Local Fish
Stores (Denver area)
Of course, this hobby
would not survive based only on
internet retailers. Here in the Denver area there are several
local fish stores (LFSs) that I've gotten to know. This list
isn't necessarily in a specific order...ones that I frequent
(either because of quality or convenience) are near the top. Ones
that have closed are at the bottom (for a memorial, I guess).
Ones outside of the Denver metro area are
grouped at the very end as I discover them.
During September of '05, a very helpful contributor to Reef Central
provided an interactive map
for LFSs in Colorado. Here's a link
centered on Denver. Each "balloon" is a fish store--click for
name, address, phone. At least one (Quality Aqua) is hidden
behind the balloon for Reef 'n Pond unless you zoom in to one of the
four most detailed levels of the map.
- Neptune's
(County Line Rd, West of University (next to Mervyn's) Highlands
Ranch 303-798-1776) has traditionally had, by far, the most
knowledgeable staff and
consistently best
quality
livestock that I've found in the Denver area. Both positive
characteristics are
reflected in higher than average prices. Sharon's shop is split
about evenly between
freshwater and marine gallonage, but the coral variety isn't
tremendous--but better than the average fish store. They are,
however, very conscientious about not
selling fish from tanks with new arrivals or sick fish. Every
marine tank is labeled with the date that each animal arrived and they
won't sell fish until they've acclimated in the store for generally two
weeks. (They will hold fish for you if either the fish or your
tank are not quite ready.) The staff
are mostly marine/reef fanatics and when the store isn't busy you can
learn a ton of good stuff just talking with them. They've saved
me hours of frustration and lots of money strictly through their good
advice. My #1 recommended LFS for healthy livestock! [Last visit/update: regular, weekly]
- Premier Fish and Reef
(3225
S Wadsworth Blvd #D, Lakewood, 303-716-5700) A year-old shop in
the
southwest part of the city. Opened about the same time as nearby
Pure Ocean
Aquatics (see below). Operated by Will, formerly of
Neptune's. This
store is definitely on the 'must visit' list, if only to admire the
plumbing! They are stocking the largest variety in saltwater fish
in
town--many exotics in addition to the commonly seen fish. A good
selection of freshwater fish and plants as well. Like
Neptune's, they quarantine all new arrivals for two weeks before
selling. Several large coral flats similar to Reef 'n Pond (but
with
marked prices!) and a very good selection. [Last visit/update:
2/06]
- Quality Aqua
(NEW
LOCATION--APRIL, 06!!! 143 W. County Line Rd. in the
Albertson's Center, 720-570-9500) This retail store recently
moved closer to me. I used to comment
that QA had the worst
retail location of any LFS in Denver. Now they have one of the
best...right off of C-470 at Broadway. I'm looking forward to their new location and them getting
all restocked.
They isolate and
prophylactically treat new fish--not as rigidly as Neptune's or Premier
but much
better
than
average. I have purchased several fish and corals from QA and all
have been healthy. Quality Aqua staff are
getting to be a
trusted advisors for many reefers in the area and are working hard
to bring in more stock of both fish and corals. Definitely worth
the effort of finding this shop! [Last visit/update: 4/06]
- Key's Island
(formerly Great Barrier
Reef) (1800 W. Oxford, Sheridan 303-783-0697) seems, on
the
surface, to be a slipshod
outfit--their large display tanks are not always clean or
attractive. They have a hodgepodge of equipment and dry goods
distributed
almost randomly. They do have a good selection of corals and
emphasize sales of frags that help preserve the natural reefs. I
have purchased several fish, some stars/crabs/snails and a couple of
soft and stony corals. Ki recently bought out a partner (if I got
the whole story correctly) and took
full ownership (hence the name change). Back in 2004 Ki opened a
website (www.fragshop.com) to
sell his coral frags and had a large grow-out room in the
back of the retail store, although the grow-out operation was taken
down because
it seems to be
impossible to make money on local coral aquaculture. A
shame. The website is still operational
but call or visit for real availability--the website shows everything
as "Not in stock". [Last
visit/update: 11/05]
- Sherman Tank(6530
N Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada 303-427-1019--moved from north Federal
in March '05) (Effective
October, '04 they opened a second location at 2553 S. Colorado Blvd,
across from University Hills. The store was hastily closed at the
end of March, '06. And another one bites the dust...)
