NYC Fish Shops

[earthbounddog]

Hi
My first post here, found your message at reefcentral and am really glad you're doing this site! I have a newly cycled 55 that is my first reef tank and it's doing great so far. I hope to be purchasing from and trading with other area reefers to complete it.
I appreciate the info on the site about where the fish shops in the area are, as it has been quite a little adventure locating them and checking them out.
I am also very interested in everyones thoughts on the local fish shops- who has the best prices, who has the most knowledgable staff, best corals,
when to visit certain shops if they get new stock on a regiular schedule, coolest inverts, etc.

bye for now,
Mark

 

[montepora]

Mark:

I can tell you that currently in NY area, there isn't much of LFS that fit your descriptions. The only place I know is not in the NYC but in Mamaroneck called NY Aquaria. HTH!

 

[Josh]

Actually, if you can travel to Queens, you will be in luck.

I am assuming that you are planning on keeping soft corals and LPS based on the fact that this is your first tank.

In Queens, I recommend Coral Aquarium and Aquatic Treasures Aquarium. Both of them stock a fairly large selection of soft coral that come from different suppliers. They are both fairly close to metro stops if you don't have a car.

In Flatbush, there is a store named World Class Aquarium which has an excellent selection, but it is a little hit or miss. Some days you will find fully stocked tanks, somedays you will find them empty. I haven't been there in a while, so I'm curious to hear about it if you do decide to go there. It is on Flatbush Ave, practically in the LI sound. Check the store directory for the exact address.

Let us know the specifics of your tank and we can help you pick some good corals which will tolerate your learning curve (we all have to learn somehow).

-Josh

 

[Josh]

Hey Monte,

BTW, can you give us some details on the store you recommend in Mamaroneck? I'd like to add it to the list.

Thanks!

-Josh

 

[earthbounddog]

I have been to New World Aquarium and it is
a nice little shop and had an intersting
selection of fish as well.
About the on in Mamaroneck, how far is it from NYC? I will go take a look.

Thanks again

 

[earthbounddog]

Thanks Josh:
I have had the tank running for about a month
and my water parameters have been good for about two weeks. It's a 55 gallon with a 20 gallon
sump. I'm a cabinet maker with a wood shop so I built a really nice walnut cabinet for it that hides the equipment and I built a sort of volcano
out of aragonite around a 4" acrylic tube for an overflow, so the overflow is hidden and is running perfectly. I bought 30 lbs. of Florida aquacultured rock from Dale at Gulf View and it's amazing- absolutlely full of life and colorful. Plus I bought 10 lbs of Fiji rock from a local reefer that I found on reefcentral and it has no real corals or anything but does have a different color of Coralline so I assume it's good to have.
I have a deep sand bed that is six inches at one end tapering down to three at the other- mostly southdown with live sand from a couple of different places on top.
I just added the first two fish and they are a small yellow belly damsel, and a blue spot jawfish who seem to be getting along fine though I wasn't sure I should keep the damsel after talking to a couple of people, it has never bothered the jawfish and they aren't at all concerned about each other so I will just keep an eye on them. I also have a cleaner shrimp and it seems really happy and molted already after one week in the tank!
I have two powerheads- a powersweep, and one running across the top to create a ripple.
I'm having a great time building and working on the tank which I was inspired to do by looking at my sisters tank in Chicago- I really loved it, so I started studying up and learning about it about six months ago.
Thanks again and any advice about what would be good additions to this tank would be appreciated!
Mark

 

[earthbounddog]

quick correction- in the last post I said
aragonite and should have said aragocrete which is what I used to build my overflow.

 

[pmui]

Hi All,

Cool new site. Aquatic treasure has a pretty decent selection, but their prices are onthe high side. So be wary of the price tag.

Peter

 

[Crakeur]

I refuse to shop at New World Aquarium due to an issue with the owner, who was a friend at one time. Not to say they don't have a great store. Their prices are insane because they are the only real aquarium store in the city and they can get away with gouging. I'm not sure about their staff anymore because I was only in the new location a couple of times shortly after they relocated from the village. The owner, who I was rather friendly with, would often dispense bad advice either to make a sale or because he was not as knowledgable as he professed to be. I tend to go with the former. His former partner was a much more honest business man and I think he opened up a store in virginia or one of the carolinas.

Another store that is one or two subway stops from NYC is Aquatic Creations. The store is relatively new and is run by two former New World Aquarium employees. They are still working on adding tanks so that they can carry more livestock but they have a decent selection, will probably special order for you if they don't have what you want and, last time I was there, they had some sweet live rock.

Aquatic Creations is located at 97-99 North 10th St in Williamsburg (Brooklyn). The L train to Bedford and you walk 3 blocks to N. 10 and 2 blocks to the store. 718-302-9080.

The store is run by the owners so they can't blame the help for dispensing bad advice and their prices are a solid 1/3 less than New World Aquarium. Plus, they have couches set up, a nice show tank with huge fish (giant cube tank, made by them) and a lounge like atmosphere. If you live in Brooklyn, or don't mind taking the short trip, it is worth checking out.

 

[Josh]

Thanks for the info. I added the store to the list.

Can't wait to check it out next time I am in Williamsburg.

 

[LOVEMYREEF]

lets not forget our brooklyn stores

there is 1000island aquarium on utica ave
there is a chinese aquarium store on 48st 8th ave
there is one on 86st world of pets
plus brooklyn zoo on ralph avenue

then we have staten island
petland on richmond ave is good she will order stuff that you would like
and she gets her corals from long island aquatics

 

[Josh]

Can you provide any more information about the stores you listed?

