LFS Northern Va

[Elricsfate]

Hi all,

I live in Fredericksburg, Va. I'm looking for a reputable LFS anywhere between DC and Richmond. By reputable I mean:

Sources their livestock from ethical collectors
Quarantines prior to sale
Staffed by people who are in the hobby themselves
Put the health and well being of the animals ahead of sales (ie, sell you what will work, not just whatever you ask for)

I know...asking a lot. :-)

Does such a place exist?

If not, can someone recommend a good online source that meets these criteria?

Thanks.

[Elricsfate]

So basically there are no good LFS's in Northern Va.?

[cincyjim]

Based on your criteria, none that I'm aware of. I do shop at Pet's Plus off of Rt 1, North Stafford. I can't speak if they quarantine or not but I'm thinking they don't. The staff are very friendly and willing to say they don't know if they don't know. I've been very pleased with what I have purchased from them... no complaints.

I've also picked up some nice corals from PetCo there in Fredericksburg (by the new Home Depot on Rt 3). All the ones I purchased are growing really good and look great.

As far as online goes, I do all my shopping at Live Aquaria. I've only had a couple of disappointments on the corals I received from them and I've never had any issues with any of the fish I received. And no one can touch their customer service (in my opinion).

I hope this helps some.

[Elricsfate]

.

I've also picked up some nice corals from PetCo there in Fredericksburg (by the new Home Depot on Rt 3). All the ones I purchased are growing really good and look great.


I hope this helps some.


Thanks for the reply. I actually live about 8 miles from the Petco you spoke of, and buy things there from time to time.

I guess my main concern is buying things and killing them because they had no business in my tank to begin with. So I'm kinda looking for that mom and pop LFS, owned by an old salt, who will tell me up front that something will not make it given my lighting, or tank size, or whatever.

Perhaps I will just have to rely more on research to make my choices, and less on personal advice. I do like some of the selection I've seen at the Petco.

[cincyjim]

At Pet's Plus, ask for Samantha. She is a real expert on saltwater. She's hard to catch in the store though as she is out either setting up new tanks or doing tank maintenance on larger systems in the NOVA area. It would be best to call to see if she is in if you are looking for some specific help.

[marleesan]

Some good stores in Virginia are blue ribbon koi and reef escape. The local forum in Virginia is WAMAS, and they have more recommendations

[gioNVA]

The ones I go to are:

Reef Escape in Fairfax
Quantum Reefs in Springfield
Blue Ribbon Koi in Catharpin

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

IMO:

ReefEscape IMO is the best local one. Well run shop, knowledgeable people. Has all you need: tanks, RODI water, salt, good for retail store prices on lights, skimmers, ReadyReef rock etc. They quarantine their livestock, and have a good selection of corals.

Never been to Blue Ribbon. But I have been to Quantum Reefs; they had a decent selection also. But I thought not as good as RE. I don't know if they quarantine their animals. Finally, the shop was quite messy (plumbing not well covered, not very orderly or presentable - water and livestock were fine) when I went as well - not that I care, but I'm sure they loose sales because of it, so I'm rather shocked.

[Elricsfate]

IMO:

ReefEscape IMO is the best local one. Well run shop, knowledgeable people. Has all you need: tanks, RODI water, salt, good for retail store prices on lights, skimmers, ReadyReef rock etc. They quarantine their livestock, and have a good selection of corals.

Never been to Blue Ribbon. But I have been to Quantum Reefs; they had a decent selection also. But I thought not as good as RE. I don't know if they quarantine their animals. Finally, the shop was quite messy (plumbing not well covered, not very orderly or presentable - water and livestock were fine) when I went as well - not that I care, but I'm sure they loose sales because of it, so I'm rather shocked.


I tend to lean toward an orderly, organized, professional looking establishment. It reflects the fact that ownership/management care.

Fairfax is a little bit of a ride, but I can swing it.

Thank you all for your input. When it comes to purchasing I'd prefer to rely on the experiences of others and word of mouth.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Marine Scene in Herndon.

[justindinh24]

Marine Scene in Herndon.

They closed already.. :(

[Half Vaped]

Marine Scene in Herndon.

Marine Scene was my go-to until they closed earlier this year, sadly. Pristine Aquariums and the saltwater section of PetLand are two other decent stores closed recently.

Another spot worth visiting is Incredible Corals in Manassas. Frags start at $10 and fish prices are usually about the lowest in the area.

