Good LFS in DFW

[reeferdude]

I am looking for a good LFS in the DFW area (More FW than D.) The one I go to now is called Fish Paradise and the prices are outrageous and I have had 2 very expensive fish die from there for no good reason within days of acclamation.

 

[bad_fish]

There is a guy on 35E in Carrollton. I know that is on the Big D side. Anyway, I think it's just called saltwater fish. The place looks kinda dingy and the first couple of times I stoped in I thought I would never buy there. His prices are better than Petland, so I took a chance on a couple of clowns. I have had them for 3-4 months, they are alive, healthy, and I love em.
I still go in ocassionally to see what's new. I would buy there again.
Good Luck
Brian

 

[ed r]

That place in Carrollton is called Saltwater Solutions. They are located on the southwest corner of I35 and Valwood Parkway. They are not impressive from a facility standpoint. They do have good fish and corals. They mark the prices of the fish on the tanks, but you have to ask the price for all the corals. I feel the fish prices are ok, but the coral prices are high. They do have a pretty good selection. The clerks I have talked to seem knowledgeable.
Dallas North Aquarium is at the southwest corner of Trinity Mills and Marsh Lane in Carrollton. They have a nice store, but due to a good business are building a large place a few blocks away. They have good fish and corals. Prices are fair. Look closely at the fish you choose because it is not too unusual to see a dead or diseased one in a tank or two. Store has a lot of clerks. Some are knowledgeable, but some are not.
Planet Pet is on Harwood in Bedford. They have a large selection of dry goods. The saltwater selection has been improved. Do to the length of the drive, I have been there only a couple times. Given your location, I would suggest checking them out.

 

[a&m aggie 04']

I personally like Fish Paridise. I havent been going there very long but a few of my friends have went there for a while. Their prices on dry goods are pricey compared to the net, but their fish always seem to be in good health. Just my opinion though

 

[ed r]

Where is Fish Paradise? That is one I am not familiar with.

 

[boogerbooger]

I was expecting so much more at Saltwater Solutions.. I was not impressed at all.. the people that work there are very rude..i was not impressed, i was very disapointed.. for one thing this store has been in business for a while and they do not have one display tank..which i consider a fault..the corals weren't that bad..
Dallas North Aquarium is also a horrible store..their freshwater tanks are usually infested with ich..some of their things are reasonable priced..they have a great amount of dry goods with high prices.. i do not reccomend this store..you can't even walk around without stepping on somebodies shoe..ah..I liked all of their display tanks though..
Aquatic Designs.. this store is a yes and no..occasionally i see great thing other times i feel so bad for the fish..lets cramp 15 banggais in a 15 or 20 gallon tank?..lets make a tank with corals that need good circulation when there is NO circulation..i really did enjoy their display tank with this beautiful frogspawn(in the back).. i occasionally go there.. i've been impressed with their xenias..the people that work there(the younger ones) are bored all the time..the older people are nice..when i went there they had great live rock..ever since then they have horrible live rock..
Aquarium Mart..just opened in Farmers Branch..pretty much Addison..they've been open about 4 weeks or so and I am very impressed with their ability to advertise..everytime i look in the Dallas Observer,, their ad is there..they are still starting out..so do not expect something unbelivable..their fish ..yeah are ok.. their coral prices are great compared to other Dallas stores..remember they are still new.. dry goods prices are high..
the only store i now go to is Boutique Pet Shop..the guy who works there,, his name is Bill and is very helpful and is a great guy..i'll be working there next year so you can see me and i could give you a discount ha..he actually tries to make a nice enviroment within each tank.. i really enjoy their saltwater section..prices can be high..but most seem relatively moderate..their freshwater section is VERY big.. they have great selection with tanks.. i believe they are a Oceanic Distributor..they also sell guinea pigs//bunnies//birds..dog supplies.. www.boutiquepetshop.com

 

[alf3482]

Planet Pet has the best coral selection of any in town. matter of fact I'm headed that way now.
Where is Fish Paradise? That is one I am not familiar with.
35w and altamasa in FT worth. heading south on 35w turn right on alta masa down about 2.54 miles. PH# 817-263-1148
Be prepared to wait. The service sux and prices are high on 75% of there stuff. JMO I quit going there because I had to wait so long for poor service. There is usually only 1 or 2 people working.

