best place in LA to get fish

[mikenegue]

I've got my FOWLR tank up finally, and it's in the process of cycling (ammonia peaking, zero nitrates/nitrates yet, pH 8.1):
60G SeaClear Acrylic
40lbs. 1-year-old live rock from hobbyist
5lbs. assorted live rock from Jeff's
40 lbs. dead base rock
4-5 inches, 150lbs. dsb
Whisper Power Filter 60

I am interested in getting the following fish/livestock:
1-2 clownfish (true or false percula)
1 yellow tang
1 royal gramma
1 regal tang
1 cleaner shrimp (not sure which kind is best)
assorted detrivores and cleaners

I've narrowed down my most likely lfs choices down to Jeff's Exotic Fish and Aquatic Outlet. Jeff's is cheaper, but Aquatic Outlet seems to have a greater variety and better looking fish. Has anyone had any experience acquiring and keeping fish from either of these two establishments? Is there any other LFS in SoCal that is worth checking out for my needs?

 

[Len]

Check out mountainbiker's awesome response to a similiar question (last post of the thread):
http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=31395

 

[mikenegue]

I've read through that thread actually, and I was actually looking for something a bit more specific to my needs. In particular, I'm interested in others' experiences with buying fish, not corals. So any advice would be extremely helpful (especially as it relates to Jeff's or Aquatic Outlet in LA).

thanks...

 

[Meloco14]

I've only bought shrimp from Jeff's so far, but their quality and prices seem pretty good. I plan on visiting there tomorrow to see if they have anything else I want. The only problem I found is their selection is highly variable. They don't have anything near the amount they have on their website, and seem to stock highly on the most commonly desired species, like yellow tangs, flame angels, firefish, and fewer of the less common but often more desired species. When I went in there I was looking for strictly Carribbean species, and the only thing I came home with was a pair of peppermint shrimp. So you may want to call ahead to see if they have what you want before going.

 

[mikenegue]

Speaking of shrimp, what kind of cleaner shrimp would you suggest I get? Does it really matter? In other words, don't they all do the same thing basically?

 

[Meloco14]

If you are looking for a cleaner shrimp that will actually "clean" your fish, the standard cleaner shrimp is your best bet. It is sometimes called the skunk cleaner or scarlet cleaner. The fire shrimp is another cleaner, though I don't know how well they clean in captivity. Peppermint shrimp don't seem to clean at all. If you are just looking for a cool scavenger to pick up leftovers, then any of them will work pretty well. Coral Banded shrimp tend to be aggressive towards other inverts, corals, and small shrimp, so be careful if you choose one of those.

 

[mikenegue]

Thanks for the advice on shrimps - I think I will get a skunk cleaner shrimp. Is a sea cucumber or starfish advisable as a detrivore/sifter for a newbie?

And returning to my original questions...

I've narrowed down my most likely lfs choices down to Jeff's Exotic Fish and Aquatic Outlet. Jeff's is cheaper, but Aquatic Outlet seems to have a greater variety and better looking fish. Has anyone had any experience acquiring and keeping fish from either of these two establishments? Is there any other LFS in SoCal that is worth checking out for my needs?

 

[mountainbiker619]

Aquatic Outlet has a very small selection of fish, Jeffs has a slightly larger selection. I would visit Tongs, or drive down here to San Diego and visit Aquatic Outlet, it will be worth your drive

 

[K9coral]

I have dealt with Jeffs exotic before via the internet and that place rocks! They have very good prices and nice pieces.

 

[ricky1414]

i like the aquatic outlet, they were very helpful with advice and trades

 

[Meloco14]

I went to Jeff's today, and overall it was a good trip. They do have good prices and a fair selection, but for the second time they ended up not having anything I wanted. I was looking for ocellaris clowns, firefish, and cleaner shrimp, and they were out of all three. I did end up getting a yellow watchman goby for $15, some snails, and a nice bullseye mushroom rock. They have some good liverock for pretty cheap right now, it was like $2.80 I think. So overall it is a good place, nice guys, pretty good quality, but if you're looking for something specific I would call ahead before going there, unless it's not far of a drive, then it's worth it just to check everything out.