That Fish Place visit in PA

[mamagoose45]

We had to go home for a wedding the other weekend and my hometown is only about 45 minutes from That Fish Place in Lancaster, PA so we decided to take a trip over to just check it out. Don't get me wrong, I love our LFS here in Nashvegas, but I would L-O-V-E to have a store like this one at our disposal. For anyone who's never been there (which would be most of you I assume) it is just an enormous warehouse type of store with everything you could imagine for fresh, salt, dogs, cats, etc. It's awesome to say the least.

Anyhow, while we were there, we saw two very cool critters for sale and I couldn't help but snap a few pics...

They had a freakishly huge mantis for sale - probably a good 6" long. Large enough to be a bit scary knowing the damage they are capable of doing... I was worried he was going to come at me since I was putting the camera so close to the front of the tank. He was giving me the little beady hairy eyeball

Then there was this CRAZY looking creature that I had never seen before. If I recall correctly, it was labeled as some sort of starfish, but I have no idea if it was correct or not. Maybe someone can chime in with an ID or opinion. Sorry the pics aren't great for detail and such, but I was leaning over a bunch of other tanks and trying to get a pic in the middle of the store...

 

[platax88]

OOH, i used to see those funky things from time to time in the LFS down in Miami, where I used to live. They are some kind of starfish and i remember them as not being reef safe.

 

[kiknchikn]

I believe it's a type of feather star.

I'm lucky enough to live near That Pet Place and I absolutely love it. The prices are unbelievable and once in a while I'll get a 30% off coupon in the mail

 

[musicman]

hey platax88, where in Miami did you live, and which LFS did you go to? I'm from N Miami myself and used to go to "Something Fishy" just off NE 125th and Dixie Hwy all the time. It's gone downhill since I left, but I remember it being a great place.

 

[platax88]

Hey musicman!

I grew up in North Miami Beach actually! I used to live on Ives Dairy Road, near Aventura Mall.

I used to go to Fish Paradise on Hallandale (sucks when it comes to coral, but nice fish selection) Reef Live, Coral Seas Pets and a bunch other. Was Something Fishy the store that was owned by the 2 Jamaican brohers?

PM me if you want so we dont hijack mamagoose's post.

 

[NeveSSL]

Wow! That mantis is really menacing. My wife has already forbidden me from getting one since I showed her some youtube videos of them eating.

Thanks for sharing!

Brandon

 

[Tennsquire]

I think it's a feather starfish, or maybe a basket star.

 

[DMBillies]

If I wouldn't have had to deal with getting the stuff on the plane, I would have definitely come home with a couple o' frags. What I would say is most amazing about this store is the range and quality of stuff they carry. You can walk in and pull a great skimmer off of the shelf (ASM, MRC, Euro-reef, etc.), move to the next aisle and pull off a TEK fixture or a set of halides, find just about any combo of T5, VHO, PC, Halide bulbs (brands/spectrum), pick through their 7 or so pallet sized live rock tanks for 4 or 5 different rock types, pick up a new set of frag cutters and plugs... etc., etc., etc.

I do my best to support the LFS's, but there are some things that our stores simply do not carry. If I had that many options close to home, I would have almost no reason to ever order anything online. I'm sure their internet business helps them to offer more than they otherwise could, but that place made me feel like a kid in a candy store... and I wasn't even in the market for anything. We really just went there to look...

 

[forensicdoc]

They've been around for a long time. I remember driving there from NYC to check them out in the late '70s. They were big for then. I can only imagine what it looks like now.

 

[eyebedam]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11958831#post11958831 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NeveSSL
Wow! That mantis is really menacing. My wife has already forbidden me from getting one since I showed her some youtube videos of them eating.

Thanks for sharing!

Brandon

I was watching Anthony Bordain The other night in Hong Kong & they were eating large Mantis like that. It looked pretty tasty.
I would love to visit a store like that.

 

[NeveSSL]

Wow! Didn't know people ate them.

A buddy of mine threatened to eat my cleaner shrimp... I told him he couldn't afford the meal. :lol:

Thats crazy they've been around for 30 years! Thats awesome, though... how cool it would be to have a place like that here. Maybe EBay and the Critter could combine...

 

[ocd_mariner]

I believe the critter has been around since 1986. Personally, I think thats amazing in nashville.

 

[NeveSSL]

Very true, Chuck! That is pretty amazing.

My cap I got says 1986. I've only been here since 1985 personally... :lol:

Brandon

 

[ocd_mariner]

Hahaha, thats where I checked the date as well, on the hat

 

[mamagoose45]

If I had to guess....I'd say you would easily need about 7 or 8 AC/Ebay combo's to make up what they have between salt/fresh/pond livestock and equipment.

Leaving out the creepy crawly side of the stores that is

 

[SteelAngel]

Aweseom pictures!