Here is the list you have been waiting for: The 50-Fish-Stores-Tour Stores. Every one of us on this tour deserves a round of applause. The Local Fish Store is disappearing at a rapid rate and those of us that are left are mostly good ones. We have to be good because people need a reason, now more then ever, to shop with us. We have to be better, do better, be more creative, and be more passionate then ever. We are the ones who will stay open later if a customer has a fish problem or even come in on their day off just to make sure your fish survive. The big box stores and online retailers can’t do that for you.
I understand the appeal of the online retailers. You can order online in your pajamas at 3 AM and get whatever you want delivered right to your door. There are also a lot of great little retailers selling coral online who probably have (or had) a local store and needed to go online to survive – those are the the good guys who got creative. I have bought things online as well, but when your return pump stops on a Saturday and you need one now, that online retailer you gave so much money to can’t help you, and when your fish gets sick and you need advice from someone who has been there and can recommend products that they know will work, those big box stores won’t have the answers you need to save your beloved fish.
I am definitely not saying that you should cut off all online buying; it’s convenient, exciting, and fun to look at stuff at when you can’t sleep or just want to add something different to your aquarium. You can get amazing deals shipped right to your door, and sometimes, sites carry amazing corals or captive bred fish that your local fish store just doesn’t. I think there needs to be a balance. I know for a fact that my customers also shop online, they tell me everyday. But they also come in and buy from me because they trust me and what I do. They trust my knowledge ad my advice, and they trust me when I tell them how well we take care of our fish and corals. If everyone thinks about their local fish store a few more times every month instead of mindlessly jumping online, it would make for a more balanced world and keep the Local Fish Store going.
Now back to the tour. Here is the video of the 50 fish stores in 5 days tour east coast edition. Please subscribe to the Coralfish12g youtube channel to get notified when the rest of the videos come out. George is taking a lot of time to make these epic videos to remind us why the Local Fish Store is so important. Its amazing to me that he took his spring break vacation to come on the tour and I think he did an outstanding job, but you should watch and see for yourself.
If you live near any of these guys, go in and give them a chance to gain your trust. You may start to think of them first, and you’ll know that they will be there for you when you need them.
Here are the stores in the order that they were visited on the tour:
Gorham, Maine
#2-Green Mountain Aquarium Inc
Shelburne, Vermont
#3-ABC Reefs
Solvey, New York
#4-Big Als
Gloucester, ON Canada
Laval, QC Canada
#6-Aqua Plus
Montreal, QC Canada
#7-AquaRealm
St Johnsbury, Vermont
Springfield, Massachusetts
#9-Aqua Dreams
Feeding Hills, Massachusetts
Vernon, Connecticut
Colchester, Connecticut
Coventry, Rhode Island
New London, Connecticut
Riverside, Connecticut
#15-House of Fins
Greenwich, Connecticut
Mamaroneck, New York
#17-The Reef Shoppe
Bronx, New York
#18-Long Island Aquarium/Reef Gen
Riverhead, New York
Rocky Point, New York
#20-Aqua Hut
Coram, New York
Patchogue, New York
#22-Caribbean Blue Aquatics Inc
Bay Shore, New York
#23-Aquarium Village
Westbury, New York
New York, New York
Saddle Brook, New Jersey
#26-Absolutely Fish
Clifton, New Jersey
Pine Brook, New Jersey
#28-Ocean Gallery
Plainfield, New Jersey
#29-REEFCO
Green Brook, New Jersey
Bound Brook, New Jersey
#31-Aquaridise
East Brunswich, New Jersey
Ocean Township, New Jersey
#33-Tropiquarium
Ocean Township, New Jersey
#34-The Hidden Reef
Levittown, Pennsylvania
#35-Fish Factory
Bristol, Pennsylvania
#36-Mini Reef
Prospect Park, Pennsylvania
#37-Supreme Reefs
Springfield, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
#39-The Fish Room
Raleigh, North Carolina
#40-Fintastic Aquariums of Wake County
Cary, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Kernersville, North Carolina
#43-Greendale Tropical & Saltwater
Kannapolis, North Carolina
#44-Upscale Aquatics
Huntersville, North Carolina
#45-Nemo’s Reef
Matthews, North Carolina
#46-Aquatica
Charlotte, North Carolina
#47-Oceans Floor LLC
Greenville, South Carolina
Athens, Georgia
#49-Premier Aquatics
Marietta, Georgia
Winter Park, Florida
Orlando, Florida
#52-World Wide Coral
Orlando, Florida
#53- Sea Life Aquarium
Apopka, Florida
Melbourne, Florida
Jensen Beach, Florida
#56-Rileys Reef
Jupiter, Florida
Lake Worth, Florida
#58-AP Frags
Boca Raton, Florida
#59-Barrier Reef
Boca Raton, Florida
#60-Hydra Aquatics
Dania Beach, Florida
Thanks for being on this journey with us! What is your favorite local fish store?
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