Can any one recommend a GREAT LFS in the Long Island, NYC area? IM looking for oddball type fish, sting rays, gars, wolf fish, barracuda, ells and so on. I'm willing to travel as long as the selection is good. Thanks
Looking for a GREAT local fish store
- Thread starter richm20
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It might be a bit of a haul for you but this place is first rate. Very knowledgeable, well staffed and great selection. They're about 60% saltwater and 40% fresh. I've been keeping freshwater for 20 years and they often have something I've never seen.
http://www.absolutelyfish.com/HomePage.htm
http://www.absolutelyfish.com/HomePage.htm
I don't know where exactly in the city/long island you're at but you might want to try a place called country critters. It's inbetween sunrise hwy and montauk hwy off of rte. 112 south. Not sure what town it's in, exactly. This place is amazing, though. They are set up like an actual aquarium (almost like mystic seaport in connecticut). They have beautiful tanks and a huge variety. The staff is also EXTREMELY knowledgeable. It's a great place to walk around in even if you're not buying anything. Some of the setups they have are just absolutely amazing. They could probably get away with charging admission.
There's also Magic Isle. They have a very good staff and very good selection as well. They're in Centereach in the Walmart shopping center off of Mark Tree Rd. That's where I get my fish from. They're pretty good there. They're also not big on selling you crap that you don't need. One of the employees even told me not to get a filter from them as they are much cheaper on-line (mostly because on-line wholesalers don't really have as much overhead as local businesses).
You can also check out this other place in Lindenhurst. Not sure what it's called. It's like an aquarium wharehouse. Not as nice on the inside but they have a lot to pick from at good prices. If you take rte 110 south just past sunrise hwy, you'll see it on the right hand side of the road. I believe the sign just says "Pets" or something like that. You'd have to keep an eye out for it as it's kind of hard to spot. I'd say it's no more than 5 minutes from the intersection of 110 and sunrise (27).
Depending on where you are, you could also try a place called Aqua Hut. It's a bit of a dive but they have really low prices and a large selection. Just be very cautious about the fish you get from there. I'd definitely use a qt tank for any of these. But, if you get a healthy fish it'll be at a great price so it might be worth it. I'm not saying their fish look diseased. On the contrary. Most of them appear healthy. They're just not housed in great conditions, which could cause unseen problems. This is off of rte. 112 as well, heading south. It's in a home depot shopping center near the intersection of rte 25 and 112 (kind of a confusing intersection, so be carfeful if you're heading that way).
Those are the fish stores within a 45 minute radius of me. The one closest to NYC would be the aquarium wharehouse place. If you're in the city, it still might be a little bit of a haul for you. I think all of these stores are pretty much located in the middle portion of LI. Hope that helps.
There's also Magic Isle. They have a very good staff and very good selection as well. They're in Centereach in the Walmart shopping center off of Mark Tree Rd. That's where I get my fish from. They're pretty good there. They're also not big on selling you crap that you don't need. One of the employees even told me not to get a filter from them as they are much cheaper on-line (mostly because on-line wholesalers don't really have as much overhead as local businesses).
You can also check out this other place in Lindenhurst. Not sure what it's called. It's like an aquarium wharehouse. Not as nice on the inside but they have a lot to pick from at good prices. If you take rte 110 south just past sunrise hwy, you'll see it on the right hand side of the road. I believe the sign just says "Pets" or something like that. You'd have to keep an eye out for it as it's kind of hard to spot. I'd say it's no more than 5 minutes from the intersection of 110 and sunrise (27).
Depending on where you are, you could also try a place called Aqua Hut. It's a bit of a dive but they have really low prices and a large selection. Just be very cautious about the fish you get from there. I'd definitely use a qt tank for any of these. But, if you get a healthy fish it'll be at a great price so it might be worth it. I'm not saying their fish look diseased. On the contrary. Most of them appear healthy. They're just not housed in great conditions, which could cause unseen problems. This is off of rte. 112 as well, heading south. It's in a home depot shopping center near the intersection of rte 25 and 112 (kind of a confusing intersection, so be carfeful if you're heading that way).
Those are the fish stores within a 45 minute radius of me. The one closest to NYC would be the aquarium wharehouse place. If you're in the city, it still might be a little bit of a haul for you. I think all of these stores are pretty much located in the middle portion of LI. Hope that helps.
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Just looking back at your post.......since you emphasized GREAT LFS and you said you're willing to travel then I would definitely go with country critters. Even if it's a long haul it is way worth it. They have a ton of oddballs there as well as all the old familiar players. Great place.
I thank all of you for a quick response. I'm in Port Washington, NY (exit 36 on the LIE). The only place, mentioned above, I checked out so far was country critters, although the place was beautiful, I don't feel they offer much more then the usual fresh water fish. They do have some fantastic sting rays, but as far as the "out of the ordinary" not too much. My buddy and I have a thing we call, "fish club" and when we call a meeting, we go out and look at what the LFS have.
We did find 2 places that I would recommend. The first and best is fish town, in Flushing (www.fishtown-usa.com) the second is PETS of New Hyde Park. They both offer good prices and a good selection, BUT...... If you really want to find something good, you need to go 3-4 times a week, as the stock changes regularly. I will check out the places mentioned above, and would appreciate any more places you may want to add. Thanks so much for the advice, Rich!
We did find 2 places that I would recommend. The first and best is fish town, in Flushing (www.fishtown-usa.com) the second is PETS of New Hyde Park. They both offer good prices and a good selection, BUT...... If you really want to find something good, you need to go 3-4 times a week, as the stock changes regularly. I will check out the places mentioned above, and would appreciate any more places you may want to add. Thanks so much for the advice, Rich!
Oh, I hope you get this before you go out searching. The place in lindenhurst is off of pinlawn/woodlawn road (I think it starts out as pinelawn as you drive through the cemetary and then becomes woodlawn further down). That road is off of 110. Sorry about that. Hope that doesn't make for an interesting trip.
And you really thought country critters didn't have any oddballs? I saw a bunch of gar, eels, rays, knife fish, barracudas, and all kinds of cool things. Guess I have a different sense of what's wierd.............still a cool place though.
Anyway, good luck!
And you really thought country critters didn't have any oddballs? I saw a bunch of gar, eels, rays, knife fish, barracudas, and all kinds of cool things. Guess I have a different sense of what's wierd.............still a cool place though.
Anyway, good luck!
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Thanks for the clarification. I didn't see any of those fish at critters, possibly I went on a bad day. I will have to check it out today. Thanks again!
I'm an ***..........yes, the road is off of 110 for that aquarium wharehouse place. It starts out as pinelawn road, I believe (that part should be correct). Go past the cemetary. The road then becomes WELLWOOD, not woodlawn. I'm not from the area and I just drive on autopilot when I'm heading down that way so I don't pay attention to road signs. Either way, if you start off on pinelawn you're fine.
Yeah, I suck at directions.
Yeah, I suck at directions.