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Subject: AQUARIA FAQ: Societies, Books and Mailorder
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FAQ: RESOURCES
This section contains references for more information. Specifically,
books (including good beginner books), magazines, addresses of some
organizations (useful for finding your local fish club), and
mail-order supply houses.
Resources for plants and plant-related equipment can be found in a
separate plant resources section within the plant FAQ.
FAQ: GOOD BEGINNER BOOKS
Contributed by Oleg Kiselev
Most aquarium books are reasonable in their advice. Do be careful of
older books which were written before some of the more recent advances
in the science of aquaria were made. Issues such as the nitrogen cycle
will probably not be covered well. Libraries are an excellent source
of books, and one should go the library first before spending any
money.
Sample of Popular Titles
* _Baensh's Aquarium Atlas_ (~$22-28)
* _Marine Aquarium Handbook_ by Martin Moe (~$10)
* _Vierke's Aquarium Book_ ($10-15)
* _Marine Aquarium Reference: Systems and Invertebrates_ by Moe
(~$22-25)
* _The Concise Encyclopedia of Aq. Fish_ by Dick Mills (~$10)
Many of the ``Fishkeeper's Guide'' Books by Tetra press are quite
good, and are available for around $6-$10. For plant books, Barron's
and Tetra's (~$5-6) are suggested.
Freshwater Books
A decent aquarium reference book need not be expensive or very
detailed. What it must have is:
* enough common species to make it usable (200-300 species is
sufficient for most purposes)
* recognizable pictures of fish to use as the identification guide
descriptions of the species including:
+ length the fish will attain
+ typical behavior (and community tank compatibility)
+ spawning requirements
+ dietary needs
+ minimal tank size
+ water quality and temperature
* some basic suggestions on how to set up an aquarium
* some minimal info on fish diseases
There are many books that satisfy these requirements. They are very
inexpensive and there is no excuse for someone to spend $20+ on the
fish that will die in 3-4 weeks instead of buying a book that would
prevent these losses for a lot less money.
For under $10:
Simon&Schuster's _Pocket Guide to Aquarium Fishes_ lists for $7 and
can be found for $4 in discount book shops. Not an ``end-all''
reference volume but at least it does not lie too much. I probably
like it because it has an excellent photo of Aphyosemion filamentosum
that looks just about like the A. filamentosum I have. (ISBN
0-671-25451-0)
At Crown Books and other ``remaindered'' book sellers, you will find a
book edited by Dick Mills that is called _The Concise Encyclopedia of
Tropical Aquarium Fishes_ if it's published by Crescent (and Tetra's
_Junior Atlas of Tropical Aquarium Fishes_ if it's published by
Tetra). It covers all the basic ideas about setting up an aquarium and
has descriptions and fair quality photos of over 300 species of fish
(the book is not in front of me so can't give you more detail). It's
published by Salamander Press in Europe and Tetra (Crescent) in US.
(Crescent edition ISBN 0-517-66776-2)
At Tower Books and other ``mainstream'' bookseller chains and larger
book stores, you will find Barron's series of translation of German
aquarium books, all between $5 and $8, concentrating on specific
categories of fish (Killifishes (ISBN 0-8120-4475-4), Cichlids (ISBN
0-8120-4597-1)), or breeding (Ines Scheurman's _Aquarium Fish Breeding_
(ISBN 0-8120-4474-6)), or general aquarium maintenance, or plants. All
of these books give a beginner a solid introduction to what and why of
the the filtration, water chemistry and so on. Any of these books make
an excellent starting point. They don't have very many color photos,
which probably contributed to the low price, but have a lot of
drawings.
Also near the $10 mark (and a lot less through mail-order), are the
Tetra/Salamander series of ``Fishkeeper's Guide To...'' books. They
are available at a number of ``normal'' book stores and I recommend
``... Healthy Aquarium'' and ``...Community Fishes'' as the better
beginner books. The rest of the series is quite good as well and any
one of these books should be a great start.