The south store, for the year that it was open, was
the better of the two stores.
Marc Sherman has been a
success in the Denver LFS market for many years. Sherman Tank is
(by far) the low cost
local provider...they carry moderate to good quality
equipment at generally good retail prices. They
have good prices
on fish as
well, but I've never quite trusted their livestock... One of
the concerns that I always use to evaluate a LFS is how well they
quarantine/isolate fish and try to prevent transmission of disease
among their own tanks (and their customers'). Sherman Tank
(especially the north store!) seems
to ignore the issue entirely...they share nets among tanks and sell
fish the same
day that they arrive. They receive a large shipment almost every
day and introduce them into sale tanks immediately. They
do a low cost
and high volume business which means they turn fish over without any
isolation/acclimation/observation period. Even
at the south store, they acclimate temperature (bag floating) but then
net the fish and drop them directly into their display tanks, ignoring
pH and other chemistry differences. They
frequently sell the fish directly while still in the shipping
bags ("BITB"). This may be acceptable for
the aquarist who
has an isolation tank and is willing to take on the risks of loss in
exchange for a lower price, but for most hobbyists it is a risk not
worth taking. [Last
visit/update: 4/06]
- Liquid Kingdom (6470
W. 120th Ave., Broomfield 303-460-8487) The shop is small but
specialized. They carry
marine fish/inverts and cichlids. (5/05 I heard that they've discontinued
the chichlid emphasis.) They have some dry goods and
equipment on the high shelves, but no floor space is dedicated to
selling tanks. The variety of livestock was reasonable and
the shop does quarantine incoming marine fish. Prices aren't
posted on tanks, but are available in a master price list hanging
across from the giant coral display tank. (This is fine for
experienced aquarists, but might be difficult for beginners to match a
fish in one of 30 tanks to a name on a list and such folks might feel
shy about asking 'What fish is that?' 100 times.) No posting is
available to determine how long a particular animal has been in the
shop. The staff is very friendly and helpful. When I was in
last,
their renowned aiptasia culture was booming. Their display tank
used to feature
Moorish
Idols--unfortunately an A/C failure in the summer of '05 killed them
and a lot of corals [Last visit/update: 9/05]
- Reef 'n Pond
(2645 S. Santa Fe Drive, 303-758-5300) I'd heard of this place
and seen it in the phone book but never bothered to go see a "pond"
store...until today. Dropped in and was surprised. First
off, the "pond" section is just part of one aisle. The rest of
the
store is all marine. They have several huge display tanks.
The largest (1000
gal) was recently
re-established, but is very nice. Their supply of
marine fish was a little disjointed. No clear theme. They
have sold off about half of their fish display
tanks...not sure what's up with that. Now fish are sold from many
smaller compartmented tanks, but they are all kept nice and
clean.
They expanded into the space next door for a tank and stand
showroom--they usually have several large acrylic tanks with stands on
the floor for
sale at
reasonable prices. The amazing thing, though are their coral and
frag tanks. Hundreds of corals. The biggest display I've
seen in
town other than Ki's and now Premier.
Prices
on fish used to be marked on a board (so you had to know what you're
looking
at) but that has changed. Now there's
no pricing or names on corals. Some local aquarists
have complained that the pricing
seems almost random...some have gotten great deals while others walked
away muttering. (Some rumors are that the price may vary based on
who is
helping
you, so come back another day and ask someone else...)
I recently
met Steve, one of the original owners, who now does just aquarium
maintenance contract work rather than retail...a very friendly and
helpful guy. [Last visit/update: 3/05]
- South Broadway
Tropicals (3372 S. Broadway, Englewood 303-762-1856)
seems like a little bit of both ends of the spectrum. Their
prices are pretty good (but not as good as
Sherman
Tank) but they don't seem to be quite as devoted to the saltwater part
of the
hobby. I have bought a few fish from them...about half have made
it through my own 3-4 week quarantine. Not what I consider
reasonable odds. [Last visit/update: 8/04]
- Todd's Tropical
Fish
(10015 E. Hampden, Denver 303-338-1331) A big and
very clean
shop with lots of display tanks.
