aclos3
08/06/2006, 01:13 AM
I am originally from Vancouver, WA (10 minutes from Portland, OR). Since moving here, I have been frustrated with the number and size of reef stores in the area. There seem to be about 4 stores around the Portland area that absolutely dominate anything that I have found in the Seattle area in terms of pricing and selection, especially if you are looking for SPS! Maybe you guys will be able to give me some leads and maybe you can learn from my observations.
So, here is my interpretation:
-Blue Sierra is a nice, big shop with a decent selection of just about everything but SPS. I say decent as a relative term to what else there is to choose from the area. They have a lot of tanks, both fresh and salt. They even have pond supplies here as well. In general, you will find a fair selection of fish, tons of supplies and a modest offering of soft corals depending on their shipments. This is a great place to go if you need reef tank supplies (dry goods). They also have a good deal of used reef gear too.
SPS: Minimal
Soft/LPS: Moderate, depending on shipments, higher pricing.
Fish: Moderate to large selection, average health, fair pricing, no guarantee
Reef supplies & tanks: Huge selection, fair prices.
Staff: They know are eager to help you, knowledgeable and fun to talk with as well.
Blue Sierra Exotics
90 Front Street South
Issaquah, WA 98027
Phone: 425-392-5360
-Saltwater City: Never been there! I drove past their location the other day looking for the store, but I didn't find it. I went right to where it showed up on the map, but maybe I am just blind. I even drove around the strip mall complex that should have housed their store according to the address. I was in the middle of the "auto-mall" type area, large stores and flashy signs; it’s possible I just missed the store. I was across the street from a Rolls Royce and a Bentley dealership, if anyone familiar with this store could tell me what I did wrong I would appreciate it. I didn't stay long to keep looking because I had other stores on my "tour" and had to get back home by a certain time, I will try again soon after I call for directions and have the time.
I will fill more in once I visit, maybe tomorrow if I can find the place and they are open.
13626 Ne 20th St
Bellevue, WA 98005-2011
425-644-7050
-Below Sea Level. There used to be a store in the U-district (5 minutes from downtown) that closed. Sadly for me, it used to be in walking distance and now it is gone. The last time I went there was a few months ago. The store was closed, but looking in I saw the drained tanks on the sides and it couldn't have been closed long because the display tank was still set up with fish, LR and lights. Although the front of the display was becoming almost completely covered with algae, there were still several fish swimming in the tank. It was eerie and sad to see.
SPS: N/A
Soft/LPS: n/a
Fish: n/a
Reef supplies & tanks: n/a
Staff: n/a
In case you want to go see the depressing reminder of how hard it is to make it in this business...
4142 Brooklyn Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98105
-The Fish Store: This store is located just a few minutes out of downtown, a couple miles north of the U-district. They show longevity, the store has been open at its current location for around 25 years, however, for reefers they area bit of a let down. They have a tiny coral section, no real SPS to speak of, mostly just small low light species of various inverts. Even with their almost unmentionable reef stock, this is still a decent store in terms of fish, other supplies, live rock and pricing.
The Fish Store sells good live rock (excellent color and bioactivity) and quite a few super healthy saltwater fish, but it is clear that the focus of the shop is on freshwater tanks. I'd say 75% of their visible aquariums are FW. I have spent countless hundreds of dollars with this store over the years for both fresh and saltwater needs. The staff is a bit interesting. Overall they are knowledgeable, but quite as friendly and eager to help as the Blue Sierra folks. Some of them can tend to get preachy about the “right” way to do things, and it gets even more bizarre when you realize the staffers often preach opposite from on another.
I bought all of my liverock (cured for 6.99/lb is cheaper than most stores in this area!). Among many other items, I also bought a 50 gallon acrylic tank and all the goodies for what felt like fair prices. Prices for fish generally run on the high side, but they always have good "sales" on a decent portion of their fish, you just have to go in and poke around often to find the deals! Look for their New Guinea tribal art hanging from the ceiling too.
SPS: Maybe 2-5 species of bland, lowlight species.
Soft/LPS: Small selection, but you can find some deals here occasionally.
Fish: Very healthy, fair pricing for the quality and guarantee (I believe the 2 week fish warranty applies to saltwater, I will check though).
Reef supplies & tanks: Small selection of high output lighting, skimmers and everything else that is exclusive to saltwater, large selection of everything else.
