#post9482876 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcliffy2
I'm downtown right by the Loop

I work in the loop and live just south of the loop. When can I visit?

 

[mcliffy2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9482925#post9482925 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jglackin
I work in the loop and live just south of the loop. When can I visit?

PM sent.

 

[glassbox-design]

Oh Old town.... They get in some great stuff, last time i was there they had a gorgeous conspic, but their attitude and prices are why i do not shop there.

I have spoke with the owner and more than one occassion and find him beyond arrogant. Not only that but I've heard their employess giving some terrible advice.

Jim I suggest checking out Oceans Floor, Sea Schor, and Sho Tank...they're not a warehouse type set up like in dayton, but they have great stores.

You would have loved Harbor Aquatics, I wish something like that were to be started again closer to Chicago. Also, Torpicorium in Michigan is a large coral greenhouse. Not the best prices or stock, but a cool visit to see their systems.

eric

 

[criccio]

Love the place. Great selection, some stuff is pricey, some is the going rate. As for employees, a few can be a bit curt, and others are very nice. If I lived closer, I would be there every weekend.

 

[jglackin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9483267#post9483267 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flint&Eric
I have spoke with the owner and more than one occassion and find him beyond arrogant.

I have never spoken with him. I have seen him in there many times and I notice that he rarely acknowledges any of the customers. Personally, I don't care, if that is how he wants to be. I find the guys that work there very helpful and friendly. One of them ran downstairs the other day and pulled some algae out of their fuge for me that was full of amphipods and copepods. Very few places will do that.

On the other hand, my experience at Living Seas is more like what you have experienced at OTA. Bad advice, rude, arrogant, and their livestock always seems to be stressed. I get their specials e-mails, but I never go there.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9483267#post9483267 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flint&Eric
Jim I suggest checking out Oceans Floor, Sea Schor, and Sho Tank...they're not a warehouse type set up like in dayton, but they have great stores.

Thanks. I will check them out.

 

[mcliffy2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9483267#post9483267 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flint&Eric
Oh Old town.... They get in some great stuff, last time i was there they had a gorgeous conspic, but their attitude and prices are why i do not shop there.

I have spoke with the owner and more than one occassion and find him beyond arrogant. Not only that but I've heard their employess giving some terrible advice.

Jim I suggest checking out Oceans Floor, Sea Schor, and Sho Tank...they're not a warehouse type set up like in dayton, but they have great stores.

You would have loved Harbor Aquatics, I wish something like that were to be started again closer to Chicago. Also, Torpicorium in Michigan is a large coral greenhouse. Not the best prices or stock, but a cool visit to see their systems.

eric

Apparently we arent the only ones who had that impression. Someone was peeved enough to make this website:
http://www.oldtownaquariumchicago.com/

 

[PSam]

LOL - too bad the site builder doesn't know anything about SEO...

anyway, to each his own. I like Old Town.

 

[msjjacobs]

IMO, Old Town Aquarium is a great store. The staff is knowledgeable and the livestock good quality. I'd rather pay more for a fish or coral that lives, than save a few dollars on one that dies in a week or month. Also, where else in the area can you find rare livestock, particlulary since Deep Reef is now gone? I can't recall ever seeing fish such as A. griffisi, C. conspicillatus, C. joculator, C. interruptus anywhere else (except Deep Reef). Sure, Living Seas has the occaisional rarity, but their livestock is just not the same quality and their prices are even higher. As far as the attitude or friendliness of employees, I'd rather buy from someone arrogant but knowledgeable than friendly but ignorant.

 

[jmicky41]

I really like Old Town, most of my fish and LR and the tank itself came from there. Not cheap, but the stock generally is healthy, the store is spotless, and they offer a gaurantee , besides what in that neighborhood is cheap? If you want a tomato clown, a yellow tang and a blue damsel - you could probably do better somewhere else. But for high end stuff: rhomboid pairs, conspics, joculators, candy bass ect; no one else in the region comes close.
I do find the owner and one of the employees kind of arrogant, but the two guys I usually talk to I find very engaging.

 

[TellyFish]

I live near old town so Im biased. But they are great to me whenever I go in there. Staff is good and they have livestock you rarely can find elsewhere. They recently had some crazy white-out top / black / orange bottom clown fish that doesnt exsist.

As we all have mentioned, some stuff can be expensive... but they often have sales on corals/ livestock. Plus, im sure the rent for that space warrants a bit of a hike here and there. I will sure continue to support their great store.

 

[criccio]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9497912#post9497912 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TellyFish
They recently had some crazy white-out top / black / orange bottom clown fish that doesnt exsist.

Is this one type of clown you're describing, happen to have a name for it?

 

[nmprisons]

Old Town is my LFS as it is a few blocks from my work. I stop in weekly, probably. While I get all of my harder to find corals from darklordcoral. I have bought my tank, some drygoods, food, and fish and some other coraqls from them. Everything has been really healthy.

For those who find their staff arrogant, you must be doing something wrong. Without exception, the people who work there are great. They know my tank, are concerned about making sure everything in it is healthy, and are generally nice to talk to.

 

[jglackin]

I am planning on going there today. I need to pick up some RO/DI water. I go about every other weekend and pick up 5 gallons of premix saltwater and 5 gallons of ro/di freshwater. I do bi-weekly water changes on my nano and I use the freshwater for top off because I have so much evaporation. The problem is that, last weekend, I wasn't paying attention and I filled both my containers with premix saltwater and now I have no freshwater for top off. I didn't realize this until after I had replaced evaporated water with premix and shot my salinity through the roof.

 

[TellyFish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9498458#post9498458 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by criccio
Is this one type of clown you're describing, happen to have a name for it?

Some sort of genetic freak I think. I have never seen anything like it. I am surprised no one else saw them.

 

[jglackin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9510700#post9510700 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TellyFish
Some sort of genetic freak I think. I have never seen anything like it. I am surprised no one else saw them.

I have seen them. They are still there, or they have a new pair. They are in the tank just above the live rock. They used to be up front. When I first saw them, I thought they looked like they had some kind of disease and where losing scales or something. They are very different looking, for sure.

 

[criccio]

Oh, the ones that used to be up front. OK, thanks, I know what they are now. Did you guys notice if they were for sale?

 

[nmprisons]

they are snowflake clowns ... they can get you a pair if you want ... not cheap

 

[criccio]

No, no, I wouldn't waste the tank space on snowflakes, I just wanted to pass along the info (if they are for sale) to someone else.

 

[dohc97]

If its the ones that used to be upfront they are for sale i believe, last time the price was 499? Adam would know better than me about that.