swimmatte April 5, 2013 Share April 5, 2013 Stopped in there today and boy did they have great pricing on fish. I'd say prices for half the price of the other MoCo LFS (Congressional and Aquarium One). Also, I overheard the guy working there telling a customer that he didn't have the proper tank to buy a Morish Idol or Copperband. It's really a rarity these days for this to happen, but very respectable. Corals weren't great, but oh well, I don't really buy corals from the MoCo places. If you need fish, I recommend giving them a call to see if they have what you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basser9 April 6, 2013 Share April 6, 2013 Best prices around and there large old tanks are a better way to store fish then the small tanks alot of lfs use. Small but worth a stop by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel not fish April 6, 2013 Share April 6, 2013 They are great to deal with. I got my fishies from him, my cabinet, honest advises, trade rocks (small to larger and vice versa) coral for credit in store, he holded a coral once when my water quality was bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM April 6, 2013 Share April 6, 2013 It's nice to hear this about them. I tried going there about 6 months ago and just couldn't get anyone's attention in the little store even though I was there for like 30 minutes. I'll give them another try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmatte April 6, 2013 Author Share April 6, 2013 It's nice to hear this about them. I tried going there about 6 months ago and just couldn't get anyone's attention in the little store even though I was there for like 30 minutes. I'll give them another try. Disclaimer: It took a while to get help. But the boss wasn't there. There was a younger guy that seemed to be the one that knew what was going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flooddc April 6, 2013 Share April 6, 2013 I haven't been there in ages. Used to work a few doors from them so pretty much visit it daily. I recalled they had a caiman croc tank, huge python and monitor lizard in the store many many years ago. Steve (owner) is pretty cool guy* once you get to know him. Glad to hear that they still around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmatte April 6, 2013 Author Share April 6, 2013 I haven't been there in ages. Used to work a few doors from them so pretty much visit it daily. I recalled they had a caiman croc tank, huge python and monitor lizard in the store many many years ago. Steve (owner) is pretty cool guy* once you get to know him. Glad to hear that they still around. Did they have the Parrot that greets every visitor with "Hello" back then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flooddc April 6, 2013 Share April 6, 2013 Did they have the Parrot that greets every visitor with "Hello" back then? yeah! a yellow crowed amazon, if i remembered correctly. and a macaw too. Are they still there? I last heard the store moved down to the basement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmatte April 6, 2013 Author Share April 6, 2013 Yep. Still there. Store did move to the basement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel not fish April 6, 2013 Share April 6, 2013 In that basement lives couple birds, couple cats, sometimes his dog going to spend the day and a gigantic turtle lives in the back area + hundreds of fishies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armydoc April 6, 2013 Share April 6, 2013 When I worked at the old Walter Reed I used to stop by frequently. The owner helped me come to my senses when he saw me buying a constant supply of tiger pods for an ill advised mandarin purchase. Reminded me I was spending a lot of money to keep a $20 fish eating. I move it to Justin's tank that afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef April 6, 2013 Share April 6, 2013 When I worked at the old Walter Reed I used to stop by frequently. The owner helped me come to my senses when he saw me buying a constant supply of tiger pods for an ill advised mandarin purchase. Reminded me I was spending a lot of money to keep a $20 fish eating. I move it to Justin's tank that afternoon. a LFS in florida said that to me once 8 years ago...it was such an eye opening statement....I needed to figure out why the pod population wasn't sustaining itself aind stop putting a band aid on the problem...I love when LFS give advice that resonates.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyPapa July 18, 2013 Share July 18, 2013 I went there about a month and a half ago on my lunch break from Bethesda and what a waste of time. The "boss" was there but after waiting for him to finish with another customer who, I actually had to ask him "Could you help me?" (I was the ONLY customer in the shop at that point in time) I asked about having some kalkwasser then had to say it was the calcium supplement and he pulled this faded color, dusty, Kent Marine kalk bottle from the shelf and it was super expensive. Nothing in the store is arranged in an easy manner, their prices are on par with Congressional and Aquarium One, it stinks (and not from the fish but from the other animals and mold), and they are the most unfriendly people I've