Chicago Area Local Fish Stores - Page 10

pszemol · 02/11/2016, 09:36 PM

Have anybody seen cerith snails (sand diggers/algae eaters) in local stores anywhere?

MidwesternTexan · 02/11/2016, 09:40 PM

Yes, Best Fish usually has them, Milwaukee, WI.

Do you have your own website?

MidwesternTexan · 02/11/2016, 10:05 PM

Hey Chi town ians,

Our club, the Wiscon Reef Society, www.wireefsociety.com,
takes a tour bus every March to many of the stores mentioned in this thread.,

For those of you around Chicago, on the average day, if you want some on the BEST costomer service, go to:
Best Fish, in Milwaukee WI!!!, you'll be glad you did. The money you'll save will probably more pay for the gass you'll spend than save on on your purchases.

92reefer · 02/15/2016, 01:02 PM

I'm in the Algonquin area looking for a good store to buy SW fish, not so much corals etc.

The 3 LFS stores here are very pricey. I had been making rather infrequent trips to Xzotic Aquatics in Bensenville (rather lengthy drive from Crystal Lake/Algonquin) but they've closed shop in December '15.

Any other relatively close stores that have decent/cheap prices on common SW fish?

kendrid · 02/23/2016, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92reefer

I'm in the Algonquin area looking for a good store to buy SW fish, not so much corals etc.

The 3 LFS stores here are very pricey. I had been making rather infrequent trips to Xzotic Aquatics in Bensenville (rather lengthy drive from Crystal Lake/Algonquin) but they've closed shop in December '15.

Any other relatively close stores that have decent/cheap prices on common SW fish?

Reefwise is a 45 minute drive from the area. Take the Elgin Ohare and let your GPS find the way. Google wants you to take 90 to 290 which is a dumb way to get there.

Xzotic is going to open soon in Niles.

kennytze · 12/30/2016, 01:04 PM

Aquatica in Tinley Park, IL

kendrid · 01/04/2017, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92reefer

I'm in the Algonquin area looking for a good store to buy SW fish, not so much corals etc.

The 3 LFS stores here are very pricey. I had been making rather infrequent trips to Xzotic Aquatics in Bensenville (rather lengthy drive from Crystal Lake/Algonquin) but they've closed shop in December '15.

Any other relatively close stores that have decent/cheap prices on common SW fish?

Ocean Blue Aquatics in Elgin has been good to me so far. They have a decent amount of fish and they are about 25 minutes from Algonquin.

reef freek · 01/13/2017, 08:03 AM

i would deff. check out something fishy in fox lake. never had a problem with there live stock ever. owner is Ron. also Pet Co. on Randal, lake Geneva, and lake Zurich has some pretty good stock. And then there is allways Birds n Beasts. in CL. Pet Central in McHenry is in the pocess of moving to green st. dont know when they will be up and running

brandonnissen1 · 01/24/2017, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92reefer

I'm in the Algonquin area looking for a good store to buy SW fish, not so much corals etc.

The 3 LFS stores here are very pricey. I had been making rather infrequent trips to Xzotic Aquatics in Bensenville (rather lengthy drive from Crystal Lake/Algonquin) but they've closed shop in December '15.

Any other relatively close stores that have decent/cheap prices on common SW fish?

I would recommend Ocean Blue Aquatics in Elgin. They have a ton of great fish that aren't very pricey.

Address: 297 S Aldine Ave, Elgin, IL 60123

kendrid · 02/19/2017, 07:13 PM

I was just in Aquarium Adventure in Hoffman Estates and like always the fish were not in good shape but one interesting thing is they now sell Planet Aquariums tanks. Those are pretty "high end" and surprising in a store like that.

Kevy792 · 02/25/2017, 09:22 PM

hey guys don't use this very often but I have also been out of the hobby for awhile. I had a tank crash hard and it kinda set me way off course. Anyway the closest store to me was Coral Reef. Their selection coral wise is terrible, but they had an employee named Wojtek who always treated everyone right and I found out recently he has his own business and sells corals at crazy good prices with one of the nicest selections ive seen. He is definitely worth checking out. You can reach him at his site http://www.wojteksreef.net/ Not sure if links work here or not but its Wojteks reef dot net.

kendrid · 02/28/2017, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevy792

hey guys don't use this very often but I have also been out of the hobby for awhile. I had a tank crash hard and it kinda set me way off course. Anyway the closest store to me was Coral Reef. Their selection coral wise is terrible, but they had an employee named Wojtek who always treated everyone right and I found out recently he has his own business and sells corals at crazy good prices with one of the nicest selections ive seen. He is definitely worth checking out. You can reach him at his site http://www.wojteksreef.net/ Not sure if links work here or not but its Wojteks reef dot net.

