Looking for a Good LFS in the springs

LarryW · 03/31/2006, 01:14 PM

moved into the area from Maryland back in september. Looking to setup a tank in the next 6 to 8 months, and wanted to browse the LFS to see what they have... haven't decided on size, I would love a 36x36x24, but I want another Powder blue tang, so I might end up with an 8' tank. hmm 96x36x24 would be nice.......

racer69 · 03/31/2006, 02:05 PM

You can try Mr. Aqua on Filmore, or Exotic Tropical just off of Filmore. There is also Neptunes on Colorado, and Seascapes on N. Academy. These are the only ones I frequent, but I am from Pueblo.

BTW, welcome to our little forum.

calvin415 · 03/31/2006, 02:06 PM

The LFS usually only carry the standard sized tanks, however Mr Aqua carries rounded corner glass tanks that are gorgeous but pricey. Your best bet is to get one custom built if you want something out of the norm, or build it yourself.

There are 3 main SW LFS's here in town and each one has it's nitch...

Mr Aqua carries almost exclusively import tanks and supplies from Asia so you can get some unique items, and they have a 1000 gallon display tank that's just amazing... They have a runway system there so most of the Softies and LPS corals are looked at from above with a couple SPS tanks.

SeaScape Aquatics carries the healthies fish in town along with Softies and LPS but no SPS corals. They run a nice and clean store with expected prices on everything and keep most everything in stock very well. If you need anything they probably have it on a shelf ready for you.

Exotic Tropicals is a hole in the wall type store, but Trey has the best prices in town if he's not sold out of it. His coral shipments are usually sold as it comes out of the box so find out his schedule and load up on supplies like I/O salt buckets 3 for 100 bucks.

Hope this helps and look forward to seeing you at some of the meetings!

calvin415 · 03/31/2006, 02:10 PM

Forgot about Neptunes off Colorado... I don't get over to that side of town often. IMO and I might be off base but Todd's prices seem be the highest in town. He's a great guy, but I can't justify spending double for customer service.

racer69 · 03/31/2006, 02:11 PM

I think the largest tank Mr. Aqua carries in stock is a 240.

calvin415 · 03/31/2006, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by racer69
I think the largest tank Mr. Aqua carries in stock is a 240.

Todd isn't his 240 or 220 (what ever it is) a tall tank as well? I dont remember seeing any 8ft tanks there...

LarryW · 03/31/2006, 02:13 PM

cool thanks...

actually i am looking to buy the tank from
http://www.aquaticdesignhabitats.com

they are up in denver, and have the sizes I was looking at.

calvin415 · 03/31/2006, 02:18 PM

Some of these tanks look just like the ones from US Aquarium when they were around... Are these the same guys under a new name?

LarryW · 03/31/2006, 02:26 PM

I don't know, I did talk to a guy this morning, and he said I could stop by and browse there tanks, just give them a call to see if they were there. I am sort of stuck in a situation where I don't know exactally where I am going to put a tank. I have a small area in our kitichen nook, that a 24x24 would fit perfectly, but it's in the kitchen nook, and I really don't want to clutter up that area. now in the basement, I have an open wall that's about 10' long, the sweet thing is I can access the back of the wall, so I could put the tank in the wall, but the wife doens't want any holes in the new house

. so I could place it against the wall, which is probably what I will end up doing. I do like the cubes though, it's a tough call, I like the depth, but if i want a PB tang, I need the length.... hmm decisions, decisions.....

I do plan on droping in an checking out the locations above. I have driven past mr aqua several times including this morning! I gues I should have stopped in.

calvin415 · 03/31/2006, 02:39 PM

I love my cube! 24x24 and I'm trying to decide what to do with my basement too.

I've got three 12' sections of wall that I could do a sweet tank including a fish room, or just do a 6-8ft room divider. Decisions decisions...

Crit21 · 03/31/2006, 03:11 PM

All just my opinion:
-Exotic Tropicals (Trey) will most likely beat any price on commercially-produced tanks--or anything else for that matter. Consider that a trip to Denver is going to cost you up to $25 R/T, you'll save even more. I got a 125G RR tank with the overflow plumbing for less than the cost of the identical tank in Denver without the plumbing.
-Mr. Aqua has an amazing selection of hard and soft corals, but you'll pay top dollar for them. I think their fish are the healthiest in town.
-Seascape has good quality stuff, but I have also seen them sell in-the-bag and sick fish before. They use copper, so if a fish has been in the tank a few days they should be ok. They're probably the best source for the more rare anemones.
Petco at I-25 and Venetucci gets some good specimen fish in occassionally, but they seem to have constant issues with ich on newly arrived fish. I have bought a few fish there and have fair luck with them. I bought a 2 1/2" juvenile queen angel from them 6 months ago for around $40, and it's doing very well. They keep their tanks at 1.016 to treat for parasites, so you really have to take your time acclimating their fish to your tank. I think their supplier could also be a bit suspect (cyanide, perhaps?).
-I don't go to Neptune's often. It's across town from where I live and work, and their prices seem to be pretty high for what you get.

