Saw some in Michigan, but none from my area, and there's quite a few of them. I've hit most of them around here, so while I'm online and bored:
State: Michigan
City: Saginaw
Store: Ocean Odyssey
Variety/ Selection: 5
Cleanliness and quality: 4
Staff friendlyness and Knowledge: 5
Smiley rating:
Biggest place around. Pretty mixed, though. If you catch the manager, he really knows his stuff, but is usually in the back office. They have a few very knowledgeable people, and a lot of less knowledgeable people who at least know better than to give you advice when somebody is on hand that can help you better. They do some specialty orders, particularly salt water, but won't carry or order painted fish. Tanks aren't always the cleanest, and have a large shared filter/water supply, so fish should definitely be quarantined (I've gotten a couple sick fish from them). Has some oddball stuff, like marine acclimated mollies and occasional rare species, but it's mostly common fish. One of only two places to get salt water fish in town, but unless you want yellow tangs, the selection is limited.
The one thing I really don't like about the place is that they sell baby alligators. I don't think they should be kept as pets to start with, but there's no viable way to keep something that gets that large in this part of the country, so most of these probably die or are donated to the zoo (where most of them probably die anyway).
Edit 8/7/08: Updating this place and downgrading a couple of their scores. Lately a number of their tanks have been sitting empty, the selection's narrower, the water's been dirty, and the fish have been looking progressively less healthy. I was a bit disturbed that they were selling some malawi cichlids with visibly bent spines at an increased price as a "rare humpback variety."
State: Michigan
City: Bay City
Store: Soldan's
Variety/ Selection: 6
Cleanliness and quality: 3
Staff friendlyness and Knowledge: 3
Smiley rating:
There's always somebody on duty who knows fish, but sometimes only one, and good luck getting a hold of them. The people who work out in the store aren't as knowledgeable, but can give good basic info. Fish tanks are clean, but often contain dead or dying fish, sometimes for several days. Do carry a handful of rare fish you can't find anywhere else in the Tri Cities. They do give a 5 day guarantee, most places don't.
Edit 8/7/08: Downgraded their clenliness - I made note of a dead fish stuck between a tank and the access panel behind it and have confirmed that it's been there every time I've stopped in for over two months now.
State: Michigan
City: Midland
Store: Soldans
Variety/ Selection: 8
Cleanliness and quality: 6
Staff friendlyness and Knowledge: unknown
Smiley rating:
Same chain, but a cleaner store with a better selection. Little experience with the service, but they were the only place in the Tri Cities you could get Bio-Spira with any hope of it actually working. Midland's tap water is a bit softer and lower pH than in Saginaw or Bay City, so you can find a few species here in better condition than anywhere in Saginaw (and vice-versa), but good luck getting them to survive the transition.
State: Michigan
City: Saginaw
Store: Soldans
Only here for mention - the signs at the Midland and Bay City locations list a Bay Road address. Apparently it will be going into the old Companion's Cuisine building in a few months.
State: Michigan
City: Saginaw/Zilwaukee
Store: Aquatic Gardens
Variety/ Selection: 9
Cleanliness and quality: 10
Staff friendlyness and Knowledge: 7
Smiley rating:
Edit 8/13/08: With Scales and Tales recent troubles, this is my first pick for fish locally.
Only other option for salt water in town, and a much wider selection than Ocean Odyssey. Cleanest tanks in the area, as well. Staff is reasonably good, and directs questions they aren't sure of to a local fish club. 2-3 times as expensive as anywhere else, but does have 2 for 1 Tuesdays on some fish. Also carries the widest selection of very large or oddly shaped tanks. Regularly stock oddball fish, though it's a dice game to see what they have in any given week. Sometimes they get mislabeled fish that they're not sure about, which can lead to wonderful deals, as they're usually sold at a discount price.
State: Michigan
City: Birch Run
Store: Rift Lake Tropicals
Variety/ Selection: ---
Cleanliness and quality: ---
Staff friendlyness and Knowledge: ---
Smiley rating:
Great while it lasted. This store is closing at the end of August 2008. No fish left, but they're selling off everything for the rest of the month, including the display tanks, cycled filters, even the cashier's desk is for sale cheap.
Going to throw in the PetSmart's too:
State: Michigan
City: Saginaw
Store: PetSmart
Variety/ Selection: 9
Cleanliness and quality: 5
Staff friendlyness and Knowledge: 4
Smiley rating:
Lot of sick or injured fish in the tanks. Most of the fish staff sound like parrots repeating canned answers, and they can rarely give good answers about specific species. Tried to sell me a dead apple snail saying, "Don't worry, he's in there!"
State: Michigan
City: Midland
Store: PetSmart
Variety/ Selection: 10
Cleanliness and quality: 8
Staff friendlyness and Knowledge: unsure
Smiley rating:
No experience with the staff, but the tanks are cleaner and the fish much healthier than the ones in Saginaw. Slightly better selection, probably owing to the same water differences mentioned under Soldan's.
lol
I bought a lot of nice plants there cheap before the slime took over. Employees cannot tell fish apart and often times catch the wrong ones (which I can't understand since the pictures are right there with the price!!)