_``The Innes Book''_ -- it is a thick volume that has gone through a
dozen publishers and something like 50 editions. The newer ones will
probably be a bit more up to date, but the older ones are not bad,
either. They range from $2 to $15 and my preference is for the oldest
editions. I am personally looking for a leather bound printing from
early 30's. Don't expect the fish names to match the current
nomenclature or in some case even the real species -- for the last 40
years ``The Innes Book'' has had a picture of A. filamentosum for
their Aphyosemion gardneri.
These are the cheapest books. If you are willing to spend $15-20 (and
you better be willing to spend that much on the books if you are go to
spend that much on the fish!), the number of books is larger and the
amount of information increases.
Between $15 and $20
The books get larger, more colorful and complete:
van Ramshorst's Aquarium Encyclopedia published by HPBooks and sold by
Waldenbooks is a translation from Dutch and at $17.95 is among the
better ``shopping list'' aquarium books. It is full of very good
quality color photos, covers over 570 species of fish, 80 species of
plants, all aspects of aquarium design, building, set-up, decor, etc.
Not much on filtration, but that's all in the FAQ, so not a big flaw
for a USENET reader.
Crown Books used to sell _The Living Aquarium_, a translation from
Swedish published by Crescent Books. It's close to $20 and does not
have descriptions of too many species, but has a lot of detailed
diagrams, goes into the black arts of filtration and lighting and
attempts to cover cold water and tropical fresh water, cold water and
tropical marine and brackish aquaria, suggesting the species and decor
for them. It also has a section on building aquaria, as all European
books seem to.
More Expensive and/or Specialty Books
There are many other books that are not cheap even when you buy them
mail-order (a sure way to save 50% on the price). Many of these books
cost so much because of the large number of color photos in them and
because of the production values that went in. You will have to decide
for yourself if it's worth your money to buy these and if you will
find something really worth while in them (I have spent several
hundred $$$ on such books over the last few years and do not regret
buying any of them). If nothing else, these books make great coffee
table books that are bound to get all sorts of comments from house
guests.
Where to Find the Cheapest Books
Look through the used book stores. Books from 20-30 years ago may have
wrong Latin names for some of the fish, claim that certain species of
now-common fish are hard to breed, and may have less than adequate
coverage of filtration, but those books are still excellent general
references and (should) cost very little.
What Not to Buy
_AVOID_ any books by TFH that are less than 100 pages or have a word
``Beginner'' in the title. Leaf through the book: if you see lots of
photos of products placed so that brand names are obvious and easy to
read, or you find a bunch of photos of grinning gap-toothed kids
holding up various pieces of equipment or poking their hands into an
aquarium -- put this book away and never look at it again. These books
are (in my opinion) utter garbage.
There are a few exceptions to that rule in the TFH line: Dr. Jubb's
``Nothobranchius'', 2 volumes of Jocher's ``Spawning Problem Fishes''
and Windelow's ``Aquatic Plants'', but they fall into the
``specialty'' category).
FAQ: MAGAZINES
Freshwater and Marine Aquarium (monthly)
P.O. Box 487,
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
Phone (818) 355-1476
1yr/12 iss. $22.00
2yr/24 iss. $43.00
Outside US $27.50/yr (no 2 year subscr.)
Tropical Fish Hobbyist (monthly)
One TFH Plaza,
Neptune City, NJ 07753
Phone (908) 988-8400
1yr/12 iss. $40.00
Foreign - add $11.00/yr
**note: The edition found in retail stores often does NOT
have mail order ads; the home subscription edition
does. Do not buy one at the store for m/o
addresses without checking it out first.
Aquarium Fish Magazine (monthly)
The following special offer is made by _AFM_ for readers of
the *.aquaria newsgroups.
*****************************************************************************
Date: 12 Apr 95 09:26:26 EDT
From: Edward Bauman <
[email protected]>
As a special offer to members of the Internet *.aquaria newsgroups,
subscriptions to _Aquarium Fish Magazine_ are being made available at
a special price. You can receive a 2-year subscription for only
$24.97. This offer applies to both new subscriptions and renewals,
and represents a significant savings over the normal subscription cost
of 2 years for $38.00. In other words, you get 2 years for the price
of 1.
To take advantage of this offer, send a check or money order, or VISA
or Mastercard account number and expiration date to the address below.
You must include the subscription department in the address in order
to receive the special price.
Aquarium Fish Magazine
Subscription Dept. FHNT
P.O. Box 6040
Mission Viejo, CA 92690
USA
Canadian subscribers please add $8 and foreign subscribers please add $16 to
the subscription price. Please pay by international money order or with VISA
or Mastercard (Access).
******************************************************************************
Practical Fishkeeping (British mag)
MOTORSPORT
RR1 Box 200 D.
Jonesburg MO 63351-9616
US - $42.00 per year
KOI USA (bi-monthly)
KOI USA
P.O. Box 1
Midway City, CA 92665
U.S.A.
6 issues per year
$15 in U.S., US$ 19.50 in Canada
Marine Fish Monthly
Publishing Concepts Corp.
3243 Highway 61
East Luttrell, TN 37779
1yr/12 iss. $20.00
Canada $28.00/yr
Foreign $35.00/yr (US $ required)
1-800-937-3963 for subscription by phone
FAQ: AQUARIA ORGANIZATIONS AND SOCIETIES
Contributed by Rick Clark, Jim Lilly <
[email protected]>, and a bunch
of other people
If you would like to have a society here, please contact us with your
address.
National/International Aquarium Societies
_American Cichlid Association_
P.O. Box 5351
Naperville, IL 60567-5351
AQUATIC GARDENERS ASSN.
83 Cathcart St.
London, Ontario, Canada
N6L 3L9
INTERN'L BETTA CONGRESS
923 Wadsworth St.
Syracuse, NY
13208-2419
NORTH AMERICAN DISCUS SOCIETY
6939 Justin Drive
Mississauga, Ont, Canada
L4T 1M4
RAINBOWFISH STUDY GROUP OF NO. AMERICA
Gary Lange
2590 Cheshire
Florissant, MO 63033
Local Aquarium Societies
This list was updated 11/22/95 by Hedy Padgett of FAAS.
** indicates a non-FAAS society.
ATLANTA AREA AQUARIUM ASSN.
Mark Barnett
130 Springbrook Lane
Stockbridge, GA 30281
AIR CAPITAL A.S.
P.O. Box 3235 Jim Martinson
Wichita, KS 917 1/2 W. Douglas
67201-3235 Wichita, KS - 67213
** ALAMO A.S., INC.
319 Byrnes
San Antonio, TX
78209
ALLEGHENY RIVER VALLEY A.S.
P.O. Box 415 Ken Taft
Olean, NY 319 North 11th Street
14760-0415 Olean, NY -14760
AQ. CLUB OF LANCASTER CNTY
218 E. Clay St. Mark W. Gagermeier
Lancaster, PA PO Box 98
17602 Seven Valleys, PA-17360-0098
AQ. HOBBYISTS OF AMARILLO
1009 S. Kentucky Debbie Black
Amarillo, TX 1009 S. Kentucky
79012 Amarillo, TX-79102
AQUA LAND AQUATIC SOCIETY
Karl Chadbourne
231Bayberry Dr.
Bristol, CT-06010-
** AQUARIUM SOCIETY OF DURHAM
P.O. Box 25218
Durham, NC
27702-2518
AQUARIUM SOCIETY OF WINNIPEG
P.O. Box 301 Gary Blazeiko
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 342 Redwood Ave
R3C 2H6 Winnipeg, MB, CANADA R2W 1S2
** ASOC. NACIONAL ACUAROFILA MEXICANA, AC
APDO Postal 73-112, Santa Cruz Atoyac
Mexico, DF
03310
ASOCI. ACUARISTAS AGUADILLA
P.O. Box 102 Ken Orth
Aguadilla, PR P.O. Box 102
00605 Aguadilla, PR 00605
** BERMUDA FRY-ANGLE CLUB
P.O. Box WK272
Warwick, WKBX, Bermuda
BLACK RIVER AQUARIUM SOCIETY,INC.
Jack Adinolfi
P.O. BOX 92
LUDLOW, VT 05149-0092
BOSTON A.S.
255 Central St. William Curtin
Holliston, MA 45 Park Ave West South
01746-2011 Weymouth, MA 02190-1749
BROOKLYN A.S.
P.O. Box 290610 Michael Loweth
Brooklyn, NY 34-38 42nd St.
