Best LFS

[assassinco97]

I think we should place a listing of all the good LFS in the area on this thread so people know what is good and what isn't. So feel free to review any store that you visit. Good or Bad lets hear it.

Ed

[chriscobb]

Well I guess I'll be the first to go.... I like Lancaster for their prices as far as dry good, but find their livestock (fish) to be on the low quality side of things... I also find that they are over priced on such things as bulkheads and other odds and ends that you can get cheaper else where. I have gotten a few good coral buys.....

The Salt Box in Mechanicsburg owned by Barry is a top notch place. Selection of fish is slim at times, but always has good healthy specimens and his corals are unbelieveable, but store hours are hard to get there at times. You have to get there early he's only open on Friday and Saturday and has a loyal customer base and love the store.....

Judys' Salt Box in Danville Pa is incredible. 95% of the corals are props and prices range from my last visit from top self of $7.00 to bottom shelf of $20.00. Her stuff is truely incredible.... Fish selection is thin, she usually only sells fish that are captive bred and that is her thing... She will not sell just because you want it. She has to know that you have the capabilities of keeping the animal you choice....Again some may see this as a draw back, but it is all about responsible reefkeeping.....

Malec's Pampered Pets..... Well I've seen the store through numerous phases and still not even respectable in my book. His current setup for saltwater is deplorable.... The system are run on hang on the back filter systems and not saying it doesn't work, but you can obviously see the maintenance side of things aren't up to snuff as well.... I've been in the store just recently and seen a purple tang about the size of a half dollar no bigger going for $105.00.....Way over priced.... His pricing as far as dry goods are again way over priced.... He is in the stages of setting up a new salt area that will include I think 70 some tanks, but still waiting to see if it will improve.....

Zoo Zone on the Carlisle Pike!!!!!!!! They actually shouldn't even have a salt department. They rarely have anything in stock and when they do it's not the greatest looking around... I've seen to much ich in there tanks, and they use to have a show tank, but was overrun with algae and was torn down and hasn't been set back up as of yet.....Funny thing is they were running a Kent Nautulius skimmer and they couldn't figure out how to slow the pump enough to get the skimmer working......... They are the only reasonable priced store in my area to buy Omega One food from so I do buy food there.....Dry goods are overpriced IMO......

Tony's of York... Haven't been there in awhile, but prices are fair, but not as good as Lancaster. Have seen a decline in the store from when I first started shopping there. Haven't been to the store in months but do get their online specials list...

Get Tanked By Gary is an interesting place to check out... His in store tanks are incredible and you should definitely check out his website.... Gary is definitely deep in the hobby.... He has Xenia out of this world and they are huge. Last time in the shop no real inventory for fish, but his corals are gorgeous!!!!!! Gary has his own line of salt and other additives, and to be honest I have used his salt and his salt has Oceanic salt beat hands down.... Don't know what his ingredients are, but they do work......Gary is planning to install greenhouses behind his store for coral propogation, which should be really interesting to see once up and running. I would have to say Gary is a must see..... He can be alittle abrasive, but is directly to the point, and is always willing to help were needed.....

There are some other stores not in the immediate area that I would like to when time permits to go check out and would be interested to know if anyoned would be interested in making some road trips in the future?????

[LeonasAngels]

Right Now we only go to Lancaster. Won't say a name you all know were. We have a closer one. But there saltwater fish and dry goods are terriable. I think I will start looking around.

[tinyreefer]

Something Fishy (Northampton) Very nice people. Started out of there house and now have a new store front. Good livestock and there prices are really decent.

That Fish Place (Lancaster) - Very large store with a lot of drygoods. They don't carry high end products or products from well know companies (i.e. Ice Cap, Sequence, Salifert, etc.). They can be pricey on items that you can get cheaper elsewhere. There livestock is not always that great either. The key to good picks is to be there within a day or two after they received orders from there suppliers. The staff there also are known not to be as educated about the hobby as they would like people to think. There is however a couple of people there that do know what they are talking about. You can however get some good deals on their sales and sometimes find an interesting item to buy.

East Coast Aquatics (near Philadelphia) - Never been there but have heard good things about them. They are fairly new and getting ready to setup a 1000gal show tank.

