# Need some input on local store



## ulterior_motive (May 4, 2010)

Long time viewer, first time poster..

I've been scouring the list of stores for the last 3 hours and reading all posts..

Was curious on these following..

*Reefquarium*
Unit 10, 21 Fairburn Drive,
Markham, Ontario L6G-0A5
Tel 905-947-4367 Cell 416-816-8888
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13093

*North American Fish Breeders*
2260 Kingston Road
Scarborough, Ontario
M1N 1T9
Telephone: 416 267-7252
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3141

*Frank's Aquarium*
Peachtree Centre, Unit C-18
8380 Kennedy Road
Markham, ON L3R 0W4
(905) 477-1950
http://franksaquarium.ca/
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10079

*Finatics*
599 Kennedy RD Scarborough, ON
Tel: 416 265 2026
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3146

*M&J Aquarium*
101-2101 Brimley Rd. Scarborough
647-430-2998 cell 416-508-9218 the owner is Bin
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13045

*Gold Ocean Aquarium *
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3221

I have an Albino Oscar/Green Terror/Jack Dempsey 120G tank which i want to sell inhabitants convert to ALL CICHLID and COMPATIBLE fish...

Which one of these store should be the best for what i want??

ALSO I'm looking for aquascaping..mainly rocks..right now i have large pieces of lava rock which isn't to easy to work with...I'm looking for something similar to lace rock..

From all the posts and suggestions..Finatics seems to be my top choice for cichlids..any objections??

I'm near the 401/404 area...


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

None from me. Mike @ Finatics has started to bring in more SA cichlids, but his real competence/core business is with Africans. If that's your intended direction, then you could do a lot worse than pay him a visit (but take cash - he doesn't accept plastic)

Don't be afraid to ask his advice either - he won't lead you wrong.

(PS: welcome... And, er, what IS your ulterior motive?!?


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## ulterior_motive (May 4, 2010)

Windowlicka said:


> Don't be afraid to ask his advice either - he won't lead you wrong.


Wow super quick response. Thanks for responding. Ill def look into this store this comming week then


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

IMO and IME as I was exclusively into Africans for a few years, you should check Pricenetwork first. You'll save 50-95% on the fish, and you can usually get them directly from the breeder or someone who imports them. People like Jason19, Shelldweller, Joea, Darius, to name a few, always have exceptional stock that is a cut above.

You could put something stunning together like a large group of Hap moori (blue dolphin) and a group of yellow labido (Labidochromis caeruleus) and a lone copadichromis borleyi and Hap ahli for spunk for like $60 if you buy them young- and that's a high estimate.

If you want every conceivable rock for landscaping/aquascaping for cheap, you want a rock yard. I buy all my rocks from Betz Cut Stone. I bought 100lbs of Orthoquartzite, which is about 25 gallons in volume, for about $40. A 100lb+ bag of mixed river rocks, which are granite and various sedimentary rocks is about $8. All the rocks you can get at a fish store are usually there, like rainbow rock and lava rock, for dirt cheap. They have screwy hours. They are on Kennedy Rd north of Finch.



















10 yellow lab/metriaclima crossbreeds and 7 yellowtail acei cost me $25 
This is about four years ago but the price on Mbuna (the group of Lake Malawi Cichlids that these fish are from) hasn't shifted much.
The rocks there are from Betz, combo of the river rocks and the orthoquartzite which is like a quartz sandstone with a silica cement. I thought it was silica sandstone for years but I did some rocksearch recently and discovered it is orthoquartzite.

I try to find everything I want from other hobbyists, breeders, and importers first, usually on pricenetwork. If I can't find it, then I'll start to look in stores. There's just a lot of money to be saved- not only that, you usually pay less and get higher quality fish. A lot of these people are the same people who are selling bulk to some of the fish stores you mentioned- but fish in petshops tend to be overcrowded, and a lot higher volume moves through their tanks, leading to stress and possibility of parasite or disease transfer. Plus you're paying more.

Don't get me wrong. Finatic's and Frank's and Menagerie are impressive stores. NAFB is spectacular for saltwater. I've never really been impressed with their freshwater- it's not bad- it's just not great. It's just not the best place to get africans. There's a huge network of people trading and selling them in Toronto.

If you want to do something like a bunch of angelfish, a pair of rams and some eartheaters-- you want to go the store route because there isn't a huge base for that from other hobbyists in Toronto. Franks has great angelfish and great south american dwarf Cichlids. Menagerie and Finatics often get nice eartheaters. Tropicana has a cool 120(?)G tank with red hump geophagus, angelfish, rams, some corydoras catfish, and it's really nice. There are lots of options.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

I'd say go see Mike, he will probably give you trade in value for your fish too. Nice guy and it is worth to pay a bit more at a shop like his (don't get me wrong, he is VERY reasonably priced) because you will get free advice from him as well. Advice is worth the cost alone!


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Chris S said:


> I'd say go see Mike, he will probably give you trade in value for your fish too. Nice guy and it is worth to pay a bit more at a shop like his (don't get me wrong, he is VERY reasonably priced) because you will get free advice from him as well. Advice is worth the cost alone!


You can't be serious. You get better advice (Sorry Mike), better service, better fish, and a better price from Jason19, Shelldweller, Darius, Joea, Fogelhund by a factor of ten.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Well, why don't we all just do that then we can shut down all these silly fish stores. What is the point of them anyway?


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Chris S said:


> Well, why don't we all just do that then we can shut down all these silly fish stores. What is the point of them anyway?


So I should spend extra money on something that I can get cheaper and higher quality elsewhere so that I can keep someone in business?

That's not capitalism.

If you want my business and you have a store, don't sell stuff I can mostly get from breeders. Menagerie sells pretty well exclusively fish that nobody in Ontario breeds. Nobody's forcing anybody to order/sell specific fish. Know what I mean?