11229-0011 Long Island City, NY 11102
BUCKS COUNTY A.S., Ltd.
Gary Jones
237 Apple St.
Levittown, PA 19057-1211
CALGARY A.S.
P.O. Box 63180, 2604 Kensington Rd. NW Dale Speirs
Calgary, Alberta, Canada Box 6830, Station D
T2N 4S5 CALGARY, ALB, CANADA- T2P 2E7
** CALIF. ORGANIZATION OF AQUATIC SHOW TROP.
13581 Arizona St., #2
Westminster, CA
92683-2361
CENTRAL FLORIDA A.S.
1017 Alpug Ave. Ken Williams
Oviedo, FL 1033 Santa Anita
32765 Orlando, FL 32808
CENTRAL ILLINOIS AQUARIST
PO Box 225 Terry McCue
Pekin, IL 123 Charlotte
61555-0225 Pekin, IL 61554
CENTRAL NEW YORK A.S., INC
P.O. Box 566 Bill Brogan Ives Street Rd
Syracuse, NY 19512 Cnty Rt. 65
13206 Watertown, NY 13601-2943
** CENTRAL VALLEY A.S.
1990 Rohrer Dr.
Turlock, CA
95382-1945
CENTRAL WISCONSIN A.S.
5339 Hwy 54 E Jerry Podolak
Plover, WI 5339 Hwy 54 East
54467 Plover, WI 54467
CHAMPAIGN AREA FISH EXCHANGE
Greg Wooters
1231 Joanne
Champaign, IL 61821
CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AQ. ASSN., INC.
Joe Rozen
149 South Ocelot St.
Dunkirk, NY 14048
CIRCLE CITY AQ. CLUB
5332 Rockville Rd. Jeff Neese
Indianapolis, IN 421 E. 41st. St.
46224-9112 Indpls, In 46205
CLEVELAND A.S.
26011 Hendon Road Alan Robbins
Beachwood, OH 26011 Hendon Road
44122 Beachwood, OH 44122
** CLEVELAND SALTWATER ENTHUSIASTS ASSN.
20897 Fairpark Dr.
Fairview Park, OH
44126
** COLORADO A.S.
P.O. Box 1253
Arvada, CO
80005
COLUMBUS AREA FISH ENTHUSIAST
3522 Rivercrest Dr. Tracie McCue
Columbus, OH 5233 Brownfield Ct.
43223 Columbus, OH 43232-4607
DANBURY AREA A.S.
PO Box 8017 Rick Marino
New Fairfield, CT 85 Starrs Plain Rd.
06812 Danbury, CT 06810
DELAWARE COUNTY A.S.
P.O. Box 521 Peter Rollo
Ridley Park, PA 2308 Cedar Lane
19078 Secane, PA 19018
DIAMOND STATE A.S.
Richard Adler
5420 Valley Green Dr., Apt. c-2
Wilmington, DE 19808
** Dry Wash Aquarium Society
c/o Don Kinney II
8245 N. 27th Ave. #1115
Phoenix, Az. 85051
** EASTERN IOWA AQ. SOCIETY
Buck Stark
P.O. BOX 2327
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406
ERIE AQ. SOC.
4829 Leacock Rd. Nicholas Danko
Edinboro, PA 1942 Ottawa Drive #4
16412 Erie, PA 16505-4928
FEDERATION OF AMERICAN A.S.
Hedy Padgett (Membership Chair)
4816 E. 64th. Street
Indianapolis, IN 46220-4728
FEDERATION OF TEXAS A.S.
3502 Carter Creek Pkwy Doug Austin
Bryan, TX 9511 Strawgrass Dr.
77802 Houston, TX 77064
FORT WAYNE CICHLID
502 Park Ave. - Box 260 Ted Fandrei
Antwerp, OH 1334 E. Pressler Rd
45813 Columbia City, IN 46725
** GREAT LAKES CICHLID SOCIETY
1113 Sunset Road
Mayfield Hts, OH
44124
GREATER AKRON A.S.
P.O. Box 494 Bob Gill
Akron, OH 4726 - #2 Wiseland Ave. S.E.
