Chicago Area Local Fish Stores - Page 6

fng_71 · 12/20/2012, 07:21 PM

stopped by beyond the reef today and spoke with jim who was very helpful. he says the new owner would like to open up a couple of stores and possibly expand on the schaumburg location. i enjoy the store the fish look healthy. i was at aquarium adventure just before that and the fish looked sick and some fish were attacking others in the same tank.

jamesbaur13 · 01/11/2013, 10:08 PM

Reefwise
5401 Patton Dr. Ste 105
Lisle, IL 60532

https://www.facebook.com/reefwise

P# (630) 853-5564

Mon-Fri 2pm-8pm
Sat & Sun 11am-5pm

They are strictly saltwater and coral. Great coral selection, they have 2 troughs set up... one dedicated to stonies, the other to softies.

I'm not affiliated with the company, just an enthusiast. These guys are great.

jamesbaur13 · 01/11/2013, 10:09 PM

Reefwise
5401 Patton Dr. Ste 105
Lisle, IL 60532

https://www.facebook.com/reefwise

P# (630) 853-5564

Mon-Fri 2pm-8pm
Sat & Sun 11am-5pm

They are strictly saltwater and coral. Great coral selection, they have 2 troughs set up... one dedicated to stonies, the other to softies.

I'm not affiliated with the company, just an enthusiast. These guys are great.

tramboneplayer5 · 02/26/2013, 02:42 PM

I pass Reef Wise and Reef Plus on my way home from work. I was really impressed with the coral selection at Reef Wise and Steve at Reef Plus is very knowledgeable and helpful. Both stores seemed to have good prices. St. Charles is close to my house too, so I will be checking out Out of the Blue as soon as it stops snowing.

kendrid · 03/20/2013, 08:26 AM

Birds and Beasts in Crystal Lake hasn't been mentioned much in this thread. They updated their fish room about six months ago and they now have 13 salt tanks. They were all very clean and healthy with no dead fish. They only thing I found odd was that the SG of the fish only tanks was around 1.018 (I think , it was high .01#).

The coral room is the same as before which is pretty nice. If you are in the area I'd check it out.

SaltLifeBob · 03/20/2013, 08:33 AM

Stopped an this LFS in Lombard over the weekend while passing thru town and found some very nice Fish & Corals , guys were great and alot of help .

Tropi-Quatics Pet Center

http://www.tropi-quatics.com/

BigDog · 03/25/2013, 08:41 AM

Stopped by reef wise for the first time on Friday.... talked to Mike for about 20 min and picked up some starter sand for a new tank.... great prices, good bunch of guys :-)

rchilders01 · 03/26/2013, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesbaur13

Reefwise
5401 Patton Dr. Ste 105
Lisle, IL 60532

https://www.facebook.com/reefwise

P# (630) 853-5564

Mon-Fri 2pm-8pm
Sat & Sun 11am-5pm

They are strictly saltwater and coral. Great coral selection, they have 2 troughs set up... one dedicated to stonies, the other to softies.

I'm not affiliated with the company, just an enthusiast. These guys are great.

Great store... great guys. Mike has been helping me out a ton as I am new to reefing.

rchilders01 · 03/26/2013, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigDog

Stopped by reef wise for the first time on Friday.... talked to Mike for about 20 min and picked up some starter sand for a new tank.... great prices, good bunch of guys :-)

I was there Friday too! Picked up my first coral and pair of clowns!

kendrid · 04/09/2013, 07:39 AM

This should be added to the first post:
Reef Imports & Hatchery, Co.
2357 E. Devon Ave
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

I just learned about it from another thread.

rekcahdab · 05/05/2013, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kendrid

This should be added to the first post:
Reef Imports & Hatchery, Co.
2357 E. Devon Ave
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

I just learned about it from another thread.

In about two weeks subtract this one.

danielp · 05/25/2013, 10:19 PM

Two months ago I visited Reefwise, what an outstanding store, and a great owner I had a pleasure to talk to. Bought Lysmata amboinensis and Lysmata debelius below 20 usd each, do not remember exact price, but I was surprised how cheap I could buy debelius for. Plus 10 or 13 Astrea snails for 10 bucks. Live rock is really cheap also, like 4 bucks per lb, 6usd for beautiful branch LR.
Now my question is, how about stores in Tinley Park? Are both (Aquatica and Rob's Aquatics) worth visiting?

