Im looking for corals, in particular, really nice button polyps. Other corals too, but im wondering if any has been to That Fish Place in Lancaster, PA. Do they have alot of stock? This store is about 100 miles from me (DC area) so i dont want to go if its not worth it. thanks
That Fish Place in Lancaster - any good?
- Thread starter Mike02
- Start date
They are good for supplies but the time I went there they had the worst looking corals and fish I have ever seen. I have heard many others say the same thing - don't waste your time.
If you want nice corals (many tank raised) go to The Reef Tank in Northern VA - I think they are around Burke. Much closer to you, great guys, great prices.
Here is their phone # 703-978-1700 Ask for Grim or Mike.
Laurie
If you want nice corals (many tank raised) go to The Reef Tank in Northern VA - I think they are around Burke. Much closer to you, great guys, great prices.
Here is their phone # 703-978-1700 Ask for Grim or Mike.
Laurie
I'd second Laurie on That Fish Place, it's good for large supplies but pathetic on livestock. Drygoods prices are good, but most other MO (like Premium Aquatics, Marine Depot) beat them easily. For large or heavy items, though, it's worth the trip. I go there every now and then when I need a bucket of salt or something and just browse their huge warehouse. Another good place for corals in the D.C./Baltimore area is Exotic Aquatics in NE Baltimore.
Chris
Chris
Mike,
You can cut your travel in about half and visit The Hidden Reef in Philly. They cram an incredible amount of dry goods and livestock in an average size LFS. The selection of skimmers is the best I've seen anywhere. You should be able to find whatever you're looking for there. Their fish selection is great and the specimens are healthy. The coral selection is better than most, and specimens are usually in good shape. Prices are resonable.
Steve
8{I
You can cut your travel in about half and visit The Hidden Reef in Philly. They cram an incredible amount of dry goods and livestock in an average size LFS. The selection of skimmers is the best I've seen anywhere. You should be able to find whatever you're looking for there. Their fish selection is great and the specimens are healthy. The coral selection is better than most, and specimens are usually in good shape. Prices are resonable.
Steve
8{I
Mike, the url is http://exoticaquaticsmd.com. They don't update it too often, but it's got the pertinent info. Call ahead to see how many frags they have, they seem to let it dwindle real low before fragging more of their own stuff or getting frags from whomever they buy from.
Chris
Chris
I live about 4 hours from That Pet Place, so I don't go there much. But I do order most of my supplies from them. You can't beat the price and the speady delivery, in my opinion.
I get most of my stuff within three days.
When I did visit them I was very impressed with the whole store, including the livestock.
I don't buy the negative posts about them that I read on here. Makes me wonder if the people making the negative posts are actually affiliated with other fish stores.
Lots of other stores don't like them because they can't compete with their prices.
I get most of my stuff within three days.
When I did visit them I was very impressed with the whole store, including the livestock.
I don't buy the negative posts about them that I read on here. Makes me wonder if the people making the negative posts are actually affiliated with other fish stores.
Lots of other stores don't like them because they can't compete with their prices.
i go there at least twice a year, mostly for salt and pumps. the livestock is not what it could be. the prices can't be beat on everything. Lately, when i call in an order i get "your goods will be shipped from our warehouse in a few days". i had always recieved my stuff in two to 7 days and now it's longer. Years ago i recieved it the next day. even i was shocked to see the UPS delivery.
Do I have to be affilliated with some other store to see how poor their quality of livestock is? If you buy fish from this place, you better have a quarantine setup. Take a walk through the fishroom and count how many tanks you don't see a dead or diseased fish in... it won't be very many. They pack about 15 tangs of each type in a tank, with predictable results. This is a volume based operation, so is not unusual. The corals aren't so bad, but don't go looking for acros. And like I said before, they are very good on drygoods, but not the cheapest. $10-$40 higher on Iwaki pumps than another popular MO place. Of course, if you're local, that difference will probably more than make up for shipping (even with tax). I don't have anything against That Fish Place, I shop there regularly, I just buy my livestock elsewhere.
Chris
Chris
spectral_ranger is right on the money IMO. I have found afew fish there that were in pretty good shape, but since most of the tanks are on the same system I'd never chance a live purchase there. I've heard just as many complaints about That Pet's Place's livestock as i have about Petco's. So i dont think we are all affiliated with other stores. Heck if we were why would we waste our time going there? We could just get it cheaper at our personal stores.
I dont mean this to sound rude, sorry!
My experiences might just be from only visiting on the weekends when the tanks have been picked over pretty good. I've never seen a slow weekend there.
I drove to ThatPetPlace a couple of years ago and purchased both drygood and fish, but not corals. The folks working in the drygoods section were both helpful and knowledgeable. The selection and prices in the drygoods section were fantasic. For a moment there, I thought I had died and gone to fishkeeper's heaven.
The person in the fish section was helpful, but not nearly as knowledgeable as his peers. I looked at a lot of fish and finally selected a yellow tang. It stayed with me for 3 years.
I know you asked about corals, but I must say I have no experience with ThatPetPlace and corals.
I have had many mail orders with them and have not had a problem to date.
HTH
The person in the fish section was helpful, but not nearly as knowledgeable as his peers. I looked at a lot of fish and finally selected a yellow tang. It stayed with me for 3 years.
I know you asked about corals, but I must say I have no experience with ThatPetPlace and corals.
I have had many mail orders with them and have not had a problem to date.
HTH
Mike02,
Don't waste your time driving all the way up to Lancaster PA when your just minutes from
the best reef livestock in norther VA. Go to the Marine Scene in Herndon http://www.marinescene.com/ The web site is not much, but it will give you hours and directions. I buy all my liverock, sand, corals and fish there. I highly recommend it, they may be a little higher on prices but I go for the quality, just my opinion.
Don't waste your time driving all the way up to Lancaster PA when your just minutes from
the best reef livestock in norther VA. Go to the Marine Scene in Herndon http://www.marinescene.com/ The web site is not much, but it will give you hours and directions. I buy all my liverock, sand, corals and fish there. I highly recommend it, they may be a little higher on prices but I go for the quality, just my opinion.
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
