corals calgary (shops)

[Polscot]

Hi, i have a 6.6g nano reef with 2 shroom rocks and im wanting more types of begginers coral, my tank is lite with a 50/50 PC 20" light no dark spots, very nice LED set up for acetic (how ever its spelled), normal parameters, and i do water changes 1-2 times a week as needed,
just wondering peoples expiriences in calgary which stores are their favorite to shop at

PM or respond on here with what u have and ill get a hold of you, thanx

-Jason

[parkinsn]

I would say your not going to the right places. Have you been to Red coral, Golds and Ocean City? I could name a few that would be overpriced but thoes 3 are pretty fair. Also the more you shop at these places and get to know the owners/staff the better off you are.

[Coleus]

i would say your not going to the right places. Have you been to red coral, golds and ocean city? I could name a few that would be overpriced but thoes 3 are pretty fair. Also the more you shop at these places and get to know the owners/staff the better off you are.

+1

[Snappy]

Yes those places are all good. I also have some very cost effective soft corals as well. For example I have some zoas, mushrooms, GSP, xenia & several varieties of leathers (toadstools, devils hand, cabbage, fingers, etc), photosynthetic gorgs, candy cane, frogspawn, etc.

[kien]

its too much and i know there not worth that much

It all depends what you are looking at. Some mushrooms are very rare and expensive and can easily fetch $20 to $30 per head (Ricordias/yums, rhodactis, etc)! Same goes for brains and zoas. Some zoas can be $30 or more per polyp! Whether or not something is "worth it" is all relative. :biggrin:

[Coleus]

It all depends what you are looking at. Some mushrooms are very rare and expensive and can easily fetch $20 to $30 per head (Ricordias/yums, rhodactis, etc)! Same goes for brains and zoas. Some zoas can be $30 or more per polyp! Whether or not something is "worth it" is all relative. :biggrin:

also +1 :-)

[KennyKen]

It all depends what you are looking at. Some mushrooms are very rare and expensive and can easily fetch $20 to $30 per head (Ricordias/yums, rhodactis, etc)! Same goes for brains and zoas. Some zoas can be $30 or more per polyp! Whether or not something is "worth it" is all relative. :biggrin:

Agreed.
This forum is the best place where you can buy beginner corals at a great price. As a majority of the people selling coral on here aren't for profit, but more to make space, or try and give back to the community as more than likely someone did the same for them in the past.

So keep watching those classifieds

[Coleus]

Agreed.
This forum is the best place where you can buy beginner corals at a great price. As a majority of the people selling coral on here aren't for profit, but more to make space, or try and give back to the community as more than likely someone did the same for them in the past.

So keep watching those classifieds

-1. Sorry you are wrong :-) I am here for the profit but i am a very bad business person, keep losing money. I just have too much time doing nothing at work, sad...

[Polscot]

i have been to all those stores, and some are alright but the pricing is still way over considering what u can get shipped in from the US,

[Coleus]

i have been to all those stores, and some are alright but the pricing is still way over considering what u can get shipped in from the US,

you can't be serious. Have you actually buy live stock from US yet? I think the delivery cost is very high and the chance fish / coral came in one piece is very low. Also LFS business is to make money out of small population of reefers in Calgary

[Polscot]

yeh i have a contact down in oregon that i get shipped to then shipped here.....even with shipping cost (which is by weight so not alot) its still less money. not fish though, they wouldent make the journey without mass stress

[Zoaelite]

yeh i have a contact down in oregon that i get shipped to then shipped here.....even with shipping cost (which is by weight so not alot) its still less money. not fish though, they wouldent make the journey without mass stress

Then why don't you do that? If you can get better prices in the states go ahead, I don't for a second believe Calgary is overpriced considering that there is a high over head to maintain a store front.

It's all about supply and demand, go to http://cherrycorals.com and then come back and complain about prices.

[Polscot]

bro....calm down my post states that im looking to buy from private sellers, so id appreciate u not comming onto my post and flaming and being a jerk, if u have nothing to sell then u have nothing to say......thanx

[Coleus]

bro....calm down my post states that im looking to buy from private sellers, so id appreciate u not comming onto my post and flaming and being a jerk, if u have nothing to sell then u have nothing to say......thanx

Me too that I find Calgary LFS has a very good price except for some. Also, you need to know what coral you are getting. They are not equally the same.

If you find that the state is cheaper then go for it :-), whatever makes you happy. You can also find great deal on frag from canreef members.

