OT: Anyone from Wisconsin???

[polarpooch]

I love this OT board. I'm from Madison...anyone else from Madison, or anywhere else in Wisconsin?? How 'bout some suggestions for good fish/herp stores?

In Madison, Aquatic Specialties has the nicest fish, but the highest price. Aquarium Superstore has the best prices, but not a goo dfish selection. Both have good, but pricey corals. Corals are CHEAP at Petworld ...and most are in pretty good shape, too!

[benihuma]

I'm representing Waukesha.

[New_Noob]

Hey, im in wisconsin, very cold here! how cold is it in Madison?

[polarpooch]

Geez, it's freaking freezing here, too! Milwaukee, Waukesha....neither of those are that far away...what are some really good LFS in your area?

I've been to a place near MLK in Milwaukee that has a big shark pool and an old green moray living in it...can't remember the name. I've also been to a place in West Allis (on Hwy 100???)

Anyway...I'll make the drive...if you guys could give me some good LFS suggestions!

THANKS!

[New_Noob]

Originally posted by polarpooch
Geez, it's freaking freezing here, too! Milwaukee, Waukesha....neither of those are that far away...what are some really good LFS in your area?

I've been to a place near MLK in Milwaukee that has a big shark pool and an old green moray living in it...can't remember the name. I've also been to a place in West Allis (on Hwy 100???)

Anyway...I'll make the drive...if you guys could give me some good LFS suggestions!

THANKS!

The LFS with the shark pool and Koy pool, are in Hoffers Tropical Life Pets. And the one in West Allis is most likely Aquatics Unlimited.

Those are my two favorite LFSs, Hoffers is my favorite, its AWSOME! They sell great fish for OK prices, and sell wonderful corals and live rock, their live rock is very pricey but it is the best i have seen. It is also a great Pet Shop for other types of pets.

what are some good LFS in Madison? Me and my family are going to Madison on Monday to drop off my brother because he goes to college there. Which LFS would you recomend?

[Squidd]

.



<<<<<<<:hi:

[polarpooch]

Noob,

I would recommend Aquatic Specialties on University Ave. (that the Beltline to Midvale, go north to Unveristy, turn right and look for the center with Willaim Thomas Designs and Atlanta Bread Company on the corner. I forget the cross street...it's on the left hand side. It's next to the Danford Plaza. If you are coming from the University area, just drive up University avenue from Campus and look to the right ...it's about 2 miles up, past the hospital)

Good selection of swf...pricey, though. Lots of cool wrasses and big angels.

That's the best one. It's NOTHING compared to the shopes I've seen in Milwaukee and the Chicago area, but it's the best we've got and worth a look.

Squidd:

:hi:

[elfdoctors]

I live in northwestern Wisconsin very close to the Minnesota border. I have to go to the Twin Cities to find a LFS. :hi:

[New_Noob]

thanx! i'll be sure to check it out.

[polarpooch]

Elfdoctors,

Northwestern? What town? From time to time, I actually go up there!

[benihuma]

The one you're talking about with the big shark pool on MLK is actually Aqua Exhibits. Their prices are great, but in the summer months their fish are a bit stressed due to no chiller. At least last summer that's how it was. Hoffers is a great place to look, but their prices are insane.

Ben

[New_Noob]

do they sell good fish?

[Dave Flood]

Im from Plainfield, near stevenspoint. Nothin good around here. :mad:

[polarpooch]

Dave,

Well, Stevens Point is the home of Point Beer, isn't it? That's SOMETHING! hehehe.

I think Milwaukee has the best stuff I've seen...you'd think Madison would be have awesome fish stores...but eh.

[DevilBoy]

:hi:

im from wisconsin too

i only have 1 lfs the area.... :sad:

and they are not very good.... very knowledgable staff.. but thats about it


hmm lets see:

149.99 for a prism skimmer (not the deluxe model)
79.95 for a emperor 400

you get the picture

[polarpooch]

149.99 for a prism skimmer (not the deluxe model)

Holy crap. The basic prizm here is 59.95 at the low end, 89.95 at the high end....an emperor 400 is about 60 bucks.

