LFS in Orlando!

[raider77]

I will be vacationing in Orlando this month and wanted to know some good stores to visit while I'm here. I'm on the hunt for some nice ricordia colonies or frags. Also are there any stores that carry ORA corals and fish in the area?

[cowboyswife]

Check them out here (http://www.o-r-c-a.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=392)

[ClayWagner]

Fishy Business and Sea in the City = by far the best. They don't try to sell you a lot of expensive equipment or tell you that you need a thousand additives....just lots of info and nice deals. Go to Fishy Business for fish, inexpensive high quality and lots of variety. Plus their real hardy. And Sea in the City has tons of frags...most for 20 bucks a pop. Plus, if you buy several the owner will always throw in another. One thing I can tell you, and I'm sorry for those who like this store and have had a good experience, but Ocean Blue and Aquaria Studio (same owner) is by far the worst store ever. High prices, everything dies that I get from there, and the guy only cares about money. Just saying from experience that I've invested lots of money on aquarium supplies and livestock, and those stores are by far the worst. Just my .02 on Orlando stores.

[InLimbo87]

Although I won't comment on your other opinions on stores, I will most definitely disagree on your comment about Fishy Business. They are no where near the best store in the area. Their fish almost always look sickly, coral selection not very good and expensive, and one of the few stores in the area to completely resist an ORCA sponsorship.

My personal favorites are SITC, ocean direct, and aquarium fanatics. Definitely worth checking out.

[raider77]

I've heard sea in the city numerous times already so I'm definitely going there. Any other suggestions would be gladly appreciated. I will be in orlando for 2 weeks so any stores within an 1 hour drive would work also.


I'm a member of NJRC (New Jersey Reef Club) and believe in supporting LFS that sponsor our club. I don't understand why all LFS don't do it.

[TheGrog]

I would add World Wide Corals. It is a little tricky to find, but worth it. They don't have fish, but TONS of corals. Great prices too!!

[Lutefisk]

Here is a Google Map to the local stores:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108327292692464194367.0004395064c7ec4f75bf2&om=1&ll=28.529036,-81.34964&spn=0.873529,1.277161&z=10

[pixiegirlie]

i would say that REEF WORKS is the best around-they have mother colonies. and a sale on whole rocks of zoos( like 100's of polpys) and mushroom rocks for 30 bucks right now ...as well as the 5,10,15,20 dollar frag section...pretty awesome-best prices around. i would definitally check them out.

i personally like pet safari as well-mike, that works there is a really nice guy- their store may not be brand new and pretty but they usually have a pretty good selection of fish and corals-i was in there the other day and they were pretty stocked.

just my 2 cents. :)

[Pacific Reefs]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11105996#post11105996 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ClayWagner
Fishy Business and Sea in the City = by far the best. They don't try to sell you a lot of expensive equipment or tell you that you need a thousand additives....just lots of info and nice deals. Go to Fishy Business for fish, inexpensive high quality and lots of variety. Plus their real hardy. And Sea in the City has tons of frags...most for 20 bucks a pop. Plus, if you buy several the owner will always throw in another. One thing I can tell you, and I'm sorry for those who like this store and have had a good experience, but Ocean Blue and Aquaria Studio (same owner) is by far the worst store ever. High prices, everything dies that I get from there, and the guy only cares about money. Just saying from experience that I've invested lots of money on aquarium supplies and livestock, and those stores are by far the worst. Just my .02 on Orlando stores.

Are you even an ORCA member? How many times has Matt said this...Wow this is EXACTLY what our President Matt is talking about not doing. The thread starter just asked for good stores. And you end up totally bashing our sponsors. Let the people just decide and name the ones you like. This is why no one wants to sponsor this reef club. I can say quite a bit of negative stuff that personally happened to me and the quality of livestock at Fishy Business but I will bite my tongue on this one. Every friend that I referred to OB or AS loved it and had a great experience. Keep in mind this is a high end store that carries high end equipment but they also have "less expensive" alternatives such as EuroReef, Coralife, Current, etc. I'm sure there are people out there that have a good or bad experience at each store....that's just retail. If you say so and so is more expensive well sometimes you are comparing Apples to Oranges. For example frags...many times I can buy a softball size colony and it is worth more if I frag it out. In other words you pay more if you just buy frags. I'm sorry you feel that way about OB/AS, but there are a lot of people that enjoy the store and never had anything die. And if you have a problem the owner bends over backwards to help you out...just be professional about it. Next time keep your $.02 comment if you want to bash sponsors. I wouldn't be surprised if they stop sponsoring ORCA next year and I'm sure you don't care. So if you like Best Buy just say that...you don't have to bash Circuit City in the process.

-Tom

[jsl6v8]

SITC is a good choice for Orlando, no trip to LFSs in orlando would be complete without SITC, other than that I would travel down to tampa and check out fish and other icthy things otherwise known as FAOIS, its worth the drive. Besides them fish bowl/oceans direct is a good place and I hear good stuff about reef works.


just like to say that some stuff is best left to PMs.

[Cheekmonkey]

EEeek that went downhill quickly.