44309-0494 Capton, OH 44707
GREATER CHICAGO CICHLID ASSN
241 Oxford Ct. Gary Wagner
Bloomingdale, IL 1645 McGovern
60108 Highland Park, IL 60035
GREATER CINCINNATI A.S.
P.O. Box 46205 Jerry Riegel
Cincinnati, OH 1468 Larrywood Lane
45246-0205 Cincinnati, OH 45224
GREATER CITY A.S.
Berek Haus
197-05 90th Ave.
Hollis, NY 11423
GREATER DAYTON A.S.
288 Virginia Ave. Dave Price
Centerville, OH 1659 Common Wealth Dr.
45458 Xenia, OH 45385
GREATER DETROIT A.S.
P.O. Box C Dean Sliger
Royal Oak, MI P.O. Box 20263
48068 Ferndale, MI 48220-0263
** GREATER FAIRFIELD COUNTY A.S.
P.O. Box 141
Lancaster, OH
43130
** GREATER LAFAYETTE A.S.
516 N. 27th St.
Lafayette, IN
47904
GREAT LAKES CICHLID SOCIETY
Butch Capaldi
890 Orchard Road
Willoughby, OH 44094
GREATER PITTSBURGH A.S.
P.O. Box 22452 Edward Redgate
Pittsburgh, PA 227 Dewey St.
15122-0452 Pittsburgh, PA 15218
** GREATER PORTLAND A.S.
P.O. Box 6752
Portland, OR
97228-6752
GREATER SEATTLE A.S.
1632 15th Ave #1 Lynna Philips
Seattle WA 98122 7757 142nd Way S.E.
Renton, WA 98059
** GREEN WATER A.S.
P.O. Box 611
Bedford Park, IL
60499-0611
Grupo Mexicano de Ciclidofilos
Cordillera karakorum 223B, Lomas 3a. seccion
San Luis Potosi, S.L.P., 78216
Mexico
Tel/fax 052-48-253168
e-mail
[email protected]
HEART OF AMERICA A.S.
6712 Linden Road Ron DeVono
Kansas City, MO 7904 E. 58th St.
64112 Kansas City, MO 64129
HOUSTON AQ. SOC., INC
5116 Elm Silva St. Germain
Houston, TX 7111 Log View Dr.
77081 Houston, TX 77040
HURONIA AND DISTRICT A.S.
RR 3, 9th Con. W. Leighton Irwin
Orillia, Ontario, Canada RR 3, 9th Cons. W.
L3V 6H3 Orillia, Ont CANADA L3V 6H3
INDIANAPOLIS A.S., INC.
430 2nd Ave. N.E. Linda Croddy
Carmel, IN 7333 Rogers Drive
46032 Indianapolis, IN 46214
JACKSONVILLE A.S.
P.O. Box 156 Bernhard D. Echt
Jacksonville, FL 5347 Swaying Oaks Ct.
32207 Jacksonville, FL 32258
KITSAP A.S., INC.
P.O. Box 1145 Rosemay Mearns
Silverdale, WA PO Box 1039
98383 Silverdale, WA 98383-1039
** LEHIGH VALLEY A.S.
116 Hazen Ave.
E. Bangor, PA
18037
LONG ISLAND A.S.
214 Holly Lane Demetrios Litsakis
Smithtown, NY 183 Cherokee St.
11787 Ronkokoma, NY 11779
LORAIN COUNTY A.S.
P.O. Box 185 Jason G. Johnson
Elyria, OH 4695 Clifton Ave
44036-0185 Lorain, OH 44055
** LOUISVILLE TROP. FISH FANCIERS, INC.
P.O. Box 6774
Louisville, KY
40207-6774
MAINE STATE AQUARIUM SOCIETY
P.O. Box 487 Bob LeBlanc
N. Berwick, ME 218 Westbrook St.
03906 So. Portland, ME 04106
MEDINA COUNTY A.S., INC.
P.O. Box 1485 Debbie Corbett
Medina, OH 4267 Miner Dr.
44258 Brunswick, OH 44212
MID-SOUTH A.S., INC.
P.O. Box 11744 Joe Edds, Jr.
