Fishmans Aquarium store

[1SickReefer]

I have been working N of Philly in Fort Washington for the past week. I also will be up that way all next week.

I stopped in Fishman's on rt 202 in DE on my way home. I think I would have rather siphoned the gas I used out of my truck to get there and dump it on the side of the road or drink it.

That place is a serious dump. terrible selection, there must have been 2million Aptasia in every tank. Dead fish, sick fish, outrageous prices.... one label said "soft Coral 99.00"

Does DE actually have a LFS that is actually worth going to? because Just Fish in Bear DE sucks as well.

How about Philly? anything good there.

Sorry to rant, but that place sucked big one's. I will never step foot in that place again. They should just give up on Saltwater and stick to neon tetra's

[cmondo]

Yeah it isn't one of the better LFS around here. East Coast Aquatics has a decent selection of corals and That Fish Place is up in lancaster about an hour away from Newark De. I won't list the places in MD since you probably already know about them.
Chris

[dynagirl]

There is a Fishman Aquarium in Lewes De that is just as bad. They have decent prices on some powerheads etc, but I would not even buy a snail there as far as live stock goes. Thats where I bought my tank and stand etc (before I knew better) and they gave me lots of bad advice before I found several online discussion boards that set me straight. Not a good place, especially for a newby like me.

[1SickReefer]

Yeah it was pretty pathetic, I told the guy working there after he ask if I need any help, that I would never buy a single thing from here, he asked why, I said, have you not seen the millions of pest anemone's that riddle these tanks? and your dead fish in that one over there, and that fish there that is covered in ick.....let alone the outrageous prices.. the conv. pretty much ended with that and he walked off to help another unsuspecting customer.

So East Coast Aquatics huh, I will check them out next week for sure... thanks Cmondo.

Yeah I have the MD places down pat for sure :) my fav of courrse is Dr Mac... next is Exotic Aquatics

Thanks for sharing your thought,

[1SickReefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7970270#post7970270 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dynagirl
There is a Fishman Aquarium in Lewes De that is just as bad. They have decent prices on some powerheads etc, but I would not even buy a snail there as far as live stock goes. Thats where I bought my tank and stand etc (before I knew better) and they gave me lots of bad advice before I found several online discussion boards that set me straight. Not a good place, especially for a newby like me.

I'm glad you found us dynagirl :D, It's AMAZING what a LFS employee will say to you to sell you something.

Makes me sick

[Gordonious]

Just to warn you 1SickReefer, if you thought that was bad NEVER step into Newark Tropicals. I would go as far as to say they are worse. The only positive thing coming out of there was I got to see my first flat worm in person that wasn't in a photo,lol. Aptasia everywhere 1-2 dead fish dried up between each tank. 50% of the fish were sick and probably couldn't be saved if they actually tried. They also had corals in tanks that did not even have lights on them... Yeah it's that bad. The store might be useful as well if you were thinking about starting your own LFS and wanted to see where you wanted to avoid getting to in your future.

[kaptken]

Most flat worms are harmless and benificial. I try to keep some of mine going. Just some of the varieties of life in a reef. there are some that are clear to slightly white, and some that look like a little brown speckled flounder. these are benign. some of Ron Shimick's favorite creatures.

there are only a few types of flatworms i know of that are bad in a reef. the only one i have seen and experienced is the dreaded photosynthetic red planaria. They can multiply like a carpet and cover everything. At the time the only cure was maybe some fish like six line wrasse and a few others, and a hard to find sea slug that eats nothing but them. The Chelidonura Varians, sometimes called a Blue Doris.

this particular red flatworm tastes real bad and is toxic when you kill them.

http://www.seaslugforum.net/display.cfm?id=16517

A fresh water dip of everything in the tank and the rock and sand for about 30 seconds kills them. but now there is a medication to rid them.

happy sand beds and live rock will be full of strange little critters. I kinda get a kick out of checking out all the misc. life forms in newark tropicals tanks. bugs, worms, mini stars, snails, Macro algea. yup and aptasia. LFS tanks collect all sorts of critters after a while from all the corals and rock passing through.

the last couple months ive found a couple dried up fish on my carpet behind my tank too. seems one perc and my blue madarin jumped out. I bet the big yellow tang chased or spooked them while swimming near a rock at the top.

actually, i've had good luck with fish from newark tropicals, tank looks aside. including my 1 inch long blue tang i bought this spring. doing just fine. getting big.

