Good LFS in Vancouver??

[Samw]

Originally posted by TRIGGER_HAPPY:
Newton Pet World... LOL, they're in cloverdale now. If you ever need a good laugh, check out there saltwater section. The new owners suck, they are they lazyest people i've ever seen, they are nice people though. Hmmmm... maybe if Corey got up off her a$$.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I don't know if there is any relationship between the store I worked at and this store though. I think I remember that they only sold fish (freshwater only) so maybe the store was Newton Aquariums??? When I started working there in oh...1984 or so, it was owned by Mike and Calvin and it was located near the Newton Wave Pool (Previously, they operated another shop in Coquitlam around Como Lake). I think they closed the Newton store around 1985 and opened up another one on King George Hwy and 104th St. I have lost contact with them and don't know what they are up to now.

[ 21 May 2002, 20:24: Message edited by: Sam W ]

[Samw]

Originally posted by BCReefer:


Now they had some nice corals there and I picked up a Yellow Devil’s Finger and a Blue sponge all for $35.00.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Blue Sponge... Now that's something I haven't seen yet (Except for photos) but want to get. Can you post a pic sometime?

[Troy F]

Sam I meant to say quality items. I should have been more specific.

[ron101]

If you've done your homework and you know what you want then King Ed is not too bad. If not be prepared for some questionable info. Kind Ed also frequently stocks specimens that should be left in the ocean; others may not but I have a personal issue with that.

BTW why would anyone want a Hagen test kit for a reef tank?

[Samw]

Originally posted by Ron101:
If you've done your homework and you know what you want then King Ed is not too bad. If not be prepared for some questionable info. Kind Ed also frequently stocks specimens that should be left in the ocean; others may not but I have a personal issue with that.

BTW why would anyone want a Hagen test kit for a reef tank?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You're probably right that Hagen test kits for reefs might not be the best choice. The thing is that they carry just about everything J&L carries and then some.

Considering that King Ed's isn't a reef specialty store (They sell all different kinds of pet products: dog, cat, rodent, bird, fresh water fish, reptiles, amphibians, etc), the fact that they are even compared to reef specialty stores is probably flattering in itself. Their salt water section is just a tiny portion of their inventory. A better comparison might be between King Ed's and Petectera or Pet Habitat.

Yes, they might sometimes stock fish that ideally some people don't like to see but I have 3 species of animals right now in that category and 2 of them are from J&L Aquatics and the other is from Big Al's. One is the Sebae Anemone from J&L that I've had for 4 months. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 22 May 2002, 23:30: Message edited by: Sam W ]

[DJ88]

As an FYI J&L does not order in Anemones. They recieved that one by the shipper adding it in without them asking for it. Ask them anytime if they carry them. They will tell you no.

J&L is one of the most conciencious stores I have ever seen. They won't order many types of fish due to the needs required of them, they won't sell you something that your tank can't handle. ie an emperor angel in a 20 gallon tank. As for corals if your tank isn't set up for what you want, often times they will tell you straight out it won't live. I have seen it in person and watched customers walk out after not getting what they wanted.

You can't tell me King Ed's or any of the other stores other than maybe Animal House that do this.

As for what they carry.. I don't think they don't carry everything that J&L has and more. J&L carries products that you can't get anywhere else in Canada. Well except maybe Hagen test kits. ;)

[Samw]

Originally posted by DJ88:
As an FYI J&L does not order in Anemones. They recieved that one by the shipper adding it in without them asking for it. Ask them anytime if they carry them. They will tell you no.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I really didn't want to mention this but they did (Not the Sebae but something else). I'll send you a private message about what they ordered because they told me ahead of time what was coming in and it arrived just as expected. I was very excited to see it but knew I couldn't keep one.

As for keeping a regular inventory of anemones (perhaps the hardy species), they did say to me that they were looking at the possibility of stocking some in the future. I'm sure they're doing the research and will make an educated decision whether that means stocking them or not.

I agree J&L is #1. They told me straight up that those gorgeous feather stars won't live. [img]smile.gif[/img] I didn't buy one.

King Ed might be less conscientious but I haven't found them to lie to me yet.

[ 23 May 2002, 00:49: Message edited by: Sam W ]

[Troy F]

>The thing is that they carry just about everything J&L carries and then some.<

Sam, I don't know how you can say this [img]smile.gif[/img] . It isn't even close :eek: . Find me a Bullet Skimmer, Gen X pump or PFO lighting at King Ed's. How about rare earth magnets, ca reactors or mh bulb selection? The list is long [img]tongue.gif[/img] .

One thing I will say is that saving money isn't my number one priority. I like to deal with a store that has some morals. The stores I've chosen to deal with are honest with me. Buying from certain stores that don't give honest advice and import impossible to keep species hurts the hobby and the environment.

[Son Of Skyline]

I began my reefkeeping hobby at King Ed Pets. The staff there walked me through the whole setup process and most of my initial setup and first corals were purchased there. I still go back there to say hi and buy stuff for my other animals, and I know they don't carry the kind of stuff that J&L does. I don't go to King Ed for any reefkeeping stuff anymore. Yes, I have 2 Hagen test kits at home and no, neither of them work [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I really like J&L for the prices and selection...but they're service just plain sucks. EVERY time I go there (around 2-3 times a month) they seem just too busy to care that I'm in the store, and more often than not, I'm the ONLY customer in the store. They never say hi and simply ignore me. I have to flag 2 of the staff down just to get a price, and as soon as they tell me the price they take off and go back to ignoring me. Sometimes they tell me that they'll get someone else to help me and that help never comes. They're alright if you can actually get them to stop and manage to start talking to them, but sometimes I wish that there was another store of their caliber around so I can jump ship. I work in a customer service environment and I find the service there to be the worst I've ever seen in a pet store. They're not bad people and they don't have bad attitudes, but they simply have bad customer service....but I'll still go back, again and again, until someone else comes along.

[Samw]

Originally posted by Troy F:


Sam, I don't know how you can say this [img]smile.gif[/img] . It isn't even close :eek: . Find me a Bullet Skimmer, Gen X pump or PFO lighting at King Ed's. How about rare earth magnets, ca reactors or mh bulb selection? The list is long [img]tongue.gif[/img] .

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Alright, you have a point. I actually never looked for those things at King Ed. They don't carry any of things? That would suck. I thought they would carry MH since they use them in all their tanks. I thought I've seen CA reactors, could be wrong. What's a rare earth magnet for? [img]smile.gif[/img] Just a guess that some of those specialty things they can't get at the wholesaler and need to contact the smaller individual manufacturers (Precision Marine, Canreef, etc).