Anyway, I'd give you another vote for Sea in the City, and World Wide Corals.

[reefnfish]

I just hope that Vihn isn't reading this garbage. He has been a sponsor for a very long time, and it seems that a flaming of his stores happens more often than any other. Sure, his prices are a bit high on livestock. But his stores are built beautifully, his employees are well educated about their fish and corals (obviously if two of his past employees OWN stores now), and he is just really a nice guy. There is no need for this at all - have some consideration when you post next time.

[lusenut2]

Wow that went south quickly. lol I suggest Sea in the City, Reef Works, World Wide Corals.

[nauti1us]

Thanks to all those ORCA members who clearly understand what our club sponsors mean to us and make the effort not only to support them by reserving harsh comments here on these forums but by also coming to the defense of sponsors taking unnecessary criticism.

ClayWagner is "NOT" an ORCA member. He like some other non-members cling to our forum here on the ORCA RC Forum for reasons that completely escape me. Why bother communicating with other ORCA members and not become an actual member..? Seems a little like lurking in the shadows...

What bothers me is not so much that non-members hang out here; rather it's the fact that non-members have no vested interest in our club in general. They say what they want regardless of how it impacts the relationships that we've working so hard to build with all of ORCA's great sponsors. There's no accountability for their actions at all.

Seems like every other month or so I find myself in this same exact position having to defend ORCA and make apologies to our sponsors for the nasty things that non-members say on this site. So, to those sponsors reading posts like this (and I know your reading this...) please don’t waste your time reading trash like this. You should know better by now that pretty much most if not all ORCA’s members are aware of this club’s sensitivity to Sponsor LFS bashing and know that it will not be tolerated.

And to all those ORCA members reading this, please continue to do the right thing, Every LFS that sponsors us has something positive to contribute at one time or another. Having so many stores in such close proximity is really a luxury most people don’t have. We are really fortunate to have so many choices. Choose to frequent the LFS’s that help to make the quality of your reef experience the best it can be. Give ‘em all a chance. Once in a while you’ll be surprised.

And FWIW, the last time I shopped at OB & AS, I was given an excellent deal on equipment I purchased. And I’m as frugal as they come. I’m always looking for a bargain or good deal. They are just another excellent LFS option I have to choose from along with SITC, Oceans Direct, Exotic Aquarium, Seven Seas and all the rest of our ORCA Sponsors.

Thanks for putting up with yet another rant...

Matt Kantz
ORCA President

[Cheekmonkey]

Since it is hard to hold people accountable on RC forums, I would make clear to the sponsors that the only OFFICIAL ORCA FORUM is the one at our website.

[nauti1us]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11180091#post11180091 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cheekmonkey
Since it is hard to hold people accountable on RC forums, I would make clear to the sponsors that the only OFFICIAL ORCA FORUM is the one at our website.


I've done that multiple times, yet despite my continued efforts they still seem to believe that "all" people on these RC forums are somehow connected to ORCA.

Regardless, I will continue to make every effort to do the right thing even here on RC. Since RC is kind enough to allow ORCA to have it's own forum here on RC, we do have a responsibility to at least make some kind of an effort to do the right thing.

It can be a daunting task at times...

[Cheekmonkey]

Yea thats a shame, perhaps, not sure if this is possible at all... Perhaps in our signatures, the orca members should put the logo, non orca members probably wouldnt bother. And it might help make it a little more obvious who is and who isnt.

[lusenut2]

Or maybe we could all stop bashing the stores cause we had a bad experience.

[Cheekmonkey]

I think the point is that for the most part its not the ORCA members its just random RC members that visit the Florida forums. Those of us that care are already not bashing the stores lusenut2, read up man.

[lusenut2]

Your right I should of just let it go, but im bored at work, and it wasnt ment to towards you. It was ment to be in general. Every month our forum goes through this.

[Cheekmonkey]

I'm new to this but its dam ridiculous, its a shame...

[reefnfish]

The problem is some people have their favorite stores (we all do). But they have this crazy thought in their heads that if they put down other stores it will make them go to their favorite. Truth be told, if I see a store OBVIOUSLY being pushed by a poster on behalf of a LFS it's a turn off to me.

[Fuzzy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11181434#post11181434 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lusenut2
Or maybe we could all stop bashing the stores cause we had a bad experience.

Or if we feel that we must air our grievences it should be done in the Vendor Feedback Forum. Where the mods will not tolerate any type of BS.

Personally, I have 2 local stores that I will never again set foot in.
But that's my business and I don't feel the need to trash them here. I simply choose not to recommend them to anyone who asks.
My momma always said if you can't say anything nice - don't say anything.

On that note - I for one would like to say thanks to Matt and the crew for raising the bar a bit.

It's the juvenile attitudes and the willingness to flame away that ruins the credibility of this forum.

Fuzz

[HABS#1]

This thread has been very helpful I just posted about looking for a shop in this area as we will be at Disney from Nov 29th to Dec 7th and we want to check out some shops looking for a skimmer etc. Livestock would probably be out as getting it home to Canada would be tricky on the plane LOL.