What are the best LFS in Fort Lauderdale?

[percula99]

I will be in the Fort Lauderdale area in early March visintg friends in Weston. Time will be limited but I would like to visit at least a couple of good salt water stores. Can anyone provide me with links or addresses?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[chuckdallas]

Sent a PM.

 

[mrx66699]

map is at the top of this forum

 

[Virtuoso]

Not Ft. Lauderdale but pretty close is Coral Reef Farm Exotics.

http://www.coralreeffarm.com/
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?s...lt&ct=placepage-link&resnum=2&ved=0CCUQ4gkwAQ

I am pretty new and don't have a whole lot to compare it to but I find it pretty amazing. Owner and people who work there are very nice and helpful and they have a lot of corals and fish. I have heard that they are one of the best around here.

 

[illal]

+1 Coral Reef Farm

 

[Juggernaut63]

The guys at Coral Reef Farm are good people. The overall shop is ok. But, if you really want to visit a place that will really impress then you have to make your way to the Orlando area. World Wide Corals is in a whole other league than any other place I have seen in Dade or Broward. Just look at the video of their 300g tank on the website. It looks even better in person. I live in Broward and when I want to get some things for my tank I take the 3-4 hour ride one way. It's that good. Coral Corral in that area is also very nice, it's warehouse style but spotless inside and very large. I don't mean to ruffle any feathers and I'm sure that the shops around here do the best that they can. Unfortunately the best here leaves room for improvement.

 

[carlosngloria]

Coral Reef Farm, and Coral Kingdom.

 

[percula99]

The concensus so far seems to be The Coral Reef Farm. I found a place called the Allfish Emporium. It used to be a Big Al's but is changing it's name. Big Al's is a Canadian company that had one outlet in the US. The pictures on their web site reminds me very much of Big Al's flagship store in Oakville (suburb of Totonto). Any other recommendations would be appreciated?

Sorry Juggernaut63, I really do appreciate the suggestion of the stores in Orlando but I simply will not have the time to drive there and back. I have gone to Orlando in the past and when I go there again I will definitely visit the stores you mentioned. Thank you.

 

[dpx88]

^^^id skip there if i were you

 

[percula99]

Any particular reason why you say that? Say it in a PM if you'd like.

 

[nyvp]

they are more of a petco/petsmart type store instead of a hobby shop quality. great place to look through and some nice tanks though.
+3 on Coral reef farm though

 

[Juggernaut63]

Any particular reason why you say that? Say it in a PM if you'd like.

I was there with a fellow reefer buddy when we overheard the salesperson telling a customer not to buy the T5 light fixture because the bulbs where too expensive and to get the Compact flourescents instead. He then went on to say that once the tank was setup he could sell him some chemicals to put in the tank and he would have a "mad reef" in a couple of months. We still laugh about that, lol.

It's a big impressive store and a good place to buy a tank maybe but I usually get sad when I walk through the holding tanks and see so many stressed and dying or dead fish. The thought of so many fished getting yanked from their homes just to end up dying before even making it to someones aquarium is pretty depressing.

 

[bolo7735]

Victor @ Coral Kingdom - Pembroke Pines area (Very nice SPS, LPS, and Softies), Coral Reef Farm - Hollywood Area (Good SPS and LPS), and Exotica Aquatic - Ft. Lauderdale area (they have been stocking nice SPS frags. They are known for quality fish.)

 

[percula99]

Thanks to all for the heads up on Allfish Emporium. In an earlirer post I mentioned the store in Oakville that the pictures from Allfish Emporium's web site reminded me of. The fish there are well kept and I would not hesitate to buy from them, but if I go to the two stores in Ottawa (where I live) that are from the same chain I would never bring anything home from there. I have learned my lesson about rescuing sick fish and trying to nurse them back to health.

I seem to have a few good suggestions which is really all the time I will have anyway. Happy reefing everybody.

 

[bolo7735]

Nothing wrong with All Fish Emporium. The store has improved greatly from the days of Big Al's. There big rimless coral tank when it was up was very nice. The supplier they brought their corals from is top grade. Lately the tank hasn't done well after they removed the black sand. Hopefully it will recover. Their fish is not bad either. You just need to know how to spot a good quality fish. It is no different when you go to any LFS. This applies the same for corals. Besides, they always have coupons on their web site for different products. Even discount for fish too.