“This is the least suspicious fish shop you’ve ever brought me to.” My companion noted, rather astutely. Indeed it was in a proper plaza with a real parking lot and didn’t even have the faintest whisper of the serial killer’s basement vibes that these places tend to have. But then again, as the woman at the desk explained, it wasn’t really a store in a classic sense either. It was an event space first and foremost with gorgeous display fish tanks scattered throughout and a back room filled with… well fish stuff. Coral frags, quarantined fish, live rock, all the things a fish tank installation company would need to create another spectacular tank in a client’s home. And that’s really what Something Fishy is.
They must be successful at it too because I’ve seen their trucks driving down the highway numerous times fanning my curiosity. And if their client tanks are half as decent as the ones in their event space they’re probably worth the investment. They were stunning. Sadly the sun was up at just the wrong time and there was a glare that made taking photos really difficult. No matter, I allowed myself to delight over their coral shelves and get lost watching the fish who were robust, healthy, and showing no signs of distress. These were some swank fishies!
Since we were already in Maine I decided to take this last opportunity to check out a different fish shop in the hopes of finding another betta or maybe something else interesting I could keep in a jar for a few days before going home. Alas even though they had the best betta rack I have yet encountered (with each pen containing it’s own plant) it seems they were just about sold out with only two left. No worries I was also here to take a gander at everything else.
The freshwater fish were different than the ones I was used to seeing and all seemed very healthy. I really liked the Diamond Tetras! And they had a lot of plants to choose from. Sadly, I already either had all of them or have killed them. This hobby may be getting a bit out of control… *whistles*
They also had a saltwater section with a wonderful large variety of small and medium coral frags at very reasonable prices as well as some fish – mostly clowns. After poking at these we made our way to the reptile room and had fun trying to find what was in each enclosure as these too were full of plants and hiding nooks. They had some snakes, a gorgeous and healthy-looking chameleon, and some adorable frogs and geckoes. All very healthy and happy looking.
I may not have found what I wanted on this day but I definitely keeping the info for this place for the next time I’m up here! I was impressed!
It’s a sad reality that the vast majority of little mom and pop pet stores in New England have been absolutely obliterated by Petsmart and Petco, which if you’ve ever been there you know they lack soul amongst other things. Venturing to these small independent stores was like an adventure when I was growing up because you never knew what they’d have as far as critters were concerned.
This pet store reminded me of those days. It’s in the city but off the beaten path, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking this was a more or less vacant lot in the back of an auto mechanic. The good fish stores always have this super sketchy look to their exteriors. But after seeing the last of the little fish stores in my immediate area close for good I was told repeatedly that if you want fish you should go to Lucky’s in Worcester Massachusetts or Mike’s Aquatics in Manchester New Hampshire which is where I went on this day. So, I looked them up online and was delighted to find they had just set up a new betta rack. Obviously, I had to go check it out to see if there was any eligible studs for my bevvy of girls back home. And if they had something else, cool!
So, I drove the hour to get here, endured Manchester city traffic (which isn’t that bad but I’m a country bumpkin and love my long stretches to nowhere. They beat traffic lights and road rage any day of the week!) I was praying for a place that had actual parking because I haaaaaate parallel parking and what do you know, this place had a regular parking lot! But it was pretty hidden. A large sign aside the road said Mike’s Aquatics but I was confused because it was clearly over an autobody shop. Took me a minute to realize I had to turn into the lot and drive behind said mechanic. An adventure!
I was the only one here today. I walked in and two young women were running the store. This place was clean and sparkly. The entrance had driftwood and tanks for sale and little cups of plants. The display tanks were gorgeous! They had an ample supply of fish, all looking vibrant and healthy, being attended to by one of the staff testing the water. I looked around and found not just freshwater fish but plants, marine fish, and a quite varied rack of coral frags. And an empty betta rack. Hmmm. I looked to see if any of the other fish caught my fancy – the calico angels did indeed have my eye but I didn’t have $90 to fork out for three, nor the set up. Angels can be aggressive to each other and when you first get them it’s suggested you get at least three so they don’t get too territorial when adding more later. They were a decent size for the price though.