Dave_IL · 05/26/2013, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielp

Two months ago I visited Reefwise, what an outstanding store, and a great owner I had a pleasure to talk to. Bought Lysmata amboinensis and Lysmata debelius below 20 usd each, do not remember exact price, but I was surprised how cheap I could buy debelius for. Plus 10 or 13 Astrea snails for 10 bucks. Live rock is really cheap also, like 4 bucks per lb, 6usd for beautiful branch LR.
Now my question is, how about stores in Tinley Park? Are both (Aquatica and Rob's Aquatics) worth visiting?

Aquatica is usually where Ill hit for drygoods I need or want right now because they stock quite a bit. Prices are a bit high, but if you talk to them and know a dealer selling online they can look up they will match usually.

danielp · 05/26/2013, 02:55 PM

Thanks for the answer, by the way Reefwise's LR is 50 cents cheaper on both "regular" Fiji and branched Fiji 3.50$/5.50$, just checked their message I got through fb from them. I saw them last time, just did not ask for their prices, but the rock looked really nice.

danielp · 07/16/2013, 12:43 PM

Guys what about Xzotic Aquatic World in Bensenville?
I went to probably 7-8 stores in the last two months, still looking for new ones.

kendrid · 07/22/2013, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielp

Guys what about Xzotic Aquatic World in Bensenville?
I went to probably 7-8 stores in the last two months, still looking for new ones.

It isn't as good as when it was in a dirty warehouse IMO. They have a lot less coral than before. They say they will be adding more tanks and I hope they do. If you are nearby they are still worth checking out. They post new arrivals on Facebook so check there.

Tszat · 07/26/2013, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kendrid

This should be added to the first post:
Reef Imports & Hatchery, Co.
2357 E. Devon Ave
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

I just learned about it from another thread.

This shop is no longer there, they were purchased by another....
We drove by today.

Tszat · 07/26/2013, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kendrid

It isn't as good as when it was in a dirty warehouse IMO. They have a lot less coral than before. They say they will be adding more tanks and I hope they do. If you are nearby they are still worth checking out. They post new arrivals on Facebook so check there.

Stopped in there today and I have to say, they have A LOT less than they had at the warehouse. They said all of their stock is in back and they only put out the healthy stuff. If that's the case, compared to what they had on display in the warehouse, they sure have a lot of unhealthy stock....

Anyhow, Not so worth the trip for me. I liked the warehouse MUCH better!

They also moved and have a new address a few miles east of where they were, and new hours, call first.
880 Supreme Drive
Bensenville, IL 60106
630-787-0277

chicagoreefer20 · 08/04/2013, 09:10 PM

Stopped by Beyond the Reef today - last time I visited was back in March.

1) Lots of beautiful coral colonies - instead of coral mounted on live rock, they have it arranged on a sloping egg crate. While the prices make my head hurt, you can easily figure out exactly what each coral sells for without needing to ask somene.

2) Two frag-ish/mini colony tanks - one in the front and one in the back. The one in the back is $10 + $19 per item and the one in the front was more per colony.

3) The fish all looked great and healthy

4) The many tanks of all kinds of invertebrates is awesome

I wish more LFS would adopt #1

35galSaltwater · 08/13/2013, 11:38 PM

880 Supreme Drive, Bensenville, Illinois
(630) 787-0277

Mon - Wed: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Thu - Fri: 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Sat: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

This used to be or maybe still is a fresh and saltwater fish whole sale that has hours when they sell to the public. They just moved their location a few months ago and are not as big as they used to be but still carry a lot of cool species. However more importantly, they sell for less than any other store I have seen, cheaper then most online stores!

Pez68 · 08/16/2013, 12:18 PM

This is wrong:

GoFish Aquariums 14412 John Humphrey Dr, Orland Park 60462 708-567-4513

It should be Chicago Fish and Coral, and their number is 403-1810.

