Vivid Aquariums - Valley's Best Kept Secret?
- Thread starter migston
- Start date
migston
Premium Member
Just to illustrate why I like them, I'll share my quest to get a Blue Tang.
Disclaimer: Yes I know it will outgrow my tank. Upgrade on the horizon.
Anyways, My original plan was to get one from Aquarium center since I've always liked their livestock and they had the absolute cheapest price for a Blue Tang anywhere ($19.99). Unfortunately I could only gawk at the fish since my QT was still cycling.
Fast forward to this Monday and my QT finally finished cycling. I hurried to Aquarium Center only to find that they were sold out. I talked to Phil about when they'd get in another shipment and he said that they get new fish on Wednesdays and that there would probably be Blue Tangs. Being the impatient type, I decided to see if I could find one at a different LFS, so I hit all the usual suspects.
Vivid was closed because it was a Monday so I went to nearby Aquarium City. One look aat their Blue Tangs told me right away that they were sick. The price I believe was around 37.99, so I declined.
I thought of going to Aquatic Zoo, but then came to my senses. As a last ditch effort I went to Tat's. They had one last Blue Tang for sale and it obviously had ich. It was covered in the stuff. I figured I had a QT, so maybe I'd get it. I asked an employee how much and she said $40! I tried to barter, saying that it was small and looked sick. She went to the back to ask someone and came back saying that she couldn't do anything about the price. So I went home empty handed.
Fast forward to Tuesday. I walk into Vivid, gawk for a bit and Kyle comes to help me. I didn't see any in the displays so I wasn't hopeful but asked if they had Blue Tangs anyway. He tells me that they do and to come around back. They had three left for me to choose from. I tell him in general that I want one from a certain tank. This is the kicker. He catches both of the tangs from the tank and then picks one up in each hand and inspects them. He tells me that the one in his left hand looks healthier. I took a look and agreed so he went to bag it. Now that's customer service! The price was $35 which was significantly higher than Aquarium Center, but it's good to know that it's been quarantined already. Compare that to the $40 diseased fish from Tat's and that's totally a deal.
I haven't tried to purchase any coral yet, so I dunno about their prices. Still, it's gotta be cheaper than Tat's. LOL Man I think I'm gonna get booted from Tat's if I ever set foot in there in case any of them read this board
Maybe that's why they give me the evil eye.
Disclaimer: Yes I know it will outgrow my tank. Upgrade on the horizon.
Anyways, My original plan was to get one from Aquarium center since I've always liked their livestock and they had the absolute cheapest price for a Blue Tang anywhere ($19.99). Unfortunately I could only gawk at the fish since my QT was still cycling.
Fast forward to this Monday and my QT finally finished cycling. I hurried to Aquarium Center only to find that they were sold out. I talked to Phil about when they'd get in another shipment and he said that they get new fish on Wednesdays and that there would probably be Blue Tangs. Being the impatient type, I decided to see if I could find one at a different LFS, so I hit all the usual suspects.
Vivid was closed because it was a Monday so I went to nearby Aquarium City. One look aat their Blue Tangs told me right away that they were sick. The price I believe was around 37.99, so I declined.
I thought of going to Aquatic Zoo, but then came to my senses. As a last ditch effort I went to Tat's. They had one last Blue Tang for sale and it obviously had ich. It was covered in the stuff. I figured I had a QT, so maybe I'd get it. I asked an employee how much and she said $40! I tried to barter, saying that it was small and looked sick. She went to the back to ask someone and came back saying that she couldn't do anything about the price. So I went home empty handed.
Fast forward to Tuesday. I walk into Vivid, gawk for a bit and Kyle comes to help me. I didn't see any in the displays so I wasn't hopeful but asked if they had Blue Tangs anyway. He tells me that they do and to come around back. They had three left for me to choose from. I tell him in general that I want one from a certain tank. This is the kicker. He catches both of the tangs from the tank and then picks one up in each hand and inspects them. He tells me that the one in his left hand looks healthier. I took a look and agreed so he went to bag it. Now that's customer service! The price was $35 which was significantly higher than Aquarium Center, but it's good to know that it's been quarantined already. Compare that to the $40 diseased fish from Tat's and that's totally a deal.
I haven't tried to purchase any coral yet, so I dunno about their prices. Still, it's gotta be cheaper than Tat's. LOL Man I think I'm gonna get booted from Tat's if I ever set foot in there in case any of them read this board
Maybe that's why they give me the evil eye.
Migston: How is anyone at Tat' going to know who you are unless you tell them? Doubt that they look at forum comments or care! I did appreciate the response from Vivid. Apparently, they do care! Like I said in my post, I would defintely go back to Vivid to work with Kyle. I have a new tank ready to stock!
Similar threads