Crit21 · 03/31/2006, 03:13 PM

Racer69, have you been to Trey's store in Pueblo?

racer69 · 03/31/2006, 04:45 PM

Trey isn't going to open it now as his financial backers backed out. Too bad for us.

calvin415 · 03/31/2006, 04:59 PM

I don't think Trey has time to open another store, he's never at the one he has...

Deuce67 · 03/31/2006, 05:47 PM

Well there you go LarryW and welcome to the SCMAS! Hopefully you can attend some of our meetings. The dates are stickied on the top of the forum. We are a pretty small group with big hopes to get bigger! And again.. WELCOME!

murfman · 04/01/2006, 08:02 AM

Welcome Larry. check out Trey, he has a selection of used tanks that you can get for a fair price. He also sells tanks on consignment. Quarterback killer, from the RMRC forum builds acrylic tanks. From what I hear, Marcus does a great job and can custom build you what you want/need.

Murf

03/31/2006, 01:14 PM	#1
LarryW Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 1,778	Looking for a Good LFS in the springs moved into the area from Maryland back in september. Looking to setup a tank in the next 6 to 8 months, and wanted to browse the LFS to see what they have... haven't decided on size, I would love a 36x36x24, but I want another Powder blue tang, so I might end up with an 8' tank. hmm 96x36x24 would be nice.......

03/31/2006, 02:05 PM	#2
racer69 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Pueblo, Colorado Posts: 1,446	You can try Mr. Aqua on Filmore, or Exotic Tropical just off of Filmore. There is also Neptunes on Colorado, and Seascapes on N. Academy. These are the only ones I frequent, but I am from Pueblo. BTW, welcome to our little forum. __________________ Todd Its better to burn out than to fade away..... Current Tank Info: 180 gal Reef, w 50 gal sump 33 cube w/15 gal sump

03/31/2006, 02:06 PM	#3
calvin415 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: C. Springs, CO Posts: 4,530	The LFS usually only carry the standard sized tanks, however Mr Aqua carries rounded corner glass tanks that are gorgeous but pricey. Your best bet is to get one custom built if you want something out of the norm, or build it yourself. There are 3 main SW LFS's here in town and each one has it's nitch... Mr Aqua carries almost exclusively import tanks and supplies from Asia so you can get some unique items, and they have a 1000 gallon display tank that's just amazing... They have a runway system there so most of the Softies and LPS corals are looked at from above with a couple SPS tanks. SeaScape Aquatics carries the healthies fish in town along with Softies and LPS but no SPS corals. They run a nice and clean store with expected prices on everything and keep most everything in stock very well. If you need anything they probably have it on a shelf ready for you. Exotic Tropicals is a hole in the wall type store, but Trey has the best prices in town if he's not sold out of it. His coral shipments are usually sold as it comes out of the box so find out his schedule and load up on supplies like I/O salt buckets 3 for 100 bucks. Hope this helps and look forward to seeing you at some of the meetings! __________________ -February 2007 nTOTM "The problem with America is stupidity. Why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself" Current Tank Info: ADA 60-P

03/31/2006, 02:10 PM	#4
calvin415 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: C. Springs, CO Posts: 4,530	Forgot about Neptunes off Colorado... I don't get over to that side of town often. IMO and I might be off base but Todd's prices seem be the highest in town. He's a great guy, but I can't justify spending double for customer service. __________________ -February 2007 nTOTM "The problem with America is stupidity. Why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself" Current Tank Info: ADA 60-P

03/31/2006, 02:11 PM	#5
racer69 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Pueblo, Colorado Posts: 1,446	I think the largest tank Mr. Aqua carries in stock is a 240. __________________ Todd Its better to burn out than to fade away..... Current Tank Info: 180 gal Reef, w 50 gal sump 33 cube w/15 gal sump

03/31/2006, 02:13 PM	#7
LarryW Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 1,778	cool thanks... actually i am looking to buy the tank from http://www.aquaticdesignhabitats.com they are up in denver, and have the sizes I was looking at.

