cuz Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 new group in lethbridge trying to start a good thing with trading frags as well as selling them, patiently awaiting a new sw store in lethbridge!! http://mylethbridge.ca/groups/view/id_32/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanGSP Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 Good luck its going to be a while before there is another store. That being said there is one in Medicine Hat if you ever want to go on a road trip I would be in on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealshark Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 animal world in the hat is a good place to get corals when they have them. the petland in lethbridge gets a good order of corals about once a month, just have to go in and ask when the next one is coming. i was in brooks yesterday and stoped at ropps pet paridise and he told me they will be opening a store in lethbridge in the next couple of months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanGSP Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 I dont think Lethbridge has the market for this many Saltwater stores to be successful. I would love to see more Corals it kind of sucks seeing the same stuff at both stores (Petland and TFI). I know of a wholesaler and have seen his set up in person before. I guess its time to get out my little phone book and dig his number out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w00t Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 I'd love to see more corals around here, wasn't aware of any new stores coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuz Posted May 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 I was told by the fellow looking into it that he's 99% ready to open a shop in lethbridge over on the west side.. As far as how soon..well economy does the talkin lately!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanGSP Posted May 5, 2009 Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 I was told by the fellow looking into it that he's 99% ready to open a shop in lethbridge over on the west side.. As far as how soon..well economy does the talkin lately!! I just dont think there is enough market for this many pet stores let alone salt water stores. If he stock alot of coral and fish I think he might be able to make it but not on Saltwater alone. Hey cuz did you take some pics? I am thinking of fragging some Zoanthids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w00t Posted May 5, 2009 Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 I think another salt store would do great, especially if they stock decent stuff I mean we only have 2 stores. Tropical is great but he never seems to bring in anything other than mushrooms, condy, GSP etc... he needs to bring in more corals and get his back room ready. Petland is good but they don't take care of their tanks, they stocked a new tank packed full of stuff and that got nuked. But already they bring in a much bigger selection than Tropical with only 4 tanks compared to his 10 plus. And they seem to be selling a lot of stuff. But if they are opening it on the west side, I dunno about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanGSP Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 I think another salt store would do great, especially if they stock decent stuff I mean we only have 2 stores. Tropical is great but he never seems to bring in anything other than mushrooms, condy, GSP etc... he needs to bring in more corals and get his back room ready. Petland is good but they don't take care of their tanks, they stocked a new tank packed full of stuff and that got nuked. But already they bring in a much bigger selection than Tropical with only 4 tanks compared to his 10 plus. And they seem to be selling a lot of stuff.But if they are opening it on the west side, I dunno about that. You do realize they order from the same place right? He doesnt order in as many fish as Petland does because half of those fish will come back to him. Damsels are aggressive and will be brought back (happened before) sergeant majors, and some just dont make it. Fish I would put money right now that Petland doesnt have near the selection TFI does. Corals maybe but most his stuff comes from the hobbyist. Its not the back room I would be so worried about its that darn frag/coral tank thats supposed to be done right now but isnt. He almost need another person in there just to make tanks. If there is enough interest here in the south we could do a wickedfrags.com order. I think we would need about 5 people to make it worth while. If we get 5 people shipping will be 20-30 dollars depending on how much we buy. I wouldnt get too excited about the new store though. There isnt enough market in the Lethbridge area to support a Saltwater only store. It will be just like the reptile store that was there. Seemed to do great then in a matter of a few months they were gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w00t Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 (edited) Well he has 3-4 places to order from but rarely does, Petland only orders from 2 and I am talking about corals here not so much as fish. I always shop at Tropical first, but petland for just starting out seems to understand variety. I know quite a few people (myself included) have bugged Bruce about bringing in corals for them and as I am sure you know he just puts it off or forgets like Bruce typically does lol, Petland special ordered from them without any problems. Like I said tho, I go to Tropical first but lets not overlook his obvious faults. And on some stuff the price is considerably cheaper over at Petland, take a look at shrimp and crab prices for instance... quite a big difference coming from the same place. His prices have been going up as of late. I have sold some frags to him, but things like zoas and some sps coral he will not take even for low trades haha. But Petland so far has taken all of my frags I have to offer for credit, and they are usually quickly sold. I walked in there with some acans and monti and they were spoken for before they even made it to the back. But I always take em over to Scott and see if he wants them first. I agree he needs another person or two at least to help out in there, if he did not have Scott there that place would be a disaster. Another reason I go there first is because I like to buy from Scott. The back room/coral tank is indeed what I was referring to, he has been talking about doing that for ages and I doubt it will be in place a year from now. If they open on the west side I would doubt they would make it, but in my opinion there is enough of market for another salt store especially if they do it right. Petland is doing well but they just need to learn to take care of their tanks and slow down a bit, not to mention they also have the fault of little to none salt knowledge aside