Have you ever seen little clear things that look and swim like jelly fish? not more than 1/8 inch long. they pulse to swim around. sometimes i see bunches of them in my tank. I think they are a larval stage of some sand bed worms or something.

[wds21921]

"this particular red flatworm tastes real bad"
I'm ashamed of myself, I only got as far as tasting my Nori. :D

[kaptken]

OK, you bagged me!. my ingrish sometimes gets away from me. I meant to say they taste bad to most fish. and actually if you kill a bunch in the tank it stains the water reddish brown and smells strong of iodine. if you kill enough of them in the tank, the toxin will kill corals. these are not the dreaded tiny red worms that eat acro's though. that is something different.

[nanoreef16g]

IMO The Frazer Zoo in Frazer, PA is worth the trip. Mike who runs the fish room is an awesome guy who will go out of his way for anyone. 610-644-4492

[SerranidTerror]

Keep an eye out for the re-opening of Hidden Reef in Philly. I'm not sure when Ziggy will reopen nor did I ever go to his old store. But that store had a very good reputation. So keep an eye out. If you were looking for stores in MD I would be able to help-but you are from MD so yeah. Although I must blurt out Aquarium Center west of Baltimore :D

[Gordonious]

How many posts a week do you think there are of people looking for good LFSs? Someone should start a site to rate LFSs. I think Reef central is just to scared to start fights and drama and crap.

[SerranidTerror]

It really is a big deal. Some shops do read these forums and they take it personally. But some shops may use ur info to improve as well. I will gladly pass on suggestions for good stores in the MD,VA,NC area if anyone needs them.

[wds21921]

It would be nice if we had an area to post local stores and photos as well as info. Something you could use without having to resort to a search engine for each individual place. Info such as phone, times, address etc too.

[Gordonious]

Can you get in legal trouble though for posting photos? Talking about the stores should be fine though with some of the stores with copywrited names could they come after you just for using their name? I have webspace and can through together a good website in second, just not sure about the legal stuff. (Only reason my site isn't up is because I try to make it perfect so it never gets done)

[ronert]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7979222#post7979222 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wds21921
It would be nice if we had an area to post local stores and photos as well as info. Something you could use without having to resort to a search engine for each individual place. Info such as phone, times, address etc too.

This doesn't provide any type of review, and is not complete, but I have found this (http://zoyzoy.com/aquarium/aquariumstoresmap.asp?Zip=19810) to be fairly useful.

- ted

[wds21921]

I wasn't thinking of adding a review since that would be an opinon rather than fact.
Just factual info only is what I was thinking of.

[Tbor]

There's a decent listing available on reefs.org (http://www.reefs.org/lfslist/index.php?field=State&how=contain&str=DE&action=search) . It's a little cluttered, but has a little more info than google maps.

[wds21921]

Ugh right idea but would be nice if they could eliminatew the drug, video game and ringtone crap/spam.

[logans_daddy]

i think fishmans is awesome compared to petkare by the bear library:( . i was in there yesterday to pick up a 20L for a friend and i just had to look at the tanks. in one tank that can not be more than 40gallons there was an 18" shark, a grouper, a 6" porcupine puffer, and what i swear was a tarpon of all fish. the shark did not move an inch the entire time i was there. in another tank the was a 5-6" undulate trigger with a grouper and large bluethroat trigger. i dont know if anyone knows the deal with undy triggers but the are quite possible one of the most aggressive fish you can keep in an aquarium. i dont know how large the bluethroat was because the poor thing wouldnt come out of the rock it was wedged in because of the undy. then you had a nice assortment of dead fish/corals floating around in just about every tank.

i really dont know why i do this to myself. ive been pretty good about staying out of most LFS. i wish these stores would follow petsmarts example and just not carry SW fish.

shawn:bum:

[wds21921]

I think many of the stores see the better profit margins without thinking it through very clearly.

