good Michigan source for Apistos

[Moreta]

Hi all,

I've had marine tanks forever, but decided I needed a change . I've been doing my homework, reading up on SA Dwarfs and I've decided to set up a spare 29 gallon for a trio, some plants and maybe some rummy nosed tetras for dither fish.

As I said I keep mostly marine and buy everything, and I mean everything from suppliers and direct ship to my home due my living out in the boondocks of Mid-Michigan.

Anybody here have any recommendations for a Metro Detroit/Ann Arbor fish store or breeder?

Thanks,

Tracy R

 

[Neil]

Moreta,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Tracy,
Glad to see that you are going to try your hand at Dwarf Cichlids and i think that you have come to the right place to get info. I don't know the fish stores in that neck of the woods, but I am sure that someone on the forum does and will answer you soon. Glad to have you aboard.
Neil

 

[Z Man]

New Baltimore, MI!!!!! Wet Thumb Aquatics. They are open for retail only on Tues, Fri & Sat but well worth the trip. I visit them from the Buffalo, NY area. They have over 600 display tanks.
http://www.wetthumbaquatics.com

 

[Moreta]

New Baltimore, MI!!!!! Wet Thumb Aquatics. They are open for retail only on Tues, Fri & Sat but well worth the trip. I visit them from the Buffalo, NY area. They have over 600 display tanks.
http://www.wetthumbaquatics.com

LOL! People thought I was nuts (or dedicated) when I went to New York to buy one of my horses (equine, not sea :wink: )! New Baltimore is about a 300 mile round trip for me but looks well worth while as I'm sure its better for the fish than shipping even overnight. I've not had good luck over the years with "local pet shop" fish that have special needs, you never know how they have been treated or what they may have picked up along the way.

Zman, I've surfed your site as well, and can't thank you enough for the info I've gotten . I'm still debating what type/configuration for the substrate as I have read so many different opinions-I read therefore I got confused, but that's another thread.

Thanks again,

Tracy

 

[Z Man]

Tracy, when you visit them, tell Delores I sent you. I know her and her husband Dewey very well. They breed most of their fish as you will see when you get there. I'm sure she still is breeding some of my children.

 

[Neil]

Moreta,
See I told you! I think Zman knows every fish-related establishment or breeder east of the Rockies 8O . Good luck finding some fish. If they have some of Zmans fry, you can assume they are probably from good stock.
Neil

 

[Z Man]

Hey Neil, That's the Mississippi not the Rockies! But only the best ones.

 

[Moreta]

Thanks all


I knew I'd found the right place for info. Aquabid was a bad place for me to discover-I'm terrified they will take Visa . Maybe I should plan on more than one species tank once I get this one going...Hmmm...oh yes, I still have more empty tanks around and sure, culturing brine shimp naupoli (sp) or rotifers isn't all that difficult "just in case" they spawn and I decide to try rearing the fry. If you listen closely, you'll hear my bank balance dropping rapidly.

Wait a minute, maybe I did come to the wrong place after all :lol: .

Thanks again,

Tracy
[/b]

 

[heslipst]

New Baltimore MI

Wet Thumb Aquatics, as already mentioned does have a few apistos.
Coincidentally, however, right around the corner from Wet Thumb... up in town, is the Anchor Bay Aquarium. They have the largest selection of Apistos that I have yet found in Michigan. You would never know that they have Apistos when you look around, because they are not on display, nor are they advertised. Ask for some help at the counter, and they will happily take you to their back room where they have around 6 rather large aquariums full.

All the best,
Steve

 

[Moreta]

Thanks Steve,

Wet Thumb didn't have any triple reds , so I found some thru a frequent seller at Aquabid.com (Max Gallade aka Apisto on Aquabid). They are scheduled to arrive Thursday this week as we were waiting for the weather to break a bit...

