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!
I had tried earlier on in the morning to check out Moonstone Beach to see if I could find some cool rocks for my fish tank but as I drove up I found the road and probably parking lot beyond flooded. Well… since I’m in the area anyway let’s see if I can find some other destination to spoil my fish. And boy did I find it!
From the outside it looked like just another plaza pet store so I wasn’t holding my breath for anything special. However, when I walked in I was greeted immediately with a very long wall of well stocked healthy fish of all kinds. And plants! Sure, the plants were mostly the super common beginners plants but my God were they cheap and healthy looking. $3.99 a bundle. I had been routinely paying $12 for bundles half the size. And these extremely reasonable prices seemed to extend to the fish. $6 for a rummy nose tetra and there was a whole tank of them. Having lost two batches of those, one to ick, one to a power outage, I had to talk myself down from buying more on that specific day (though I will very likely be back some day before going home to NH the same day!)
I looked around the rest of the store and found a small critter section. There I found the biggest zebra finches I’ve seen in my life, almost as big as the budgies they were housed next to! The feeder section also had enormous crickets, just huge. No idea what they were feeding them but wow! They were almost as big as the also exceptionally low priced (70 cents a head) dubia roaches.
Beyond that was a small quiet reptile section with two boas, a few empty enclosures, and an adorable fuzzy tarantula chilling in a nice actual enclosure, not a tub like you usually see! I must say the fact pet shops are starting to take an active part in helping people buy appropriately sized enclosures is really refreshing to see!
I was also happy to see this place had a tank full of live brine shrimp as a food option for the fish. I really suck at raising these myself so I was intrigued by finding a fresh supply. They also had a small saltwater section with a 40-something dollar Picasso clown fish I would have totally wanted if I had a saltwater set up. Gorgeous. Their coral frags were $20 a piece but larger than you’d usually find in that price range. Dare I say their goldfish section was also really decent and had some very pretty ones – which I don’t normally say as I’m not the biggest goldfish fan.
I decided to buy a couple plants and a couple packages of frozen food. This is the first time I tried buying anything with spirulina mixed in so I wasn’t sure my spoiled fish would want it. A baseless fear. They went NUTS for it!!
The man at the counter signed me up for a rewards program – a dollar off every 40 spent – and told me they have fish shipments usually twice a week, plant shipments once a month, and are open to special orders. Dangerous. Looks like I’ll be coming back to this place…
Hopping around to various fish stores is always an adventure. You just never know what you’re going to get.
Recently Google has been showing me Aquatic Creations and upon looking at their website they seemed to be mostly a salt water set up bussiness but they did claim to have a brick and mortar store and fresh water options. I could always use more options for fresh water fish and supplies so I added this stop to my list and swung by afte a hike.
It’s a very small place and still quite a mess as I guess they are still in the process of moving from a different location. Even so they did have a nice tank with corals and frags, a rack of fresh water fish that included guppies and the most personable koi I’ve ever met which looked up at me with big puppy eyes. There was a nice selection of plants as well and of course a few saltwater fish, mostly clowns, but also an adorable box fish. If I had a pond or saltwater tank that koi and or box fish probably would have come home with me!
I stayed a while and talked with the man running the place. He said this was indeed a business helping people create mostly saltwater set ups and ponds. He seemed very friendly and helpful and gave me a business card. Although I am not in need of having anyone install anything for me it’s good to have this place in mind in case that changes or if I am talking to someone who does.
Is this place worth looking at as brick-and-mortar store right now? Uhhh… maybe if you live in town or really close by. Otherwise, it really is more oriented toward instillation – at least until the rest get moved over. I don’t know how long that will take. You know how fish are – the more expensive they are the more fussy they are to big changes!
