Victoria Area Roll Call

[scumchug]

Originally Posted by Cameron

Hey Andrew, I frag a bunch myself and am originally from Abbotsford. I shop mainland most of the time due to better prices and service than the LFS. $10/lb for LR is ridiculous. $100 for a SPS frag or small colony, that's brown. New place is in Colwood on Island Highway near Colwood corners. There is a local aquarist forum www.tgvas.com but they will not allow you to post anything negative about their sponsors or say anything about any non sponsor store, things are pretty tight there. PM me if you have any questions.

Things are much more expensive here. I don't like the fact that stores charge double, or even three times as much as stores on the mainland. Granted everything is more expensive here. Even fellow reefers like to price things high.

Remember the guy selling

3 zoo's for $35.00 ?

How about the GSP for $20/ frag.


OHHHH.... and my personal favorite..$20.00 for a 2" Kenya Tree Frag

[Reef_kid]

creatures has been bringing in coral very decent prices ... i picked up some very nice pieces ... for 1/4 the price of any other store in victoria
and pet smarts chemicals/additives and equipment prices are very good

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by Cameron

.... There is a local aquarist forum www.tgvas.com but they will not allow you to post anything negative about their sponsors or say anything about any non sponsor store, things are pretty tight there. .....

If I'm not mistaken, you can't do that on this site either, so it's not like TGVAS is alone on this.

Edit: BTW Not saying anything about non sponsor stores on TGVAS is not entirely true.

Originally Posted by scumchug

..... Even fellow reefers like to rip each other off.

Remember the guy selling

3 zoo's for $35.00 ?.....

I thought it was $40.......each frag!

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Johnny Reefer

If I'm not mistaken, you can't do that on this site either,

Ok, let's not get extreme here We can certainly mention the name of any new store opening up that will benefit the local hobbyists.
My understanding is that this is primarily a hydroponics shop that will be bringing some aquarium supplies. If one of you knows the name of it, please do post..

As for local shopping Andrew, the market is mostly the way you left it. Prices are negotiable to a point, but some stuff just can't be bought here meaning OA & J&L still get lots of Victoria business.

[Swags]

Hi Andrew,
There is always the 'lets make a quick trip to the mainland' tour with fellow reefers to cut costs. I buy very little in Victoria because of the prices and selection, but most of the staff are very nice to deal with, and I think they know why most of us experienced reefers have to buy online. With that said, welcome back to the 'rock'.
Cheers,
Phil

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by reef_raf

Ok, let's not get extreme here We can certainly mention the name of any new store opening up that will benefit the local hobbyists.
My understanding is that this is primarily a hydroponics shop that will be bringing some aquarium supplies. If one of you knows the name of it, please do post..

As for local shopping Andrew, the market is mostly the way you left it. Prices are negotiable to a point, but some stuff just can't be bought here meaning OA & J&L still get lots of Victoria business.

Progressive growth, but they only have a few things in right now as they are getting there tank up and running. They will bring in stuff that they are going to carry and the prices looked awesome on skimmers, pumps, lighting ect..

Steve

[scumchug]

Progressive growth is an awesome store... Those guys will go totally out of their way to help you out.. Great people, Great products, and very reasonable prices. I wouldn't have any problem at all recommending these guys.



Oh, and Mark. I'm not sure if it was $35 or $40. What I am sure of is that he lost quite a few sales because a fellow reefer gave frags free of charge to many of his potential customers. Maybe if more people gave away frags, we could put an end to this kind of thing. If a person truly is a enthusiast then giving away frags wouldn't be a big deal. Plus it feels kinda good to help someone out, and cost him a sale at the same time.

[Cameron]

I know anyone who comes by my place gets extra goodies for sure. I even gave someone a maxijet power head. Free is always good.

[erikages]

I tend to buy online for equipment, as prices in Victoria just can't compete unfortunately. There are examples that drive me insane -- such as maxijets at one third the price online as opposed to retail in Victoria. This is one example among many. I try to buy from Canadian online retailers, but sometimes resort to US suppliers when the price differences are worth the risk of customs hassles.

People refer to a mainland store called OA. I'm not familiar with this store. Please PM me with the name, or post it online (can't see the harm in this, frankly).

All of the above noted, it's still important to support local retailers or we won't have any. I buy much of my livestock here, along with odds and ends where the prices are fair. The front line staff in local shops here are well-intentioned and excellent, in my opinion.

All the best, and welcome back to Victoria!

[scumchug]

OA = Ocean Aquatics

http://oceanaquatics.com/store/