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#1
01-30-2003, 05:20 AM
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"Sure thing! Best idea I've heard yet. You Victoria types are good people, and we welcome you in our Cowtown forum with open arms." 
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---------------------- Alan 
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#2
01-30-2003, 05:23 AM
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Brad
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#5
01-30-2003, 02:30 PM
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I was looking for one that was beating a dead horse, but found that one instead!  Yes, I am THE cook in the house!....(right dear?) Right after that pic, I filled the bag with 2 bottles of wine and let it sit overnight..........well, maybe a little less than 2 bottles...... Cowtown = Calgary. I remember that sign on one of the roads entering Calgary when I was growing up. Deb, to answer your question directly - I don't know. But FWIW, it's not really necessary, is it? The very nature of a business dealing in live animals is controversial. Passion and business do not mix. You can't have 5000 gallon tanks with mass macro algae forests and cascading plancton reactors and a supply of constant live food for each fish to be displayed until it's sold and still make money without selling each fish for 2 thousand dollars. You can't exactly keep it on the front driveway in the hot sun and expect the fish to live until it's sold, either. So each LFS has to make up it's mind how in between those two extremes it's going to run it's business. (Deb, I know that you know this stuff already, but this is for people that are not really familiar with business) In the bigger picture, what are we, about 10 people here that purchase from Wai's? - and only occasionally? - and some buy on price first? I doubt that we are really that big of a portion of his sales. I buy there because I prefer to see what I am getting when it comes to livestock. I've been to almost every other LFS in town, and Wai's is where I get the best service and advice. I can get into discussions with Danny about chemical issues with our water, with shipping practices, woodworking, business dealings in general, supplier issues and pretty much anything having to do with keeping a reef. No, we don't agree on everything. He's been in the business for about 20 years. He's seen it all, and all the fads. He used to be an Aquaricare dealer (I think that's the name, anyways....you know, those algae turf scrubbers...). He's the owner. He works 7 days a week there. He builds custom fish tanks and cabinets - and top quality. (He's shown me some of the cabinets before he delivers them.) He recognizes me when I come in. With other fish stores in town, I talk with the employees....sometimes.... At big Als, they do greet me and stuff, but it's usually by an employee that warns me about the dangers of a trigger, has never heard of Aquamedic, Aqualine, ESV - but they have a MH "conversion kit" that converts my flourescent fixture over to MH for $1500.00. They didn't know what a double ended MH bulb was. At Riverfront, I can be the ONLY customer in the store and NOT ONE person will come up and offer any assistance. There are a few people standing in the back, smoking, just watching me.....what's up with that!? Do I look like a narc or something?.......I can be in there for half an hour, for pete's sake! Then I just leave. And on my way out I walk by the "reptile room" that has lots of critters, some with a couple of blind baby mice squirming on the woodchip floor of the glass tank being eyed by some kind of "dragon". Pisces is probably my second choice, after Wai's, to buy stuff from - but again, it's staffed by employees that may or may not know me, and they have no where near the coral display that Danny does. There are a few instances that stick out in my mind with my dealings with Danny - I went in there once to ask him how to keep algae from growing on a sick Euphyllia I had. He told me about water quality, iodine dip for the infection, water circulation, ect, and then he says that he has some algae growing on an acro that he got in, and then he pulls out a pair of tweezers from behind the counter and proceeds to clean the acro of some hair algae that had started growing on it! How many other LFS's would do that? Some of the other things that he has had to contend with are people trying to start their own coral farming operation in Calgary. One guy in particular would come into his store and start handing out business cards, telling Danny's customers that they could buy corals cheaper from him out of his home. Wai's is also frequented by employees from other LFS' that are sent to find out what Danny sells stuff for, and then they adjust their prices accordingly. - Just under Danny's prices, of course. I think that the people that frequent these BB's have a passion for fish and corals that is unfortunately rare. I see Jayson on here, but not J&L. They both have mail order businesses. Danny does not. Why isn't J&L on here? (J&L and SWC are both great to deal with, BTW) It takes a lot of time to read and post on these boards, and I don't expect it's worth it to Danny. It wasn't me, BTW, that informed him about the cyanide thread - it was a friend of his out of town. - and that issue isn't even about him anymore. It's about the internet and business and libel. If you want to discuss things with Danny, then go and discuss it with him. Deb, I'm sure that you've read this thread, but for those of you that haven't, and are tired of paying full retail......read this:http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=23&start=0 Mitch
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#6
01-30-2003, 03:08 PM
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Wow, this got to the fourth page and I kept my nose out of it. Pretty good eh ? Aw crap, now I'm in...