Most of your stores who carry SW fish and or Inverts/reef seem to be around longer and have a little steadier customer flow. I think the retailers see this and then expect to be able to jump right in and start reaping the rewards in a short time.

What many don't realize is it's a long term investment filled with huge risks.

The mark-up on SW fish and Inverts is better than freshwater but look also at the care and maintenance required. The overall cost is at least double and sometimes triple that of FW.

Then of course along with maintenance is the problem of finding reliable people to do the water changes/sales/customer service. This kills many businesses IMO. Getting the right information right from the beginning is more important than the sale itself but a lot of stores look right past that fact.
When I worked at Pet's Emporium in particular, I turned many people away from SW simply because they didn't have the time required to maintain the tank. Most balked at the investment cost also which saved us both time.

At the same time the stores are no different than many hobbyists, they too want the look and the enjoyment of having brightly colored animals and unusual specimens. It's not always about profit but I think for the shortsighted it may be very true.

Running a business also has it's drawbacks too. You get sedated or bored often times and it's tough to get out of that rut. The important element here is to surround yourself with people who can also be self-motivated and take the challenge to change things up a little.

It's easy to sit back and criticize and not understand all the variables involved. At the same time it's also healthy if the business is accepting of some criticism and is willing to at least consider there customers opinions. When you rely on the public for direct sales and you think you know more than your customer of there needs, your finished IMO. There's a healthy balance here that must be maintaned at all times.

That is why I think your seeing many more of these Pet Superstores opening around our area.
First they have the capitol (cash) to get nicer displays and take some chances.
For the mom and pop stores they are limited by there customers cash flow, inherently. That's also a big factor that can work for them. The owners have a closer and more personal relationship with there customer base and should use that to there advantage.
The Superstores can also afford to carry a better variety of products although many don't. They can throw a couple hundred dollars in some food and see if there customers like it. A small loss to them isn't a big deal.
Mom and pop can only try a few cans or packs. A loss of sales of that product is a bigger deal to them when they can't afford a comparable volume. Volume has it's rewards when you walk into a store and see a nice display, as well as the discount when buying in bulk (retailer).

I'm not taking away from the responsibility factor of any of the LFS. At the same time, if we held ourselves to the same standard for some of the mistakes we've made as hobbysists I don't think there would be much difference?

The best approach is to offer feedback, your the customer and it's your responsibility to tell them what you want. If they don't want to listen or don't care, then attrition has a way of taking care of that problem for us :).

When your a retailer and you place an order, you very seldom get what you order in time to keep the customer happy. For those who are able to do that, you should count your good fortune. We're not dealing with widgets here we're dealing with animals.

I've talked before about the emergency factor also. How would it be if your living in say NorthEast Md or even Elsmere De and you have to drive to Lancaster or Baltimore just to get salt or a replacement heater because yours broke??? Call it convenience or an emergency but the point is we need them as much as they need us. It's symbiosis at it's best/worst lol.

Some of the local stores are better than others, thats common sense working. If you want to see some great business models and stores shoot up to That Pet Place or Even Dr. Mac's. They are both on totally different ends of the spectrum but they do have some very similar characteristics. Both are very clean and well lit. Both have a good selection and also excellent customer service.
That Pet Place offers volume, selection, and very good pricing.
Dr. Macs offers high quality specimens, personal care and high quality experience and knowledge.

For a person considering how to better there business locally, I'd definitely take a look at each of these places from different perspectives to be able to achieve your goal.

For us as customers, it's our responsibility to provide feedback even if it falls on deaf ears sometimes. It's just as much our fault sometimes that some of these stores even remain in existance. The stores who actually enjoy and care about what and how they do business will be around, those who don't???
Goodbye.

[logans_daddy]

I agree with you on most points wds21921 but I think your being way too easy on the LFS and making it more complicated than it truly is.

