We start in Centennial, CO at The Fish Reef. As you may or may not know they are closed to the public temporarily due to staffing shortages. I will link the last blog on them below. Josh has not responded to my inquires so I must assume things are unchanged. They have always been focused on Installations, Maintenance, and Custom Builds, so I am not surprised. From the looks of the interior of their store things have not changed much other than from what I saw the tanks are dry and empty. See the pictures below for a current view of the store. I wish them all the best, though I don’t expect them to be reopening any time soon, esp. with the new competition. Frankly, I think things are just as they need to be.
Down the road about 3 miles in Parker, CO is Aqua Culture. This saltwater only LFS has the remodeling complete in the livestock area and they have hit the ground running. Tariq, the new owner, is making the most of the space. They have further changes coming with a remodel of the entry space and a new epic tank for the back of the store. The rumor is 1800g of saltwater heaven with acroporas and big, beautiful fish. A new trend in the LFS marketplace is for stores to quarantine their fish for up to a month before offering them for sale. By this, I mean having a totally separate area for this to take place. Not the usual quarantining in place. A perk of the hot market here in Colorado, I am sure. It is always a good practice to ask where the livestock you are buying is from and how long it has been in store. Now the question is, has it been quarantined? Another thought on this store is presentation. I had difficulty seeing some of the fish due to algae film on the front glass. As far as I remember it is standard practice to inspect each tank, remove any dead fish, and wipe the glass each morning before opening. Something to think about for all you LFS owners.
The last stop is in Englewood, CO at MC Aquatics. This full service LFS is huge and it’s really coming together. The gigantic amazon freshwater display tank is in place now and just needs to be set up. When I was there, they had just released a group of Vampire Crabs into their new tank. I am sad to say the freshwater shrimp must not have worked out that well, because their tanks are now used for fish. The freshwater aquascaped display tanks are looking really good. I suggest you drop by and check them out. I notice a number of plants I had not seen in LFS before, so if you are looking for something unusual, they can probably help you out. The saltwater section has the frag racks in place now and I hear they are expecting a big shipment of corals in a few weeks. The smaller fish and invert section seemed lightly stocked so things here seem to be moving right along. The staff here is so friendly and welcoming I have it in the top 3 of my full service LFS in Colorado.
Sequoia Elisabeth
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