You need to order online! I always order fish/liverock/sand/cleanup packages from here, and dry good from ThatFishPlace.com. I save myself a TON using just these two sites.

BTW, what city/town do you live in?

[DevilBoy]

Originally posted by polarpooch
BTW, what city/town do you live in?

i am in Eau Claire.....

see the major problem i have, is that i can not buy online, i have no credt cards, or a checking account, so i have to buy from lfs, or find a place that accepts money orders. which i am still trying to find out if swf accepts them... they havent replied to me email yet

[New_Noob]

----.com , thats one of the best online stores, not only can you get them for cheap, but well you could get them for cheap!

[polarpooch]

Agreed on ----...especially for dry goods! Most sellers accept money orders there, too. I found a great reef protein skimmer there for $100! Excellent suggestion!

[New_Noob]

$100 on ----? i found mine for $50 and it works up to a 100 gal.

[DevilBoy]

have any of you tried out aquabid?

see i cant use ---- either cuz they ask me for a CC # when i tried to register

[polarpooch]

$100 on ----? i found mine for $50 and it works up to a 100 gal.

New?! I'm jealous!!!


Devil Boy:

Never tried out aquabid. You need to get a bank account...then you can bid on ----.

[New_Noob]

yeah it was brand new in box, i cant find the s/n of the guy i got it from, but its working like a charm!

[Nemo4life]

Hey I'm from Green Bay! Anybody have any LR in the Green Bay/Appleton area??? I know this is the wrong forum, but I didn't want to pay for shipping. Thanks:hi:

[polarpooch]

Anybody have any LR in the Green Bay/Appleton area??? I know this is the wrong forum, but I didn't want to pay for shipping. Thanks

SWF.com ships LR for free....check it out...I ordered some and it was pretty good rock!

[Nemo4life]

Thanks, I'll check it out!

[bryan92b16]

Racine wi here!

[Salty Cheese]

Originally posted by polarpooch
I think Milwaukee has the best stuff I've seen...you'd think Madison would be have awesome fish stores...but eh. [

Hey V.. Err I mean polarpooch :D what stores in Milwaukee would you recommend?
Mainly I'm looking for some live sand with "critters" but I also in the market for a skimmer and LR.
I know I'm probably best off buying online for the skimmer and LR but you never know when a good deal will come along.:thinking:
Way OT how is your ex-coworker Z doing?

[polarpooch]

Hey V.. Err I mean polarpooch what stores in Milwaukee would you recommend?

Aqua Exhibits is the one with the sharks, rays and eels and cool fish--it's off MLKJr. Drive near downtown and the mission district...some others are listed in this post, the ones in West Allis and another Milwaukee store.

Mainly I'm looking for some live sand with "critters" but I also in the market for a skimmer and LR.


Live sand/LR at Aquarium Super Store on Gammon Road next to Labamba--or SWF.com (best prices, free shipping!). Get your skimmer on ----, everyone in town is way overpriced on dry goods! Believe it or not Petworld has the best prices on corals!

So who is this??? Zak is doing great:) He's doing nights on Q106 now! Give him a listen from 6 to midnight!

[Dustball]

I just moved to Menomonee Falls. There is a place in West Allis, Aquatics Unlimited, but there prices are outrageous. Other than that, there are not too many decent places. The Aqua Exhibits have the most decent prices that I have seen.

[polarpooch]

Aquatics Unlimited

Yes, this is the one. Great stuff, unreal prices.

And someone mentioned the place with the koi pond...that's a nice place, too...not as much stuff and high prices, too.

Aqua Exhibits looks like a dump inside, but has awesome stuff and an incredible shark/eel pond. Check it out.