It all comes down to being professional and taking pride in your work. Whether it’s a LFS or a deli or any type of business, it’s very obvious to me when I walk through the door what I’m in store for. I avoid a lot of stores because of the way they are run.

For example, I live about 5 minutes from the new castle Wal-Mart yet I drive 30 minutes to the Elkton Wal-Mart to shop. The store is always in disarray, the employees are rude and the customers more rude.

We don’t need to make excuses for the LFS. You don’t need to have a degree in biology to know that there is something wrong with your tanks when most of your fish are dead or dying. If you can work in a store like this and not be motivated to take care of your animals then you’re not much of a human being.

I know the whole collection process isn’t perfect. I’ve been at that pet place when they are unpacking fish and I see the number of dead fish in the containers. I don’t like it but I know it is an unavoidable consequence of collecting fish. However, taking these stressed fish and putting them in the type of tanks that I routinely see them going in is very easily avoided.

I don’t think it matters if were talking about a LFS are super store. I think it’s less about overhead and more about routine maintenance. If the size of the store mattered then petco should have the nicest tanks within driving distance. They don’t.

You may be a little sympathetic but I’m not. It comes down to the owners/mangers not caring for the health of the fish and trying to make a buck. There not putting in the effort that is required to stock these fish.

I won’t support these stores any longer no mater how convenient. If I need something I will drive to that pet place. If I don’t feel like driving I will order it from DFS and have it next dayd to me (it will still probably be cheaper).

There simply is no excuse. Everyone who purchases livestock from these stores is just perpetuating these atrocities.

shawn:bum:

[SerranidTerror]

Both of these posts have some excellent points in them.

I liked WDS' outlook on everything in general-was very educated and was obvious he's done his time in the pet trade.

To boot i'll have to add that aquatic retail is some of the toughest retail out there. First off there is always a lot to do with the tanks. You are not only keeping numerous tanks but you are keeping them at levels that are normally more densely stocked than we would like. This of course complicates things.

Next you have to throw in that this is a retail environment so you are going to have to throw in the same tasks any store has, customer care, stock issues, cleaning the store, etc. And I might add some stores have a lot of trouble with just these (like the walmart in New Castle :p )

To boot aquatics customers can, and usually need a lot more time than an average customer for many things. How many questions do you think an aquatic employee gets that involves a yes...or no. Its normally a mini seminar to inform that customer. I can't tell you the countless times i've had to go through an interrogation to figure out whats wrong with someone's tank-even for something obvious-best example...the girl was turning the filter off at night b/c it made too much noise... Anyways you gotta spend time with these people to get them going properly.

Next you of course have to factor in that pet shops can't be affording to keep people on for 10 bucks an hour. This makes it hard to first off find good employees and two, to keep them for very long!

So its a very tough world for these shops...I don't have as much sympathy for the giants, but I do for the smaller shops. And thats why I like my job...I feel that sometimes I can help them out a bit. I've done some training seminars, offered myself as a livestock question hotline, and am always offering stores help with any display systems they may want to put up.

However the response above mine is great too. If a store is dropping the ball, they are dropping the ball. We are dealing with live creatures here. A lot still wild caught. These animals are valuable...and not just in the monetary sense. If you are sitting at the counter and your tanks look like hell and fish are gasping at the bottom of the tank i'm not really going to be shopping there you know?

To add i'll have to say that this forum does a superb job of never flaming anything totally. Anything "negative" that is posted is well written and responses are well written and not attacks on other people...pretty cool :cool:

[logans_daddy]

well said SerranidTerror. I think you probably have the most unique perspective.

the only factor for me, when deciding whether or not I am willing to spend my money at a LFS, is the health of their animals.

look at that pet place. they have BB tanks with pvc elbows. no bells and whistles. just clean water, good flow, and healthy fish.