I was also surprised to find a single ADORABLE little turtle, a huge, planted display tank, and a herp room full of poison dart frogs, a chameleon, a stack of various tarantulas, some snakes, tubs of rolly polies?? and even a fruit fly culture. Funny, I always thought those things spontaneously appeared whenever there was a banana left out too long. Who would BUY fruit flies?? Clearly someone who has a pet that eats them but I don’t know what that would be. Lucky for me the tricolored hognose snake they’d posted on their Facebook page a few days ago appeared to have already found a home as his enclosure was empty. Just as well. I don’t need temptation and I find hognoses soooo goddamn adorable. But no. I must stay with fish. Fish are cheap and don’t care I live in a cold basement abode.
ANYWAY. I was thrilled to see this place also sold pet friendly plants and that their enclosures were very holistic with live plants and stimulation for the critters. I was SHOCKED anyone would buy 10 roly-polies (isopods) for $64 but who am I to make that call? I spent many hours in my childhood playing with woodlice outside, I get how stupidly charming these bugs are.
By now I was still the only one in the shop and I felt like I’d been here a little too long. I decided to make amends for this by buying some aquarium plants which were about the same price I could get online but without added shipping cost. I picked two. Some fluffy hornwort which looked positively unkillable and another little mat of baby tears. Because the ones I had kept getting pulled up and sent floating through the tank like little green refugees until they died. I’d put these in one of my ten-gallon fry tanks and avoid that issue this time. I did ask about the bettas… apparently the new rack system was so new it was still cycling so there were no bettas. I’d driven out here for naught. *cries* As I made my way to the counter I noticed their freezer and found a package of bloodworms for 6 bucks. Yes, please! My fishies are getting treats tonight!
Anyway… if you happen to be needing fish stuff and are in the area I would absolutely recommend this place. They are slightly on the pricey side but their livestock seemed to be of a high quality so maybe that’s completely worth it. Who’s to say, not me! At least not yet… I will be back to check out their bettas which I’ll be adding to my own fish project.
I have been trying to set up my own heavily planted freshwater fish tank for a couple months now and it’s going well except I can’t find anyone local with live plants so I decided when we were at the Startford Antique Center that we should check out a fish store when we were in the area. Only problem was my phone was not reading my location correctly so I had to give this duty to my navigator and he had no idea the shop just a mile down the road was a saltwater store. I knew immediately when driving in as it’s called Max Reefs which… well there aren’t any reefs in freshwater are there.
Most saltwater fish stores are tiny, hidden, and only open for three random hours a week. They have far more in common with a speakeasy than a pet store but this place? YIKES. It was by far the biggest saltwater shop I’d ever been in. It was in an old warehouse building so the ceilings were high giving it an even more spacious look. And unlike the other stores I’ve been to the lighting was maxed out and everything was so bright!
I immediately was taken by a fish I’d never seen before – a spotted grouper – and his darling personality as he danced about trying to get my attention. There were rows and rows of fish here in little holding tanks. This facility looked far more like a distributor than a shop but the variety was crazy! They had fully grown clowns of every kind – even a pair of lightning maroons which just made my jaw drop. GORGEOUS. And all the fish were so healthy! And lively! They also had some really big starfish, some sea urchins, a few different kinds of shrimp, and an unfathomable array of corals and coral frags for every price range, both hard and soft.
They were light on supplies but did have a fridge/freezer of various foods and three sizable tubs of live rock (both brown and purple) as well as a pile of dead rock as well. I really delighted in checking out this store and am sorry I was in no position to buy anything (although seriously if I did have a big ass saltwater tank that spotted grouper would have come with me and maybe that pair of lightning maroon clows because MAN where they pretty!) If you live in the area or you’re just looking for variety I highly suggest giving this place a visit – and since some of you have requested I check out more fish stores both fresh and saltwater this won’t be the last blog entry on such places. Happy fish keeping!