[tzenda]

hey im from waunakee and i go to a few different fish stores in madison.

one on south gammon
one on the belt line off todd dr
one on high crossing blvd by the american store
and one on university

the one on south gammon didnt want to sell me a fish cause he didnt feel like my tank was ready. he actually told me to wait a couple of weeks before he would sell it to me. im not really ticked off or anything he was just trying to protect the fish.

the one off the belt line is a whare house with some good prices

oh yea and dont forget the one in pier 37 on monona dr

there are others that i visited in madison, but when i left the store i felt like i needed a shower.
they were nasty

[polarpooch]

tzenda:

those are the ones I go to as well. The one at Pier 57 is pretty lame, though. And their fish are expensive! I like the University Store best for selection, but the service at Gammon is best.

[Salty Cheese]

Originally posted by polarpooch
So who is this??? Zak is doing great:) He's doing nights on Q106 now! Give him a listen from 6 to midnight!

I'M YOUR #1 FAN!!!!
Just kidding:rotfl:I'll give you a hint:Madison's Most Wanted.:thinking:

[polarpooch]

When you say Madison's Most Wanted,I think of...Quinn...or Khor!

[Stryder]

I'm from Fond Du Lac WI. I have a bunch of LFS around me. I go to Pet Stuff in West Bend,, good prices, but sometimes the fish don't look the greatest. I also go up to Oshkosh which is about 30min away two good stores there are Aquarium Pets and The Fish Bowl, they are alittle more pricey but their fish are beautiful. I have also been to Aqua Exhibits, very cool store:)


Stryder:party:

[polarpooch]

greetings stryder in fond du lac!

[Salty Cheese]

Originally posted by tzenda
there are others that i visited in madison, but when i left the store i felt like i needed a shower.
they were nasty

That reminds me of the pet store that used to be on Park St. by the Taco Bell, the one where the humane society had to go and rescue all the animals after the store shut down and the owners just left. That place was WAY nasty.

[Salty Cheese]

Originally posted by polarpooch
When you say Madison's Most Wanted,I think of...Quinn...or Khor!

God, I’m such a dumb ass sometimes. (Banging my head on the desk, while muttering “stupid”, “stupid”):DNo, it’s not Quinn or Khor, I completely forgot about the name of the old segment when I gave you the hint.
The memory I was trying to invoke was the “Wanted by the MPD” flyers I made of you and Zak.

[polarpooch]

OK, I remember the fliers, but it's been a few years here...so tell me your name! I've got too much information clogging it up right now...

Hey, maybe you'll know this...are there any Madison fish clubs/meetings anywhere?

[rabbitfish]

Originally posted by elfdoctors
I live in northwestern Wisconsin very close to the Minnesota border. I have to go to the Twin Cities to find a LFS. :hi:
elf doctor im from minneapolis... just wonderin which lfs's u go to? thx i'd love to share names/tips...

[elfdoctors]

I live closest to Forest Lake Pets so this is where I go to the most. It has a poor selection, average prices, and their staff is not very knowledgeable. Their tanks, (particularly the coral and live rock tanks) are poorly maintained. Martin, the owner, seems to know his stuff but he tends to be somewhat rude and not to answer questions (even when his friendly understudies direct me to him and I have a large order?).
I've been to World of Fish in Minneapolis. That is where I got my tank. They seem to be knowledgeable, with a good selection and average prices. Their live rock seemed high quality. They seem to be too busy to answer questions and sometimes seem elitist. The location isn't particularly accessible for me.
The store I tend to go to most often (after Forest Lake) is Wet World in Eagan. The location is convenient when I take my kids to the zoo. Their selection is good. Their prices are high and quality are high. They definitely try to answer questions (although they don't understand the difference between FW and SW ich). They have had the best quality corals.
I haven't been to any other stores as it is hard for me to leave the county when I have women who might go into labor.
I have ordered from this site the most and prefer this as the prices are low, the quality is high and the convenience is great.

What are your favorite stores?