Again, I don't think it is right to comparing price in State and here. Just like you are comparing car price in state and here. Different business model need to be in place else there will be no LFS because they are losing money in rent, tax, etc.. :-)

[Polscot]

coleus i agree,

[Gaffer]

yeh i have a contact down in oregon that i get shipped to then shipped here.....even with shipping cost (which is by weight so not alot) its still less money. not fish though, they wouldent make the journey without mass stress

Overnight shipping is pretty expensive no matter where it is from. I have been looking to order from a place in Washington and for a small shipment of zoa's it was going to be $80.

When you factor that in it essentially doubles the price of the livestock. I am not sure what it is like with the corals etc., but I know that customs has wanted to look closer at my dead exotic butterflies and that can hold them up for a long time.

Not so much of a problem with dried butterflies, but not good when it comes to livestock.

With that being said, I have bought stuff from local reefers that were a great deal, and command a higher price in bigger markets. Canreef has been a great resourse for that.

Andrew

[kien]

yeh i have a contact down in oregon that i get shipped to then shipped here.....even with shipping cost (which is by weight so not alot) its still less money. not fish though, they wouldent make the journey without mass stress

WOW! It sounds like you have just as good a supply line as the LFS in the city! Not that I can compete with that but I do have some birdsnest frags I can offer ($0.10 a frag) :redface:

[Polscot]

the contact i have is my rents live down there 9 months a year, so when i can get stuff is limited to when there in the area lol, thats why i decided to come on here, can u post any pics kien?

[lastlight]

Kein's prices have always been outrageous but keep your eyes open. There are deals to be had.

[kien]

Kein's prices have always been outrageous but keep your eyes open. There are deals to be had.

Seriously, don't buy anything from Kein! Way overpriced.. but I hear the guy is helpful sometimes.

[commanderKien]

What corals are you looking for in particular?

[Coleus]

hhahah I always laugh so hard everytime Kien has to something to say about "this Kein" guy. How many posts already? Off my head I can count like 5 :-)

Yeah I hate Kein too although i never met him, but I really like Kien guy, so make sure you know which one you are dealing with.

Did i mention Kien guy is an awesome photographer guy. I love the family picture that he took for my family, will definitely ask him to do again in 6 months. Again, not the Kein guy tho

[commanderKien]

Yeah he's taken a few choice shots of my bits and bytes before as well. A real standup guy.

[Polscot]

shrooms, zoas, gsp,

[Zoaelite]

My apologizes if I came of like a Jerk, no harm intended just pointing out this hobby can be pricey at times. If you keep an eye out on canreef there are some wicked deals to be had but again it's all up to supply and demand.

its too much and i know there not worth that much

This is a very relative absolute statement, LFS's in Calgary in most cases have very good prices again considering the considerable cost to ship in and maintain these fragile species. To bash them all because they are asking retail prices is unfair, after all without them where would we get all of our equipment/ livestock from?

Golds on 17th has wicked prices and Red Coral always has good cheap zoas if your looking for cost efficiency.
Levi

[Polscot]

appreciate it, and yes it was a bold statement.....

btw u have a gorgeous tank, how long have u had it? and how fast is the cover rate on the frags of gsp?

[Zoaelite]

Wow those photos are old, I need to update some in the profile but for the time being here are some updated shots http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=62810

New tanks been up for about 6 months now, I removed all my GSP as it grows far to fast for my liking.
Levi

[Polscot]

im wanting to make a zoa garder across the floor of my tank do u have any sudgestions? do u feed or dose anything special for them? i have a 6.6g with a 20" PC 50/50 light with a led blue light set up, so plenty of light for the tank size

if i buy various plug/frags and lay them all along the surface will they eventually fill in thge gaps or how do they grow

[Zoaelite]

Zoas/ palys wont grow on sand so if your looking for growth you will need a rubble substrate, just maintain your levels as close to seawater and you will be good to go.

From "Aquarium Corals" by Eric Borneman

"Zoanthus colonies are highly dependent on their zooxanthellae- rather than active feeding on zoa plankton- for energy, and should always be placed in the aquarium where they will receive bright lighting"- PG 187

Now you just need to watch out for pests like Zoa eating nudies, zoa pox and large eunicid worms.

[fishytime]

the contact i have is my rents live down there 9 months a year, so when i can get stuff is limited to when there in the area lol, thats why i decided to come on here, can u post any pics kien?

In other words it coming across the boarder illegally?

[lockrookie]

our lfs (we only have one) sells live rock for 11$ per pound corals are decently priced but everything fish wise is doubled what i see everywhere but if you take shipping to account it still saves me money in the long run. as i have seen on some ppls signatures it costs what it costs. it is not a cheap addiction/hobby to be in.

but the outcome is so worth it when you have company and hear the oooss and aweeees. and some day if all luck and sweat and tears subside you may actually have your addiction pay for more of the addiction. and the cycle continues. i wish i lived in bc of alberta to be able to check out the lfs there i am so jealous but nooooo i like in the crotch of canada in "the city that rhymes with fun" (quoted by the rolling stoneswhen they played here)

just my 2cents if you can get deals go for it but not all deals work out.

