Oceanic corals
 

Anyone know if Oceanic Corals is still in business? No numbers work but someone mentioned to go there not that long ago.....:question:

They are not.

Thanks Brad......that was my conclusion but was hoping not the case. Anyone know of any other shops besides J&L?

Slim pickins now

J&L, King Eds Pets, Pet Lovers (Abbotsford) and Aquariums West Downtown Vancouver. I think that's it now...

I thought the Vancouver area would have lots more then that. Calgary has
More then that, but im sure J&L has a bigger/better selection then all of them here

I think the sky-high real estate prices, weak Canadian dollar, and sluggish economy all contribute to the loss of several LFS in the last 2-3 years. Also, the addiction to electronic "entertainment" probably doesn't help.

agree Seahorse, I think you hit the nail on the head with that! :sad:

There is also Pauls aquarium in surrey
and The Pet Store in Langley on Fraser Hwy had some fish and coral last time I stopped in.

What kind of stuff are you looking for majik

Whoa what is Paul's and is it any good?

Perhaps he means Rodgers (roger?) aquatics in surrey? They used to have salt, but no longer.

Found Paul's online and Facebook, looks like salt fish and coral! I'm seeing a drive to Surrey in my future...

Paul's Aquarium has been around in Metro Vancouver for 40 years. It was probably the first LFS to offer sw at its original location on Kingsway & Earles, next to Pilgrim's Christian Bookstore. It moved to its location in Surrey (75th and 135th) maybe 20 years ago. Although selection and prices are not as good as some of the other LFS like J&L, its been in business for a long time.

Hey their website is pretty nice! :wink:

Not worth it@!

No? Why not? Small salt section? Lame livestock?

Really just getting a feel for what's available. I have a 150 and 125g that I'm always playing around with. Both are reef so would like to see what stores have what if I didn't know about them. There are a couple in Seattle that I am going to go down and take a peek at in the next bit. I like to compare stock, prices and location.......

with the dollar right now I cant see it being worth it.

Total dump hole in the wall,more of a freshwater store not worth the drive

Paul's has decent livestock if you can hit them up at the right time (right after receiving shipment) . No SPS & minimal lps & softies . Decent prices .

Nothing compared to JL

Have you been to Oceans By Design in Tukwilla?

My buddy owns the place. Builds a tonne of custom tanks. His quality beats others in Canada hands down. Siliconing is perfect with zero defects.

If you haven't been there, go there and ask for Mike. He may take you in the back to show you where the tanks are built.

OBD also have a huge show tank in the store......400 gallons.

If you're headed south go check out Crystal Reef in Bellingham, Their just moving into a larger location and will have TONS of livestock, both coral and fish. I believe they also do custom aquariums out of their shop in north Bellingham.

Stores
 

Their saltwater selection is ok, they do have many of their mandarins eating bloodworms, (I live a block away). Way more geared toward freshwater. Defiantly better then the one Langley store (no names) where they think dead coral are worth top dollar.

You mean Pet Superstore? :twised: Lolz.

Heheheheh
 

So you've been there? Lol

Pet superstore
 

I was in there a few weeks back and was told there rebuilding the tanks on the end nearest the coral table. :wink:

They've been 'rebuilding' for at least a year now. They're about 2 mins from my place. I walk in now and then hoping to see improvement. Only thing I ever got from them was a 15 head candy cane acan that was marked as a green torch for $15. Lolz. Even asked the guy if the acan was a torch. He was 'oh yeah definitely'. So I took it home.

Man...

I sure miss Ocean Aquatics...

Probably the only LFS that gave JL a run for its money.

That one that used to be in Abbotsford was pretty decent too.

Definitely used to be a good Saturday going a LFS tour

I believe the changes in CITES and other regulatory parameters also make it pretty tough for a LFS to get off the ground and make money.

Even when the dollar was at par, these stores were shrinking, not growing.

Oceanic was the last one to try and it sure seemed like it hit a wall.

It now feels like were quite fortunate to have a store like JL who is so committed to SW...though even they have started to delve in freshwater.

I go to King Ed's for deals and JL for everything else.

If it wasn't for JL, I think this hobby would REALLY be hurting in the GVRD.