J & M Aquatics and Pet Center is located at 2851 1/2 North Ave, Grand Junction, CO 81501. Their hours are 9-7 Monday to Saturday and Sunday 10-6. Half the store is dedicated to aquariums and aquatic life. I did not even go over to the other side, so to speak. Of this half the front is all tanks and supplies, the back all livestock. The selection is quite impressive as they serve all areas of the aquatic hobby. They have both saltwater and freshwater fish available. I saw plants and corals, betta fish and goldfish, cichlids and plecos. Upon entering the store, I was acknowledged and asked if I could be helped. After hearing I was just taking photos they disappeared, and I had difficulty finding assistance thereafter.
The store overall is well laid out with an island of tanks in the front area with supplies all around this. If you are looking for a particular fish, I recommend asking them straightaway. The back room is basically divided into two areas with tanks on either side. I did not see any order to the tanks. Saltwater tanks are mixed into the freshwater ones. If you don’t know your fish, you may have difficulty knowing what is what. Many of the tanks were mis-labeled, so there was no way to know the price or even the name of the fish within. The fish seemed to be tossed into any tank which was available with no order to compatibility. In one tank there were discus hiding in the back while rainbows and danios dominated the limited space.
The tank decorations were no more natural than Western Slope Aquatics, and they still had those ugly neon plastic plants. The GlowFish were nicely displayed and so were a few other tanks like the cichlids and the bowfront tank (pictured below). I only have to guess that they were in the middle of cleaning, because some tanks looked good and others nasty. This store holds the record for the dirtiest LFS fish tanks. It was hard to tell how healthy the fish are, though I did not see any “floaters”. I had to ask an associate to clean the glass on one tank just to get a decent picture. This sort of set the tone for the rest of my visit. I am not impressed with this store.
Suffice it to say J & M Aquatics does not make my LFS crawl list. However, since it is not far from Western Slope Aquatics it couldn’t hurt to just drop by while you are in the area. It gives me no pleasure to dish a LFS, but this place gave me box store vibes. For those who find the place convenient I am sure they do decent business. The staff was kind and helpful when I could find them. The products are well displayed and the prices competitive. If it suits you, then do stop in and see for yourself.
Sequoia Elisabeth
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