I originally wrote this for DRC, but no one seemed to read it
I visited Aquatic Specialists last week and figured I'd write a small review.
Aquatic Specialists LLC
850 Arthur Rd.
Troy, OH 45373
937-875-2933
Monday - Friday: 11am - 9 pm
Saturday: 10am - 9pm
Sunday: 11am - 7 pm
http://www.aquaticspecialistsllc.com/The Store:
Brand new looking. Everything is nicely laid out. Tanks on one side, dry goods on the other and tanks and equipment in the back. Fairly easy to find, worth mentioning in on the back side of the shopping centers your directions will likely give you, next to a daycare. Hours are great, as you can see. Finally a family owned LFS that has hours like a chain.
The Tanks:
All tanks where clean and livestock healthy. No dead fish in the tanks as is the custom for some, lower grade, LFS in our area. They have 3 150Gal(I think) tanks for coral with a large Euroreef skimmer on top. All coral seems in good shape, no tears or visible parasites. The have a nice variety including some coral I haven't seen locally before. They offer both large colonies and frags on both plugs and LR. Justin (Co-Owner, Son) informed me they they will frag almost anything on the spot (a service I took advantage of) if you'd like more or less then what they have already. I'll admit I'm a fan of zoas and soft coral so much of my attention was directed there. They had single zoas and mushrooms available, already mounted, which is great for people like me Smile. I took some time to explain what I was looking (some filler Zoas for my pico-reef) and Justin pointed out a colony that has expanded rather rapidly. As they didn't have any frags of they colony yet, I asked if I could get just a small frag of 4 heads. I expected to be told no seeing as it was so small, but was surprised when before I finished my sentence Justin was elbow deep retrieving the colony. He then offered to mount it on either plug or LR rubble. I was floored with the level of costumer care. Finally, on the back wall of the marine tanks they have a Cal Reactor build into the wall, pretty cool Smile.
Services:
From the website (as I haven't experienced it)
They offer tank maintenance on a few differential schedules (weekly, bi-weekly, etc)
Tank tear down and relocation
Tank restoration services (for the lazy reefer who let his tank go)
I didn't see it but from other reviews I've read they sell live brine shrimp, copepods and rotifers!
Prices:
I know everyone wants to read this one. Smile I found the prices to be great. Their speicals offer some greats deals. Just this week, cleaner shrimp for $11. Some prices are on par with the rest of the area but that is the rarity. I can honestly say that I saw nothing in the store and said to myself, "I can get that cheaper at XYZ's"
Their Practices:
Everything is quarantined for at least a week prior to sale. Something I know should be done but haven't seen elsewhere.
They offer a rewards program on everything but aquariums, giving you credit for money spent.
I never felt pressured into anything as can be the case. I think that they consider the welfare of the creature as much as they think of the sale. They seem to truly love this hobby. When they told me "We run the store how we would want it if we where you." I believed them I don't expect they to say a yellow tang will do fine in a 29gal tank of a few years. (which I heard at a LFS just a few days ago)
Closing:
Aquatic Specialists is by far my new favorite LFS. I don't see myself shopping elsewhere very often. Would I stop and pick up a can of food? Maybe not, I live 20 minutes away. I will buy my livestock and other essentials from them.
They offer GREAT customer service, a clean store and awesome livestock. They go the extra mile by offering a rewards program, stocking the free quarterly magazine REEF Hobbyist, taking the time to make sure you get just what you want. They offered some freebies to me, my frag and a few extra heads on it then what I had asked, no charge. When Justin was digging in the tank to get my purchase he found a small "junk" frag that he threw in (much to my excitement) And when I remarked that I hadn't seen REEF Hobbyist anywhere else around Duane (Co-owner, Father) reached under the counted and handed me some pass issues.
I am not trying to say that every time you walk in the store, they're give you a frag or something (I don't expect it), but when you're there they will give you the best experience you can hope for from a LFS. If my review seems biased, it's because that is how happy they made me. If it seems slanderous to other LFS that is because once you've seen the best you'll forget the rest.
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