seen at the local LFS's. They should probably also think about removing the old lead-based paint from the stairway going down. I'd not recommend this place to anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohaverd July 18, 2013 Share July 18, 2013 I went there about a month and a half ago on my lunch break from Bethesda and what a waste of time. The "boss" was there but after waiting for him to finish with another customer who, I actually had to ask him "Could you help me?" (I was the ONLY customer in the shop at that point in time) I asked about having some kalkwasser then had to say it was the calcium supplement and he pulled this faded color, dusty, Kent Marine kalk bottle from the shelf and it was super expensive. Nothing in the store is arranged in an easy manner, their prices are on par with Congressional and Aquarium One, it stinks (and not from the fish but from the other animals and mold), and they are the most unfriendly people I've seen at the local LFS's. They should probably also think about removing the old lead-based paint from the stairway going down. I'd not recommend this place to anyone. this was very close to my experience there a few months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmatte July 30, 2013 Author Share July 30, 2013 (edited) I just saw the reviews above and while I agree the place is a dump, and the service sucks, I have to disagree about fish prices. I'm sure their dry goods are horribly over priced, but I'd never buy dry goods from a LFS as BRS and Marine Depot are typically way cheaper then anyone. And yes, nothing is labeled correctly but that's not a big deal to me as the fish are pretty easy to figure out. With that said, if someone finds someone in MoCo selling fish for a cheaper price, I'll buy you one! Edit: When I say "someone", I mean a LFS Edited July 30, 2013 by swimmatte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holedup82 July 30, 2013 Share July 30, 2013 I just saw the reviews above and while I agree the place is a dump, and the service sucks, I have to disagree about fish prices. I'm sure their dry goods are horribly over priced, but I'd never buy dry goods from a LFS as BRS and Marine Depot are typically way cheaper then anyone. And yes, nothing is labeled correctly but that's not a big deal to me as the fish are pretty easy to figure out. With that said, if someone finds someone in MoCo selling fish for a cheaper price, I'll buy you one! Edit: When I say "someone", I mean a LFS +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimchi Corals July 30, 2013 Share July 30, 2013 Please this is ridiculous. Steve is honest and more importantly I have never lost a fish from his store. He actually cares about the animals. The prices are definitely less then most Montgomery county stores. You have to get to know him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimchi Corals July 30, 2013 Share July 30, 2013 He has bent over backwards to help me with my tanks. All it takes is patience from the customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holedup82 July 30, 2013 Share July 30, 2013 Please this is ridiculous. Steve is honest and more importantly I have never lost a fish from his store. He actually cares about the animals. The prices are definitely less then most Montgomery county stores. You have to get to know him. I live right up the street. Steve is a good guy his personality can easily be taken the wrong way. From my experience, He never sold me a fish or coral that was inappropriate for my tanks. Knowledge wise, price wise great place. My +1 was to finding better pricing in moco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller July 31, 2013 Share July 31, 2013 Been shopping there for almost 30 years. Not a warm and fuzzy place. There clearly is no interest in selling you something you don't need or can't keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmatte July 31, 2013 Author Share July 31, 2013 Yeah, I'm not sure where those two negative reviews came from. This is my "go to" place for fish. If they don't have what I'm looking for, then I try A1. Wouldn't touch Congressional anymore with a 10 foot pole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJT July 31, 2013 Share July 31, 2013 Tropical Lagoon was one of the first lfs I visited when I started with reefs. Steve talked me out of a calcium reactor, tested my water for free, ordered fish that aren't normally in stock, ordered cuc in bulk for me and he even once in a while says hello. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flooddc July 31, 2013 Share July 31, 2013 Probably has some mis-conception. If I still live in Silver Spring, Tropical Lagoon would still be my LFS. Very nice folks there once you get to know them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohaverd August 2, 2013 Share August 2, 2013 ya thats why peeps should go see for themselves, I could have just caught them on a rough day or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x-ray September 13, 2013 Share September 13, 2013 I've heard twice now that they have lost their lease and are closeing up shop. Can anyone verify? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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