 

[reeferdude]

Ya if you are gonna go to fish paradise bring your 9 because it is in a HORRIBLE part of town. The people that work there seem pretty knowledgeable but everything they say i check it on this board. My biggest complaints have to be the prices and their advise. They tell me to but things I know that I don’t need and then try to sell me fish that are incompatible. The only reason I go there anymore is to look at some of the more exotic fish he stocks (rays mostly.)

 

[kev]

Reeferdude,
How long do you plan on keeping that yellow tang in a 10 gallon?!?! What about the snowflake, and 3 damsels all in a 10 gallon?!?? I'm not tryin to be rude in any way, but if your planning on keeping these how they are. Your more than likely going to have alot of problems later on. If your not planning on keeping them in there for awhile then I could understand. But most here would agree that there is no such thing as a 10 gallon eel tank, or a yellow tang in a 10 gallon! Plz rethink the setups you've got!!!

 

[a&m aggie 04']

if you want to talk fish at Fish Paradise you need to talk to the Vietnamese guy ( the owner). He is the main fish guy, but if you want to know about how to setup, then Tom is the man. Im not sure about the other 2 ppl that work there but these 2 guys are the ones i always deal with. Tom is good with fish too but he'll tell you hes not a fish expert.
yellow tang in a 10 gallon? maybe thats why you have fish dying.

 

[a&m aggie 04']

Fish Paradise is probably not in the best part of town, but you dont hear gun shots. Its really not that bad! Head to LA or Houston if you wanna see bad.

 

[reeferdude]

Well first off the yellow tang is very small and the only reason he is in a 10 gallon is because I tried to put two yellow tangs in my 120 (They told me it would be fine to do at Fish Paradise by the way.) So I introduced a small one then about a day later I put in the bigger one and the small one started beating up the bigger one so the only other tank I had set up was a 10 gallon. So I grabbed the smaller of the two and put him in the 10. This is only till I can find a home for his larger counterpart!!!!!! And about the snowflake and the damsels in the ten, there are two yellow tails that are about an inch long and the three stripe is about an inch and a half. The fish are doing fine and the only problem I have ever had in the past was the eel jumping out (which Fish Paradise didn’t warn me about.) I also do 2 gallon water changes weekly on the smaller tanks. But can we please stay on the subject about LFS in DFW???? If you would like to discuss my tanks more please e-mail me at Reeferdude04@aol.com

 

[a&m aggie 04']

i think most eels will escape if given the chance.

 

[reeferdude]

Ya they will so thats why I cant put any in my 120 becasue i dont have much of a lid at all and I know that if they get bored in my tank they will try and check out whats outside of the tank.

 

[reeferdude]

Hey aggie, are you interested in a cheap yellow tang???? If so ill give you mine for what i paid for him ($10)

 

[alf3482]

Reeferdude, I'll Trade you some Xenia for the Tang. I got plenty of room for another fish.

 

[reeferdude]

I have a 120 that I wanted to start adding coral to but when I filled it up I used tap water. It has been up now for about 6 weeks and i have dont about 3 gallon water changes just about weekly. I have tested my water and I have no nitrites, nitrates or amonia in the water, my pH is at 8.0, I keep my salt at 23 but the strangest thing is that when I tested for copper it came back as not having any copper in the water. Would this be suitable for coral???? If so post a pick of the coral or e-mail it to me at reeferdude04@aol.com

 

[alf3482]

Well I'm not a fan of tap water but if you test are as such I think your only future problem with the use of Tapwater would be algea blooms. So I would say that choice is up to you. here's a pic of the mother colony of Xeniz Enlongda.

 

[reeferdude]

Well I have an RO unit on my sink downstairs so when I do water changes I use it. I have two 10 gallons set up, would it be better to drain one and refill it with RO water??????? If you think so I would need a little time to get the tank cycled but not long. Do you have any other coral that is more colorful? And one last question, where do you get your stuff from???

 

[alf3482]

With a 10 gal tank & weekly water changes you going to be fine. as far as other corals go what type of lighting do you have?? this would be your biggest concern.
I get My corals and fish from mainly the three following Places. LFS = Planet PET
MO = www.themarinecenter.com
and all the rest of my corals have come from local reefers tanks.