Dallas north aquarium

A

Anonymous

[How is it that this place survives? Massively inflated prices, not so good live stock and rude staff? I dropped by today and will never step foot in there again. Examples today of the horror:

Blue ribbon eel- not only takes EXPERT care but still has a miniscule survival rate in an aquarium.

3 foot shark in a 60 gallon tank....it had about a foot and a half to move in.

"hey is that 3" emaciated Kole Tang with ich really $40?"
"ummm, yeah...."

And at the cash register where I made a last and final purchase from them ( couple snails and some carbon which is why I popped by in the first place ), not "Hi did you find everything?""Was everything O.K. today?" Instead I got "NAME?". I tell them. Next this person holds out thier hand, not looking up, takes the money, deposits my things in a bag and hands it to me. Period. No "Thanks""Have a great day!""Come back!""Have a great Independence weekend!" NOTHING! I am a happy guy, but that pissed me off. How can they be in business? Don't tell me its because of people like me. I haven't dropped enough bucks in there to even matter...What is it?]
 
[I believe that place survives because there are two kinds of fish keepers. Those who think of this as a hobby and those who use aquariums as status symbols. This place caters to the latter and unfortunately they also have the most money to spend but the least amount of knowledge. To some a $100 can be easily replaced and is no big deal. To others the loss of a $5 fish is cause for great concern. Guess which is which?]
 
[Nope No DNA for me Either! It's a shame though. It's always good to see what you buy But most of our LFS are terrible.]
 
[DNA+ a place to start.

We all have to start somewhere and I am guessing that it might be a place that can, in the least,help people learn about the hobby.
If I run into a person there, at least spread the word that there is a Club in town and come over and know the Real Deal.
I would never knock the Store, there are younger people learning to hold there first job and so on. If people want to spend money at Las Vegas, I would hope that the children get some of the pie and I am sure DNA has a pretty penny to pay the tax man as well.
I still think Bill Gates products are a bit to much and yet I am at the Office Super Store, eating up there time and lights, looking for the deal I need.
I think it is like Crack, ounce you touch it,(I hear) it is something hard to shake.
This is not to say we are for or against the DNA, if nothing else, a person can get in out of the heat and look around for free and see some guy you might need in the future shoping efforts. Now! if they start charging a door charge, then all bets are off.
Just my Australian 1/2cents's worth. ???]
 
[(i'm scott, i'm new to the board and reef keeping)

i started going to ABT at first because all I was doing was freshwater. They closed, and I then started going to Dallas North when they were still in the place with the crappy parking lot. They were cool then. Mike, one of the managers would be cool from time to time and their Cichlid selection was good. But the more I went back, the worse the tanks looked. Especially after the move to the new place. And they're really arrogant about everything. I commented to two of the guys and said they hadn't gotten any new cichlids in a month, and that the ones they had all looked horrible. They actually argued with me that they were healthy, and they had "gotten a shipment last week".

Pete Folger and Gina (who quit) were the best people I had worked with up there. They would always shoot me straight, and get me out the door as cheap as possible. I'm 23, so that's a good thing.

When I started going their for saltwater, I thought that things were out of whack. They always have *really* good prices on the used tanks, but all the other dry goods and livestock it's a joke. 2 weeks ago I got a 65w Smartlite "on clearance" from DNA for $120. Went to Boutique last night, and it was just as much, regular price. Same thing online. Boutique seems to have good prices. I'll have to check out Saltwater Paradise.

I have a bunch of questions, and I'm actually looking for more people that are into this that I can discuss these things with. I just got paid, I've got $15.]
 
[
I have a bunch of questions said:
Then you've come to the right place. :D Just ask your questions in a new thread so people notice them more readily.

I just got paid said:
That isn't much to work with. I guess we'll have to stick to learning for now. :laugh:]
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[Marc,

Hehe, I have far more than $15 to work with, but I'm talking about having the money to become a member. I think I can gain a lot of insight by attending these meetings.

