Good local fish stores in Adelaide

[sharz]

Hey all
I'm kinda new to all this and have had some bad experiences recently, where I've not had much luck with my purchases.
Can anyone recommend a good LFS in adelaide?
I've been to a few, but dont they dont seem like they want to help at all, they just want to grab your money.
Just wondering if any one has any ideas.
Cheers

[sthn75]

Hi Sharz

I'd have to say the best fish store in Adelaide would have to be Seaview on Anzac Hwy. They can be pricey, but their tanks are immaculate & their many many staff very knowledgeable.
There are others but i'll have to try to remember which ones' are the better ones & which ones to stay away from. I'll get back to you on it.

As you have said you are new to the hobby, can you tell us more about your tank, setup (ie filter & what filter material is in it), how long it's all been setup for, what fish you've had in the tank, what's happened to them, any problems you've had. etc etc

I only ask, because many new people into the hobby make mistakes (mainly due to wrong information given to them by hopeless store staff who don't know jack) but the end result is fish deaths.

Fish forums like this one are a blessing because you know that you're getting good correct advise from knowledgable fellow fish hobbiests. We don't want your money we just want to see you enjoy the hobby as much as we do (and save you a few $$$ in the long run)

[sharz]

Thanks Sthn
Well, Ive got a 120 ltr aqua one (ar 620t I think) and I've got a aqua one canister filter (Ar500, I think).

I dont have any of the fancy stuff some people have set up, just a heater and a couple of air stones. My readings are PH 6.8 - 7.2, Ammonia -0 , Nitrates and Nitrites are undetectable. Am using a liquid test kit, as I've heard those strips are not the best.

Tank was set up in March, so that makes it about 6months old.

Have an assortment of plants, both real and fake, although I have absolutley no idea which kind the real ones are..... the tanks is quite heavily planted, and have found that the real plants either got destroyed by the fish or just died.

As u can probably tell my my technical terminology, I'm not totally sure what I'm talking about half the time.....

Currently I've got 1 pearl gourami, two 7-8cm bristle nose, 2 angel fish, handful of neons and harlequin rasboras, two bolivan butterfly's, and a couple of blue rams. I am currently baby sitting a couple of silver sharks (about 6cm) until their owner rebuilds his tank and then they can go back to him. (hopefully in the next couple of weeks.)

I have bought from seaview aquariums, and agree, their tanks are alway spotless, and they have been sort of helpful. Have also bought from a couple of other stores, (not sure that I should name them, but a big chain store at Melrose Park, and a couple of small local shops further south.) that I have been less than impressed with. (a big yellow one).

I have lost several fish, mostly due to my own ignorance, not researching their requirements, and being just plain ill informed... Can u believe I didn't know about cycling........ OMG... I feel so stupid, and I've had a couple bouts of re occuring Ich, that just never seemed to go away, despite treating the tank for 8 days and following everyone's advice.


I have tried on several occasions to purchase a couple of gold rams, and have had 4 of them die on me in less than a week. I'm really not sure if it is something wrong with my tank, and cant understand what it could be though as the blue rams look well and I've had them for about 6-8 weeks now. I have bought them from two different LFS, but still have had no success.

Just wondering where do u get your fish from since you're so far away from adelaide.

Anyway, was just wondering if any one knows of anywhere else to buy from. I've heard there is a good LFS out on Grand Junction Rd, but that is too far away for me.

cheers

[sthn75]

All tanks should have some Nitrates, as the only way nitrates are used/reduced is by plants and by water changes. If you don't have any nitrates it usually means that your tank is not cycled properly.

Don't worry about not cycling a tank, a whole lot of people who work in fish/pet stores don't even know about cycling a tank. I know one of the pet stores here where I live told me "yeah, you just leave the tank for a couple of days with water in it (with the heater & filter running) and then it'll be fine to add a whole heap of fish."..... ummm... yeah right.

And as for acclimatising fish to the water in your tank when you take them home... generally most of the time you'll just get told to float the bag in the tank for about 10mins & then net or tip them into your tank. I quickly discovered that that's the quickest way to go about killing your fish.

You sound like you're on the right track with a nice sized tank & a good filter (ie canister).

Regarding the plants, alot of real plants sold in stores are actually not fully aquatic plants which means that they will start to die if left submerged in a tank over a long period of time. If you post pics of your tank we might be able to work out what real plants you have got & whether or not they are true aquatic plants.

Rams are a bit of a miss & hit. They can be very delicate when it comes to changes in water parameters, even the slightest changes can stress them out enough to kill them sometimes. I know some people use them as "quality indicators", ie if the rams get sick or die then they know something is not right with their tank.

In adelaide I have got fish from Seaview, Aggies, Aquarium fish Paradise, Amazon, Fish Palais, Arndale Aquariums, H20 Aquariums just to name a few. I also buy some of my fish from Livefish. However, were I live has finally had a decent store open up with good knowledgeable owners, so now I buy a lot of my fish from them.