GoFish Aquariums isn't a store, they are a custom aquarium company. They don't sell anything but complete systems, installed and maintained.

MrNickyD05 · 09/22/2013, 11:45 AM

I just got a 90 gallon tank with a built in overflow. Looking for a good store for my sump and skimmer. Any suggestion

MrNickyD05 · 09/22/2013, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by latinreefer

Great store in Glen Ellyn, small but he can get whatever you want and prices are hard to beat.
Aqua Pros
500 Pennsylvania Ave.
Glen Ellyn, Il 60137
630-935-1363

I agree I just got a 90 gallon tank with overflow very nice and cheap

itscreepy · 09/26/2013, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 35galSaltwater

880 Supreme Drive, Bensenville, Illinois
(630) 787-0277

Mon - Wed: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Thu - Fri: 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Sat: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

This used to be or maybe still is a fresh and saltwater fish whole sale that has hours when they sell to the public. They just moved their location a few months ago and are not as big as they used to be but still carry a lot of cool species. However more importantly, they sell for less than any other store I have seen, cheaper then most online stores!

+1 on Xzotic Aquatic World! I just went there today and their prices are fantastic. They also have an app you can download that has a virtual punch card where you get a discount after four purchases AND they give you a raffle ticket for every $25 you spend for a daily drawing. On my drive home, they called to say I won a $25 store credit, so clearly I'll be back!

MrNickyD05 · 09/27/2013, 08:11 AM

Alright thanks I'll try that place out its 5mins from where I live so hopefully I can get everything I need or most of it

01/11/2013, 10:08 PM	#127
jamesbaur13 Apsiring Alhcohlolic Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 772	Reefwise 5401 Patton Dr. Ste 105 Lisle, IL 60532 https://www.facebook.com/reefwise P# (630) 853-5564 Mon-Fri 2pm-8pm Sat & Sun 11am-5pm They are strictly saltwater and coral. Great coral selection, they have 2 troughs set up... one dedicated to stonies, the other to softies. I'm not affiliated with the company, just an enthusiast. These guys are great. __________________ 120G AGA Dual Overflow, 40G B Sump, SRO-2000int, 2 Eheim 200w Heater, Eheim 1262 Return, BRS C & GFO React., BR-1000ss Biopellet React., Tunze 5017 ATO, 2 MP-40wes, DIY 76LED (36RB,24NW,6B,6CW,4Moon)

01/11/2013, 10:09 PM	#128
jamesbaur13 Apsiring Alhcohlolic Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 772	Reefwise 5401 Patton Dr. Ste 105 Lisle, IL 60532 https://www.facebook.com/reefwise P# (630) 853-5564 Mon-Fri 2pm-8pm Sat & Sun 11am-5pm They are strictly saltwater and coral. Great coral selection, they have 2 troughs set up... one dedicated to stonies, the other to softies. I'm not affiliated with the company, just an enthusiast. These guys are great. __________________ 120G AGA Dual Overflow, 40G B Sump, SRO-2000int, 2 Eheim 200w Heater, Eheim 1262 Return, BRS C & GFO React., BR-1000ss Biopellet React., Tunze 5017 ATO, 2 MP-40wes, DIY 76LED (36RB,24NW,6B,6CW,4Moon)

02/26/2013, 02:42 PM	#129
tramboneplayer5 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 40	Reef Plus and Reef Wise are my favorites I pass Reef Wise and Reef Plus on my way home from work. I was really impressed with the coral selection at Reef Wise and Steve at Reef Plus is very knowledgeable and helpful. Both stores seemed to have good prices. St. Charles is close to my house too, so I will be checking out Out of the Blue as soon as it stops snowing.

07/16/2013, 12:43 PM	#140
danielp Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 507	Guys what about Xzotic Aquatic World in Bensenville? I went to probably 7-8 stores in the last two months, still looking for new ones. __________________ 100g reef Current Tank Info: 50g cube reef, 16 gal nano, 100gal FOWLR to be build at some point this year

08/13/2013, 11:38 PM	#145
35galSaltwater Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 71	Xzotic Aquatic World Inc. is missing 880 Supreme Drive, Bensenville, Illinois (630) 787-0277 Mon - Wed: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Thu - Fri: 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm Sat: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm This used to be or maybe still is a fresh and saltwater fish whole sale that has hours when they sell to the public. They just moved their location a few months ago and are not as big as they used to be but still carry a lot of cool species. However more importantly, they sell for less than any other store I have seen, cheaper then most online stores!

