Valley Pets was a pleasant surprise. I had not been there before, so this trip was refreshing. For a pet store to have an aquarium department this magnificent is really something to make note of. In my humble opinion this is the best all-around LFS in Southern Colorado. Let me explain, this store has everything for freshwater and will soon be carrying saltwater as well. When it comes to supplies for anything aquarium related, they have you covered. I was assured they would have the saltwater section all up and running by the end of the year, if not sooner. If it is half as good as the freshwater, then they will clinch the title of best LFS south of Denver. I make this declaration on the premise they do just this.
The store is located at 6380 US-85, Fountain, CO 80817. Their hours are Monday thru Saturday 10-8 and Sunday 10-6. Upon entering the store, you are surrounded by beautiful aquatic plants and indoor ponds of goldfish and koi. Across from there is a big eye-catching cichlid tank. In the corner to the right are empty tanks both new and used. The fish department is to the left of the entrance and as you will see in my photos is quite large. More new aquariums are straight ahead, and the walls of the room are lined with fish tanks. A big rack of cichlids are right up front, though I was told these would be replaced with saltwater tanks soon. It will be fun to return in 6 months or so and see what has changed. In the back of the room on the right is a big tank with more aquatic plants and an aquascaped display tank to rival any I have seen. Honestly, this tank rocks! The back wall and left wall are lined with many more tanks of fish of all types. I did not see any monster fish, but I think they do carry the small adolescent ones. Like most of the LFS they will work to find the fish you are looking for.
The aquatic department was remodeled not long ago so it looks really nice. The floor tells the story differently. This store has been around a long time! They have been in business 40 years. The other sections of the store are mainly focused on exotic pets, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. It shows its age. They have kewl snake skins on the ceiling, a cabinet with minerals and jewelry, and preserved bats in acrylic for the natural history lovers most of us are. The other thing they have of note is an impressive collection of fish posters. I would have taken pictures of them all but then this blog would be way too long. The posters where not well displayed though and need to be re-framed.
All in all, this is the kind of LFS I enjoy. I could have spent more time just hanging out and looking at every little thing. Not all stores feel as comfortable and welcoming as this one. I am sure the staff have a lot to do with this. Put Valley Pets on your LFS crawl list and if you live in the Springs or nearby, I would definitely give them a visit.
Sequoia Elisabeth
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