Favorite aquarium stores?

[mcloughlin2]

There has been a few of these threads popping up lately with many interesting views. Being located in Blacktown I am relatively close to many aquariums, including Neptune, Aquarama, Strictly, Blacktown Pet and Produce plus some more that are a bit further away but still relatively close.

What's everyones views on their local stores? Post constructive critisisim perhaps using the following guideline as otherwise this thread will be locked or moved out of the general forum.

- Pricing: Expensive/cheap/average

- Variety of stock: Do they have natives, tropicals, africans, americans, marines, oddballs and coldwater?

- Level of service: Do they know what they are talking about?

- Reliability: If they say they will get something for you do they?

Neptune - Cheap prices generally with a wide range of fish encompessing tropicals, africans, americans, natives, oddballs, marines and coldwater species. The amount of stock is often quite eradic and they go through periods of high levels of stock and low levels so that could be more consistant as it is a pain in the bottom waiting for orders sometimes. Level of service is ok. Majority of staff are young but the young guys who work on weekends do seem to know their stuff.

Aquarama - Expensive prices with a decent range of fish. Great place to visit if you have the money to splurge on larger fish and don't mind paying inflated prices. They do keep a regular stock up though of natives which is always good and their tropicals are usually all good sizes and on par with other shops prices. Downside for me is they don't stock alot of accessaries or tanks. Service is quite slack with the asian guy seeming very lazy playing on his phone when by himself. To give them credit if they say they are getting something they do get it. I once asked for an adult 7 bar frontosa. They called me a few months later saying they had one, downside was it was a tilapia. :lol:

Strictly - Never really visit them but use to have a good range of marine products. I've since heard this has changed?

Blacktown pets and produce - Cheap prices and always an excellant range of goldfish, africans and tropicals. Service is always very friendly and good. The older man (Owner I believe) went out of his way to provide names of aquariums who may stock a product I was after so thumbs up for him.

Thats all I can really comment on. What's everyone elses experiance with the mentioned shops or any others?

[Matt15]

Whilst I know you have been a member here for some time I still believe the forum holds rules to discussion about stores who are not sponsors here.

If this was to change thou I believe threads like this one would be fantastic for many cities around Aust to weed the bad from the good.

[mcloughlin2]

I know what your saying mate. My reasoning for this thread is there is currently no aquarium store sponsors as such. Rather all the sponsors are importers or online stores so these threads will not compete with either business at the end of the day.

[bronco]

lol, the asian guy, at aquarama, omgosh, hes useless..and he is always sittin there so quite you dont notice him, and hes always playin a game ..lol. that shop is so dead man, and prices are overpriced in my opionon. and i checked out the discus, wasnt impressed in my opinion. but they always have heaps of stock, no doubt.

and pet and produce,i bought my red rose juvi from dem.. they have 3 juvis there when i went, i wasnt really impressed in the way they were kept. they could hardly swim straight..lol, cuz the filter seemed on overdrive. but the cheap labour hire there no nuttin, except the old man, the rest tell me a story of the discus..lol, and its origin.. deep in the amazon, he said, great help..:P and all i wanted to know what strain of discus this was..lol

And neptune, gee, ripp offs in my opionon ,there juvis they have are ova 100 bucks when i went there, and i asked em u got any under like 50 for atleast a juvi he goes, all 100 and ova.

and yes strictly, have excellent collection of marine, actually really stunning in great condition.i was impressed with there shop and its layout, but i didnt notice any discus, which i was lookn for..

but thats my opionon of all those shops.. cheerz.

[fiftycal]

I went to a former sponsor of this site today, located on Anzac Parade.

Went at 11:45. Closed.

Left and came back at 12:30. Closed

Went across the road, took a look at strathfield car radio and had a look at fishing gear. Came back at 12:40. Still closed.

Sign on the door says they open at 10. Letters are visible under the door, which means that nobody had opened the door all day.

Couldnt see anyone inside, but the tank lights were on.

B&C Aquariums down in Matraville didnt have that much discus, but they did have a good range of mosses and had CRS. They had a good range of tropical fish, and they seemed well priced.


Over in the Hills, we dont have too much. Aquamart in Castle Hill is quite expensive.

Kellyville pets is expensive and their selection of discus is poor.

Fishrock in Eastwood is usually well priced and I have found their staff to be friendly and helpful. They usually have a good stock of discus too.

Theres not that many places that I know of anymore. I'd like to know what places get good discus in, since Xtreme has aparently closed.

