"Fanta-Sea"

SLewis

Clown Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#1
So i went to Fanta_sea today and needless to say i was entirely un impressed and a little put off. I do not like badmouthing anyone or any business so i will describe what i saw.

First there were only a few tanks (not a problem but they could of used the ones they had better.)
second almost every one of their tanks (except the show tank) was overgrown with algae like they dont care about any kind of tank maintenance.
Next the frag tank, it was way off center from its light fixture, and the whole tank smelled of rotten fish and the corals looked like last decades castoffs.(they looked old and dieing).
Their show piece as a GINORMOUS eel, that they had to show off. but it really isnt that impressive if you have been in this hobby longer than 6 months.
their nem tank looked like it had been neglected since they put it in as almost all of the nems were dieing/ on their way to rotting.

Now i dont mean to be mean or bashfull, just letting them and everyone know what i saw. i will try them again in the future but not for a while. i hope they read this and take better care of their tanks, and their business.
 

WatercolorsGuy

Nurse Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#2
Re: "Fanta-Sea"

This is the new one in Parker at Lincoln and Jordan right?
 

JNG

Butterfly Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#3
what a bummer, after you talked about it in the chat room I checked out their website. If looked small, but promising. I'm glad you didn't have to drive that far too check it out.
 

SLewis

Clown Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#4
ya its on Lincoln 1 block west of jordan.
 
#5
I can say that I have had a completely opposite experiance from SLewis. Everytime I go into the store the owner is very friendly and ready to chat. The store has always been clean. I have purchased numerous corals and fish from Fanta-sea. The owner is knowlegable and will answer any questions you may have. I recommend checking it out again and hopefully you will have a better opinion on the store. Support small business.
 

xxHLTxx

Detritus
M.A.S.C Club Member
#6
+1 to Caleb, only seeing 1 post from him it does seem odd, but i have visited the store twice now and can honestly say that yes, the owner is beyond friendly, knowledgable and ready to answer any and all questions, not 1 fish i saw looked thin or unhealthy. The frag tank although not very stocked (he claimed he has an order coming friday) was clean, accessible from all sides with clear lenses to see down from above, and all corals were out and happy. Fish he didn't have a ton to select from, but from what he had, prices aren't the cheapest but some of the sizes of fish are very good size (not paying full price for a fish the size of a half dollar). He informed me that some of his racks were still cycling and almost done and i'm sure will be stocked in the next month or so, so that does leave his "show tank" with just an enormous eel and a shark, but both are fat, healthy and active.

Very clean and professional store, clean setup and tanks on individual systems. Stop by and check it out at the least if your in the area.
 

FinsUp

According to my watch, the time is now.
M.A.S.C Club Member
#7
It almost sounds like it's under new ownership, if things are still cycling and there's such a huge difference of opinions. And the time gap...
 

SLewis

Clown Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#8
calebgman;259009 said:
I can say that I have had a completely opposite experiance from SLewis. Everytime I go into the store the owner is very friendly and ready to chat. The store has always been clean. I have purchased numerous corals and fish from Fanta-sea. The owner is knowlegable and will answer any questions you may have. I recommend checking it out again and hopefully you will have a better opinion on the store. Support small business.
i will check it out again, like i said in my original post i was just very put off by what i saw in may. I am not against small business as i am a small business owner. But i absolutly hate seeing dead fish in any tank, and thats what i saw there. i judge people on when i tell them they have a dead fish in their tank, this store the employee could care less. so it helped form my opinion. but i will check it out again as it has been 3 months.
 

Munch

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#9
Next person, stop in, ask for Silversides. I'll bet $1 he says he just ran out, and will have more in by the following Friday.

I've been in there twice for the same item about 3 weeks apart, and have gotten the same story each time. Maybe just bad timing, or there was a run on Silversides.

I had really high hopes for the shop when it first opened, it had great potential. Just not impressed, sorry. I was overcharged on the fish, as the computer had higher prices than the printed out sheets.

He's usually out back smoking, and will take smoke breaks if you're in there window shopping.
 

ReefCheif

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
Platinum Sponsor
#10
Munch;259065 said:
Next person, stop in, ask for Silversides. I'll bet $1 he says he just ran out, and will have more in by the following Friday.

I've been in there twice for the same item about 3 weeks apart, and have gotten the same story each time. Maybe just bad timing, or there was a run on Silversides.

