This fish crawl started with Keepin’ It Reef in Littleton, CO. They are a small LFS just starting out and offering both fresh and saltwater livestock. Their specialty though is saltwater and they do it very well. I picked up a few additions to my saltwater tank in fact. This said, they have plans to replace the rack of freshwater tanks for a better appearance and easier care. Another addition to the store is a new sign, so the store is easy to see from the road. One thing we all know and must remember, if in business, commerce is driven by supply and demand. Keeping costs down leads to success and Carl knows this all too well as witnessed by the empty tanks and low lighting. It is easy to tell the hobbyist LFS from the business-oriented ones. If this LFS was closer to me, I would be shopping here much more often. They have a nice selection of livestock and very competitive pricing. Well worth a visit!
The next stop was at Aquamart in Lakewood, CO. This is one of the first LFS I visited when I moved to the Denver Metro and it remains a good LFS, though quality here seems to be a struggle. It is under new management for a while now and frankly I am not impressed. They have added a separate room for quarantine which is nice and keeps sick fish out of public view. The fish on display look healthy and active. The bright spot in the saltwater section is the inverts and nano fish. In the freshwater section, it is the shrimp section. Not many LFS carry a nice selection of FW shrimp like they do. The tank of plants was in very bad shape, which I don’t ever remember them having a good selection of. If you are considering going on a fish crawl, add this store for the display tanks out front alone. Otherwise, well, the store is average.
EDIT (2-7-23) – I just saw this message and now pass it along to my readers:
“Change. With the support of my wife Michelle and parent I was able to purchase Aquamart back in 2013. These past 10 years I have enjoyed the privilege of building Aquamart to what I had envisioned. A local fish store that provides a clean and healthy environment for livestock along with a knowledgeable, Friendly Team. This was made possible by YOU our Customers and Friends and I will be forever grateful. The past two years I have seen changes in the retail environment, ones that I never thought would have the impact they had to Aquamart. It is because of these changes that I have decided to sell the retail store Aquamart. This will not be an easy thing to step away from however its one that must happen. It is my hope that with a new owner Aquamart will continue to provide our community for years to come. If you are interested in purchasing Aquamart's retail store operations please email me at jeff@aquamartonline.com
Thank you! Jeff”
The last visit was to Murrman’s Reef in Denver. Their specialty is coral, and it shows. They have the best selection of corals in Colorado by volume. Since corals and saltwater are new to me, I hesitate to rate the quality of the livestock. The fish looked good, and they had a decent selection. They also had a nice selection of inverts. Their big thing these days is their online auction which they do every week. The back of the store is dedicated to the auction only. They have a side room and when I visited last year it was all set up with tanks. This has shrunk to one tank of frags for growout and the rest is storage. As far as the less than clean look of the store, this has not changed. I guess one could say they focus on what is important, the Corals.
Reefstock Denver, March 4-5, 2023, will be at the Crowne Plaza. It will be bigger than ever with more space, so don’t miss this annual tradition that has been a big part of the local marine and reef aquarium community since 2004. See their website for a list of vendors, floor plan, and Tickets!
Sequoia Elisabeth
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