Large, diverse collection of marine fish and inverts as well as
freshwater. Many animals in the tanks, though, are not identified
or priced which is a little annoying. (Especially since you can
spend 20 minutes in the shop looking at fish without any staff member
bothering to ask if you would like assistance.) Coral selection
is pretty limited. Prices (when
shown) are not bargain basement but also not outrageous. (Fish
prices are okay, coral prices seem awfully high.) There is
no indication of when individual animals were received. Most
disturbing were two visits (back in '04) when I found large
(expensive!)
specimens (one trigger, one angel) dead in their tanks--both times the
staff were surprised to have the corpses pointed out to them.
Makes me wonder how often they patrol the floor. [Last visit/update:
5/05]
- Fish Den
(5055 W. 44th Ave. near Lakeside 303-458-0376) I dropped in
recently for the first time in
years. It was like a time machine trip...the store is pretty much
what all neighborhood fish stores were like back in the 80s.
Undergravel filters, normal output flourescents, even the old paneling
(painted black) to cover the gaps between the rows of tanks.
Other than brief nostalgia, I found nothing to warrant a return
trip. [Last
visit/update: 8/04]
- Aqua Imports
(2690 28th, Boulder 303-444-6971) Big place. Lots of
tanks,
scattered here and there across what seems to have once been three or
four separate but adjoining buildings. Tanks seemed generally
neglected...I don't recall seeing dead or dying fish but I just wasn't
impressed. This is the opposite aesthetic impression from Fish,
etc.
or Reef and Pond or Quality Aqua. Other members of the
Rocky Mountain Reef Club have reported that the store is undergoing a
rejuvination during the summer of '05. Next time I get to
Boulder, I'll have to check it out. [Last visit/update: 9/04]
- Exotic Aquatics
(3216 Arapahoe Rd., Boulder 303-442-5363) Have been in a
couple of times in the past year. Last purchase was a couple of
interesting African tree roots for a freshwater planted tank a few
years back. The store has been around Boulder (in a couple of
locations) since at least the early 70s when I lived up there. I
remember the shop as being extremely clean and enticing back
then. Nowadays, it just seems, well, tired... About a third
of the store is saltwater, another third freshwater and the rest tanks
and equipment. Nothing (except the African roots) ever excites
me. [Last
visit/update: 9/04]
- Oceans Apart (2223 S. Monaco Pkwy
(just north from the King Soopers),
303-758-5300) Retail store is only open Saturdays, from 10 to
6. The business is primarily servicing tanks (of owners who must
just want living furniture without the work, I guess). Not a
great supply of livestock. One master price list rather than
labels/prices on the tanks. I find this approach really annoying,
but even more so when the listings don't match the actual inhabitants
of the tanks. Also, just to make things interesting they have
multiple tanks with the same code...be sure you're looking in the right
section (fish, inverts, etc.). They were scheduled to move to
7808 Cherry
Creek S. Drive some time during the summer of '04. I haven't had
a chance to check back in since. [Last visit/update: 6/04]
- Reef Encounters
(303-665-9728) Phonebook entry. I think this is a
mainenance operation only.
- Harts Corner
Fish (5220 W. Mississippi, Denver 303-936-1217)
- Pet World (7585 W.
10th Ave, Lakewood 303-237-4493)
- Essential Pet (9841
S. Parker Rd., Parker 303-805-5451)
R.I.P.
- Fish, etc.
(1412 S. Parker Rd, Denver (north of the Albertson's),
303-752-3050) New
shop (May, 2004)--Closed (most unfortunately) July, 2005. I
first stopped in while the owner, Kei, was still
trying
to
get things set up. Many new, bare, clean SW and FW tanks.