03/31/2006, 02:18 PM	#8
calvin415 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: C. Springs, CO Posts: 4,530	Some of these tanks look just like the ones from US Aquarium when they were around... Are these the same guys under a new name? __________________ -February 2007 nTOTM "The problem with America is stupidity. Why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself" Current Tank Info: ADA 60-P

03/31/2006, 02:26 PM	#9
LarryW Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 1,778	I don't know, I did talk to a guy this morning, and he said I could stop by and browse there tanks, just give them a call to see if they were there. I am sort of stuck in a situation where I don't know exactally where I am going to put a tank. I have a small area in our kitichen nook, that a 24x24 would fit perfectly, but it's in the kitchen nook, and I really don't want to clutter up that area. now in the basement, I have an open wall that's about 10' long, the sweet thing is I can access the back of the wall, so I could put the tank in the wall, but the wife doens't want any holes in the new house . so I could place it against the wall, which is probably what I will end up doing. I do like the cubes though, it's a tough call, I like the depth, but if i want a PB tang, I need the length.... hmm decisions, decisions..... I do plan on droping in an checking out the locations above. I have driven past mr aqua several times including this morning! I gues I should have stopped in.

03/31/2006, 02:39 PM	#10
calvin415 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: C. Springs, CO Posts: 4,530	I love my cube! 24x24 and I'm trying to decide what to do with my basement too. I've got three 12' sections of wall that I could do a sweet tank including a fish room, or just do a 6-8ft room divider. Decisions decisions... __________________ -February 2007 nTOTM "The problem with America is stupidity. Why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself" Current Tank Info: ADA 60-P

03/31/2006, 03:11 PM	#11
Crit21 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Fairbanks, AK Posts: 1,429	All just my opinion: -Exotic Tropicals (Trey) will most likely beat any price on commercially-produced tanks--or anything else for that matter. Consider that a trip to Denver is going to cost you up to $25 R/T, you'll save even more. I got a 125G RR tank with the overflow plumbing for less than the cost of the identical tank in Denver without the plumbing. -Mr. Aqua has an amazing selection of hard and soft corals, but you'll pay top dollar for them. I think their fish are the healthiest in town. -Seascape has good quality stuff, but I have also seen them sell in-the-bag and sick fish before. They use copper, so if a fish has been in the tank a few days they should be ok. They're probably the best source for the more rare anemones. Petco at I-25 and Venetucci gets some good specimen fish in occassionally, but they seem to have constant issues with ich on newly arrived fish. I have bought a few fish there and have fair luck with them. I bought a 2 1/2" juvenile queen angel from them 6 months ago for around $40, and it's doing very well. They keep their tanks at 1.016 to treat for parasites, so you really have to take your time acclimating their fish to your tank. I think their supplier could also be a bit suspect (cyanide, perhaps?). -I don't go to Neptune's often. It's across town from where I live and work, and their prices seem to be pretty high for what you get.

03/31/2006, 03:13 PM	#12
Crit21 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Fairbanks, AK Posts: 1,429	Racer69, have you been to Trey's store in Pueblo?

03/31/2006, 04:45 PM	#13
racer69 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Pueblo, Colorado Posts: 1,446	Trey isn't going to open it now as his financial backers backed out. Too bad for us. __________________ Todd Its better to burn out than to fade away..... Current Tank Info: 180 gal Reef, w 50 gal sump 33 cube w/15 gal sump

03/31/2006, 04:59 PM	#14
calvin415 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: C. Springs, CO Posts: 4,530	I don't think Trey has time to open another store, he's never at the one he has... __________________ -February 2007 nTOTM "The problem with America is stupidity. Why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself" Current Tank Info: ADA 60-P

03/31/2006, 05:47 PM	#15
Deuce67 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: CO Posts: 3,750	Well there you go LarryW and welcome to the SCMAS! Hopefully you can attend some of our meetings. The dates are stickied on the top of the forum. We are a pretty small group with big hopes to get bigger! And again.. WELCOME!

04/01/2006, 08:02 AM	#16
murfman Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 4,670	Welcome Larry. check out Trey, he has a selection of used tanks that you can get for a fair price. He also sells tanks on consignment. Quarterback killer, from the RMRC forum builds acrylic tanks. From what I hear, Marcus does a great job and can custom build you what you want/need. Murf