Wojtek's basement setup and prices are great. Super nice guy also.

danielp · 03/11/2017, 06:27 PM

I just got back from "Tank it Easy".
They have a great deal, every time you spend at least 20usd you will get up to 10 gallons of their RO/DI water for free. Love their staff, love their corals, definitely worth checking out.
2 weeks ago I scored McCosker's Wrasse, this week some Butterflyfish.

Poppy828 · 08/29/2017, 02:47 PM

Sea Escapes - South Elgin

Esh1 · 09/10/2017, 10:57 AM

Reef Plus in N Aurora is a pretty decent place. The owner's very knowledgable, well kept store, and they have a decent selection of fish, coral, and equipment.

Esh1 · 11/15/2017, 10:58 PM

Stopped by Reefwise this past weekend in Lisle. Really cool store. Its setup more like a warehouse with a couple of huge frag tanks with a pretty big selection and greatprices. once my tank is ready to go I'll be headed back to stock up on frags. It seemed like they had redone half of their holding tanks as their fish stock was low but the new tank setups looked awesome.

Another shop, Aqua Pro's, is about 6 miles north of Reef wise in Glen Ellyn and worth the trip if you are already at this shop. The shop appears like they have 2 parts to it, one on the street that I don't know if is open to the public, and the store itself is located in a smaller building directly behind that one. This store was smaller, but had a lot of supplies that many stores I've gone to didn't seem to carry. Worth checking out and had decent prices on things as well.

danielp · 04/06/2018, 06:41 PM

Copy of my post from another forum.
Wojtek's Reef
Went to to Wojtek's on thursday, holly cow his selection of acans, great favias, Euphyllias, zoas, chalices...
Damn I wish I had a bigger tank

Well worth the travel and visit.
And on top of everything Wojtek is just no nonsense guys, great to talk to, picked his brain up about reef stuff, answered a lot of questions.
Will definitely be back.
One mistake-I didnt take any pics, but he uploads enough on fb so all is good (I hope

).

Dag · 07/22/2020, 03:00 PM

How do I get in touch with Wojtek?

danielp · 07/23/2020, 06:34 AM

Facebook "Wojtek's Reef"

02/11/2016, 09:40 PM	#227
MidwesternTexan Average Joe Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: A Texan, in Franklin, WI. Posts: 594	Yes, Best Fish usually has them, Milwaukee, WI. Do you have your own website? __________________ 180g Reef- 75+ different Corals; 14 fish; DIY Coast to Coast Overflow 3 x 120W Full Spectrum/Dimmable LED's 125g DIY sump- Reef Octopus nw200-6540B - 40B FT- ~320gallon system total DIY Large ATS Current Tank Info: 180g- C2C overflow- 125g sumpk 40B FT; Lots of Coral- mostly sps

02/11/2016, 10:05 PM	#228
MidwesternTexan Average Joe Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: A Texan, in Franklin, WI. Posts: 594	Hey Chi town ians, Our club, the Wiscon Reef Society, www.wireefsociety.com, takes a tour bus every March to many of the stores mentioned in this thread., For those of you around Chicago, on the average day, if you want some on the BEST costomer service, go to: Best Fish, in Milwaukee WI!!!, you'll be glad you did. The money you'll save will probably more pay for the gass you'll spend than save on on your purchases. __________________ 180g Reef- 75+ different Corals; 14 fish; DIY Coast to Coast Overflow 3 x 120W Full Spectrum/Dimmable LED's 125g DIY sump- Reef Octopus nw200-6540B - 40B FT- ~320gallon system total DIY Large ATS Current Tank Info: 180g- C2C overflow- 125g sumpk 40B FT; Lots of Coral- mostly sps

02/15/2016, 01:02 PM	#229
92reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Ellenton Florida Posts: 994	Good livestock store near Algonquin area? I'm in the Algonquin area looking for a good store to buy SW fish, not so much corals etc. The 3 LFS stores here are very pricey. I had been making rather infrequent trips to Xzotic Aquatics in Bensenville (rather lengthy drive from Crystal Lake/Algonquin) but they've closed shop in December '15. Any other relatively close stores that have decent/cheap prices on common SW fish?