Centreville Aquarium is okay, but not too impressive. I usually get my food from them since they're the only guys I know of that take Caulerpa as trade-in. I find Blue Ribbon Koi too expensive for most things. Quantum Reef has a good selection, but I see too many sickly fish when I go there.

Reef eScape is the only spot I haven't seen yet, I'll check it out soon.

[NISMO703]

I would recommend checking out Blue Ribbon Koi. They have a great coral selection and reasonably priced.

If you check out Blue Ribbon Koi, Artfully Acrylic/Incredible Corals is about 10 minutes away. They also have a pretty good coral selection and are always running sales.

[newbie2014]

IMO:

ReefEscape IMO is the best local one. Well run shop, knowledgeable people. Has all you need: tanks, RODI water, salt, good for retail store prices on lights, skimmers, ReadyReef rock etc. They quarantine their livestock, and have a good selection of corals.

Never been to Blue Ribbon. But I have been to Quantum Reefs; they had a decent selection also. But I thought not as good as RE. I don't know if they quarantine their animals. Finally, the shop was quite messy (plumbing not well covered, not very orderly or presentable - water and livestock were fine) when I went as well - not that I care, but I'm sure they loose sales because of it, so I'm rather shocked.

I'm less than three miles away from ReefEscape, but I've never been there. Tried to look for it for a couple of times but missed it. Then people told me that it's around the back of the building, so I never bother to go back.

Petland in Fairfax is closest to me, but they closed their SW section. Bought some fish from Fairfax Petco. They have good fish selection, but some can be seen sickly or dead. I usually stop by on Wednesday when they have a fresh batch.

Really like the staff at Incredible Corals. That dude with the long hair is always friendly and helpful. They have some good and cheap frags.

Don't really care for Quantum Reef. It looks kinda messy and rundown. Blue Ribbon Koi is a bit better but pricey. Centreville Aquarium is clean but not enough saltwater selection.

The OP should definitely join WAMAS. The annual $20 membership will bring much more in savings down the road.

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

I tend to lean toward an orderly, organized, professional looking establishment. It reflects the fact that ownership/management care.

Fairfax is a little bit of a ride, but I can swing it.

Thank you all for your input. When it comes to purchasing I'd prefer to rely on the experiences of others and word of mouth.

QR is on your way, so it's worth one visit I think. But yes, I would choose RE as my main store (also nearby is Super H-mart, a well run big Asian corporation supermarket with an excellent seafood section, with good seaweed too). If you want, try Incredible Corals, but IMO they're smaller and more specialized (but as newbie2014 mentioned, Chris the long haired dude is great). I wouldn't bother with Centreville Aquarium (as a general aquarium store, Congressional Aquarium in MD is much better, but that's even farther and I think RE is a better reef store).

You also should join WAMAS, I think. :twitch:

I'm less than three miles away from ReefEscape, but I've never been there. Tried to look for it for a couple of times but missed it. Then people told me that it's around the back of the building, so I never bother to go back.

It's not that hard! :D It's between the furniture store and the guitar store on the south side of 29. Up front is a halal market and a pretty small tactical gun store (don't know how they survive in Fairfax amidst an oversaturated market). In back is a pool supply store and RE at the very end.

[newbie2014]

QR is on your way, so it's worth one visit I think. But yes, I would choose RE as my main store (also nearby is Super H-mart, a well run big Asian corporation supermarket with an excellent seafood section, with good seaweed too). If you want, try Incredible Corals, but IMO they're smaller and more specialized (but as newbie2014 mentioned, Chris the long haired dude is great). I wouldn't bother with Centreville Aquarium (as a general aquarium store, Congressional Aquarium in MD is much better, but that's even farther and I think RE is a better reef store).

You also should join WAMAS, I think. :twitch:


A bit off topic........but it's funny how you mentioned Super H-mart. Go there on the weekend, and you'll be greeted with varieties of free (food) samples. Every so often they have an Asian Food Festival when they have even more free samples. It's our main grocery store. And it's only a 2-3 stores away from Fairfax Petco.:o

It's not that hard! :D It's between the furniture store and the guitar store on the south side of 29. Up front is a halal market and a pretty small tactical gun store (don't know how they survive in Fairfax amidst an oversaturated market). In back is a pool supply store and RE at the very end.

Yeah, I need to stop by that place. Thanks for the map.:beer: