Best Stores w/Most Variety

[LIB]

I know there's a 'retailer' section to this forum but what I need to know is: where are the best places to look for cichlids with the most variety to choose from? I know about the place on 242 and that's it but assume there are others just as good, if not better. Opinions appreciated.


LIB

[supadave]

City Pets....Fish Gallery.....Fish Ranch.....Ultimate Fish . Ultimate usually has the most Tangs .

[LIB]

What about AquariumWorld or Fishland?

LIB

[supadave]

They all have your basic "cookie cutter" type fish . They all have Mbuna.....Peacocks.....Haps...etc . If you are looking for colorful fish and not a particular species....then just go to any of the above mention and they should have what you are looking for .

[cichlid1409]

I always liked xtreme fish and pets for some more uncommonly seen species and city pets has a nice selection of cichlids as well. plus, they are close to each other.

[Mandocruz06]

Fish land has the the best prices fish gallery is over priced..aquarium world is good too...aqua zoo is over priced As well..fish ranch is ok..

[LIB]

See? This is exactly the info I was looking for. All of you have more experience dealing with places in Houston than I do and I needed that to help me find what I'm looking for. I'd LOVE to buy my fish from people like you but I would spend so much time and gas picking them up, it wouldn't make it worth it. Besides, my days off are Tuesdays and Wednesdays and most people work those days. Anyway, can't thank everyone enough for taking time to express your opinions. You've been a big help.

LIB

[JasonC]

For cichlids I'd say fish gallery, fish ranch and ultimate fish. All have healthy good looking stock. You may pay more but you'll get good fish

Fish land has a basic fw fish selection but good prices
Aquarium world - I've never purchased a fish there due to a lot of their stock looking sick. I've seen entire banks in there sw system have what looked like velvet. Neat store but pay attention and REALLY inspect the fish you're purchasing

[aquabee]

Agree with JasonC about Aquarium World. I got RCS and an oto from them and they did fine, but I really was careful to examine the fish I got before buying them.

About Fish Gallery... they were awesome before they moved in terms of quality of stock, but they've had some problems adjusting since the move to their new location was so sudden. I'd make sure that they've had the fish you want at least 3-4 days before you buy them, to make sure they're stable and not still in shock. I've seen rows and rows of freshwater tanks there infested with ich or just puny looking fish.

Fish Land has a pretty good selection and almost all their FW fish are very healthy. Same with Fish Ranch.

Hope this all helps! Good luck! :)

Edit: wrote too fast. The new oto has ich and I had to remove him from my tank to treat him and hopefully spare the rest of the tank. I guess you gotta be careful anywhere you go... but I've never had this problem before with Fish Land or Fish Ranch.

[RonR.]

Fish Ranch, City Pets, Fish Gallery all have a good selection of cichlids. Fish Ranch has the lowest prices with City Pets next. Fish Gallery is expensive but their stock is nice as well. Don at Fish Gallery is very nice and knowledgeable.

Don't discount buying from folks here. You will get a great deal and learn alot. Most will meet with you at night or if you every get a weekend off. Some of my best fish were bought directly from individuals here on this forum.

[LIB]

I've purchased some great fish from people on here and never had one problem and I'd do it again but....................I made a list of some of the fish I was wanting to get and someone just 'lol' at me. Right now, I just want to get a couple to start the tank and have a look around to see if there's anything I'm missing. Cichlids are new to me except for Oscars and I loved them, and I have a lot to learn. My biggest problem is no one speaks English on here. They use those 30-letter names and I haven't a clue which cichlid they are talking about and w/o a picture I just move to the next ad.

Thanks for all the info. Going to take the whole day tomorrow and travel to 3-4 places. Most of those places will test your water for you, won't they?

LIB

Fish Ranch, City Pets, Fish Gallery all have a good selection of cichlids. Fish Ranch has the lowest prices with City Pets next. Fish Gallery is expensive but their stock is nice as well. Don at Fish Gallery is very nice and knowledgeable.

Don't discount buying from folks here. You will get a great deal and learn alot. Most will meet with you at night or if you every get a weekend off. Some of my best fish were bought directly from individuals here on this forum.

[aquabee]

Thanks for all the info. Going to take the whole day tomorrow and travel to 3-4 places. Most of those places will test your water for you, won't they?
LIB

Yes they will. However, beware of the places that use test strips (i.e. Petsmart). Those strips go bad with humidity. Just for kicks one day last summer, I took my tap water to Petsmart and asked them to test pH. At home with my liquid kit it was 7.8... at their store with their test strip, the pH read at 6.2. Yeah right. But most non-chain LFS will use liquid test kits.

Have fun! And if someone 'lol's at you, don't worry-- this is a fun and usually light-hearted forum, based on my few weeks of experience. Just 'lol' right back at 'em or roll your eyes and maybe someone will come up with some fish (or at least some advice) for you. Best of luck!

[SunnyHouTX]

+ 1 to that!

LIB, google is your friend when ppl throw 30 character names around. I learned a lot in a short span that way.