I've been doing Freshwater for 3 years. And the person that got me into Cichlids, went to salt. But he's in Oklahoma, so it makes it a little difficult to troubleshoot.]
 
[Duane pointed out the link to join the club online in another thread. If you'll go to dfwmas.org, I'm sure you'll see it available under the options.

See you in the next thread. :)]
 
[Welcome, Scott! This is a great place to learn all sorts of things about fish, and other stuff! :;):


The only time I go to Dallas North Aquarium is their once a year, Cinco De Mayo sale. I got my 140, stand and hood there for $800. Had to replace the hood and cheapo lights, but still a good deal for an Oceanic reef ready. (This was a brand new tank.)

I can't believe how people line up on that day, to get "good deals" on animals and supplies. I've certainly learned to get supplies on-line! But they get there at 6:00 to wait for the doors to open.

I can't complain too much, I suppose - I got a Blue Face Angel for $10, because it was in the Koran tank, and not a Koran, so they gave me a deal. Dunno if it's a she or he, but certainly the ruling force in my tank! And only 4" :p Just wait til it gets to adulthood!]
 
@scotts wrote:
[Marc said:
[Fresh and salt aren't mutually exclusive. ;) I haven't set up a new fresh tank since I started doing salt, but I have a 55gal cichlid tank that's been up about 7 years, still with yellow labs and solousi breeding in it. And I have an African Knife that's almost ten years old. What cichlids do you do? In addition to the ones I mentioned, I have been trying to breed venustus but my female died about a year ago and I have a very aggressive Socolofi that shouldn't even be alive as old as he is and as aggressive as he is, but the massive venustus keeps him in his place since his mates unusual death. Want an ancient socolofi? Free to a good home. ;)]
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@Kevin Trotman wrote:
[I've been doing Freshwater for 3 years. And the person that got me into Cichlids said:
Fresh and salt aren't mutually exclusive. ;) I haven't set up a new fresh tank since I started doing salt, but I have a 55gal cichlid tank that's been up about 7 years, still with yellow labs and solousi breeding in it. And I have an African Knife that's almost ten years old. What cichlids do you do? In addition to the ones I mentioned, I have been trying to breed venustus but my female died about a year ago and I have a very aggressive Socolofi that shouldn't even be alive as old as he is and as aggressive as he is, but the massive venustus keeps him in his place since his mates unusual death. Want an ancient socolofi? Free to a good home. ;)]
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[Kevin,

My tank is full of peacocks. Lots and lots of them. I've got 6 or 7 hyper-agressive Aulonocara. I've got a Flavescent, German Red (orange morph), Ngara, Stuartgranti, an Insignis, Exochromis anagenys, a Juli, an unidentified Victorian, a big daddy Labeotropheus Trevawase, a big pleco, a royal pleco a pseudotropheus zebra ... and somethign else i can't remeber.]
 
@scotts wrote:
[I've been doing My tank is full of peacocks. Lots and lots of them. I've got 6 or 7 hyper-agressive Aulonocara. I've got a Flavescent said:
[I had planned on trying red zebras and then maybe getting into peacocks at the time I started salt water tanks. Now, my salt tanks take about 100x more of my time than I ever spent on the cichlids. ;) I need a bigger tank at this point. My venustus dominates the entire thing.]
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[:)
Scott:
I know where you come from on the feeling of Operations/Business.
I think of it as:
We the general public go into a store and shop for quality/price/and of course there is the problem of how people at the store seem to treat us,the general public, but I think there lies the problem. What we think and feel about the people running the stores, that are there as a business not to be a customers best buddy. These people at the LFS stores see people day in/out and the general publics attitude, day in and day out. I would figure it gets quite insane hearing the same questions, day in and day out and after a while people can get a bit jaded and callousedeist)about what people are coming in and saying and or doing while in the stores. DNA is not the only chain,(no pun intended) in town and if a person has the time, it would be very good for a person to shop at many places and spread the money,(large and small) around to the places that a person might like the best. We might not buy this or that at DNA, but maybe we might end up there and buy that or this for them. I think we will stay away for the $16 per lb on the rock sales, but if a person like there rock and has the wallet, well, OOOOwell, it might help the economy at this point. I think if rich people can shake that kind of funds out of those accounts, then more power to them.
People can be tough to understand, so I am not really to tough on LFS peoples attitudes, they have a hard job having to hear and work around some very unenlightened people and that is being kind. About the quailty of the fish and items for sale?, I DUNT know?, I am glad I do not have to do there maintence. If it does not look good,well,you know the deal. I do like the Idea that I read in a book or somewhere, that told of a plan in witch a person could Deposit some funds on the table, witch would entitle a person to partly own the item and then they keep it to see if it comes out of the problem,(ick or whatever) or if it is a new guy to there systems, then you can wait it out for week or two, seeing that the item a person who like will get in good health or be in good health before you take it home.
I would think this would be a good idea for the LFS people to accept and if more people asked to do this then less people would have to worry and or go home with an item that will end up dead in a few days.
Let us all push this idea and see how it goes.It will require patience.
Happy fishing and coraling to all. :D]
 
