Hi from Chicago

e55driver · 07/01/2015, 10:15 PM

Hi, I was looking to say hi as I might be taking a job in the Tampa area. The reefing vibe seems to be strong here. What are the good stores to shop at should I take the position?

Webmanny · 07/02/2015, 06:14 AM

Oh man. You will love many of the local stores. We are very lucky to have a great selection in the area. Some of the ones that I like the most are Fish and Other Ichthy Stuff (FAIOS), Marine Warehouse, Creative Aquariums, Drysdale Aquarium Inc and The Aquarium & Fish Store in Brandon.

Which one is best for you will depend on the area you decide to move into and what you are looking to get, but we do have a great selection in the area. You have also notice that this club has a lot of great people and it is very active.

Welcome to the area and good luck with your new job.

oblio · 07/02/2015, 07:19 AM

Come on down! the water is fine. HMMM should you take a job in the place where the entire planet comes to on vacation? That's a hard one, well only if you like paradise!

e55driver · 07/02/2015, 05:52 PM

If I do take the job, the one thing I won't miss is the -30 degree wind chill. Is there any areas that I should not look to live in?

BryanS4 · 07/02/2015, 06:08 PM

What area of town is your potential job located in? Lot's of great areas around town, really just depends on your situation and what you're looking for.

Tombones · 07/02/2015, 07:21 PM

Sea Life in St Pete's

Safir · 07/02/2015, 08:28 PM

The location you will be working in is important - also being from the midwest, I did not anticipate how much the geography of the area affects traffic patterns. In Detroit, traveling 20-30 miles to get somewhere was no big deal, here having to cross a bridge makes any trip a PITA - This fact has separated me from a large number of jobs as I did not anticipate the travel time to get to places that are relatively nearby.

Most of the great stores I've heard of are on the east side of the bay, but most of the fun is on the west side, it seems.

regarding living in paradise, make sure you are prepared for our summers, as they can be just as long and bad as midwest winters. 95F and 95% humidity for 9 months, thunderstorms every afternoon for months, etc. I personally prefer it to full-time winter, but it is something to keep in mind if hot, humid weather bothers you or your family.

Henchman24 · 07/04/2015, 09:19 AM

When you move from a large city to smaller one there is going to be less of everything in general. Chicago is the 3rd most populated city in the US where Tampa is the 53rd. I was really disappointed moving here from Phoenix to see much less lfs & having to drive farther to get to them to find less selection. That being said I can find almost everything here that I could there but have to drive around to find it or get it ordered. I really like it here by the Ocean I have seen dolphins, manatees, puffer fish, starfish, pelicans etc... I hated living in the Midwest growing up will all the cold & snow. Seeing palm trees everyday is a plus for me.

population
Chicago, Illinois 2,722,389
Tampa, Florida 358,699

Chicago Kopka · 07/04/2015, 10:25 AM

Yeah but it's all relative. In the actual city of Chicago we had like 3 fish stores. In the greater metro area there were tons of them but not always great quality. Here in Tampa there are quality places everywhere.

LiquidCache · 07/04/2015, 04:01 PM

Welcome! We have a bad *** selection of lfs!

On a side note, what year is your E55?

07/01/2015, 10:15 PM	#1
e55driver Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 305	Hi from Chicago Hi, I was looking to say hi as I might be taking a job in the Tampa area. The reefing vibe seems to be strong here. What are the good stores to shop at should I take the position?

07/02/2015, 06:14 AM	#2
Webmanny Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: 33612 Posts: 2,461	Oh man. You will love many of the local stores. We are very lucky to have a great selection in the area. Some of the ones that I like the most are Fish and Other Ichthy Stuff (FAIOS), Marine Warehouse, Creative Aquariums, Drysdale Aquarium Inc and The Aquarium & Fish Store in Brandon. Which one is best for you will depend on the area you decide to move into and what you are looking to get, but we do have a great selection in the area. You have also notice that this club has a lot of great people and it is very active. Welcome to the area and good luck with your new job. __________________ 32 gallon Biocube, DIY LEDs and Triton Method. My N=1 study of me, validated by me, and supported by completely anecdotal evidence, states that my advice is 100% correct, most of the time.

07/02/2015, 07:19 AM	#3
oblio Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Brandon Fl Posts: 407	Come on down! the water is fine. HMMM should you take a job in the place where the entire planet comes to on vacation? That's a hard one, well only if you like paradise! __________________ Tank: 90Gal corner drilled, MP40, MP10, 2 Kessil 360we's, 2 39W t5 supplements, ReefOctopus DNWB150, 2 reactors, carbon and GFO, CadLights BR-1 media reactor w/EcoBak pellets

07/04/2015, 09:19 AM	#8
Henchman24 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 162	When you move from a large city to smaller one there is going to be less of everything in general. Chicago is the 3rd most populated city in the US where Tampa is the 53rd. I was really disappointed moving here from Phoenix to see much less lfs & having to drive farther to get to them to find less selection. That being said I can find almost everything here that I could there but have to drive around to find it or get it ordered. I really like it here by the Ocean I have seen dolphins, manatees, puffer fish, starfish, pelicans etc... I hated living in the Midwest growing up will all the cold & snow. Seeing palm trees everyday is a plus for me. population Chicago, Illinois 2,722,389 Tampa, Florida 358,699 __________________ 84 World Champions

07/02/2015, 05:52 PM	#4
e55driver Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 305	If I do take the job, the one thing I won't miss is the -30 degree wind chill. Is there any areas that I should not look to live in?

07/02/2015, 06:08 PM	#5
BryanS4 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Hernando Beach, FL Posts: 944	What area of town is your potential job located in? Lot's of great areas around town, really just depends on your situation and what you're looking for.

07/02/2015, 07:21 PM	#6
Tombones Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 64	Sea Life in St Pete's

07/02/2015, 08:28 PM	#7
Safir Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Tampa Bay, FL Posts: 900	The location you will be working in is important - also being from the midwest, I did not anticipate how much the geography of the area affects traffic patterns. In Detroit, traveling 20-30 miles to get somewhere was no big deal, here having to cross a bridge makes any trip a PITA - This fact has separated me from a large number of jobs as I did not anticipate the travel time to get to places that are relatively nearby. Most of the great stores I've heard of are on the east side of the bay, but most of the fun is on the west side, it seems. regarding living in paradise, make sure you are prepared for our summers, as they can be just as long and bad as midwest winters. 95F and 95% humidity for 9 months, thunderstorms every afternoon for months, etc. I personally prefer it to full-time winter, but it is something to keep in mind if hot, humid weather bothers you or your family.

07/04/2015, 10:25 AM	#9
Chicago Kopka Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Lithia, FL (Fishhawk) Posts: 148	Yeah but it's all relative. In the actual city of Chicago we had like 3 fish stores. In the greater metro area there were tons of them but not always great quality. Here in Tampa there are quality places everywhere.

07/04/2015, 04:01 PM	#10
LiquidCache Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Carrollwood Posts: 727	Welcome! We have a bad *** selection of lfs! On a side note, what year is your E55?