The last post covered the local (to me) pet stores that have some saltwater fish, coral, etc. This post is all about the LFS that is all about fish. Again, there is information scattered all over the place about these stores. So, hopefully this helps. This list is a little more comprehensive for two reasons: 1. There are not as many in the area and 2. Because they are dedicated to fish, they tend to be worth a longer drive.
PART 2: PHILLY AQUARIUM STORES
- That Pet Place (Lancaster, PA) – So That Pet Place/That Fish Place is not strictly an aquarium store, but since they are (arguably) one of the three largest online goods providers and their aquarium section is bigger than all three of the prior post’s stores combined, I thought they deserved to be here. And, they are a bit outside the Philly area. but a one hour drive out to Lancaster is worth it. Whether you need a new skimmer, lights, or a whole new tank, that Pet Place has it all and more! However, most of their goods are not considered “high-end”. What I mean is you will find Current Lighting fixtures, but not the new Geissmann. But, their supply of dry goods and equipment is more than adequate, I would argue, in fact, that it is the best in the country for a retail location. And, they have a massive fish room. At any given time, they probably have about 2 tons of live rock and over 200 fish and 200 corals! Your wouldn’t know that form their online store because, quite honestly, their live fish/coral online storefront is pathetic. But they are worth a drive for sure! The only reason they don’t get a 5/5 on SPS is because they lack the ORA corals and some of the higher end stuff. WEBSITE
- FISH: 5/5
- INVERTS: 5/5
- SPS: 4/5
- LPS: 5/5
- SOFTIES: 4/5
- SUPPLIES: 5/5
- Captain Nemo’s (Norristown, PA) – Captain Nemo’s is located about 5 minutes north of where the Blue Route and PA Turnpike intersect. I had such high hopes for this store. After all, they have a 5000 gallon circular saltwater tank in the middle of the store. But, the place has been hit or miss and recently, more miss than hit! Their saltwater fish selection is good if you get there when they arrive, but they are usually picked clean by the end of a weekend. Their dry goods and equipment is severely lacking considering they are only an aquarium store and their prices are out of control. Their inverts are way over priced ($18.99 for an emerald crab?) In addition, their coral, which at one time was beautiful and reasonably priced, is now looking like it is an afterthought and most corals are browning out, or dying and still priced about 40% higher than the market. In short, I don’t make the trip there any more. I have found better, albeit smaller stores that I would rather give my money to. The ratings below reflect their pricing more than anything else. WEBSITE
- FISH: 4/5
- INVERTS: 3/5
- SPS: 3/5
- LPS: 3/5
- SOFTIES: 2/5
- SUPPLIES: 2/5
- East Coast Aquatics (Ridley Park, PA) – East Coast Aquatics (ECA) is located down by the Philly Airport and deals exclusively in the aquarium and fish business. No bunny rabbits here. And, its a fantastic store for the most part. Its not huge, but they have a decent selection of fish and coral and they will order anything you want. One thing that is interesting about their coral is that their green SPS seem to do really really well in their tanks. I wonder why they are the nicest? Matt runs the place and is hugely helpful. Their supplies are adequate and they are worth the trip for sure. I don’t think i would rate them higher than The Frazer Zoo in general for coral, but each store has its own forte. All in all, if you are in the Philly area, this store is worth a visit to. WEBSITE
- FISH: 4/5
- INVERTS: 4/5
- SPS: 3/5
- LPS: 3/5
- SOFTIES: 3/5
- SUPPLIES: 3/5
- Aquarium Center (Clementon, NJ) – Jumping the bridge into Jersey is Aquarium Center in Celementon. For some reason, they don’t get a lot of play in the Delaware Valley Reef Club, but the few times I was there I liked the place. For one, they don’t frag their corals into miniscule pieces. Most are actual colonies. Two they have a wide selection of fish and their dry goods and equipment is not bad either. Their focus is mostly on fish, so you won’t find tanks loaded with coral, but you will find some nice fish that you won’t find in other stores typically. I would estimate that they have close to 50 tanks of saltwater fish. WEBSITE
- FISH: 5/5
- INVERTS: 4/5
- SPS: 2/5
- LPS: 2/5
- SOFTIES: 2/5
- SUPPLIES: 3/5
- The Hidden Reef (Levittown, PA) – Up into Bucks County, you have the Hidden Reef. It is a massive store! And, though its parking lot once looked like a Beirut street, it is now freshly paved. The Hidden reef has a huge selection of saltwater supplies and dry goods. Again, no Geissmann lights, but they have just about everything. And they even have a decent plumbing section and a bunch of used goods as well (mostly lighting). They have a ton of saltwater tanks and you can find many a not-so-common fish there. I really like their anthias tanks and they always have some fish that are show sized. their coral selection is large but mostly LPS and softies. They have some SPS for sure, but they typically don’t look that hot. You might be able to get a bargain on a browned-out SPS now and then. They have an entire aisle of tanks for inverts. Really rivals That Fish Place for fish and inverts! I do like to stop there whenever I am in Bucks County. WEBSITE
- FISH: 5/5
- INVERTS: 5/5
- SPS: 3/5
- LPS: 4/5
- SOFTIES: 4/5
- SUPPLIES: 4/5
- The Fish Factory (Bristol, PA) – The Fish Factory is literally down the street from The Hidden Reef in Bucks County (about a mile maximum). They have recently been re-doing their saltwater and coral section so its hard to give them an accurate grade. But, I found them to be hit or miss as well. One of the best parts of the Fish Factory is their huge selection of used goods. If you need something used, like a reactor, skimmer, wet/dry, etc, you can usually find something there. their supplies are pretty decent, nothing high-end. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there, but if you are going to the Hidden Reef you should go there too. WEBSITE
- FISH: 3/5
- INVERTS: 3/5
- SPS: 3/5
- LPS: 3/5
- SOFTIES: 3/5
- SUPPLIES: 4/5