Several
fish
looked to be a little the worse for wear at that pre-opening visit,
presumably due to shipping. Dropped in again mid-June (04)
and the stocking levels were improving--everyone appeared healthy and
happy. Center piece of the store was a
huge coral show tank--it was
amazing (approximately 8' square!) but with relatively few "SPS"
corals (as a then young tank). All of
the tanks were bare bottom with crystal clear glass
and a blue wall several feet behind. Made an entrancing
display...a great feeling of depth. In addition to a heavy marine
emphasis, the shop also had
tanks for
African cichlids and other freshwater fish.
Kei had a string of
thefts from the store that was detected in December '04. He got
photos of the perp and his children (accomplices!) in the act...the
story made the local TV news. Some of the photos and a
description of the major shoplifting operation are detailed here.
They caught the lowlife and temporarily got him out of circulation but
a recent post on ReefCentral suggests that the guy (and family) are
back "visiting" other stores.
Kei has been another regular (and very
helpful!!!) contributor to the Rocky Mountain Reef
Club on ReefCentral.com. Since the store's closing Kei has
remained active on the RMRC forum. He is exploring the idea of
reopening Fish Etc. with a focus on importing exotic fish (that
wouldn't generally be stocked in most LFSs) and selling both locally
and via the internet--the local reef club membship expressed a lot of
enthusiasm for the plan. [Last visit/update: 11/05]
- Catfish Charlie's
(1140 Pine #5, Louisville 303-665-3322) As of May,
'04, CC's has closed...
- Animal Crackers
(1635 Quail Street, Lakewood) Doors closed July, 05...I
never heard
of them before the announcement on RC that they were closing.
- Marine Showcase
(7060 S. Tucson Way, Bldg. B, Englewood 303-799-8900) I
never even heard of this shop until Feb,
2004. Sounds like they were in business for quite awhile, but
they
in a very remote location in a business park area. They had
planned to move to
smaller quarters in but it didn't work out. By June, '04 the
phone was disconnected and the doors were closed. I never did
make it in.
- Fish Gallery
(2553
S. Colorado Blvd (across from University Hills mall), Denver
303-649-9661) Another one bites the
dust.
This shop changed owners, changed names and moved from the Denver Tech
Center early in 2004. Then in October, 2004 the shop was taken
over
by
Sherman Tank as their south store. See above for a description of
their operations (the layout, operations and staff of the south store
(in my opinion) are better than the north store).
- Mile High
Aquariums (7421 W. Bowles Ave., Littleton
303-979-2555) Closed back in '04. Space now re-occupied by
Pure Ocean Aquatics.
Outside of Denver area:
- Animal Attraction
(2518 11th Ave, Greeley, 970-461-0023) I finally got to visit
this store in July, '04 after hearing about it for months. Very
nice store, friendly staff, clean tanks, good assortment of equipment
and livestock, reasonable prices. A balance between fresh and
salt fishes (as well as reptiles...some gorgeous snakes!) They
have the most amazing (hot pink and white) variant of a rose
anemone. I saw a daughter of one of these in the tank of a Denver
reefer which was one of the driving forces for going up to
Greeley. That alone was worth the drive. [Last visit/update:
9/05]
- Triton
Aquatics (Ft. Collins, 970-568-9090)
No first hand experience to report. I guess I'll have to
find it on the next trip up north.
- Neptune's Realm This one's on the
west side of Colorado Springs
(up toward Manitou Springs) that I had to list. I didn't have
anything
exceptional to post about it, but I just loved the fact that it was a
couple doors from a Sushi restaurant. Oh, the photo I didn't
get...
- Brandt Aquatics, "The Fish Store" (724 E.
Kiowa Ave #6, Elizabeth, CO, 303-646-0020) This place is new...I
stumbled across it on their opening day (5/7/05) and enjoyed a long
talk with Jim (Brandt) and his wife. They are off the beaten
track, but for anyone who lives in Elizabeth, Kiowa, Franktown or even
Castle Rock or Parker it might be worth a visit. They have a
small store with primarily freshwater fish with a particular emphasis
on cichlids, especially discus and Africans. When I dropped in
they had only
two tanks of easy saltwater fish (damsels only) but the selection
should expand as the tanks mature. Speaking with Jim, it was
apparent
that he has good experience with raising and breeding the discus and a
true interest in making beginners in the hobby successful. [Last visit/update:
5/05]
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