 . I'm goona' pass on any of the LFS stuff as we've done that thread...One thing I believe is this: We do not all have to conform to the same beliefs, morals, values, and spelling abilities. If we did, would that not make our moderators "dictators" ? Anyone who's been to Cuba would agree that's not a very appealing system. We should respect one anothers opinions. Right or wrong. We should also be able to state the fact I/we don't agree/approve. If ya' can't take the heat that accompanies a comment or action you made. You should have considered those consequences earlier. The key is respect. This too is my happy place. Reading so many others comments, it's obviously yours as well. I don't really care if someone likes someone else or not. That's not my battle. I would like to say something about a person I refer to as "the grumpy old man..." It's very difficult to interpret how something is meant without reading a persons eyes. I've met Bob twice. He smiles ya' know. He's kinda' grumpy and comes across to me as a man set in his ways. Stubborn ? I first "conversed" with Bob probably 3-4 years ago ? Aquaria Cental board. He was one of very few Canadians and the only other fellow Calgarian there. One posting there I joked with a "friend" that I was moving tanks on the weekend and he could help. This guy was in Ohio and he of course said no problem...well some rcipena guy drops a line in there saying "I can help. I have a small truck. Let me know..." I didn't even reply or offer a thank-you for the offer. I was probably envisioning some psycho who just wanted to scope out my possessions and return to put an axe in my head when I was sleeping and steal my stuff... :shock: Bobs' ok in my eyes. Ya' he nitpicks. Comes across as opinionated,grumpy...shall I continue Bob ? My mom has a lot of similar characteristics. Don't you be talkin' bad about my mom though... Life is good...
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Doug
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#7
01-30-2003, 04:15 PM
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Of course a clean slate is excellent. I normally don't carry a grudge (not like my brother who can carry one forever) Nitpicking on spelling is a hopeless task anyway. I will, however, continue to do things my way as long as they work for me. If someone ask me if I use a skimmer, I will continue to say I do not. That works for me, and if you don't like that, I have no problem at all. Just don't call me a dummy if you don't agree. I am always open for a reasonable discussion.
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Bob ----------------------------------------------------- To be loved you have to be nice to people every day - To be hated you don't have to do squat. ---------Homer Simpson--------
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#8
01-30-2003, 11:39 PM
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 8) Steve
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 *everything said above is just my opinion, and may or may not reflect the views of this BBS, its Operators, and its Members. If cornered on any “opinion” I post I will totally deny having ever said this in a Court of Law…Unless I am the right one*Some strive to be perfect.... I just strive.
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#9
01-31-2003, 01:23 AM
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Bob BTW I tried that small container for the Colt frag we were chatting about, and one has finally attached.
__________________
Bob ----------------------------------------------------- To be loved you have to be nice to people every day - To be hated you don't have to do squat. ---------Homer Simpson--------
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#10
01-31-2003, 04:02 AM
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However, I will, hopefully, visit their humble facilities this weekend. What I do know is I received a quadruple bagged mini tang in awesome shape from J&L, for one example. Also, I do know, from a local purchase, I cradled the last water in a single bag on a twenty minute drive home, trying to keep it in the gills of a single bagged yellow tang who was in worse shape than Half Pint O Tang.....he died. Yes, to some, the price is the whole story. For me, it is much more than higher prices that keep me from dealing with certain LFS.
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