which shop in calgary is the best in service??

aussiefishy · #1 11-18-2003, 06:09 AM

just wanna know what you think which shop do you like best for their service, like giving advise, selection, care and tidiness...

EmilyB · #2 11-18-2003, 06:14 AM

in comparison to what?

spikehs · #3 11-18-2003, 06:32 AM

none of them are particulaly good...I'd come here for advice, and get your fish off the net...

Delphinus · #4 11-18-2003, 06:37 AM

Welcome to Canreef.

AJ_77 · #5 11-18-2003, 05:01 PM

Hey, welcome!

The local shops are all a bit "lacking" in one way or another. For instance, at Gold you might find someone who knows something about corals and will give you a good price. At Wai's you may see nice SPS but nobody will speak to you. At Ocean you may find good prices but not many corals, and fish that may be kept for 2 weeks before selling. At Pisces you'll find a nice big store where (perhaps) many fish and corals perish, and prices seem quite high. But there is a good selection of captive-bred clowns...

I won't mention Big Al's.

So once you've been around to them all a few times, you get a feel for who is leading you straight (hopefully), but this only goes as far as their own knowledge, which is multiplied tenfold on this and other hobbiest sites and discussion boards. The accumulated knowledge and experience from the members here vastly outpaces the knowledge and experience of a few shopkeepers, but they are the "professionals" and sometimes take offense to this notion.

I've heard they have a reputable shop up in Edmonton, but haven't been to visit.

Cheers,

Canadian Man · #6 11-18-2003, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJ_77

Hey, welcome!

The local shops are all a bit "lacking" in one way or another. For instance, at Gold you might find someone who knows something about corals and will give you a good price. At Wai's you may see nice SPS but nobody will speak to you. At Ocean you may find good prices but not many corals, and fish that may be kept for 2 weeks before selling. At Pisces you'll find a nice big store where (perhaps) many fish and corals perish, and prices seem quite high. But there is a good selection of captive-bred clowns...

I won't mention Big Al's.

So once you've been around to them all a few times, you get a feel for who is leading you straight (hopefully), but this only goes as far as their own knowledge, which is multiplied tenfold on this and other hobbiest sites and discussion boards. The accumulated knowledge and experience from the members here vastly outpaces the knowledge and experience of a few shopkeepers, but they are the "professionals" and sometimes take offense to this notion.

I've heard they have a reputable shop up in Edmonton, but haven't been to visit.

Cheers,

I Second Alan's comments!
And Welcome!

Quinn · #7 11-18-2003, 07:39 PM

I kinda figured Big Al's was one of the better stores as far as Calgary goes?

Delphinus · #8 11-18-2003, 07:53 PM

I don't know about the corals, can't think of the last time I ever bought any at a LFS, but I've never had an issue with any fish I bought at Big Als.

Not that we're talking about a lot of fish here, I guess only 3 of them (hey that's 50% of my fish though!

). Of course I did my homework first with those 3 and I think that might be part of the equation.

{With any store} You do need to exercise common sense and judgment when you make a purchase .... you need to know what you want and what to look for, and never rely on the good word of a vendor to be unbiased (they might be, but they might not be. Or they may not know better).

There was a red carpet at Big Al's in the summertime for $60. At the time it was the furthest thing from my mind due to other circumstances but man alive. That thing sat there for like 6 or 7 weeks. These things go for like >$200 USD south of the 49th. I should have jumped on it, and I'm kicking myself now that I didn't. Oh well.

aussiefishy · #9 11-18-2003, 09:24 PM

so alot of reefers in calgary don't buy livestock in LFS??

i have been into forums down the states and they seems to be the other way around... it seems that they pretty much support the local business, the thing is, if you go elsewhere to buy stuff, like livestock, the selection is very limited to the fact that only what they ship to you is what you get.. i tends to like to go and look at the real thing, use my judgement for sustainability. this give me good results so far because this way i have no "junk" or stuff that i don't really like in my reef tank.

personally, i go to all of them and purchase their livestock before, they all have different problems, because they are all from 4-5 big suppliers. Gold have nice prices, but often i seen coral died off in their system after they stay for more than 1 week. especially LPS. oceans have "sustainable corals, though selection is few but i do get nice stuff sometimes. maybe due to the fact that nice pieces are gone as soon as they arrive..." big al's -they do not know what they are doing, and pieces? in my dictionary they don't even qualify to be selling marine stuff. Wai's have nice corals and mushrooms, lps, but not very friendly, and i have heard stories when the owner give very wrong advise to accompany the deal.

in fish wise,

ocean have fully cured fishes, sometimes pricey.
gold have nice prices,
big al? i don't know what to say, damsels dies in their tank, and fish corpses on the edge of tanks everywhere.
pieces have aquacultured clowns and that is it.
riverfront have sick fish and freshwater fish people selling it, and telling me they do not know a majestic angel is not a blue face.
wai's have nice fish but big price tag.

to tell you the truth, i work in one of these stores and i give my opinion from my head, unbiased.

i guess my thinking is, we still have to support these local fish store, and educate them to relize the vast amount of knowledge in these forums and discussion board. at the end of the day, good selection, knowledgible LFS is benefiting the local reefers.

Cheers

Quinn · #10 11-18-2003, 09:39 PM

I don't think the LFS will ever dissapear, because a great deal of the money that trades hands in this hobby is thanks to spur of the moment "that would look nice in the den" purchasing. However I don't think there is any point in supporting an LFS if the staff aren't knowledgeable and if the livestock is kept in subpar conditions. I don't think I would buy fish from any of the LFS' I've been to in Calgary, although I haven't been to Gold's yet so I'll reserve judgement on them.