Greybeard
2500 Club Member
Yesterday, I took a day trip to Kansas City, in search of new additions for my reef tank. In particular, I was wanting a carpet anemone. Tank is mature enough, and they've always been one of my favorite creatures. Yeah, they're fish eaters... Just something you have to deal with.
So, Buffalo, MO to KC area, 2.5 hours or so... I don't do this sort of trip often, and wanted to detail my findings.
Disclaimer: I did not write down prices. Where I quote them, it's as I recall... sorry if I didn't remember it perfectly.
1st stop: Paradise Aquatics, Overland Park.
Fairly big store, nearly all marine. Some very large displays, some extremely well done, others, not so much. Decent fish selection, pretty wide variety of corals... but I was a bit put off by their pricing. 6" light green (almost yellow) Hadonni carpet nem, just arrived, $265. Coral prices similar... about double what I would expect. Small green sinularia frag, $79. Folks were nice enough... I mentioned the name of our next stop, the guy there told me it catered to the very welthy, and that their prices were high. Funny
2nd Stop: Picasso Exotic Aquatics
Location is way nice... which of course means in this day and age... no parking. Got lucky, found a spot on the street I could squeeze my truck into without hanging over the handicaped spot too bad. Store is bright, clean, about half and half fresh/salt. If you're into Cichlids, they got some nice stuff. Some nice stuff on the marine side, as well. Prices might seem a bit high, but it was much better than at Paradise Merten's carpet nem, in a fairly washed out pink/purple color, $149. Light green Hadonni for $89, as I recal. Midas goby, $79, I think. Didn't buy anything, but probably would have, had we not been planning other stops.
3rd stop, Reef Rack
Probably the reason for the trip. I've been there before, several years ago. Prices were good, stock levels good, neat store. Still the case, but the 'neatness' factor is reduced a bit... Due to idiots sticking their hands into the coral troughs, customers are no longer allowed to walk between the troughs. Now... I get it, you just cannot allow customers to stick their grimy hands into your grow out tanks, but, at the same time, you're seriously limiting your customer's enjoyment of the store. Gotta be anther choice here... perhaps 'customers must be escorted by employee'?? Something's gotta change.
Aside from that, still a great store. Prices were good. Selection... Could be better, I suppose. But, they had what I was looking for, so... I bought a 2" Sqamosa clam, a very bright green Hadonni carpet, a Duncan frag, a Canary Blenny, a nice big gorgonian. All in, under $300. My traveling buddy picked up a very nice 5" Maxima, and an orange mushroom frag. All were what I considerd to be very fair prices.
4th stop, Pet-Topia
Northland shop, recently moved. Nice new store. Some nice stuff... found a juvinile Lemark's Angel for under $50 that I was going to grab, until I noted that he was swimming a bit erratic, and that the tang in his tank was constantly scratching on the sand and rockwork. Sorry. No sale.
Brief stop at Miles of Exotics... I hadn't been in his new store, and since I was in the area. I was a frequent visitor when I was into reptiles, but they don't carry marine stuff. Male/female green anaconda that's worth a look though If you were into freshwater, planted, etc, it'd be the place to go.
Live Art
Eh. Nice display, had a football sized hermit crab in a conch shell that was kinda cool, but what would you do with him? 2' blue spotted sting ray... guy says to us 'you couldn't afford him in two lifetimes'. Ok, time to go.
Just FYI: My new critters are doing great... Nem even got himself a meal... my bi color goatfish.
Like I said, just something you've got to deal with, if you're going to keep an active predator like a carpet nem
So, Buffalo, MO to KC area, 2.5 hours or so... I don't do this sort of trip often, and wanted to detail my findings.
Disclaimer: I did not write down prices. Where I quote them, it's as I recall... sorry if I didn't remember it perfectly.
1st stop: Paradise Aquatics, Overland Park.
Fairly big store, nearly all marine. Some very large displays, some extremely well done, others, not so much. Decent fish selection, pretty wide variety of corals... but I was a bit put off by their pricing. 6" light green (almost yellow) Hadonni carpet nem, just arrived, $265. Coral prices similar... about double what I would expect. Small green sinularia frag, $79. Folks were nice enough... I mentioned the name of our next stop, the guy there told me it catered to the very welthy, and that their prices were high. Funny
2nd Stop: Picasso Exotic Aquatics
Location is way nice... which of course means in this day and age... no parking. Got lucky, found a spot on the street I could squeeze my truck into without hanging over the handicaped spot too bad. Store is bright, clean, about half and half fresh/salt. If you're into Cichlids, they got some nice stuff. Some nice stuff on the marine side, as well. Prices might seem a bit high, but it was much better than at Paradise
Merten's carpet nem, in a fairly washed out pink/purple color, $149. Light green Hadonni for $89, as I recal. Midas goby, $79, I think. Didn't buy anything, but probably would have, had we not been planning other stops.3rd stop, Reef Rack
Probably the reason for the trip. I've been there before, several years ago. Prices were good, stock levels good, neat store. Still the case, but the 'neatness' factor is reduced a bit... Due to idiots sticking their hands into the coral troughs, customers are no longer allowed to walk between the troughs. Now... I get it, you just cannot allow customers to stick their grimy hands into your grow out tanks, but, at the same time, you're seriously limiting your customer's enjoyment of the store. Gotta be anther choice here... perhaps 'customers must be escorted by employee'?? Something's gotta change.
Aside from that, still a great store. Prices were good. Selection... Could be better, I suppose. But, they had what I was looking for, so... I bought a 2" Sqamosa clam, a very bright green Hadonni carpet, a Duncan frag, a Canary Blenny, a nice big gorgonian. All in, under $300. My traveling buddy picked up a very nice 5" Maxima, and an orange mushroom frag. All were what I considerd to be very fair prices.
4th stop, Pet-Topia
Northland shop, recently moved. Nice new store. Some nice stuff... found a juvinile Lemark's Angel for under $50 that I was going to grab, until I noted that he was swimming a bit erratic, and that the tang in his tank was constantly scratching on the sand and rockwork. Sorry. No sale.
Brief stop at Miles of Exotics... I hadn't been in his new store, and since I was in the area. I was a frequent visitor when I was into reptiles, but they don't carry marine stuff. Male/female green anaconda that's worth a look though
If you were into freshwater, planted, etc, it'd be the place to go.Live Art
Eh. Nice display, had a football sized hermit crab in a conch shell that was kinda cool, but what would you do with him? 2' blue spotted sting ray... guy says to us 'you couldn't afford him in two lifetimes'. Ok, time to go.
Just FYI: My new critters are doing great... Nem even got himself a meal... my bi color goatfish.
Like I said, just something you've got to deal with, if you're going to keep an active predator like a carpet nem
