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:

#1-Easy Aquariums

Gorham, Maine

#2-Green Mountain Aquarium Inc

Shelburne, Vermont

#3-ABC Reefs

Solvey, New York

#4-Big Als

Gloucester, ON Canada

#5-Reef Solution

Laval, QC Canada

#6-Aqua Plus

Montreal, QC Canada

#7-AquaRealm

St Johnsbury, Vermont

#8-School Of Fish

Springfield, Massachusetts

#9-Aqua Dreams

Feeding Hills, Massachusetts

#10-Wet Pets Emporium

Vernon, Connecticut

#11-Colchester Pet Shop

Colchester, Connecticut

#12-Ocean State Aquatics

Coventry, Rhode Island

#13-Credabel Coral Gallery

New London, Connecticut

#14-Greenwich Aquaria

Riverside, Connecticut

#15-House of Fins

Greenwich, Connecticut

#16-Gills Aquarium Store

Mamaroneck, New York

#17-The Reef Shoppe

Bronx, New York

#18-Long Island Aquarium/Reef Gen

Riverhead, New York

#19-Brian’s Tropical Fish

Rocky Point, New York

#20-Aqua Hut

Coram, New York

#21-Country Critters Ltd

Patchogue, New York

#22-Caribbean Blue Aquatics Inc

Bay Shore, New York

#23-Aquarium Village

Westbury, New York

#24-Manhattan Aquariums

New York, New York

#25-The Fish Hut New Jersey

Saddle Brook, New Jersey

#26-Absolutely Fish

Clifton, New Jersey

#27-Sea Level Aquarium

Pine Brook, New Jersey

#28-Ocean Gallery

Plainfield, New Jersey

#29-REEFCO

Green Brook, New Jersey

#30-Fitz’s Fish Ponds

Bound Brook, New Jersey

#31-Aquaridise

East Brunswich, New Jersey

#32-Aquarium Care Center

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

#38-Aquariums Unlimited

Virginia Beach, Virginia

#39-The Fish Room

Raleigh, North Carolina

#40-Fintastic Aquariums of Wake County

Cary, North Carolina

#41-Triad Reef Critters

 Greensboro, North Carolina

#42-Carolina Aquatics

 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

#48-Aquarium Outfitters

 Athens, Georgia

#49-Premier Aquatics

Marietta, Georgia

#50-Top Shelf Aquatics

Winter Park, Florida

#51-Living Reef Orlando

Orlando, Florida

#52-World Wide Coral

Orlando, Florida

#53- Sea Life Aquarium

Apopka, Florida

#54-Nahackeys Aquarium

Melbourne, Florida

#55-Fintastic Aquarium

Jensen Beach, Florida

#56-Rileys Reef

Jupiter, Florida

#57-Tanks A Lot Aquariums

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?