I'm from the thriving Metropolis of Pinckney (1/2 way between Detroit and Lansing) and it's a haul for me to go all the way out there to the the thumb, but if you think its worth while to drive that far it sounds like I should!

I work in Ann Arbor and have been sorely disappointed there isn;t a "decent" freshwater fish store in that whole town (there's a fab saltwater store, though). Any place in Lansing I might wanna check out?

Thanks for your help,
Tracy

 

[heslipst]

The Anchor Bay Aquarium had the following when I was there almost a month ago:
Apistogramma agassizi
Apistogramma borellii
Apistogramma cacatuoides
Apistogramma gibbiceps
Apistogramma norberti
Apistogramma pertensis

give them a call @ (586) 725-1383

As far as the Lansing area goes... we have Preuss Animal House, which is a GREAT store, especially for saltwater. They seldom have Apistos, however. They are located in Haslet. Check them out @ http://www.preusspets.com/

Lemme know if your are looking to travel anywhere else in Michigan. I scour the state looking for lfs and know of a bunch.

All the best,
Steve

 

[heslipst]

ortmanni

Also, Cichlid World in Garden City currently has some A. Ortmanni...
get them while they last

 

[Moreta]

:lol:

Steve, I'm gonna book mark this thread, and before I go shopping again I'll know who to bug about "what's for sale in Michigan"!!!!

Thanks so much for sharing the info,

Tracy

 

[strohl71]

Moreta -

I live in Commerce Township, MI. Wet Thumb in New Baltimore is a great place. I visited on recommendation of Z Man.

The Pet Connection in Livonia also usually carries a few species of apistos.

 

[apistodave]

betcha! Ortmani=Steindachneri

 

[Crazygar]

To do a bit of Thread Revival;

Wet Thumb Aquatics (as of 03/04/05) had no Apistos either for sale or breeding at the time I visited.

Anchor Bay Aquarium had 6 Aquariums TEEMING with Apistos from agassisi, borelli, cacutoides (a popular one), vijeita and nijessini.

Ask for help, and they'll gladly show you the tanks.

Pet Connection in Livonia (5Mile and Middlebelt within the Plaza) had Orange Flash Cacutoides the last time I there and none this time. Usually its a good idea to call.

Pet Station in Taylor can order if you want. But chances are they'll soak you.

Pruess Pets in Lansing I have not travelled to yet, but one day will make it out there. They have a website with the name of the business.

Gary

 

[Z Man]

Just FYI, Dewey & Delores of Wet Thumb Aquatics owned Anchor Bay Aquarium but sold it to open the present place behind their home quite a few years ago.

 

[Crazygar]

If anyone is considering a little trip into Canada, Big Al's in London ONT had Apistogramma agassizi "Red Tail" pairs for $29.99CAN a pair. They had one A.cacuatoides with one eye and no female companion. I tried to get it for $5.99CAN but they would not budge. The date was Sun, April 17th.

Anchor Bay Aquarium has a REMARKABLABLY HUGE AQUARIUM at the back filled with Tetras, Discus, Corydoras and Harlequin Rasboras! Its breathtaking sight. I spent 20min just glaring into the tank to id the plants and fish.

Gary

 

[strohl71]

Crazygar -

I had not heard of Pruess Pets in the Lansing / Haslett area until your thread. I was in the area recently on business and stopped by. Nice aquarium store.

As far as SA dwarf cichlids go, they had blue rams, gold rams, bolivian rams and a. borelli for sale. However, the a. borelli had some variations from individual to individual and I am pretty sure that some of all of them were actually a. species steel blue.

One nice thing about this store, however, is that they agreed to accept some of my used aquarium equipment for store credit (I am planning on some upgrades). This is nice because most aquarium shops will not take used equipment.

 

[Crazygar]

Cool. A lady from another Forum actually works there and has offered me a tour when I visit. Lansing is a bit of a drive though. Then again, so is New Baltimore.

What kind of Apistos do you own?

Gary