[Doug]

WOOHOO, another Adelaide person

THe Seaview joint is amazing, i have never bought from there but their range is huge and the guy i spoke to (the owner) is just bubbling with know-how.

I live in the hills and as such the seaview aquarium is a bit of a drive so i got to my local which is just as good. "The Fish Bowl and Ponds" on shepherds hill road is excellent. all the staff are fish keepers and are not just casual ring-ins. They all know alot and have helped me out of many tough situations. Their range is huge in both products and fish and if they dont have it they will order it in for you. Can' speak highly enough of this shop, they all know me by name and take an active interest in my tanks. they also have a lot of my babies there, so you know its good quality fish

THe one on south road you refer to is really hit and miss. If you go there you need to ask for the aquarium guy. He is a full time employee who is there becasue he knows fish and fish related issues. the rest of the staff are just casual and dont really know much. The main guy is excellent and he has helped me out alot too. they also have some of my babies down there.

The other joint i know of is the "Hilltop Pets and Aquariums" i have been there a few times and their range of fish and products is good but again you need to talk to their fish expert, not one of the casuals. they are the places i go to to get my stuff, advice i go to the fish bowl first.

hope these places steer you in the right direction

[sharz]

wooo hooo, glad to hear from another South Aussie Doug.
Interestingly enough, I found a local dude in the trading post who is in Morphett Vale that has an after hours shop thing set up in his shed, and is open most nights from 6-9. I went and sussed it out last night, and while he does not have a big range, his prices were pretty cheap. got a couple of bolivan butterflies for $8 each and they were pretty decent size. 5-6cms.
I have had mixed experiences with Hilltop and have heard lots of different things about them, but glad to know there is one on Shepherd Hill Rd, This isn't really too far out of the way for me coz i go straight up south rd anyway. Thanks for the tip and I reckon I'll check it out sometime.

[Doug]

that backyarder sounds interesting...what else has he got? any contact details?

yeah, def check out the joint on shepherds hill rd, you wont be let down. not the biggest shop going around but the knowledge and insight is excellent.

http://www.thefishbowl.com.au/

[sharz]

Hey Doug
its called "something fishy aquariums"
His name is Lee and number is 0420 553 079. or schaffer@live.com.au
He doesn't have heaps of stuff in stock, but did see he has electric yellows for like $5, and he says that he will order in anything if u give him a call. He did have an assortment of live bearers, and a few different cichlids, saw some bristle noses, a few discus. I guess it depends on what you're after, but maybe give him a call or shoot him an email.
hope this helps.

I might go for a drive up shepherds hill rd and sus it out over the weekend
cheers

[Tanked]

I have also been impressed with the range at Seaview, but just had an odd experience.

My wife now has 3 tanks of various sizes, the latest being 110 litres for which she bought a 150 watt heater. However, the heater isn't spending much time heating, and isn't getting the tank above 23 degrees. no matter if it is set to 26 or 30 degrees. This sounds very much like a simple case of a dodgy switch on the heater.

However, the dude at Seaview told my wife that she needed to have a 300 watt heater and sold her one - for a 110 litre tank. The heater is too long to even stand up in the tank properly. This tank is in our home office where I spend a lot of time, so it's not an overly cold room.

I am totally unimpressed with their tactics, when a simple changeover would do.

[Mooo]

Well thats just typical of stores wanting to massage your wallet, not your mind...They should have explained honestly what heater would work for what sized tank, I think the info is on the packaging of some heaters.
Some info on heater calculations..
http://www.ehow.com/way_5183905_size-heater-needed-aquarium_.html

[Doug]

the bigger the heater, the less time it needs to be running, making it cheeper. if its too big then thats an issue but I always got for the biggest heater i can get for a tank. I have 300w in my 4 fts, 3f, my 2.5ft tank as i think they are the best.

The guys at seaview are the best in Adelaide. All the good guys at a lot of the other shops around adelaide were trained by seaview. Petstock, Fish bowl, Marine one to name a few.

[Tanked]

"the bigger the heater, the less time it needs to be running, making it cheeper"

Doug - That is a total myth. Bigger heater uses more power when it is on, so no savings.

In any given tank, it takes x amount of energey to keep y litres of water at the correct temperature over a period of time.

A bigger heater simply gets hotter faster then turns off for longer, the tank is actually subject to more fluctuations in temperature this way.

The correct heater is on more, but is heating more evenly. It's the same with air conditioning. An oversize unit turns on and freezes a room then turns off and waits for the temperature to change enough to trigger it again. Therefore any reputable A/C place will not recommend oversize units.

The 300 watt heater he sold us, is rated by the manufacturer for 375 litre tanks, just a tad oversize for out 110 litre tank perhaps!