[Old Dave]

B&C Aquariums down in Matraville didnt have that much discus, but they did have a good range of mosses and had CRS. They had a good range of tropical fish, and they seemed well priced.

Fishrock in Eastwood is usually well priced and I have found their staff to be friendly and helpful. They usually have a good stock of discus too.

B&C - Some of the cleanest tanks i have ever seen...
Fishrock at Eastwood? Tried to find them several times (on the way to JMS at Carlingford :wink: ).
I took the phone number with me last time but they didn't answer. Closed on Mondays??

Yes, we need to support the forum's sponsors, but we also need to support the industry as a whole. We seem to be losing too many businesses atm. ..And if the LFS is a hole...

JMO
Old Dave

[Proteus]

I have no problem with this thread, so long as it sticks to the facts, and any negatives can be fully explained to give a better perspective of things then go for it.

And yes, we are losing aquarium stores at an alarming rate, over 15 aquarium related stores have closed in the Sydney area this year, and this will continue to grow if things don't improve (and it isn't just the small stores closing, Aquamart, who had 4 stores went into receivership several months back, they are still trading but 2-3 of there stores had to close down with the restructure)

[TW]

I went to a former sponsor of this site today, located on Anzac Parade.

Went at 11:45. Closed.

Left and came back at 12:30. Closed If that is the store I am thinking of, I am pretty certain Wednesday is the one day of the week they are closed. Could be wrong, but you could check by phoning them.

[fiftycal]

That could explain why. I'll try them another time.

Fishrock at eastwood is off a main street. There was a Malaysian restaurant next to them last time I was there (ages ago). You have to turn just after the lights.

Come to think of it, B&C had extremely clean tanks indeed.

I'll call into JMS when I am next free.

I really cant think of anymore proper aquariums in the Hills area. Most places are pet shops, so they only stock a minimal amount of fish, and the fish are usually the more common types.

I may check out Lam's in parra again.

[mcloughlin2]

Bronco, when I enquired about their discus the smaller ones were $45, medium around $70 (?) and the largest over $100. Make sure whoever serves you knows what they are talking about. Some of the workers during the week seem to be really only employed as maitanance staff so don't strictly know much about the fish and seem to make things up rather then clarify with the owner.

Yes the Pet and Produce staff are a good laugh sometimes, but not for lack of trying! :P

[fiftycal]

When I went to Neptunes, it was a friday. Served by a young bloke. He gave me similar pricing to you, mcloughlin.

The discus looked in good health. Most were very attentive and there were some which I would have bought.

[bartek]

Fishrock is on North Rd just off Balaclava Rd about halfway between Blaxland Rd and Epping Rd.

There is a bunch of shops on the intersection with a Cafe called Fusion on one corner, a newsagent on another, a mechanic on the third corner and a park on the fourth.

Plenty of street parking usually and there is a small car park behind the Fusion Cafe... and yes I believe they are closed Mondays.

[AHC]

Its such a shame about the LFS closures. Im sure its only a lull during recession hardness. :cry:

My experiences with the 2 mentioned Blacktown stores were not great. Pricing combined with quality of their discus were below par. However other Chilids and schooling fish were suitable. Service was as mentioned. id rather spend money elsewhere.

Strictly aquariums in my view is same, same wherever you go.

Lams in Parramatta is quality with a great range of Tropical and cold water species. Discus prices can be expensive though (Sub adult/adult discus for $95 - $200, depending). Most other fish are standard prices. Service is casual but the knowledge is built on solid experience of 20 - 30 years. They do have some Discus and Geo juvies at the moment going from $30 which is great. Its the first time i have seen them with juvies to be honest.

Auburn Pet and Aquarium is also another quality shop but again, expect to pay premium prices for everything. They have a great range of tropical and Marine fish including a great range of Africans Cichlids. Discus quality is below par. They have a great range of drift wood/mangrove roots etc. Expect to sell your first born to pay for some of them. Service is good.

Lastly, St George Aquriums in Rockdale. Its not my local but its my Dads local. Great range of quality fish. Prices varies and discus quality does as well. Usually its good. Its a great shop where i can easily spend hours just walking around, looking. Great supply of all fish species as well as products and driftwood. Service is the best service i have been given from a LFS. i make the tip because its worth it.
Well actually Extreme was the best for quality, experience and having a good yarn. But they are no more.

[jluna]

a great place has just opened near me - botany road, alexandria, called 'aquaristic'. the owner billy gets great stock in, some lovely discus, amazing plants, and has excellent display tanks. he's really helpful, got me splash tetras within 2 weeks of asking - had been hunting for them for months! highly recommended.

