Local fish stores

[mumra]

I've been to 4 shops around Atlanta. Premier and Southern Aquatics as well as Optimum. All 3 are very clean stores with friendly staff that seems to know what they are doing.

There was another store I went to that I found to be very dirty. While they had a huge selection the tanks were filthy. So much algae.

I'm not here to bad mouth any LFSs and they could have just gotten behind or something plus I've only been there once, another reason it could have been an anomaly but maybe not.

 

[chibils]

I suspect I know the one you're referring to @mumra . I've only been to that one once as well but I got the impression their store was basically an open-to-the-public warehouse for their install and maintenance business and any retail customers were just bonus income. Not impressed but as you said they had a great selection.

 

[Saltienewb]

I had a good experience at Premier today. Went to buy rock and asked some husbandry/stocking questions. Nice staff, and the fish look well cared for.

 

[morganatlanta]

Pure Reef is my go to. Super knowledgeable and friendly. Maybe a little pricey for corals though. I bought my Planet Aquariums setup through them. That said, I also frequent Premier Aquatics since they good and are now closest to me, and Atlanta Aquarium (amazing) and Nemos (great prices) when I'm in their neighborhood. All are good stores and worth a visit. I really want to check out Reef Shac sometime. I like that they publish their fish stock list.

 

[56cbr600rr]

Nemo's.. Easily my favorite. Clean. Well stocked. Nice fish and corals and great prices..

 

[Saltienewb]

Nemo's.. Easily my favorite. Clean. Well stocked. Nice fish and corals and great prices..

I went this weekend. Clean store, great stock and prices. Nice staff.

 

[ecoreefguy]

My opinion

1. For dry goods :I think there’s no one better than Premier on high end equipment locally. They generally will honor sales you see on BRS as well. Pretty much if I need it right away I go here. Atlanta Aquarium use to do 10% rebate towards livestock purchase on MAP items. Not sure if they still do anymore, wouldn’t hurt to ask.

2. For Tanks : I pick pure reef and Nemo . Angela and George ( pure reef) and Simon/Aaron (Nemo ) will help you more than anyone I’ve worked with. Pure reef usually have the most popular size and models in stock. Nemo usually doesn’t have a lot in stock, but will work with vendors and special order you tanks for best pricing.

3. For Fish : Fish is Nemo hands down on pricing and selection. They will order me pretty rare fish as well.

4. For Coral: I’m saying this with as much respect as I can, and I understand the business model. But our local LFS pretty much has the same selection of the bread and butter coral. Great for anyone starting , but for veterans, the forum is probably your best bet. There’s honestly no LFS that stand out in corals here in Atlanta.

 

[Cook]

I think it’s fair to say each store has its own strengths. The fact that there are so many to choose from in the Atlanta area with the number of years these stores have been in business is amazing.

For corals, while I agree with @ecoreefguy, that the largest selection can be found within the club, Reef Shac comes to mind for a large selection of corals to choose from in one place. Several others have large tanks dedicated to corals as well.

I buy primarily from Pure Reef, Premier, Atlanta aquarium, and Reef Shac. The first two are easy for me to get to and I have had great experiences with them. We each have our own reasons for our preferences and they may not align with what is most important to others.

 

[mumra]

I think it’s fair to say each store has its own strengths. The fact that there are so many to choose from in the Atlanta area with the number of years these stores have been in business is amazing.

I've only been in the hobby since January and this in particular surprised me when I started looking and found out how many LFSs there were. I had no clue this was so big in the Atlanta area. Then when I started telling friends several told me that either used to have tanks or just got back into it.

 

[Noel01]

I like Nemo’s but hear a lot about Pure Reef.

 

[90gDreams]

I like Nemo’s but hear a lot about Pure Reef.

Pure reef is pricey but price is probably the only complaint anyone has ever had about them. Staff is fantastic. I cannot recall their names but often the owner and/or his son are there. Ive had them talk me out of buying equipment from them and doing a more low tech approach instead.

Great quality, great selection, great service but there is a premium price.

99% of my livestock is hobbyist aquacultured frags or drop shipped captive bred fish. I try to always give them my business for food and maintenance items though just because of how well they run the place.

 

[chemaholic]

I like Nemo's for fish and Atlanta Aquarium for corals. Honestly I have liked every reef store I have gone to in Atlanta. They all have cool things to look at and friendly people to chat with. Visit them all if you can.

 

[sia2006]

Pure Reef is definitely one you should visit.

 

[shimshimshinil]

All the stores are very nice. I like Reef shac for variety of fairly price frags.

 

[Saltienewb]

Went to reef shac the other day. They were putting in a big shipment.
I’ll echo the earlier post, probably the best prices for frags of any store in the metro. Not the prettiest store as far as setup(vs Nemo/premier) but knowledgeable staff and good prices. Fish and coral looked healthy.

 

[shimshimshinil]

Went to reef shac the other day. They were putting in a big shipment.
I’ll echo the earlier post, probably the best prices for frags of any store in the metro. Not the prettiest store as far as setup(vs Nemo/premier) but knowledgeable staff and good prices. Fish and coral looked healtAn

Went to reef shac the other day. They were putting in a big shipment.
I’ll echo the earlier post, probably the best prices for frags of any store in the metro. Not the prettiest store as far as setup(vs Nemo/premier) but knowledgeable staff and good prices. Fish and coral looked healthy.

And sometimes if you are lucky you can find a few gems for super cheap

 

[56cbr600rr]

DryGood and Neptune type equipment, Rit at Atlanta Aquarium.

Best quality fish and coral for great prices. Easy. Nemo's.

 

[j_r]

Pure Reef is my favorite. The entire team is helpful and have always been supportive if answering questions or working through tank issues when they come up. They are also no hassle if something happens to a fish. I unfortunately had one not make it a couple weeks ago and they swapped it. Jorge will also order in things if they don't have it. Huge fan.