I need to know where to get the following:

[michika]

Can someone point me in the right direction for the following please;

- refilling CO2 canisters
- a good drygoods selection
- Red Sea Coral Pro Salt
- Good selection of PVC fittings

Thank you!

[digital-audiophile]

Best place for PVC is Western Pump

Calgary
11346 - 42 Street S.E.
Calgary, AB T2C 5C4
Fax: (403)243-7218
Ph: (403)287-0256
Ph: (800)665-7867

[jasond]

I stopped by Western pump this morning to pick up some plumbing, excellent selection (and prices) & very helpful!

[EmilyB]

I got my CO2 refills at Praxair in the deep south.

[Delphinus]

I use the "Recharge Centre" for CO2 refills. I've also used Sprouse Fire&Safety and B.O.C. and Medigas in the past.

For local drygoods ('cuz I mail-order a fair amount too), I generally go to Elite and Gold. Elite and Wai's are more or less one and the same, so if Elite doesn't have something but Wai's does, I just ask him to grab it for me and come back in a couple of days.

I also get some stuff from Ocean Aquarium from time to time.

I find with my location being so far south, it's hard for me to get to the other stores on a regular basis. Elite and Gold win out for me based on location.. The other stores might have decent stuff too but I just don't get out there much. :(

I don't use Red Sea salt so I don't know that one. Elite has some stuff, Gold has some stuff.. the largest selection I've seen recently is Red Coral Aquarium up in the NW, they had at least 6 different kinds of salt when I was there a couple weeks ago. I ended up picking up a bucket of Aquamedic salt, I'll give it a try. Hopefully I don't end up hooked on it because that's a longggggggg drive for salt for me :lol:

PVC fittings - I think you'll find that most stores have about 95% of whatever you need at any particular moment, so you always have to go to "one more store" to get that last widget. Between Home Depot, Rona, Western Pump, and Plumbateria, I generally find whatever I'm looking for. Plumbateria and Western Pump will carry stuff in more sizes (eg., 1/4" pipe if you need- perfect for airline attachments to reactors and so on). Rona's gotten really better on their selection in the last year or two - they have things like unions now (used to be to find a union the only place to go was Western Pump).

I have not really found a good local source for good true-union fittings. Ie., a ball valve that has a union on both sides. Western pump will at least have the half-union fittings (union on one side). I have not yet found anywhere that has PVC gate valves. I have a vague memory of Kari telling me of a place up in the N.E. called "Canadian Plastics" or "Western Canadian Plastics" and that they had things like bulkheads and true union fittings but I haven't yet found this place... maybe someone else can pipe in if they know the place I'm trying to mention here .. :redface:

[digital-audiophile]

Tony, I bet you are thinking of :

Western International Plastics (Alta) Ltd
1450 30 Avenue NE
Calgary, AB T2E 8P5
(403) 291-1579

I used to do business with them years ago back when I worked for Crane Supply. Actually we used to sell Ipex true union ball valves, I should see if anyone I know still works there??

[Delphinus]

Cool, thanks!

[michika]

Thank you everyone.

I hit up a couple of stores today to try and get some dry goods, and while I had a fantastic experience at one, the other wouldn't talk to me. I suspect its because I am girl. :( I haven't even been here for a week and I've already started to develop favorites!

[Snappy]

Albert at Gold's has a very good selection of fittings.

[digital-audiophile]

Who wouldn't talk to you? PM me if you want? That's just not cool.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

I agree. Not cool at all. Hey, maybe Greg and I can go in with you...rough 'em up. Heh. Ok...just kidding.

Sort of.

[marciemp]

I find that at a lot of the LFS too, and I'm a girl too:( I guess it's cause it's mostly guys who enjoy this hobby so they think that we are just there to look at the pretty fishies!
Marcie

[Aquattro]

I they think that we are just there to look at the pretty fishies!
Marcie

I thought the girls were there to stop me from spending money on the pretty fishies :)

[marciemp]

Yes and I could be pretty effective at stopping you from spending money on the pretty fishies since I drag along my bratty twin 2 year olds and they scare everyone away, fishies, store owners, other buyers...it's not a pretty site.

Marcie

[hillbillyreefer]

Now that I have a salt tank my wife likes to come into the stores with me. She actually encourages the pretty fish buying. You should have seen the disappointment on her face when she saw how large cowfish get. On the bright side she figures we need a bigger tank woot woot.

The stores in Calgary I was in talked more to her than me, maybe that's because I was there with the "money". Not the case, but perception is 90% of life.

Hope you find a good store. A lot of us here would just like to have a store closer than 4 hrs away!!!

Brad

[michika]

So far I've found a few stores I like both for product, and for quality service.

I plan to give the store in question a second chance and if the experience is an improvement over the old one, then great, if not, they don't need my business, easy as that.

[hillbillyreefer]

Show them a pic of your old setup and walk out the door. Then they'll wish they'd taken you seriously, probably even learned something just by talking with you.

Brad