If you’re killing more SW fish than you’re selling(which it seems to me is a good possibility with some of these LFS). then don’t sell SW fish. just sell FW and supplies, or open up a deli and make sandwiches:D

I think if you’re willing to support LFS that keep their tanks and livestock in deplorable conditions then your doing this hobby a disservice.

shawn:bum:

[wds21921]

"I agree with you on most points wds21921 but I think your being way too easy on the LFS and making it more complicated than it truly is."

Having worked in the business for years I don't think I am.

"It all comes down to being professional and taking pride in your work."

Oversimplification but your opinion.

"For example, I live about 5 minutes from the new castle Wal-Mart yet I drive 30 minutes to the Elkton Wal-Mart to shop. The store is always in disarray, the employees are rude and the customers more rude."

Completely agree with you.

"We don’t need to make excuses for the LFS."

And I wasn't, I was offering some facts and scenarios that I've experienced. Many customers don't even know what they want.

"I don’t think it matters if were talking about a LFS are super store. I think it’s less about overhead and more about routine maintenance. If the size of the store mattered then petco should have the nicest tanks within driving distance. They don’t."

Your taking what I said completely out of context. My reference was in regards to there ability to offer more, not always better.

"There simply is no excuse. Everyone who purchases livestock from these stores is just perpetuating these atrocities."

Your making it sound as if EVERY LFS here is out to make a quick buck and could care less about there livestock? Some perhaps but not every one of them. That statement I do take exception to.

[logans_daddy]

no. im not flaming every LFS, if i were i would only purchase fish online. i think we are very lucky to have so many reputable LFS within driving distance(i.e., TPP, ECA, FZ. DM).

i think that these LFS set the bar for how a LFS should be maintained. even the above stores arent perfect, and im not so naive that i would list or complain about the imperfections because i understand the points you have made about how difficult it is to run a LFS.

however, i choose not to support the LFS who, IMO, do make an honest attempt in caring for and selling healthy livestock. that simple.

if someone wants to go into an LFS, look past a dozen dead fish, dozens more with ich, torn fins, and other damage and pay twice the value of a fish, just to support a mom and pop operation, then thats their perogaitve. i wont do it.

shawn

[wds21921]

Understood, that was what the "attrition" factor will remedy that I already mentioned.

I do see one LFS in particular who is making attempts but still has a ways to go. For that reason I don't make blanket statements.

"if someone wants to go into an LFS, look past a dozen dead fish, dozens more with ich, torn fins, and other damage and pay twice the value of a fish, just to support a mom and pop operation, then thats their perogaitve. i wont do it."

I agree, but I disagree that every LFS is like that. More are than are not though.
Disease is a an inherent part of the hobby. Every store you mentioned, with the exception of Dr. Macs, I've seen diseased fish in.

LOL some of the problems you mentioned in your last paragraph I could go through store-by-store but I'll leave that to the readers ;). I agree with most of it though.

[logans_daddy]

absolutely. I think were pretty much on the same page.

I agree with you about just about every LFS having some sort of problems. that’s what I was referring to when I said that no store is perfect and it would be very naive to complain about stores like TPP and DM.

I wasn’t making a blanket statement at all, as a matter of fact my initial post was only about 1 specific store. stores fall in two categories for me: ones I will support monetarily and ones I won’t.

I even think I know which store you are referring to when you say they are making an effort. if you mean JF I agree wholeheartedly. if it wasn’t for their substantial markup I might frequent there more often. as a matter of fact that’s where I got my copper banded butterfly.

I wasn’t attacking your initial statement at all wds21921. my first post was more reactionary as a result of my visit to petkare. you have almost as many years experience at this hobby as I do years lived. and I have absolutely 0 years in pet retail, so I appreciate your viewpoint. I don’t claim to have exceptional insight into the industry. my viewpoint is simply one as consumer and an animal lover.

shawn:bum:

[Gordonious]

That's where I got my CBB as well. :-( I have actually been in there a couple of times the last couple of weeks as it is the only store I can bare to go in that is really local to me. I am not sure about some of there new young employees, but time will tell.
It drives me nuts though they always have a baby shark there. My dream and ultimate goal as a hobbyist, though really long term goal, is to get a shark egg.

