Best place to get a honey gourami online? I got a sunset thick-lipped by mistake
- Thread starter JCinPA
- Start date
Out of curiosity - what is the local fish store situation in Philadelphia?
@GaryE It’s not too good, actually. At least for mom & pop independent stores. There was one with a stellar reputation that I was looking forward to visiting in northwest Philly area. Went to the address listed for them, not there. Turns out they moved last November. When I found them Their tanks are almost all empty, given it’s been over six months, I’m not sure they’re really trying to make it a business again. They did source my Labiosa, however. I won’t be back. Nothing Near me looks interesting, most have very little aquatics supplies or livestock, many are services for maintaining commercial tanks around the area.
There are some within 45-90 minutes of driving distance that look very promising and I plan to visit them in the next month or so. One is in Bristol PA, and looks promising, althgough their website is pretty sparse. A large one in Lancaster, PA is a stocking Seapora dealer, and I will outfit my second tank from them, most likely. Much better website.
Luckily, though, the local PetSmart has a great fish selection, very well-maintained tanks, and healthy fish. They anlso have some very knowledgeable folks working there who are obviously multi-tank hobbyists themselves, not just mega-store employees. They’ve been very helpful.
There are some within 45-90 minutes of driving distance that look very promising and I plan to visit them in the next month or so. One is in Bristol PA, and looks promising, althgough their website is pretty sparse. A large one in Lancaster, PA is a stocking Seapora dealer, and I will outfit my second tank from them, most likely. Much better website.
Luckily, though, the local PetSmart has a great fish selection, very well-maintained tanks, and healthy fish. They anlso have some very knowledgeable folks working there who are obviously multi-tank hobbyists themselves, not just mega-store employees. They’ve been very helpful.
Lancaster Ps used to have a mega store for online equipment sales. I bought dry goods from them in simpler times, 30 plus years ago. They advertised in all the US aquarium magazines, just before internet culture really kicked in. It may be the same store - That Fish Place.
One of the AquaClears they sold me went to plastic waste heaven yesterday - an interesting coincidence. Its second impeller shaft failed. I think that purchase was a touch beyond 30 years ago and this was the last one standing from it. I still have two working 100 watt Ebo Jaeger heaters from then, though they can no longer be adjusted. They're still reliable. Two out of ten, thirty years later. Not bad.
One of the AquaClears they sold me went to plastic waste heaven yesterday - an interesting coincidence. Its second impeller shaft failed. I think that purchase was a touch beyond 30 years ago and this was the last one standing from it. I still have two working 100 watt Ebo Jaeger heaters from then, though they can no longer be adjusted. They're still reliable. Two out of ten, thirty years later. Not bad.
Hahah, you nailed it!
www.thatpetplace.com
I look forward to visiting them.
Wow, 30 years with a single impeller replacement? That is the Weber Grill of power filters! I never had an old model but I love the AC20 I got for my 10 gallon. I modified it with more foam, seen in another thread.
Maybe I should have a spare impeller on hand?
Visit That Fish Place - That Pet Place - 237 Centerville Road, Lancaster, PA 17603
Visit That Fish Place - That Pet Place at 237 Centerville Road, Lancaster, PA 17603 or call 717-299-5691 for details!
www.thatpetplace.com
I look forward to visiting them.
Wow, 30 years with a single impeller replacement? That is the Weber Grill of power filters! I never had an old model but I love the AC20 I got for my 10 gallon. I modified it with more foam, seen in another thread.
Maybe I should have a spare impeller on hand?
Generally, an impeller will go, but its the impeller shaft that's the 'weak' point. I have never been able to replace one twice. It's a one time repair. The motors last forever as non moving parts. The plastic in the intake tubes generally becomes brittle with age.
They sold a model with a metal impeller post, which they switched out for a lousy ceramic one. Then they went back to metal, but I don't think it's the original part. Indestructible products gain consumer confidence but they don't generate returns to buy more.
I get to be a longterm product tester by being a cheapskate. Why replace a device that works and doesn't over consume energy? Run it into the ground!
I have a second hand antique 1980s aquaclear running on a tank - it spent 15 to 20 years or so in a barn after the fishkeeper died and his family took his fishroom down. A local guy bought the contents in a garage sale and it's filtering a cory tank, though the intake strainer had to be replaced.
I think I'm finally getting to the end of my aquaclear collection. My cheap Chinese knockoff aquaclear models never got past 15 years of use, and my marinelands never beat 7. I didn't keep exact records. The AQ in question was bought new 30 years ago, but may have been kept as a spare for a few years. It could only have lasted 20...
They sold a model with a metal impeller post, which they switched out for a lousy ceramic one. Then they went back to metal, but I don't think it's the original part. Indestructible products gain consumer confidence but they don't generate returns to buy more.
I get to be a longterm product tester by being a cheapskate. Why replace a device that works and doesn't over consume energy? Run it into the ground!
I have a second hand antique 1980s aquaclear running on a tank - it spent 15 to 20 years or so in a barn after the fishkeeper died and his family took his fishroom down. A local guy bought the contents in a garage sale and it's filtering a cory tank, though the intake strainer had to be replaced.
I think I'm finally getting to the end of my aquaclear collection. My cheap Chinese knockoff aquaclear models never got past 15 years of use, and my marinelands never beat 7. I didn't keep exact records. The AQ in question was bought new 30 years ago, but may have been kept as a spare for a few years. It could only have lasted 20...
As you may know, Philadelphia was once the hobby's American Mecca during the formative years of the hobby in the first half of the 20th century. Innes publishing was based there as were some legendary shops, Barrett's most notably. In the early 20's, the then Crown Prince of Japan, Hirohito, an avid aquarist, visited America and specifically requested a stop in Philadelphia to tour the aquarium shops and meet breeders and fanciers. Innes himself hosted him and gave him the grand tour. After the War, Innes wrote a reflective article about this event in his magazine, The Aquarium.
As for T. chuna, no sooner said than done--just added to Wetspot's stock list on Friday's update:
I just wish I knew the difference when I got mine. But I’m attached to him now. Had I gotten a Chuna I’d likely have stuck with the 10 gallon aquarium. I’m
Kind of glad I have the labiosa, though. It will motivate me to get a bigger tank for him.
Kind of glad I have the labiosa, though. It will motivate me to get a bigger tank for him.
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I suspect that they are another casualty of the modern aquarium trade and may never be seen again .
I lamented that I had no wild type Aplocheilus lineatus until I met the man who had no wild type Colisa labiosa gourami’s .
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