Shopping Spree

[tenohfive]

I popped down to Wildwoods today to make a couple of small additions to my 125L community tank - topping up cory numbers, adding some top dwellers etc. Ended up with a few more than expected:

2 x GBR's
2 x Nannocara anomala
6 x Silver hatchet fish
3 x Pentazona barbs (topping up numbers)
4 x Panda corys (topping up numbers)

Went a little mad and had to force myself to resist the urge to buy more for other tanks - there were some juvi Nicaraguan cichlids that I was tempted to pick up, and whilst having no tank that they would be suitable in right now I fell in love with the Cupid cichlids there.

I was a little wary of adding two pairs of dwarf cichlids but I decided to chance it - the tank is pretty well divided up so I'm hoping they'll claim different territories. If that doesn't work out then I'll move the Nannacara anomala into an empty 85L and see if I can get them breeding - though that may be a little while down the line as the male seems more mature than the female. I posted a thread about top dwellers recently - for anyone interested, I went with the hatchets as they were the only suitable fish that in the shop were constantly at the top. The Fork tail rainbows were beautiful but seemed to loiter in the mid to top half, and the hatchets are a bit different hence the decision to go for them.

I'm now feeling very chuffed, if slightly lighter in the wallet

 

[XFiSh_CichildX]

ha thats always the way i dnt no how many times i have said i just going out to get this and come back with loads more than i went for

 

[Rogue4Fish]

What's Wildwoods like? I read about it in PFK a while back, and I keep meaning to make time to go in and have a look...

 

[tenohfive]

What's Wildwoods like? I read about it in PFK a while back, and I keep meaning to make time to go in and have a look...

It's the only place I buy my fish from and it takes me about an hour to drive there - during which time I pass 5 fish shops (including 2 MA branches.) That's how good. It's not got much in the way of showpiece tanks but for unusual fish and consistently top quality fish I can't fault them.

 

[Carlovel1]

What's Wildwoods like? I read about it in PFK a while back, and I keep meaning to make time to go in and have a look...

I hate Wildwoods, purely for their prices. Their fish are usually around 2-3X more expensive then say...Wholesale Tropicals. There are occsionally some nice fish, but there are so many more cheaper stores with nice fish too.
e.g. Pygmy Cory £4 at Wildwoods-£1.50 at Living Reefs
Boraras brigittae £3.50 at Wildwoods- 99p at Maidenhead Aquatics

OK they have nice fish, but I am not stupid enough to buy ridiculously expensive fish from them

 

[tenohfive]

What's Wildwoods like? I read about it in PFK a while back, and I keep meaning to make time to go in and have a look...

I hate Wildwoods, purely for their prices. Their fish are usually around 2-3X more expensive then say...Wholesale Tropicals. There are occsionally some nice fish, but there are so many more cheaper stores with nice fish too.
e.g. Pygmy Cory £4 at Wildwoods-£1.50 at Living Reefs
Boraras brigittae £3.50 at Wildwoods- 99p at Maidenhead Aquatics

OK they have nice fish, but I am not stupid enough to buy ridiculously expensive fish from them

Is there anywhere else nearby that offers the same quality of fish for a lower price? Because I've not found anywhere - although I generally don't order through the internet as I like to pick out specific fish. And no matter what tank they are going in, I want the best fish quality fish I can reasonably buy.

A few times I've gone straight from Wildwoods to the MA down the road and on like for like fish (SA cichlids usually, but praecox rainbows are my usual yard stick) the colouration is lower and stress levels higher. And that's consistently, on different days (so not an issue with recently delivered fish etc.) I also popped into another branch of MA and was disappointed by the quality of fish (although having a nosy at their Arowana and rays was pleasant.)

Personally I believe I get what I pay for in there, but I'll happily have a nosy at somewhere else nearby if there's somewhere you'd recommend?

 

[Squidward]

I have mixed feelings about Wildwoods.

They do tend to be more expensive than other fish shops.

Also, their attitude towards their customers is a bit rude at times.
I was once looking at some of their fancy Plecs. They had fish of the same species but half the size of the others in one of their tanks. I asked how they could charge the same but for a much smaller fish. Lets just say I got told to "go hopping" in a less than polite way.

And some of their tanks look a bit dirty and in need of refurbishment.

But they do have fantastic oddballs. Some of which you can't find elsewhere.

 

[Carlovel1]

What's Wildwoods like? I read about it in PFK a while back, and I keep meaning to make time to go in and have a look...

I hate Wildwoods, purely for their prices. Their fish are usually around 2-3X more expensive then say...Wholesale Tropicals. There are occsionally some nice fish, but there are so many more cheaper stores with nice fish too.
e.g. Pygmy Cory £4 at Wildwoods-£1.50 at Living Reefs
Boraras brigittae £3.50 at Wildwoods- 99p at Maidenhead Aquatics

OK they have nice fish, but I am not stupid enough to buy ridiculously expensive fish from them

Is there anywhere else nearby that offers the same quality of fish for a lower price? Because I've not found anywhere - although I generally don't order through the internet as I like to pick out specific fish. And no matter what tank they are going in, I want the best fish quality fish I can reasonably buy.

A few times I've gone straight from Wildwoods to the MA down the road and on like for like fish (SA cichlids usually, but praecox rainbows are my usual yard stick) the colouration is lower and stress levels higher. And that's consistently, on different days (so not an issue with recently delivered fish etc.) I also popped into another branch of MA and was disappointed by the quality of fish (although having a nosy at their Arowana and rays was pleasant.)

Personally I believe I get what I pay for in there, but I'll happily have a nosy at somewhere else nearby if there's somewhere you'd recommend?

Maidenhead Aquatics@Wembley (brilliant store)
Wholesale Tropicals
Aquatic Design Centre

There are millions of great cheap fish shops in London, above I just listed my top fish shops.

 

[tenohfive]

From where I'm travelling London is too far, and after having visited a few MA shops I'm not inclined to make any special effort - average is the best way to describe their stock.

This is the thing for me: I don't need a fancy looking shop, I don't care about paying a little extra - I just want somewhere that a) has very good quality livestock and b) has unusual stock in on a regular basis. a) much more than b) and Wildwoods always does. In terms of bad customer services experiences etc, perhaps I'm fortunate in that despite going there 8 or 9 times in the last couple of years I've never had a problem. And I've never heard them giving bad advice (in fact I got a surprise when asking for an uncommon coldwater fish was asked "do you want male or female?") but to me those things aren't really important - what comes home with you is the important bit and I've always been impressed with my purchases from there.

On an unrelated note, my latest additions seem to be settling in nicely. Have been watching the GBR's and Nanacara's for signs of conflict but so far so good. And the Hatchets were definately a good call - even once I'd got them home I wasn't sure about them but they've really grown on me, really interesting little fish.

 

[Carlovel1]

Which MA did you go to?

 

[tenohfive]

Which MA did you go to?

I've been to St Albans, Crews Hill and Chipperfield at different times (St A and Crews Hill within the last month.) Don't get me wrong - MA aren't actually bad - I see them as the middle of the road, average fish shop.

 

[Rogue4Fish]

I might go out down to Wildwoods on Sunday, just for something to do. See what they got. I know the feeling about being expensive, but I don't mind paying for quality.

Whole Tropicals I've seen a lot in PFK as well, i'm that way next week so i'll definitely pop in.

Thanks

 

[Squidward]

I go to MA St Albans often.
I like their range of fish. They usually have unusual things.

Though I have had some dodgy advice re fish compatability. Good thing I do my homework first.