[Polscot]

no, they mail it from oregon,

[Polscot]

this post is intended to talk to other reefers in calgary and buy there personal stock and eventually trade mine, please keep your negative comments out as no one cares, if u arent in calgary or cant ship here find another form please

[trinac]

:pop2:

i love canreef

[kien]

:pop2:

i love canreef

Trina, what did the guy JUST say?!?!?! :lol:

I have some gsp I'm about to frag if interested. Sadly it did not come from the US so its just boring Canuck GSP.

[chandigz]

Not being negative here but be carefull when bringing corals accross the border because a lot of them require CITIES permits. All hard corals and even softies and zoas require CITIES if they are attached to coral based substrate(live rock). Your shipment can be confiscated and there are huge fines if you don't have the proper documention. I just don't want to see you get into trouble. Keep an eye out here you'll find what you want.

[kien]

Not being negative here but be carefull when bringing corals accross the border because a lot of them require CITIES permits. All hard corals and even softies and zoas require CITIES if they are attached to coral based substrate(live rock). Your shipment can be confiscated and there are huge fines if you don't have the proper documention. I just don't want to see you get into trouble. Keep an eye out here you'll find what you want.

----v

this post is intended to talk to other reefers in calgary and buy there personal stock and eventually trade mine, please keep your negative comments out as no one cares, if u arent in calgary or cant ship here find another form please

:lol:

here's what the birdsnest looks like. Green/tan with blue polyps.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2712/4073860015_c27c870f61.jpg

[Eb0la11]

My contribution to this thread:

Kein is a doucher, Kien is a beauty.

[kien]

Don't listen to any of those guys, I'm a badass! Really I am. Even tho my ass keeps calling Tony. :redface:

[Polscot]

once again.......it isnt brought over the boarder its shipped......

[The Grizz]

once again.......it isnt brought over the boarder its shipped......

Once again..... SHIPPING SOME CORALS OVER THE BORDER REQUIRE CITIES.

Dude don't take this the wrong way but I have read through this tread and I have noticed that you are quick to snap at someone if you don't like there comment's. This is a public forum and peeps will post comment's any where whether you like it or not.

I live in Red Deer area but I some times wish I was closer to Calgary because I think that the price's of livestock / coral are priced just fine because the care and quality is good.

[Chaloupa]

once again.......it isnt brought over the boarder its shipped......

Does it just "bypass" the border then? It still crosses the border. Be it shipped which they WILL open or if it's traveling in a car..either way it still crosses the border meaning it must have a CITIES permit.

You are lucky to be where you are, there are a TON of nice LFS, and a ton of excellent reefers. I think why you may find people are a little sensitive when you throw out the US pricing is that we've all made contacts with some very good LFS's and understand the way that they have to do business. A lot of us have become friendly or friends with them...they don't just jack up prices to gauge every reefer, they sell for a decent price to try to cover the overhead costs so when you need someone they are still there to help you or provide you with something you may need. Sorry, gonna happen. Not all LFS are jerks. Just go by what other people tell you and go in and see for yourself. Then when you have an issue or question......try to contact the person you bought stuff from in the US....or hey, go to your LFS that may have even 1 person that knows his or her stuff and get their advice...and weird, you don't even have to pay for the advice, but the store owner still has to pay the employee to give that advice. It's all relative.

[Polscot]

sigh.....they all have cities i tell the stores down there that there going to be comming to canada, have them ship to oregon and then to here the nessisary paper work is all there, everyone is just focusing on the negative, yes i think alot of the shops in calgary are over prices hence wanting to get into the reefers community and deal with private sellers, and yes, i realise calgary has alot of good stores unlike other places, but at the end of the day...no offence i dont care about other places if u dont like where u are move, stop bringing negativity on me for simply wanting to turn to private sellers over go to a store.

[Chaloupa]

sigh.....they all have cities i tell the stores down there that there going to be comming to canada, have them ship to oregon and then to here the nessisary paper work is all there, everyone is just focusing on the negative, yes i think alot of the shops in calgary are over prices hence wanting to get into the reefers community and deal with private sellers, and yes, i realise calgary has alot of good stores unlike other places, but at the end of the day...no offence i dont care about other places if u dont like where u are move, stop bringing negativity on me for simply wanting to turn to private sellers over go to a store.

Wow, sounds like you have it all figured out and we just don't have a clue...good luck to you. :wink:

[kien]

Forget my gsp and birdsnest, I want YOU to ship me in some corals! If you can get CITIES for everything you bring in you should seriously consider openning up a small biz and selling locally. I would love to see some Sweet US livestock brought in!