03/11/2017, 06:27 PM	#238
danielp Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 507	I just got back from "Tank it Easy". They have a great deal, every time you spend at least 20usd you will get up to 10 gallons of their RO/DI water for free. Love their staff, love their corals, definitely worth checking out. 2 weeks ago I scored McCosker's Wrasse, this week some Butterflyfish. __________________ 100g reef Current Tank Info: 50g cube reef, 16 gal nano, 100gal FOWLR to be build at some point this year

04/06/2018, 06:41 PM	#242
danielp Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 507	Copy of my post from another forum. Wojtek's Reef Went to to Wojtek's on thursday, holly cow his selection of acans, great favias, Euphyllias, zoas, chalices... Damn I wish I had a bigger tank Well worth the travel and visit. And on top of everything Wojtek is just no nonsense guys, great to talk to, picked his brain up about reef stuff, answered a lot of questions. Will definitely be back. One mistake-I didnt take any pics, but he uploads enough on fb so all is good (I hope ). __________________ 100g reef Current Tank Info: 50g cube reef, 16 gal nano, 100gal FOWLR to be build at some point this year

02/11/2016, 09:36 PM	#226
pszemol Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: La Grange, IL Posts: 632	Have anybody seen cerith snails (sand diggers/algae eaters) in local stores anywhere?

12/30/2016, 01:04 PM	#231
kennytze Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Oak Forest, IL Posts: 44	Aquatica in Tinley Park, IL

01/13/2017, 08:03 AM	#233
reef freek Registered Member. Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: mchenry il Posts: 259	i would deff. check out something fishy in fox lake. never had a problem with there live stock ever. owner is Ron. also Pet Co. on Randal, lake Geneva, and lake Zurich has some pretty good stock. And then there is allways Birds n Beasts. in CL. Pet Central in McHenry is in the pocess of moving to green st. dont know when they will be up and running

02/19/2017, 07:13 PM	#235
kendrid Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Lake in the hills, IL Posts: 806	I was just in Aquarium Adventure in Hoffman Estates and like always the fish were not in good shape but one interesting thing is they now sell Planet Aquariums tanks. Those are pretty "high end" and surprising in a store like that.

02/25/2017, 09:22 PM	#236
Kevy792 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 25	hey guys don't use this very often but I have also been out of the hobby for awhile. I had a tank crash hard and it kinda set me way off course. Anyway the closest store to me was Coral Reef. Their selection coral wise is terrible, but they had an employee named Wojtek who always treated everyone right and I found out recently he has his own business and sells corals at crazy good prices with one of the nicest selections ive seen. He is definitely worth checking out. You can reach him at his site http://www.wojteksreef.net/ Not sure if links work here or not but its Wojteks reef dot net.

08/29/2017, 02:47 PM	#239
Poppy828 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Midwest Posts: 2,026	Sea Escapes - South Elgin

09/10/2017, 10:57 AM	#240
Esh1 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Posts: 70	Reef Plus in N Aurora is a pretty decent place. The owner's very knowledgable, well kept store, and they have a decent selection of fish, coral, and equipment.

11/15/2017, 10:58 PM	#241
Esh1 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Posts: 70	Stopped by Reefwise this past weekend in Lisle. Really cool store. Its setup more like a warehouse with a couple of huge frag tanks with a pretty big selection and greatprices. once my tank is ready to go I'll be headed back to stock up on frags. It seemed like they had redone half of their holding tanks as their fish stock was low but the new tank setups looked awesome. Another shop, Aqua Pro's, is about 6 miles north of Reef wise in Glen Ellyn and worth the trip if you are already at this shop. The shop appears like they have 2 parts to it, one on the street that I don't know if is open to the public, and the store itself is located in a smaller building directly behind that one. This store was smaller, but had a lot of supplies that many stores I've gone to didn't seem to carry. Worth checking out and had decent prices on things as well.

07/22/2020, 03:00 PM	#243
Dag Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Chicago Posts: 2,292	How do I get in touch with Wojtek? __________________ Aryeh Life is too short to learn everything from experience. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon reef tank

07/23/2020, 06:34 AM	#244
danielp Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 507	Facebook "Wojtek's Reef" __________________ 100g reef Current Tank Info: 50g cube reef, 16 gal nano, 100gal FOWLR to be build at some point this year