[rabbitfish]

i live really close to World of fish and something fishy. i ll have to agree with u that they are somewhat elitist but at somethihg fishy, ed-asian dude, hector-mexican dude, are somewhat helpful and they never charge me for my water:D :D , other suckers do tho...

well elfdoctor; on the coral tip, those two guys are the only ones that i go to. they stick me everytime, last one being a 79.99 leather stool.:thinking: but its just too convinient and just as much addictin to go there...
for fishes, thank god, there is more of a choice, the top of the ladder being those two stores. in addition to these guys, aquacenter on 54th and chicago, petco on 66th and lyndale, pet&fish center on 66th and penn. these places do not order more than once a month, so not much diversity nor the knowledge.

im gonna have to travel to eagen to check that place up, but definetly the best place to shop is online.... congrads by the way:D :D

[elfdoctors]

Originally posted by rabbitfish
.... congrads by the way:D :D

For what???:confused:

Where is Something Fishy?

[rabbitfish]

Originally posted by elfdoctors
For what???:confused:

Where is Something Fishy?
congrads for the unborn:cheer: :cheer:

duuuudeee!, how the heck did u miss something fishy a block down the street from World of fish

[elfdoctors]

:eek: I actually found WOF on the internet. I'll have to check out both stores the next time I'm in the cities. I guess it's obvious I don't get down there very often. :nope:

[FlyDan]

Hey,
I'm FROM Madison origanally but now live in Rockford, IL. I go up to Madison often since that's where my family lives. I like to stop in Janesville since there is a nice LFS right off the interstate. Prefered Pets.

There was a news story about a year ago about an lfs in Madison that went out of business and the owners just locked up and left everything inside to die. Very sad. I don't remember the name of the place. I stopped by once, I think it was on Menona Dr near the belt line.

Dan'l
West High Class of '77

[polarpooch]

Wow Dan, I used to live in Rockford and now live in Madison...:)

I rememeber that place, too. They locked it up and left the animals and fish to die. They were eventually convicted of something (I don't remember what) .

It was really sad. I went there once and noticed that none of the fish had prices on them...when I asked the kid there how much something he was...he had to call the owner! He couldn't get hold of the guy and told me to come back another time if i wanted to buy the fish. As I understand, this was common practice. Some people are just idiots.

Whereabouts in Rockford do you live? My whole family is still there so I get back every couple of weeks or so...

[FlyDan]

Hey,
I live on the far south side near Jefferson High School. About 3 miles due east of the airport off of Samualson.

[polarpooch]

I used to live on the West side on Ridge Ave...better off on the East side now.

I'm on the far West side of Madison...not too far from Memorial.

[FlyDan]

Hey,
My sister lives a couple miles west of West Towne.

I noticed you're in talk radio. Do you know Sly? My brother is a friend of his. I'll see him opening day at Miller Park. (We've all been going for about the last 6 years.)

Dan'l

[polarpooch]

Do you know Sly?

Yes, I do--but we work for different companies and don't know each other well and I don't see him very often. I did JUST run into him, though--we both moderated a candidate debate in the city.

[FlyDan]

Hey,
Small world ain't it?

Dan'l

[Magic_Carp]

bump bump bump bump!!!!:jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :cheer: :jumping:

[amandaschlicher]

I was a faithful follower of Aquarium superstore in madison. they are always very helpful and remember and reward their regular customers. i now live in milwaukee and am still in search of the perfect fish store. i'd drive to madison though in a heartbeat to buy from aquarium superstore.

[oceanic110]

I was born in Milwaukee. Most of my relatives still reside there...

[RobChuck]

I'm a Flatlander, but consider Wisconsin my second home. I don't travel the state as much as I used to, but I go to Milwaukee a few times a month, visit the Fox Cities (Appleton and Neenah) every other month or so to see friends, and Madison (near East Towne) about 3-4 times a year visiting family.

Heck, I spent every summer during college living and working at a camp in Westfield (Marquette County, 1 hour north of Madison on 39/51).