I am assuming that the "Chinese Aquarium Store" is actually Aquatic Treasures?

Thanks for all the input!

 

[earthbounddog]

I've also been to Aquatic Creations the
new place in Williamsburg and met Sean who
I assume is one of the owners and he was very
cool and friendly and willing to talk.

The huge tank they have is worth the trip although
it's not a reef just a giant box of water- but
pretty impressive nevertheless and has some
large lionfish and a crazy looking eel in it right now.

They don't have a lot of corals or fish yet but it is new and I think it will become a great place.

They are very into captive raised livestock and they can order a wide variety for you in that area.

I think Aquatic Creations is well worth a look and Sean seems honest and not at all pushy about selling you things you might not want.

Later and thanks everyone for all the great info about the shops, I'll be visiting some new places soon!

Mark

 

[Crakeur]

Earth,

Sean is one of the owners. Tony is the other. They are both hobbyists that worked for NWA and did tank maintenance on their own prior to opening the store. Two laid back guys that are really hoobyists trying to make a buck while not crushing the customer's wallets. They don't overstock their drygoods with chems and additives that they then push onto the customer.

I hope that huge funky eel isn't my old snow flake that I donated to them.

 

[Satchmo]

Here's a few more stores on the Jersey side. It's the best this transplanted Brooklynite can do:

Absolutely Fish
1080 Rt. 46 West
Clifton, NJ
973-365-0200
www.absolutelyfish.com

This one is widely considered the best store in the tri-state area, and probably the easiest to get to. It's a stright 1/2 hour shot from the GW. The selection and health of their stock cannot be beaten, but be prepared to be financially sodomized. Large selection of marine fish and inverts. They run the infamous "Midnight Madness Sale" each September which goes all night starting at midnight. Great deals, door prizes, vendors with free samples, etc. Last year almost 400 people showed up. It looked more like a night club than a fish store.

Rainbow Aquariums
1487 Rt. 23 South
Wayne, NJ
973-694-9675

Small Mom & Pop place that's mostly FW, but their marine section is steadily growing. The owners are great and the prices very reasonable. They don't have a problem breaking colonies into frags for $10-$15, which is great for us nanoers. They'll also happily take your frags for credit. Good deals on aquariums too. Ask to see "The Book", which has some nice stuff that can be special ordered. There's also another pet store in the shopping center directly across the highway with a fairly expansive fish room that's worth popping into if you're out that way. They've got the best local prices on maxima clams I've seen.

Reef Encounters
504 Hudson St.
Hackensack, NJ
201-229-0555

Corals never look all that healthy, but they have a really nice selection of fish at good prices. Big selection of overpriced dry goods, and an aquarium show room. $6/lb premium Fiji rock too.

[ December 08, 2002, 11:07 AM: Message edited by: Satchmo ]

 

[Josh]

Satchmo,

I added those stores and your comments, thanks a bunch!

-Josh

P.S. I'm going to start working on a rating system or something for user's comments.

 

[tinyreef]

oops! sorry, i didn't realize address and info was being supplied by us. that's what Internet search engines are for. UW is the best lfs imho. he's a little $$$ for me but his livestock is the best even when we're talking truly difficult species. btw he dates his LR shipments so you know exactly their 'freshness' or 'cured status'.

Underwater World
209 East Westfield Avenue
Roselle Park, NJ 07204
(908) 241-6630

Hanover Pets Inc
200 State Route 10
East Hanover, NJ 07936
(973) 386-0885

 

[choimoreef]

Here my my experiences with LFS around NYC area.

New World in Manhattan: They have a decent selection but their prices are high. The staff is somewhat knowledgeable. The guy behind the counter can be such a snob.

Aquatic Treasure Queens: Great looking coral selection and the owner knows his stuff. In fact he can be a reef nazi about who he sell to. He even demand a sample of your tank sample.

Petswarehouse in LI: ok coral selection, good prices. However, the staff is consist of one senior guy with kids doing the grunt work. You'll have to do your research and know what you want prior to going in. FYI, they do get mantis shrimp sometimes.

Fish Town in Queens: Lately their coral selection has gotten better looking. They even sell maxima clams now. It's a hit or miss sometimes since they have a high turnover on their selection. If I remember correctly, they get shipments on Tuesday. However prices are very good.

Northern Aquarium in Flushing: Small selction with prices higher than Fishtown. I wouldn't recommend it. The owner used to work at Ace which closed down a few years back.

 

[Crakeur]

choimoreef,

that "snob" behind the counter at New World Aquarium is the owner and he is a prick. Plain and simple.

 

[jreef]

Not to reopen the thread, but I would agree with the New World comments. Schmucko is a prick although Ronny is generaly a nice guy. Review posted below:

Wouldn't go to new world except for a dire emergency. They set up my tank poorly (costing me major $$$...can you say 1/3 hp chiller under the tank right next to the sump so that it blew itself out trying to heat and chill the water at the same time and theres much more) and charged me way more than even comparative retail at the same time.

Wish I'd done more homework/known better at the time. (I still kick myself especially considering what the $$$ could have bought)

As already mentioned, everything there is waaaay expensive. Inverts are in sad shape every time I'm there and not a whole lot of them either.

In sum, if you need an emergency pump, have at it, but short of that, chack out the other spots.