12/20/2012, 07:21 PM	#126
fng_71 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Island Lake, IL Posts: 203	stopped by beyond the reef today and spoke with jim who was very helpful. he says the new owner would like to open up a couple of stores and possibly expand on the schaumburg location. i enjoy the store the fish look healthy. i was at aquarium adventure just before that and the fish looked sick and some fish were attacking others in the same tank.

03/20/2013, 08:26 AM	#130
kendrid Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Lake in the hills, IL Posts: 806	Birds and Beasts in Crystal Lake hasn't been mentioned much in this thread. They updated their fish room about six months ago and they now have 13 salt tanks. They were all very clean and healthy with no dead fish. They only thing I found odd was that the SG of the fish only tanks was around 1.018 (I think , it was high .01#). The coral room is the same as before which is pretty nice. If you are in the area I'd check it out.

03/20/2013, 08:33 AM	#131
SaltLifeBob Moved On Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 60	Stopped an this LFS in Lombard over the weekend while passing thru town and found some very nice Fish & Corals , guys were great and alot of help . Tropi-Quatics Pet Center http://www.tropi-quatics.com/

03/25/2013, 08:41 AM	#132
BigDog Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: downtown chicago Posts: 169	Stopped by reef wise for the first time on Friday.... talked to Mike for about 20 min and picked up some starter sand for a new tank.... great prices, good bunch of guys :-)

04/09/2013, 07:39 AM	#135
kendrid Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Lake in the hills, IL Posts: 806	This should be added to the first post: Reef Imports & Hatchery, Co. 2357 E. Devon Ave Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 I just learned about it from another thread.

05/25/2013, 10:19 PM	#137
danielp Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 507	Two months ago I visited Reefwise, what an outstanding store, and a great owner I had a pleasure to talk to. Bought Lysmata amboinensis and Lysmata debelius below 20 usd each, do not remember exact price, but I was surprised how cheap I could buy debelius for. Plus 10 or 13 Astrea snails for 10 bucks. Live rock is really cheap also, like 4 bucks per lb, 6usd for beautiful branch LR. Now my question is, how about stores in Tinley Park? Are both (Aquatica and Rob's Aquatics) worth visiting?

05/26/2013, 02:55 PM	#139
danielp Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 507	Thanks for the answer, by the way Reefwise's LR is 50 cents cheaper on both "regular" Fiji and branched Fiji 3.50$/5.50$, just checked their message I got through fb from them. I saw them last time, just did not ask for their prices, but the rock looked really nice.

08/04/2013, 09:10 PM	#144
chicagoreefer20 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 199	Stopped by Beyond the Reef today - last time I visited was back in March. 1) Lots of beautiful coral colonies - instead of coral mounted on live rock, they have it arranged on a sloping egg crate. While the prices make my head hurt, you can easily figure out exactly what each coral sells for without needing to ask somene. 2) Two frag-ish/mini colony tanks - one in the front and one in the back. The one in the back is $10 + $19 per item and the one in the front was more per colony. 3) The fish all looked great and healthy 4) The many tanks of all kinds of invertebrates is awesome I wish more LFS would adopt #1

08/16/2013, 12:18 PM	#146
Pez68 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: South Suburbs of Chicago Posts: 165	This is wrong: GoFish Aquariums 14412 John Humphrey Dr, Orland Park 60462 708-567-4513 It should be Chicago Fish and Coral, and their number is 403-1810. GoFish Aquariums isn't a store, they are a custom aquarium company. They don't sell anything but complete systems, installed and maintained.

09/22/2013, 11:45 AM	#147
MrNickyD05 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 25	I just got a 90 gallon tank with a built in overflow. Looking for a good store for my sump and skimmer. Any suggestion

09/27/2013, 08:11 AM	#150
MrNickyD05 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 25	Alright thanks I'll try that place out its 5mins from where I live so hopefully I can get everything I need or most of it