Frazer Zoo (near Philadelphia) - Very nice manager (Mike). They sell mainly frags but you can get small colonies of corals. Not a lot of fish and inverts available though. They also have a really nice show tank in which they hold there SPS frags in.

[ErikD]

Judy closed the Salt Box last year. TFP is great if you like bleached corals and ammonia burned fish. I was just there this Sunday. I drove two hours one way to come home empty handed. Miller's in Bloomsburg is fast becoming a favorite. They are new, but they show some promise.

[assassinco97]

What do they have at Miller's can you give us a report on them.

Ed

[LeonasAngels]

I don't even know were half these places are. :spin2:

I think I'd better get out more...

Leona

[assassinco97]

Thats why I suggested we do this.....There are alot of good stores out there. But if we all horde information we all visit the same crappy store. I'd rather support better stores than those that don't have the good stuff.

[picassomike]

The Hidden Reef in philly is not a bad place,there prices are decent.There livestock selection can sometimes be scarce.

Exotic Aquatics in baltimore maryland is one of best lfs's I've seen.They actually keep there SPS under 400w and 250w DE MH's.And all the times that I've been there I haven't seen anything getting overrun with algae.


Mike

[LeonasAngels]

Picassomike,

DE?

[chriscobb]

Hey ErikD what happened with Judy??? She couldn't get anyone to take the store over???? She had a nice setup!!!!

[tinyreefer]

Leona - DE= double ended

[LeonasAngels]

Thanks

[NCNBilly]

Malec's is supposedly adding a coral room, but has yet to deliver. I bought some green chromis there. I checked their water out (because I saw the HOB filters)... Salinity was almost 1.040...Needless to say I stopped checking after that and decided I'd only but drygoods (you pay for convenience).

I've never been to the Salt Box in Mech. I'll have to check it out.

[chriscobb]

The Salt Box is only open Friday and Saturday. I think Friday it's noon till 8 and Saturday I'm not sure, because I'm always at work!!!!! So Malec's still hasn't started construction yet????

[NCNBilly]

Doesn't look like it - it was supposed to be done in early January. They took the signs down - maybe they changed their mind. I don't think they have anyone experienced enough to really be in charge of it. The kid that was the "salt manager" was about 18 I think. I was thinking of offering to work for frags. =)

[fishtk75]

I was there on 12th sat they move all the old tanks to new area and have started adding new tanks three 150's and small ones 20's about 24.

[assassinco97]

Just because he's 18 doesnt mean he doesnt know anything.....alot of times an 18yo won't have the knowledge to lie like some of the "adults" do.

I was a reptile dept. manager when I was 18 and I guarentee that I knew more than most people that work in pet store reptile departments. So dont discount the kid because of his age.

now if hes a reject then dis away.....knowledge should be the only factor not age

[fishtk75]

Where is the salt box in mechanicsburg the address?

[NCNBilly]

I agree with what you said, but state of the saltwater tanks in that place speaks volumes for his "experience". I wasn't judging him solely on his age...

[NCNBilly]

Welp, Malecs has one tank setup in the "new room" looks like an 75G with about 20-30 lb of rock, no sump, and a canister filter.

[chriscobb]

Sorry about the lag, but will have to get you the address of the Salt box... If you know where Spankey's lot is in Mechanicsburg it's actually on the same street about 2 houses up the street on the left. Will get you a street address though....

[chriscobb]

I was in Malecs' about 3 weeks ago and saw some of his new tanks... Not really sure of the tank sizes, but it looked like he had 3 150 on the end and possibly the same going down the one wall... and had some smaller tanks sitting in the middle of the floor, and had smaller tanks up on racks setup along another wall... I did notice that the new tanks are AGA and are RR.. I also noticed that all tanks had sumps and Kent Nautalius skimmers under as well... didn't nose to much more than that... Did notice that only 2 of the big tanks had MH lights on top, but weren't set up.. The one big tank he did have setup with water, rock, and Xenia and GS polyps was running PC, and the stuff in the tank actually looked decent for a change.... The smaller tanks alon the wall didn't pay to much attention to the filtration setup...the only thing that caught my eye was he's still using that warped treated lumber... Would have thought with the upgrade would have come up with something better for the stands though.....