[bronco]

oh, i didnt know that they were that much mcloughlin2, i think they tried there best to ripp me off then..lol, tryed to milk me,cuz i dont look like a typical discus owner..

btw, the lams in parramatta, what kind of juvies do they have, do they stock heaps of straisn,im after red melons with the yellow face. i have never seen one in my life.lol, and want one bad.

[AHC]

btw, the lams in parramatta, what kind of juvies do they have, do they stock heaps of straisn,im after red melons with the yellow face. i have never seen one in my life.lol, and want one bad.

Not currently, but give them a call.

[Tommo]

Mentone Aquarium
Or
Reeflections

They both good places :)

[fiftycal]

Went to Kellyville pets today.

They had some well priced plants and a decent amount of them. Discus were overpriced though.

I'll probably get some plants off them in the future, since they are nice and local.

I'll try and check out Norwest Aquariums in a few weeks time

[sf108]

I've visited 41 LFS (6 of them closed down) these last 2 months and can say I'm quite surprised with the level in quality and service. From the bare bottom, 1 man store with filthy and dimly lit tanks to huge 2-level stores with UV-filtered water systems.

Props goes to:

St. George - biggest display store ever! Advice and service from the owner Laurie was top notch. Actually he spent 30mins talking to me and I left the shop w/o buying anything.

JMS - great range of tropicals and discus. If you haggle a little bit, they will give you better pricing if you buy a lot of stuff. They were even using Sfiligoi lights on their marine tank!

Fishrock - only shop that I saw was attempting to breed discus. Had wilds in a QT when I went 2mths ago.

Aquapets - decently priced discus. Very well-maintained tanks

Aquaristic - new shop. Had limited number of discus, but they had about 3-4 empty tanks they said were being readied for new shipments. Very well setup. Had mini-ADA style shrimp tanks on display

B&C - didn't see much discus but they knew their stuff. Had UP-branded substrate (competitor to ADA) which was a bonus

Riverside - had a good variety of cichlids and discus. Pricing is very reasonable due to the demographics. Owner has over 15yrs exp. Pity he didn't know who Takashi Amano is ...

Auburn - great store with plenty of nice display tanks. Limited discus range. Their prices for Eheim and other equipment are high. But the owner seems to have a lot of knowledge.

Strictly - all stores seem the same. Currently have 20% discount on all floor display cabinets + tanks. I noticed one store had Riccia on sale. Very well-kept stores, but you won't find discus or other uncommon fish here.

[Davo]

Two more shops that are very good -

Asquith Aquarium - very good service from Mark and his dad, great selection of fish and products.

Manly aquarium - Good service from Matt & Hernan.

Dave

[fiftycal]

Just got back from Fish Rock Eastwood

Bought 2 heckels and 2 greens and 2 albino blue diamonds. I am broke!

They still have 1 heckel left and I think 2 or 3 greens. Nice fish, I wish I had more money so I could buy them all!

The service there is excellent, and Alan, the owner, is very helpful and knowledgable. If you want to buy the wilds, talk to him first so that he knows you arent a beginner, since he wont sell them to beginners.

[xrboy_85]

Hey guys

i'm no lawyer however my fiance is not far from finishing her degreee. i had thoughts of posting a thread after having a bad experience with a local breeder who's fish all keiled over in 3 days.

i was so furious i wanted to rip his garage door down after he told me tuff luck. I was then advised to "calm down honey"!! as they do, and that i should be careful of what i write and names so forth due to being sued for deformation = ( bagging a business in the public eye)

Just my 2c

[Pixeltoy]

I have been doing the rounds over the last 4 weeks. Many LFS have closed down.
To date some of my favourite include:
Active Aquariums- Canley Heights. Exotic 'A' grade cichlids, Discus, Plecos.
Fish Rock Aquarium- Eastwood. Fantastic Discus stock.
Tropical Waters Aquarium- Burwood- 95 Burwood Rd (in the alley) 'A' grade Discus/cichlids and Marine

Strictly Aquariums- wherever they are, are very overpriced!

Sydney Discus World has beautiful fish AND he really looks after his fish. I really appreciated my first visit there BUT his fish are PREMIUM PRICE even if they are not 'A' grade.

[bobgar]

I always get my Discus from Sydney Discus World Aquariums at Homebush West. Great quality Discus at great prices. They specialise in Discus so there are lots of strains to choose from and they are all wormed and vaccinated. The bloke, Nick is a friendly chap that will help with you with all you need.