[xtreme]

I'm in for some American stuff as well. May as well get a group order going.:mrgreen:

[The Grizz]

stop bringing negativity on me for simply wanting to turn to private sellers over go to a store.

Dude no one is bashing you for what you are wanting to do because most of us do it our self but we also support the good LFS because without them we would not be able to get the things we want or need without them. There are some great people here but when they feel they have been rubbed the wrong way something is going to be said.

[The Grizz]

Forget my gsp and birdsnest, I want YOU to ship me in some corals! If you can get CITIES for everything you bring in you should seriously consider openning up a small biz and selling locally. I would love to see some Sweet US livestock brought in!

I'm in for some American stuff as well. May as well get a group order going.:mrgreen:

+1 on both of these remarks

[Gaffer]

sigh.....they all have cities i tell the stores down there that there going to be comming to canada, have them ship to oregon and then to here the nessisary paper work is all there, everyone is just focusing on the negative, yes i think alot of the shops in calgary are over prices hence wanting to get into the reefers community and deal with private sellers, and yes, i realise calgary has alot of good stores unlike other places, but at the end of the day...no offence i dont care about other places if u dont like where u are move, stop bringing negativity on me for simply wanting to turn to private sellers over go to a store.

I was not going to weigh in here as not to clutter up your thread, but you seem to be doing a good enough job yourself.

I have dealt with shipping/mailing/bringing across items controlled by CITES.

Firstly, I would be willing to bet that if you said you needed CITES documents for some corals you are shipping to Canada 1/2 the stores in the US would have no clue how/where to get these and the other 1/2 would tell you to move along as CITES documentation is a pain in the butt, and unless you are spending a considerable amount of money they will not bother. You mention that you are stocking a 6.6 gal, Fluval Edge IIRC, so you are likely not looking for a large shipment.

With that said, not all corals, rics, zoas are not on the CITES list, so you may not need documents for some more run of the mill stuff. If you have the shipper put "Non CITES Specimens" on the package they are less likey to be siezed or held up. Still there is a chance they will spot check the package, and may hold it up long enough to kill the shipment, and if there is something in there that is CITES and is not documented, you can get nailed. Luckily most customs agents are not trained to identify things to a fine level of detail, but that too can bugger things up if you get the over zelous rookie who refers it to Fish & Wildlife. How do I know? I have had it happen.

If moving corals across the border was easy & cheap then we would all be doing it. There are so many variables that can end up with a dead specimen and being out of pocket for shipping and the livestock. Things that can go wrong include a mistakenly seized shipment, storage in too hot or too cold warehouse, lost in transit, etc. etc. etc.

When you factor that into buying locally it becomes a more attractive option.

You do seem to have it all figured out though, so I wish you all the best.

IB4TL.

Andrew

[Coleus]

:-) Comparing US vs Canada price is wrong and then bashing LFS in your first thread instead introducing yourself or ask which store is best to shop is also does not go well here.

We do this as a hobby while LFS need to make money to operate a business. In the end, i think demand/supply rule applies, the LFS has to price it right to survive, price it wrong and they won't last. (Except for some expensive store that must has a super customer service )

WE NEED LFS and Calgarians are lucky to have some great LFS with fair price.

Btw, if we are doing group order from US that work out very cheaper, I AM IN.

[Gaffer]

I have considered putting in an order here http://www.mrcoral.com as he has everything 50% off right now.

He quoted me $80 shipping when I inquired about a 10 pack of zoas.

Andrew

[BlueWorldAquatic]

Any corals coming from the USA cannot be on live rock, or it requires CITES. CBS even frowns on frag plugs sometimes.

Regardless, shipping or bringing it from the USA requires CITES to make it legal, if you apply for it it will cost you $250, and up to 2 months to recieve the permit.

Then shipping is another issue, same day or next day shipping, any other way will not guarentee the livestoce to arrive alive.

That is the reason the cost of corals are more in Canada than the USA, they have more AquaCulturing facilities down there too. I have personally visited a few and some are huge, not basement operations.

Ken

[Eb0la11]

Hmmmm, as soon as everyone wants OP to get a group order going he disappears... Maybe we were dealing with Kein who created a new screen name to turn over a new leaf but its failing miserably?

[The Grizz]

Hmmmm, as soon as everyone wants OP to get a group order going he disappears... Maybe we were dealing with Kein who created a new screen name to turn over a new leaf but its failing miserably?

I think he is a little tick off because he think we are all bashing his opinion and being very negative towards him.:noidea:

[lastlight]

Perhaps if his only intention was to establish contact with private sellers of frags and he'd phrased things differently he'd have had different results. It was strongly worded and took a stab at LFS's rather than simply requesting contact with private sellers.