Staff: For the most part the staff knows saltwater, but you find tons of conflicting viewpoints. I have had one person tell me that “no way
The Fish Store
6109 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
-Denny’s Pet World: Wow, this store is massive; I just wish it was filled with only fish supplies. I was a little hesitant about the store when I first walked in and saw all sorts of bird and other non fish pet supplies. However, nearly ½ of the store is aquarium based, and probably 30% of that area is saltwater. On the fish front, they do mostly saltwater, with a HUGE selection of FW fish that looked to be healthy. On the saltwater front, they had two racks of tanks set up with fish, but one of the racks was shut down and emptied. It looked like this may have been temporary though. Their fish appear to be in good health, and their coral selection is small but offers almost as much variety as Blue Sierra. Their prices seem reasonable as well.
They have many of tanks and supplies for saltwater setups at reasonable prices. However, I did not see much in the way of halide lighting for sale. The store has a ton of gear, good looking fish and corals, but they are definitely not focused on saltwater. It was fairly busy while I was in the store, but the staff was mostly busy in other parts of the store. I have no idea of their knowledge, and it didn’t seem like they had anyone dedicated to the aquarium section. Overall, this is a good place to come if you are an experienced SW aquarist and you know what you want and don’t need help with compatibility, etc. Who knows, maybe their saltwater guy was sick that day? I will go again.
SPS: Not much at all.
Soft/LPS: Moderate, a little less than Blue Sierra.
Fish: Small selection (half of the tanks were offline), healthy, fair prices.
Reef supplies & tanks: Large supply, but you better know what you are looking for.
Staff: Busy selling birds, I bet they have aquarium specialized people, I just didn’t find them they day I was there. I will report back when I go again.
12534 120TH Ave NE
Kirkland, WA 98034
(425) 821-3800
Well, this is all I have toured in this area, I will report more as I find them, and update my experiences with the stores I have been to.
So, where the heck is the SPS in the Puget Sound? Do I really have to drive to Tacoma, Poulsbo, or Spokane to find it? (I will if I have to!). Seattle is much larger than Portland, yet Portland has several stores with good SPS selections, much more soft coral/LPS/other low light varieties and more competitive pricing. There is more money and there are more people in the Seattle area, it would seem more “normal” if the situation was reversed.
Well I didn’t intend to write this much, I hope some people find this at least somewhat useful, please feel free to put in your opinion on my findings and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me about other stores in the region, I’d love to plan a trip to Tacoma or Spokane in the near future.
-Andrew
So, here is my interpretation:
-Blue Sierra is a nice, big shop with a decent selection of just about everything but SPS. I say decent as a relative term to what else there is to choose from the area. They have a lot of tanks, both fresh and salt. They even have pond supplies here as well. In general, you will find a fair selection of fish, tons of supplies and a modest offering of soft corals depending on their shipments. This is a great place to go if you need reef tank supplies (dry goods). They also have a good deal of used reef gear too.
SPS: Minimal
Soft/LPS: Moderate, depending on shipments, higher pricing.
Fish: Moderate to large selection, average health, fair pricing, no guarantee
Reef supplies & tanks: Huge selection, fair prices.
Staff: They know are eager to help you, knowledgeable and fun to talk with as well.
Blue Sierra Exotics
90 Front Street South
Issaquah, WA 98027
Phone: 425-392-5360
-Saltwater City: Never been there! I drove past their location the other day looking for the store, but I didn't find it. I went right to where it showed up on the map, but maybe I am just blind. I even drove around the strip mall complex that should have housed their store according to the address. I was in the middle of the "auto-mall" type area, large stores and flashy signs; it’s possible I just missed the store. I was across the street from a Rolls Royce and a Bentley dealership, if anyone familiar with this store could tell me what I did wrong I would appreciate it. I didn't stay long to keep looking because I had other stores on my "tour" and had to get back home by a certain time, I will try again soon after I call for directions and have the time.
I will fill more in once I visit, maybe tomorrow if I can find the place and they are open.
13626 Ne 20th St
Bellevue, WA 98005-2011
425-644-7050
-Below Sea Level. There used to be a store in the U-district (5 minutes from downtown) that closed. Sadly for me, it used to be in walking distance and now it is gone. The last time I went there was a few months ago. The store was closed, but looking in I saw the drained tanks on the sides and it couldn't have been closed long because the display tank was still set up with fish, LR and lights. Although the front of the display was becoming almost completely covered with algae, there were still several fish swimming in the tank. It was eerie and sad to see.
