Visiting Jacksonville need LFS info

raskal311

raskal311

New member
Hello Everyone,

Not sure if this would be a good place to ask but I'll be flying to Jacksonville on the 14th next month. I'll be there for a week and would have some time on my hands so I would like to visit a few LFS in the area. Can someone recommend a few stores. Also I would love to find some FL rics, what kind of prices should I expect to find? I'm looking for mainly colony size rocks not just one or two polyps.

Also how for would I need to drive to find a reef in FL waters from Jacksonville? I'm a entry level diver and would also love to take a dive or two.

Thanks

P.S.

If any of you locals have rics for sale please pm me.
 
Diving offshore Jax IMO sucks, some people will disagree. My idea of a 30 - 40 + min. boat ride isn't my idea of fun & there aren't really any reefs to speak of. But if you want to drive a little, West Palm Beach, Ft Lauderdale is like 4 - 5 hrs south. I'll PM you with a local dive store that I highly recommend. Also will PM LFS info.
 
Dang, 4-5 hours isn't going to work since I'm there on business and am only free after work hours if that. I'm not sure what they have schedule for me but I'm sure of at least 2-3 meetings and god knows what else. If it wasn't for a big frag swap in my area that weekend I'd stay another 4-5 days and make it a vacation since I'll already be in the area. Not to mention flight, hotel, and food would be on the company :D
 
hey looks like you are going to be going to jax right after i leave i think there are a few good store's mentioned in that thread. sad to say it got hijacked on me.
 
i can say that atlantis was nice last time i was there but they have moved twice since then. hopefully some of the reefers that posted there will post here and possibly let you see there reeefs to.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7809412#post7809412 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bmkindig
i can say that atlantis was nice last time i was there but they have moved twice since then. hopefully some of the reefers that posted there will post here and possibly let you see there reeefs to.
Click to expand...

I won't be moving. Signed a long term lease.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7810285#post7810285 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by floridareefs
Really, they are all good. Just keep a distance from Aqua Z@@! Other than that, your good to go.
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I agree. Every store has something different to offer.
 
Raskal 311 I noticed your from SoCal....... Nothing in my opinion is nicer than San Diego. I really want to move there but a darn single wide mobile home is $250,000. However the coral and reef shops I went to there were so nice and inexpensive compared to here. I guess everyone is broke from their mortgage payment so stuff is cheaper. We do have alot of good shops here so maybe you can get something from this coast you cant get out there. Try and make it to Pat's house for the meeting, he has a real nice tank. Carrie
 
Stuff there maybe cheaper because everything comes into the west coast & they don't have to pay shipping costs cross- country. There is also a thing called "cherry picking" that's where the LFS go to the wholesalers & pick their stuff, so there is no shipping costs
 
250g for a mobil home? must be near the beach. Most used mobile homes in socal run about $100,000 but the problem is parking it it cost $1300 a month. May as well buy a small condo. But its true that we do get the best corals :D But FL rics is what I want and we pay about $10.00-$15.00 for single heads, less if its a colony. I'm hoping to pickup a lot of rics if I can find a good price while I'm in FL. www.atlantisaquariumsnefl.com should be a great place to pick up some since they are only 7 miles from my hotel.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7818998#post7818998 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sea devil
Stuff there maybe cheaper because everything comes into the west coast & they don't have to pay shipping costs cross- country. There is also a thing called "cherry picking" that's where the LFS go to the wholesalers & pick their stuff, so there is no shipping costs
Click to expand...

Its so true, our reef club takes us shopping at the wholesaler now and then and I see local stores talk the sales guys in to letting them pick out of the reserved section for transshipping all the time. You come in the section would be packed with nice corals like blue zoos and by the time you leave its half empty. :D
 
Atlantis always has nice rics, check out Fish Mania and Bio Reef right around there as well. They all are around $10-12 bucks each though. Maybe getting a cool colony would work out cheaper- I am telling you- you are spoiled in So Cal :D
 
I'll chime in about the local diving here......I actually LOVE our diving off of the coast here. There are plenty of Natural Reefs, but like Sea Devil stated the ride out can be pretty far.

My average diving is usually about 20 miles out in about 80-90 feet of water. The shallowest, but not the nicest stuff is about 60 feet deep and 12 miles.

There are plenty of sponges, soft corals, gorgonians and some hard corals to see. I will try and find some decent photography from our local waters. Granted the diving here is completely different from south florida, It is still beautiful none the less...JME. I've dove the Bahamas, Florida Keys, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico and I still am impressed with what we have locally.

Being new to diving, and from California (way different) you might actually enjoy the diving here. Everything here is deeper though, if you want shallow dives you will have to go South.....

There are a few charter boats that operate on weekends, I might even have an extra seat on my boat when you are here. I dive on Mon-Weds each week normally......
 
Its very nice of you to offer your boat but it looks like I'll be in meetings Tue, Wed, and Thurs and I don’t know when they will end. If my schedule does change I'll definitely shoot you a pm to see if you’re up for dive. I've already made plans with my dive buddies to come back to FL at the end of summer or a week of diving and what ever else FL has to offer.
 
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