from an individual or two as typical of a chain lfs. They have slowed down some but I really think it is because of poor maintenance. I would be in for an order, but really I just do monthly road trips up to Calgary sometimes with a bunch of people and go to Red Coral and a few others for my coral needs. Works great when you go with a bunch of people for a day trip. We used to do orders from J&L but taking the trip up is cheaper and works better. Actually talking with a few of the stores in Calgary, they tell you they see quite a few people from Lethbridge making regular runs up there for corals and livestock. Edited May 6, 2009 by w00t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealshark Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 i agree with woot about tropical fish, i have only been into marine tanks for 4 months but have had tropical tanks for over 10years. plus their prices seem on the high side. as for petland i dont talk to scott much but if you talk to mike he will help with any questions and has always steered me clear of any fish or coral that does not seem to be in good health. i also make regular trips out of town (calgary, med hat and brooks) for for different varieties of fish or coral. the store i was refering to that is coming to lethbridge is ropps pet paridise from brooks, they are supposed to be moving into the old visions building. it will not be a marine only store, more like a petland that caries everything. from what i have been told by both bruce(TFI) and mike (petland), there is a lot more people getting into salt water systems, so maybe another store coming to town will be a good thing. more variety is always good just my $0.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanGSP Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 w00t ya I know he has alot of places to order from. I was in there tonight and he said 3 weeks before another order because his buisness is slowing down and tanks are full. I have been bugging Bruce about bringing in coral but he has told me time and time again he would rather just buy off us (the customer) because of the quality. But where do we buy from??? I like dealing with Scott also always something with that guy. Even with Mike from Petland who do you think he is getting his info from?? its Bruce and Scott from TFI, he doesnt have as much knowledge as he thinks he does. I was in there the other day and he tried to tell me the shark in there wasnt going to get bigger than 1.5 feet maybe 2 feet tops, it was a bamboo shark. The fish room is going to be a while we all know that but on a bright note we got the 500 galloin SW display tank into place today not its just a matter of getting him in gear to reseal it and get it going. I havent been to Red Coral yet but want to go and check it out. After seeing the QT procedures at AI I personally think its worth it to drive to Edmonton. Not to mention the Customer service is really good. I will agree that prices at TFI are a little higher but really lets think is there better fish in town? No hands down Bruce has the best health in town. If ta tank has ich nothing gets sold out of that tank until its clear for atleast a week and when new fish get put in from an order nothing gets sold out of those tanks until new fish are doing good. Can any store in Lethbridge say they do the same? Dont get me wrong I am all for variety but lets say 1% of the people in Lethbridge and surrounding area are keeping corals (thats being pretty generous) I just dont think its enough to support too many more stores. I am hoping I get proved wrong because I know I could use some SPS and clams in my tank w00t you have a PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w00t Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 Got it and replied. I've been up to Edmonton a few times, and nothing against the places up there but of course the drive to Calgary is better for us down here and they always have what I am after. Red Coral is def worth checking out if you ever make it up there, you could tag along with a group trip when we go up next if interested. Hands down Tropical has the best fish, it's nice to see him actually hold the fish and treat them when sick. But like mentioned the downside is he has higher prices and really not much coral. If the new place comes I'd love to see them go into corals and work with locals for trading and whatnot. Petland needs more tanks and upkeep on them, they did say there are going to do an overhaul and put in a bunch more tanks once they organize room for it so I guess we shall see. Thing with Mike&K is they have been getting a lot better, takes interest and that is something to credit. He admits he looks things up on the internet to learn more about it so that's a plus, there have been times the two of them have been wrong like telling people you can't do a fishless cycle for one. All the other employees as I'm sure you know have very limited knowledge. It's a shame Petcetera doesn't do salt anymore, mainly because their liverock was really nice for some reason when they did carry it. But that place has really gone downhill, they really need to clean their tanks! The other two places their rock isn't worth getting since it's usually covered with aiptasia. Yeah Bruce has said he owes too much money as of late so his orders have been slowing down, I send everyone over there first who is starting into it. If it's true the other store is moving into the old visions that is a pretty good spot, sucked as an electronics store because of the parking lot but for a fish store it should suit it pretty well. Either way anything that brings more selection I will eagerly welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanGSP Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 I might take you up on that calgary trip off but dont know if I will make the next one. I do agree Petland needs some better tanks. The ones they have now would be rocking tanks for clams if they swap the light out for a 150w HQI. Clams look way better when you are able to view them. Petcetera is going bankrupt so they wont ever put their tanks back up. This why they are having their big sale. We really need to get more hobbiests into saltwater this will mean more tanks and more people getting different coral we can trade. I am hoping next month I can go to the wholesaler and take a peek at what he has. Hopfully the new reef shop is open by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w00t Posted May 7, 2009 Report Share Posted May 7, 2009 No problem just let me know, we're planning going up on the 23 or 30th so we'll see. Plenty of room for a few extra guys. Going backrupt eh? That's a shame, they had good prices on equipment occasionally. I haven't been in there for ages though, if they are having a big sale maybe I should check it out sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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