[logans_daddy]

i also plan to own a shark in the future. i think the most economical and humane way to own a shark is build a lagoon. i think i will end up getting a 300gallon rubbermaid poly stock tank(<$200) and create a lagoon in my fish room. this is still a ways off but ive taken it into consideration as i design my fish room

shawn:bum:

[Gordonious]

Do you know Scott Michael's book yet? Seems to be a highly recommended resource.

[logans_daddy]

if your referring to his pocket guide, yes ive got it.

shawn:bum:

[Gordonious]

What about, "Aquarium Sharks & Rays"? ;-)

[Gordonious]

ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Don't talk any more about opening another site to rate LFSs. RC will close down the thread because they might lose a little traffic! I posted a thread in the lounge asking if anyone had been to a particular website before and signed up for it. Looked like a really good resource on diving and reefs around the world. They deleted it! Said I was promoting another site. I was hoping people would come on and tell me it was crap so I wouldn't spend money to sign up for it. Now I will never know if there is anyone that uses the site because I have no way to poll for hobbyists opinions. Errrrr. Sorry I needed a vent. Hope they don't come deleting this message also.

Sigh. On a happier note. logans_daddy - If you do set up a shark lagoon or even start to plan it out in more detail let me know. I'll help with everything I can if you'll let me. I'll volunteer my time. I love being around sharks. I think my roommate doesn't go with me to the LFS as much because I spent to much time "starring at that damn shark". lol
Have you looked into what type you would get? I have debated back and forth between the bamboos punctatum and ... plagiosum(admittingly had to look that one up). I can't decide if I like the adult coloration looking more like a normal grey colored shark or something different like the desert storm camo look of the plagiosum.
I saw a guy in another thread who had just purchased "5" white tip reef sharks from Europe and was looking for homes for two of them as he only wanted three, but had to get five because of shipping. I sent him a long pm, but never heard back from him.

[kaptken]

well, If you like fishing, you might catch a little sand shark, about a foot long or less , in the bay. they seem pretty adaptable. when it grows too big, you can release it back to the bay and catch another. they dont have real teeth, more like 80 grit sand paper in their mouths. bottom feeders i think. but will swallow anything that fits in their mouth and gum it to death. like your other prized fish. and maybe crabs and snails.

[Gordonious]

I've caught a lot of sharks before fishing with my father and when collecting samples for the lab last summer. Last summer it was sooo hard not to bring some home. I actually know a spot in the bay were a lot of sharks hang out. Some of the students in Del States marine biology program caught a lot of them last summer and tagged them to monitor there movements.

I had thought about catching a local shark and releasing it once it got a little larger, but I have a hard time letting go of things and never got a straight answer as to weather or not they would be capable of surviving once they were returned. If I were to fork out the money to build a system large enough to house a shark I would probably spend the extra $40-50 to purchase an egg and keep it for it's entire life. (BTW if I ever do so it's hatching will be broadcasted life on my web site and you guys will be sick of hearing about it,lol)

[wds21921]

You're correct in your assumption LD. Yes I think too we're on the same page now just a little different in our perspectives is all, which is fine.

It's a good hearted healthy discussion of some facts and I enjoyed it :).

[SerranidTerror]

I have an account in southern VA where the owner is nuts about sharks. If you guys are ever looking for specimens let me know! He had about 4 or 5 different types when I was there the other week. I'll second the motion on help for a shark lagoon. One day I want to make a large system like that to either house some fish I like that get large or keep some food fish in the basement and be able to harvest fresh fish for some killer dinners. (I miss caring for 10 pound red snappers :( )

In Hawaii there's a program where you can make a bit of spare cash by sacrificing some of your back yard for some aquaculture pools. They show you how to take care of everything and they come by to collect your livestock and pay you some cash. Not a way to make a living but would be probably very cool and rewarding to some hobbyists-especially since a lot of it is for stock enhancement for local game fish.

But yeah if a said "lagoon" is built and help is needed post it on the board! :cool:

[logans_daddy]

wds21921- i got your pm and i appreciate your comments and thoughts, private and public. i definitely share your opinion with JF, as well as the other LFS.