SPS: N/A
Soft/LPS: n/a
Fish: n/a
Reef supplies & tanks: n/a
Staff: n/a
In case you want to go see the depressing reminder of how hard it is to make it in this business...
4142 Brooklyn Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98105
-The Fish Store: This store is located just a few minutes out of downtown, a couple miles north of the U-district. They show longevity, the store has been open at its current location for around 25 years, however, for reefers they area bit of a let down. They have a tiny coral section, no real SPS to speak of, mostly just small low light species of various inverts. Even with their almost unmentionable reef stock, this is still a decent store in terms of fish, other supplies, live rock and pricing.
The Fish Store sells good live rock (excellent color and bioactivity) and quite a few super healthy saltwater fish, but it is clear that the focus of the shop is on freshwater tanks. I'd say 75% of their visible aquariums are FW. I have spent countless hundreds of dollars with this store over the years for both fresh and saltwater needs. The staff is a bit interesting. Overall they are knowledgeable, but quite as friendly and eager to help as the Blue Sierra folks. Some of them can tend to get preachy about the “right” way to do things, and it gets even more bizarre when you realize the staffers often preach opposite from on another.
I bought all of my liverock (cured for 6.99/lb is cheaper than most stores in this area!). Among many other items, I also bought a 50 gallon acrylic tank and all the goodies for what felt like fair prices. Prices for fish generally run on the high side, but they always have good "sales" on a decent portion of their fish, you just have to go in and poke around often to find the deals! Look for their New Guinea tribal art hanging from the ceiling too.
SPS: Maybe 2-5 species of bland, lowlight species.
Soft/LPS: Small selection, but you can find some deals here occasionally.
Fish: Very healthy, fair pricing for the quality and guarantee (I believe the 2 week fish warranty applies to saltwater, I will check though).
Reef supplies & tanks: Small selection of high output lighting, skimmers and everything else that is exclusive to saltwater, large selection of everything else.
Staff: For the most part the staff knows saltwater, but you find tons of conflicting viewpoints. I have had one person tell me that “no way
The Fish Store
6109 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
-Denny’s Pet World: Wow, this store is massive; I just wish it was filled with only fish supplies. I was a little hesitant about the store when I first walked in and saw all sorts of bird and other non fish pet supplies. However, nearly ½ of the store is aquarium based, and probably 30% of that area is saltwater. On the fish front, they do mostly saltwater, with a HUGE selection of FW fish that looked to be healthy. On the saltwater front, they had two racks of tanks set up with fish, but one of the racks was shut down and emptied. It looked like this may have been temporary though. Their fish appear to be in good health, and their coral selection is small but offers almost as much variety as Blue Sierra. Their prices seem reasonable as well.
They have many of tanks and supplies for saltwater setups at reasonable prices. However, I did not see much in the way of halide lighting for sale. The store has a ton of gear, good looking fish and corals, but they are definitely not focused on saltwater. It was fairly busy while I was in the store, but the staff was mostly busy in other parts of the store. I have no idea of their knowledge, and it didn’t seem like they had anyone dedicated to the aquarium section. Overall, this is a good place to come if you are an experienced SW aquarist and you know what you want and don’t need help with compatibility, etc. Who knows, maybe their saltwater guy was sick that day? I will go again.
SPS: Not much at all.
Soft/LPS: Moderate, a little less than Blue Sierra.
Fish: Small selection (half of the tanks were offline), healthy, fair prices.
Reef supplies & tanks: Large supply, but you better know what you are looking for.
Staff: Busy selling birds, I bet they have aquarium specialized people, I just didn’t find them they day I was there. I will report back when I go again.
12534 120TH Ave NE
Kirkland, WA 98034
(425) 821-3800
Well, this is all I have toured in this area, I will report more as I find them, and update my experiences with the stores I have been to.
So, where the heck is the SPS in the Puget Sound? Do I really have to drive to Tacoma, Poulsbo, or Spokane to find it? (I will if I have to!). Seattle is much larger than Portland, yet Portland has several stores with good SPS selections, much more soft coral/LPS/other low light varieties and more competitive pricing. There is more money and there are more people in the Seattle area, it would seem more “normal” if the situation was reversed.
Well I didn’t intend to write this much, I hope some people find this at least somewhat useful, please feel free to put in your opinion on my findings and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me about other stores in the region, I’d love to plan a trip to Tacoma or Spokane in the near future.
-Andrew