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Suffice to say I don't agree with your views, but this is not the place for me to discuss it


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## ulterior_motive (May 4, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> So I should spend extra money on something that I can get cheaper and higher quality elsewhere so that I can keep someone in business?
> 
> That's not capitalism.
> 
> If you want my business and you have a store, don't sell stuff I can mostly get from breeders. Menagerie sells pretty well exclusively fish that nobody in Ontario breeds. Nobody's forcing anybody to order/sell specific fish. Know what I mean?


I Apologize for this heated argument..not my intentions


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## ulterior_motive (May 4, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> IMO and IME as I was exclusively into Africans for a few years, you should check Pricenetwork first. You'll save 50-95% on the fish, and you can usually get them directly from the breeder or someone who imports them. People like Jason19, Shelldweller, Joea, Darius, to name a few, always have exceptional stock that is a cut above.
> 
> You could put something stunning together like a large group of Hap moori (blue dolphin) and a group of yellow labido (Labidochromis caeruleus) and a lone copadichromis borleyi and Hap ahli for spunk for like $60 if you buy them young- and that's a high estimate.
> 
> ...


Honestly..this was MORE then helpful...I looked into the first member you mentioned and his Business seems unreal..he makes trips along the 401 and meets members...that's amazing..I'm looking into some of the other members also..this was exactly what i was looking for..I'm going to go to the rock dealer and see what they have..your guidance and specific variety of fish selection is what i was looking for also..Thank you for everything..


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## ulterior_motive (May 4, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> IMO and IME as I was exclusively into Africans for a few years, you should check Pricenetwork first.


Would you recommend Pricenetwork also for Pleco's? im looking for something different then common plecos..something unique looking and different..looks like all posts for plecos on this website have been sold out..


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

ulterior_motive said:


> I Apologize for this heated argument..not my intentions


Don't worry, me and AquariAM are buddies


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

ulterior_motive said:


> Would you recommend Pricenetwork also for Pleco's? im looking for something different then common plecos..something unique looking and different..looks like all posts for plecos on this website have been sold out..


I'd check out Menagerie and see what they have in stock. They get some cool stuff in, and AquariAM can't argue with me here


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## ulterior_motive (May 4, 2010)

Chris S said:


> I'd check out Menagerie and see what they have in stock. They get some cool stuff in, and AquariAM can't argue with me here


I deff will..thank you guys so much..ill whip out the DSLR camera once i start getting some fish..


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

It was far from heated. We're actually buddies in real life and continued this conversation at length via PM. 



ulterior_motive said:


> Would you recommend Pricenetwork also for Pleco's? im looking for something different then common plecos..something unique looking and different..looks like all posts for plecos on this website have been sold out..


Canada Pleco usually has great stuff and yes you can definitely find good plecos via private sale. Someone I know picked up an L200 for $20 recently at a size that retails for $60-70

Bushynose plecos are available in common, albino, common and albino longfin, and now an albino-like white body with normal dark eyes from a number of breeders all the time but you can also almost always find lots of L number plecos on Pricenetwork.ca and here

If you're new to plecos or have only ever kept common (sailfin, gibbiceps, etc) plecos you might want to start with some of the more bulletproof less common plecos, like L200 "Phantom pleco" and Panaque maccus, the "Clown pleco".


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## CrystalMethShrimp (Apr 27, 2010)

What these small LFS need to do to survive is band together..order the imports together and squeeze out the breeders who should of signed a contract to sell exclusive to start with, as not to drive down the market price..

Can you imagine Gucci going out of business b/c they're suppliers are selling at half price online? it doesn't make business sense..


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## CrystalMethShrimp (Apr 27, 2010)

Is the rock quary across from Pacific Mall?

it's been there for over 10 years...thanks a ton for the tip..
I thought I would of had to import these rocks $$$$$..


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

CrystalMethShrimp said:


> What these small LFS need to do to survive is band together..order the imports together and squeeze out the breeders who should of signed a contract to sell exclusive to start with, as not to drive down the market price..


LFS are already doing this. As per the exclusivity- I think that's nuts. Breeders own their fish and can sell them or give them to whoever they choose I think.

The rock quarry is not across from pacific mall it is south of it on Kennedy on the East side. 

It's not a quarry though. It's a yard. They don't chip the rocks out of mountains there they just sell 'em.



ulterior_motive said:


> Honestly..this was MORE then helpful...I looked into the first member you mentioned and his Business seems unreal..he makes trips along the 401 and meets members...that's amazing..I'm looking into some of the other members also..this was exactly what i was looking for..I'm going to go to the rock dealer and see what they have..your guidance and specific variety of fish selection is what i was looking for also..Thank you for everything..


I'm glad you found that helpful. I should have mentioned Menagerie has a great dwarf cichlid selection too. I just want to be fair to Frank's by mentioning it a lot since it's new so people know about it to be fair.


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

Chris S said:


> Well, why don't we all just do that then we can shut down all these silly fish stores. What is the point of them anyway?


This is a great question. What is the point of them anyway?


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## CrystalMethShrimp (Apr 27, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> LFS are already doing this. As per the exclusivity- I think that's nuts. Breeders own their fish and can sell them or give them to whoever they choose I think.
> 
> The rock quarry is not across from pacific mall it is south of it on Kennedy on the East side.
> 
> ...


I could of sworn there was a lime quarry on Kennedy  
I meant from a business perspective only, it makes more sense for breeders who sell to LFS to sign a contract to be exclusive wholesalers to retail and not sell direct themselves...

then again the capitalist attitude would wipe away the charm of these small LFS and they'll simply dissolve into another petsmart or Big Al's...


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