Memphis, TN 1974 N.Glenhome Drive
38111 Memphis, TN 38134
MISSOURI A.S., INC.
John Van Asch
505 S. 20th St.,
Belleville, IL 62223
MINNESOTA A.S., INC.
2804 31st Ave. N.E. Paul E. Turley
Minneapolis, MN 3413 Sumter Ave
55418-2453 St. Louis Park, MN 55426
** MISSOURI A.S., INC.
36 Wagon Wheel
Fenton, MO
63026
** MOBILE A.S.
11450 Boe Rd. Ext.
Grand Bay, AL
36541
MONTREAL A.S.
P.O. Box 653, Station B, Gary Elson
Montreal, Que., Canada 2181 Marcil Ave.
H3B 3K3 Montreal, QC Canada H4A 2Z2
MOTOR CITY A.S., INC.
P.O. Box 60 Kelli Potter
Roseville, MI 26437 Oak
48066 Roseville, MI 48066
** NEW YORK-PENN COUNCIL
3317 Asbury Rd.
Erie, PA
16506
** NORTH COUNTRY A.S.
PO Box 46
Potsdam, NY
13676
** NORTH EAST ALABAMA A.S.
3524 Alexandria Rd.
Anniston, AL
36201
NORTH JERSEY A.S.
23 W. 39th Dore Careo
Bayonne, NJ 198 Linden Ave
07002 Jersey City, NJ 07305
NORWALK A.S. OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
P.O. Box 84 Sal Silvestri
South Norwalk CT 33 Shaker Road
06852 New Canaan, CT 06840
OHIO CICHLID ASSN, INC.
3896 Boston Road Jim Smith
Brunswick, OH 1028 Barkston Dr.
44212 Highland Hts, OH 44143-3221
** Ottawa Valley Aquarium Society
Box 31033, Nepean, Ontario, Canada
K2B 8S8
PACIFIC COAST CICHLID ASSN.
P.O. Box 28145 Kurt Zadnik
San Jose, CA 923 6th Avenue
95128 Crockett, CA 94525
** PENN. FISH CULTURISTS ASSN.
6804 No. 10th St.
Philadelphia, PA
19126
POTOMAC VALLEY A.S., INC.
P.O. Box 664 Arthur Road
Merrifield, VA Annandale, VA 22003
22116
REGINA A.S.
P.O. Box 3654, Bill Aitken
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada 71 Meadow Way
S4P 3N8 Regina, SAS, CANADA S4N 5G9
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CICHLID ASSN.
9242 E. Eastman Place Mike Haverland
Denver, CO 5065 W. Hinsdale Cir.
80231 Littleton, CO 80123
SACRAMENTO A.S.
P.O. Box 160545 Kim Crowdis
Sacramento, CA 325 E. 16th St.
95816-0545 Marysville, CA 95901
** SAN DIEGO TROPICAL FISH SOC., INC.
P.O. Box 4156, N. Park Sta.
San Diego, CA
92164
** SAN FRANSISCO A.S.
(415) 387-6626
WWW:
http://users.aol.com/sfas/
** SASKATOON A.S.
Box 371,
Saskatoon Saskathewan, Canada
S7K 3L3
** SHEBOYGAN A.S.
P.O. Box 954
Sheboygan, WI
53082
SINGING SANDS A.S.
P.O. Box 134 Jim Lilly
Michigan City, IN 413 E. 18th St.
46360 LaPorte, IN 46350-6619
SOCIETIE D'AQUARIOPHILIE DE MONTREAL
2450 Workman Claude A. Picard
Montreal, QUE, Canada 1600 Des Pinsons
H3J 1L8 Ste. Catherine, Que, Canada J0L IE0
SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA A.S.
Dan Andrews
206 S. Main
Chatsfield, MN 55923
** Southern California Cichlid Association
4195 Chino Hills Pkwy. #362
Chino Hills, CA 91709
SOUTHERN COLORADO A.S.
Dale Grover
807 Fontmore Rd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
SOUTHTOWNS FISH FANCIERS, INC.
John Burdick
8639 S. Main St.
Eden, NY 14057
SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN AQ. SOC.