Gordonious, SerranidTerror

you guys should check this out.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/pondDIYCalfo/diy-pond.htm

ive had it bookmarked forever. i dont think i will have the room for somthing like this in my fish room but it would be really cool. as far as my shark lagoon goes, the hardest part will be getting the stock tank into the basement. i need to finish my FO only tank before i can even think about the lagoon.

shawn:bum:

[kaptken]

oh yeah, those little sand sharks are born ready to take care of themselves from the day they either hatch or are born. not sure if these are live born or hatched?. probably not. but like aligators, they come out chewing on anything that moves or tastes good. its hard wired in them. so releasing one would not be a problem for it. I doubt you could keep one more than two years in a tank before it out grew it.

yup, the delaware bay is a breeding ground for several ocean shark types. the bull shark is one i believe. early spring charter boats go out to fish for them. you can catch and release a nice 400 pounder in the bay .

[Gordonious]

From that link the fish on the right, Jack Dempsey.... I love those fish. Was on of my first.
I would have to have at least one side I could see through. One window for photos and such. hum..... If I could find a way to get a window in one of these and did a in wall set up. That would be sooo much more affordable. I think the one thing with the shark those is putting the sump a little far away if possible. Then the buzz of motors and spinning magnets and such doesn't bother them. There would be no HOB anything on a tank for a shark. Well accept I would be HOB constantly starring down at them.

It would make my year to see a wild 400 pound shark. One think I have never done is go "out" fishing. I've took the truck to the surf and took little boats around the bay and inlets, but never gone far out and fished for anything large. 400 pound shark would sink most of the boughts I've been out on with one pull of the rod.

[kaptken]

Catching them is easy. The tricky part is taking the hook out of their mouth....

[Gordonious]

Thank you everyone for your help and encouragement over the last couple of months. Everyone was nice and friendly. It appears as if my account is about to be suspended and I will not longer be able to communicate with you. My AIM screen name is VWBGordo and my e-mail addy is my user name @hotmail.com I hope some of you get this before they delete that as well.

[kaptken]

ERRRR!! posted on the wrong post, lets try it here..

Speaking of LFS's,

I went on a quest for salt this weekend. I was down to my last 2 boxes, and used the LFS Finder website and found The Aquarium Center in Clementon , NJ with my favorite salt on sale for $20 a box. Its right down the road from a fishing buddy's place so i dropped by and we went to the store. its a nice store, with a pretty good SW section. just one long row of SW tanks but everything looked pretty healthy. nice variety of fish and corals. but i only had cash for salt. but speaking of lagoon tanks LD, they had an 8 x 12 or slightly larger 18 inch deep tank built similar to your indoor pond plan. wood frame and rubber liner just like a koi pond. in fact that's what was in it. some Koi. nice. easy to make and get thru the door, one board at a time.

the LFS Finder also showed 2 more nearby stores i have never visited . the Aquarium Discount Pet Center and of course In Living Color. I would like to warn you that the LFS Finder map is not correct. it showed ILC way out in the pine barens and discount pets on the south side of the rte 70 / rte 73 circle instead of the north. in fact In Living color and Aquarium discount pets are only half a mile apart.

So, after much driving and snipe hunting we found these two. Aqarium Discount pets is an older family pet shop, small SW section, but also a nice collection of fish and corals and inverts. all looked happy and healthy. They had a couple buckets of used fishing rods and reels for sale near the door when you come in. My kinda place!! so i had to ask, how much to rent one of them thar light spinning reel poles for an hour and which tank could I fish in??

and then , We finally found In living color. nice store, and display tanks. but unfortunately they have had a problem with their chillers recently, and had to drain 3 tank row systems because of the heat. so they were low on livestock. the good news is they should have new equipment installed in a week or so and then restock. I really like those vanishing horizon frag tanks they have there!!

I have to say, between these 3 LFS's i saw nothing but healthy fish and corals. only one floater as i recall, and no sign of ick.