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’ve been meaning to check out Lucky’s for quite a while now as so many people seem to love this place. I knew however, that going to a well loved fish store might be a bit detrimental to my wallet. *sigh*
ANYWAY, as I drove up I discovered it’s in a warehouse dock. Certainly not what I was expecting but I’ve been to a lot of super sketchy aquariums and pet stores in the past so why not? There was a sign saying Lucky’s Aquarium, clearly handmade though almost hidden. I was alone today so I sent a quick text just to make sure if I ended up toppling into a serial killers lair someone would know…
As I walked in there was some aquariums and equipment in a hallway, still not giving me the best vibes until I saw one display tank with some very fat and happy looking newts. And beyond them there was an actual fish store! It was small but well maintained.
There was a counter full of probably 30 or 40 bettas of all kinds and sexes. And they all seemed healthy, a few of the females were even a bit on the chonky side. I found a GORGEOUS male, almost all orange, but for $45 he had the wrong tail type for my little breeding colony. To be fair the prices were anywhere between $7.50 and $65 per betta. It was the best selection I’ve seen at a petstore so far.
By now I was looking around and seeing a number of exotic large fish including two tanks of stingrays, some dinosaur fish, a selection of large fresh water puffers, a lung fish, and a fairly sizable arrowana.
I knew this place was popular and they seemed pretty sold out of most things on this day but they did have a nice selection of live plants and the small fish they did have were all super decently priced which is how I came home with a $4 plant and two almost adult hillstream loaches for $19 each!
This place is deffinately well worth a looksey if you’re in the area and wanting some healthy fish. Although they did have some tanks and supplies this place was mostly just live fish – catering to a crowd who already is in the aquarium game.
The antique stores we had chosen earlier on in the day were kind of meh so we decided a change it up a little bit and check out another fish store. I’m still looking for places I can buy healthy plants and maybe more for my own freshwater tank. It’d be nice to be able to help support one of these little stores instead of continuing to buy plants online.
When we drove up I noticed their logo was a piece of coral and I wondered if we hadn’t accidentally ended up at another saltwater store. The storefront windows were all blocked with posters, I am sure to keep algae growth down, and DAMN were these some clean tanks! And quite a few of them! Every single one of them was fresh water so I have no idea what the logo was about. There was a pretty sweet collection of larger fish – cichlids, angels, discus, and an adorable catfish that was swimming upside-down for some reason. Everyone looked healthy and they even and some snails and freshwater shrimp! The range of nano fish was also decent. They even had some rainbow fish.
But what really made me smile was a big set of shelves full of various driftwood. You’d think a store with driftwood would have plants but alas no, every tank I noticed with plants had garish plastic ones. Oh well, at least now I know. Otherwise this place looks like a great place for fish or driftwood. They even had a little river tank that kept the fish on the move. It was sweet.
Having failed to find any aquarium plants that tickled my fancy at Forest Wonders I decided to continue down the street to find Pet Supplies Plus which is a larger store – a chain store – though I think one that might be locally owned (but don’t quote me on that.)
Walking in it looked more or less like PetCo or Petsmart – big, open, a sort of Wal-Mart for pets, though I don’t know about the pricing! There were a few cashiers and one of them warmly greeted me as I came in. I went straight for the fish isle which was labelled critters for some reason. They had a nice assortment of tanks, especially ones on the smaller side. At the end were the bettas. Just a handful, all looking as pitiful as bettas in little plastic tubs always do. There was one really small one for five bucks. He looked half dead but then again that’s how they normally look in these places. I talked myself out of it. I don’t have the right set up for a betta. Next to the bettas was two small tubs of plants. One read cryptically, “assorted plants” and had only one dried up brown plant in it. Aquarium tumbleweed? The other tub was java moss and looked almost as bad.
Within the fish department there were rows of tanks with the usual assortment of glo fish and whatnot. One tank had a few plants in it. $7 for a little pot of dwarf baby tears actually was a super decent price. Too bad the plant itself was yellow as fuck and I didn’t feel like I knew enough about rescuing plants to bring it back to life. Not yet anyway. Seems I struck out once again.
I stayed a little longer only to see what they had for critters – a furless guinea pig, two ferrets, and some miscellaneous fuzz that were probably hamsters – before leaving. The staff flagged me down again and asked if I needed help.
“No, I’m good, but thank you!” I smiled. At least the personnel here were super friendly. I give them that!