I had really high hopes for the shop when it first opened, it had great potential. Just not impressed, sorry. I was overcharged on the fish, as the computer had higher prices than the printed out sheets.

He's usually out back smoking, and will take smoke breaks if you're in there window shopping.
I had the same exact experience when I went a couple weeks ago, was told the same exact thing about silverides. And he tried to discount and sell me an angel that had a very obvious fungal infection. Im sorry, but I work in a fish shop, and all I saw at this store was alot of very poor husbandry.
 

that0neguy1126

Registered Users
M.A.S.C Club Member
#11
I went in around the time of the original post and was not impressed. Not much selection.

If tanks are still cycling that is strange because the place has been open for a while now. Guessing it is just a story he is telling people to save face.

I never met the owner. When I went in the shop is was completely empty. Strange because I could of walked out with anything and no one would have known
 

SLewis

Clown Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#12
i went back intoday as i had some time to kill while waiting on the inlaws for brunch. Still not impressed, their tanks are clean this time, but extremely little selection, and way over priced for example they had "small" clown triggers for 110, but i know they sell for around 75 right now, even when i bought mine "out of season" it still was only 90. the tanks that are "cycling" are the ones from the castle rock store. but ever other tank in there had a for sale sign on it. I did ask for silver sides and he said they were on order as well, and also told me he could special order them as well. as for the coral tank still not eye catching and just over priced corals that look like left overs rather than retail corals. The light fixture above the coral tank were tied to the Drop ceiling but the beam it was tied to was twisted and looked like it would fall any moment. This store is getting better but as of now im still not going to shop there... just my thoughts, i would rather drive to neptunes or aquamart or aquarium outfitters and reptiles. all better stores in my opinion.
 
#13
We are not carrying silversides at this time. (Edited - we do not allow promotion or advertising by outside vendors/ non-sponsors - pm incoming CRW REEF) Sorry for any inconvenience this causes.
 

Mccoc033

Angel Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#14
I have been in this shop several times. I have met the son and the owner. The first time that I was there the son was cleaning and was very friendly and seemed fairly knowledgeable. Each time since then I have been less and less impressed. One time he was out front smoking and talking to a gentleman and then came in and immediately started complaining about how that guy was his old partner and that he was hard to work with. Some of the language used wasn't exactly what I prefer for my 6 year old to hear, but not necessarily overly offensive either. The last time I went in there I mentioned that I had recently joined this forum, he instantly began telling me that I should be careful about which forums I sign up for and how this one was far from the top of the list. I am looking to set up a new tank, but I doubt I will be doing any business with this shop as the owner is abrasive and prices that I have seen are not very competitive with other local shops that I have been too. Also, there is a very minimal selection.
 

ReefCheif

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
Platinum Sponsor
#15
They dont like us and our forum / club cause we dont put up with BS and hes been called out for it. This is a very tight nit community and we will share our experiences with each other.
 

ReefCheif

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
Platinum Sponsor
#16
Heres a funny one for you guys. As most of you know Ive recently downsized my aquarium and had to get rid of quite a few fish. Well after running a post on the forum for a few days I then went to Craigslist. Within about an hour of my post I get a call from a guy who wants to buy ALL the fish. Big red flag. So I started asking questions.

Come to find out it was the owner of Fanta-Sea, he was combing Craigslist looking for new stock for his shop, I was like WTF, OMG! I may be way off here, but dont most local fish stores order direct from wholesalers? In all my years in the aquatic hobby and working in fish shops Ive never seen or heard of shop owners "combing Craigslist looking for new stock". Just thought Id throw this out there and let everyone know my latest interaction.
 

Smiley

Nurse Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#18
I don't know man.... Sometimes people have certain fish or coral that you just can't find from a wholesaler anymore...with areas of the world being shutdown to collection and such.. I wouldnt exactly call it shady....
 

FinsUp

According to my watch, the time is now.
M.A.S.C Club Member
#19
Getting livestock that have been in a tank and well taken care of would be smart, in addition to dealing with wholesalers, because they are more valuable. I'd rather buy those fish than freshly harvested ones.
 

Dr.DiSilicate

Great White Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#20
I agree with Cindy and Fred. As Lon as he didn't must represent himself. The shady part is only that he wasn't exactly forthcoming about owning a store. Otherwise it's a smart move in his part.
 
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