[I read in the paper (FW Star Telegram) last week that 400 people in America are the wealthiest, and earn 1% of the total earnings each year. ONE PERCENT!!! The other 280 million people make up the other 99%, but 400 people earn the big bucks. Obviously there are 2 or 3 here that use DNA.

:laugh:

But that is their right, and if one place isn't a good place to buy, then shop elsewhere. If you have a specific incident in which you were treated badly at the LFS, try to resolve it with them. If you don't and you feel you need to warn others in the club, that is acceptable.

And there is one store I won't do business with at all, and recently found out yesterday that nothing has changed in years. :oops:]
 
[Hey, I shop at NDA but I'm in the other 99%. :so sad:
I use store credit they give for my frags to buy
water and food and other emergency things.
Plus they do give a 48 or 72 hour livestock warranty.]
 
[:;):
Not kicking them, but, I always questioned that deal?
Does a store give you a Store warenty on your tank at home, in the 24-72 hours? or the week after when your tank turns to mush?
Sure you will get your new 10-20buck fish and only have to by the $500 in new coral and or other items that got sick?
I think I will let them keep the guy untill it looks perfect and look over all the systems, so that you do not bring a bacteria infection home in your 10-20 dollar baggie.
If the animals in many tanks look bad and the icka nd or whatever is from tank to tank, through out there systems and ajoining systems. I would say back 2ft and do not touch the water, theres something going on in TEM Watters.
Strepplel Cauciss is a flesh eating bacteria and you do not even see it comming and then in 2-3 days you are DOA. this kills 1000-1500 people per year and it is in the air, so if you get a scrach from a fall on the concrete, it could enter you body and boom your gone. It eats your skin 1inch per minute.
I am not say the fish sickness things are that bad, but in the tanks who knows and if you read the new Mag, thins months issue, AQUARIUM Fish, you will see, page 28, Top 5 Marine Fish Parasites, this is worth reading, there are a couple that can tranfer to Humans!, Ouch!.

All LFS, DNA included can keep the warenty, just do not seel out and out sick fish in sick tanks. If the fish is craching the rocks!, IT IS PROBABLY SICK, please read up on the sicknesses, cures and signs of sickness booklets and articals.
I was at the store the other day,(a local LFS, not saying where, do not want to slam any store) but, the fish in every other tank down the line, where scraching and some/many had spots and bubble eye, 20+ tanks worth, YOU KNOW what the sales person said?
This is just a common behavior with some of the fish?
YAAAA Right.
PLEASE! , I wish they would treat these tanks and systems before it just gets worse. When this stuff starts, it only gets worse and it spreads?, Dugh?
Do not buy out of these systems, a person is taking a change on there tank getting infected and the LFS will Not restock your tank.

I/We are a little picky about these things, needless to say. Please read up on the facts before you buy that white spotted fish and happy fishing and coraling to you all. :oops:]
 
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