If you ever take the time to drive over to any one of these stores, I would sugguest visiting all three to make the trip more worth while. of course they seem to have jersey prices reflecting the high cost of living around there. but healthy stuff. i just bought a few hundred pounds of salt at 20 bucks a bucket.. I be cool now for a while.

LET THE WATER CHANGES BEGIN!!!

[SerranidTerror]

It would make my year to see a wild 400 pound shark. [/B][/QUOTE]

No you don't! I've been stalked by a 12 foot tiger while collecting in Hawaii! :eek1:

[kaptken]

Well,

the biggest fish i and my friends have ever personally caught and released, was a 200 pound dusky shark, 20 miles off NJ. and believe me, taking the hook out of its mouth was the biggest thrill of my life !!! My friends had it hooked on 300 lb steel leader, i had it by a tail rope noose I had slipped over its head. when i pulled its tail up to the gunnel to release the rope, it did a 180 U bend and dang near bit me!!. of course i just let go of the rope, it was tied to the cleat. and we tried again. next time we were able to cut the leader at the hook, the shark took the hook and i was able to spread the tail rope noose and release it. it swam away to spit the hook out later.

a happy ending for all.

I was on the marina dock the one day the NJ state mako record shark, an imense, nearly 900 pound female mako shark, a bit over 14 foot long was landed. It was impressive, but also sad, because that was a very productive female breeder. female mako's dont mature until they are at least 6-7 feet long and 300 pounds. I think we take too many sharks just for sport, and are endangering the species. thats why all my sharks have been released.

Mako's are majestic fish.. this one was observed to jump and sumersault out of the water like a flying fish or trout or salmon while fighting the hook and line.They are Extremely acrobatic!!

Better to catch and release, in my opinion. let them live to fight another day!

Just take a picture...

[Gordonious]

Totally agree. My father retired to live near Lewes and Rehoboth so he could fish.(one of several reasons) I can only think of a hand full of times we actually kept stuff. I just loved relaxing and seeing animals. I still have to say I am extremely jealous of what you have seen. Some of the guys at the lab were showing off scars.(they were surfers and marine biologist) I was jealous of the cool scars they had from different animals.

[kaptken]

Uhhhh! that's because they were slow... I have no scars.

[SerranidTerror]

No scars here either. The only time i've been "injured" by a fish is one night while collecting squirrelfish for my senior project I found a scorpionfish I thought would look very cool in the tank I had set up in the bathroom. I grabbed my net and whoop got him. My partner was holding the bucket and I transfered the fish into there, in doing so I got poked with one of the venemous spines. Nothing majot at all but my lab partner was freaking out! She was like OMG are you going to die?! Do we need to get you to the hospital. I just sat there going...well we'll see what my body thinks of this venemous business...oh yeah finger is tingling there is a definitely a reaction going on...hehe aww its going numb sweet. :D She was flipping out hardcore. Then I laughed and said hey...i'm ok i'm going to be a marine biologist-trained professional!

Oh yeah there was a time I lipped a striped bass like a large mouth bass and he chomped down. Felt like I slammed my finger in a door.

Now another story all together is when my roomate got attacked by a viper moray while trying to capture some butterflyfish for his 75 gallon tank. http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lsander/kona05/aavipers.jpg

Ken is right about it being a shame those sharks are being taken. However I truely believe many anglers now-a-days think twice about keeping large apex predators like that. So I think there's hope! :D

[alemab3]

Just to let you guys know, I don't usually buy from Newark Tropical but they had some huge colonies of Arco at really good prices. They came from a local guy that is tearing down his 300 gallon tank to upgrade to a 400 gallon. I picked up a peice the size of a medium mellon for $60.00. They were bron colonies with a green touch.

[chiclet]

hey where is east coast aquatics?

[ronert]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8060235#post8060235 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chiclet
hey where is east coast aquatics?

Prospect Park, PA

420 North (from I95)
R @ 2nd light (Chester Pk)
just about 1/2 block from the turn

- ted

[kav138]

Zoos in south philly is worth checking out. The manager al is on the ball