Where in calgary?
 

Where does everyone buy their stock from? I am really weary about buying anything online, but they seem to have limited stock at Big als and Pisces. Is there anywhere else in calgary that has good selection and reliable stock?

Red Coral and Golds Aquarium both typically have good healthy stock. Pisces is hit and miss as is Big Al's. Ocean Creation and Wai's have limited stock but can be okay. Riverfront has let the quality of their SW stuff drop over the last while. Just my 2 cents from several trips to all in the last few months.

you could always tell the lfs to order the fish that you want for you

Top 3 for livestock are definitely Golds, Ocean and Red Coral. (Not necessarily in the order).

The others are usually more expensive and the advice given is often not very good advice.

Red Coral, Kevin and Doug are awesome, they will take the time to explain things and help you get the best stuff for what you need and within your budget.

Oceans is ok but he doesnt post prices and sometimes I wonder if the price is consistent every visit.

Wai's is great if you want large chunks of coral as he sells you the coral attached to a fair size rock for a pretty good price.

Golds is good to find fish I find the coral selection to be hit or miss.

Those are the ones I do the rounds too. I also hit up Big als and Pisces from time to time.

Where is red coral?

aw shucks!:redface:....thanks mang!

Red coral is on Alyth rd is the SE.

Now dont move to Edmonton! makes my LFS trips at least 6 hours...

I shop at many LFS in Calgary: Red Coral, Golds & Concepts, all are good, great people running them.

For online, you shouldn't worry if you deal with reputable ones. I myself shop at J&L, I actually just did an order last friday for some of my bulk things like Calcium, Mg, Alk, etc. Again, also very trustworthy, BEST pricing overall adn FREE shipping!!! When I order online from them, I usually have it in 3 business days.

Red Coral is my favorite: not just for reasons of stock and knowledge alone, however.

Red Coral has quite a large space, and it is laid out very nicely. I find Gold's and Oceans to be very tight inside. I'm a bit claustrophobic.

Red Coral is the most "kid safe" of the bunch of them, too. :) There are no low and open tanks sitting on the floor that kids can reach into, and all of the plumbing is concealed. Of course, bringing my little guy in there is still a bit worrisome. But, the really big safety concerns that I have about the other places aren't much of an issue at Red Coral: though a child could reach into Zues' tank (live rock tub) at Red Coral.

I have bad dreams about Zeus!

I've bought from Wai's, Red Coral, Pisces, Big Als and Oceans and my best results have always been from Red Coral. I've never bought livestock online.

It's been my experience that Kevin and Doug will talk you out of buying something that isn't right for your tank if you don't know any better yourself. Good advice is hard to come by in todays' world and I value that -a lot.

Pricing is always a big 'arguing' point but this is not an inexpensive hobby and while I like a good price as much as the next guy, getting proper advice outweighs a few bucks here and there.

Selection is tougher. Most shops get 'what's available' and that means it's not like a grocery store where you can always find exactly what you want. Personally, one of my biggest mistakes in this hobby has been to go looking at fish and buying the one I like. I now understand that you need to research livestock for your specific tank and then go looking for what you want. Of course, you can phone around first and save the gas. Most shops will take your request and try to fill it. Just be patient, you can't expect to get healthy stock overnight if it's not in the shop.

I love Zeus, he swims up and lets me pet him.