Scott Tetzlaff
226 Burton SW
Grand Rapids MI 49507
** SOUTH SOUND A.S.
948 Summit Lakeshore Rd., N.W.
Olympia, WA
98502
** SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA A.S.
PO Box 9093
Rochester, MN
55903-9093
** SOUTHERN COLORADO A.S.
P.O. Box 16078
Colorado Springs, CO
80935
SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN A.S., INC.
P.O. Box 3175 Scott Tetzlaff
Kalamazoo, MI 226 Burton SW
49003-3175 Grand Rapids MI 49507
STARK COUNTY AQUA LIFE ENTHUSIASTS, INC.
P.O. Box 8384 Helene Pringle
Canton, OH 1414 Wabash Ct. N.E.
44711 Canton, OH 44705
** STORY CITY A.S.
920 Fairview St., #8
Story City, IA
50248
** TAMPA BAY AQUARIUM SOCIETY
1101 W. Kirby St.
Tampa, FL
33604
THE SUBURBAN A.S.
P.O. Box 101 Paul Johnson
Prospect Hts, IL 6249 W. School St.
60070 Chicago, IL 60634-4112
TAMPA BAY AQUARIUM SOCIETY
Vinny Kutty
8210 Fisherman's Point Dr.
Temple Terrace, FL 33637
TROPICAL AQUARISTS OF NORTHERN - OHIO CLUB
Bonnie Tamura
941 N. State St.
Painesville, OH 44077
** TRI-COUNTY TROPICAL FISH SOC.
312 Oaklawn Terr.
Creve Coeur, IL
61611
TROPICAL FISH CLUB OF BURLINGTON
RR #1, Box 1548 Richard Maxwell
Huntington, VT 76 Porters Point Rd.
05462 Colchester, VT 05446
** TROPICAL FISH CLUB OF ERIE COUNTY
5725 Herman Hill Rd.
Hamburg, NY
14075
TROPICAL FISH SOCIETY RHODE ISLAND
44 Homecrest Ave. George Mundy
Slatersville, RI 44 Homecrest Ave., Box 525
02876 Slatersville, RI 02876
** WESTERN NEW YORK A.S.
P.O. Box 472, Hiler Branch
Buffalo, NY
14223
WORCESTER A.S.
P.O. Box 972 Stephen Szabo
Worcester, MA PO Box 132
01613-0972 Oakham, MA 01068
YOUNGSTOWN AREA TROPICAL FISH
P.O. Box 5190 Ron Romigh
Youngstown, OH 604 Allen Ave.
44514 Monaca, PA 15061
FAQ: MAIL-ORDER HOUSES
This section contains mailorder information for aquarium supply houses
and pond supplies.
_________________________________________________________________
Mail-Order Aquarium Supplies
Although prices are lower through mail order, one must consider the
cost of the shipping and handling, the delay time if product is not in
stock, and the fact that the mail order company will typically not
answer detailed questions. Your local retailer on the other hand must
pay for the overhead of inventory, and often times are willing to
answer questions. We need to collectively ensure the survival of good,
helpful stores with fair prices.
Service Comparisons
Here is a quick comparison of five of the most popular mail-order
houses, That Fish Place (TFP), Mail Order Pet Shop (MOPS), Pet
Warehouse (PW), Wet Thumb Aquatics, and Daleco. Addresses and phone
numbers are listed later in this section.
TFP MOP PW DLC WTA
Price 1.5 1.2 2.0 2.5 1.0
Selection 1.6 1.9 2.3 1.5 3.0
Service 1.7 2.3 1.0 2.0 1.0
Processing 2.1 2.0 1.0 1.5 1.0
Completeness 1.6 2.1 1.3 2.0 2.0
Correctness 1.1 1.4 1.0 1.5 1.0
Damage 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.0
Sum 10.6 12.1 9.6 12 10
# Responses 11 10 3 2 1
Avg 1.5 1.7 1.3 1.7 1.4
Criteria
Price
Total cost of an average order.
1 - excellent, 2 - good, 3 - fair, 4 - pet shop
Selection
Do they carry what you want?
1 - anything you could possibly want, 2 - good, 3 - fair, 4 -
poor.
Customer service
Are they pleasant on the phone? Do the sales people provide
accurate product information? Are printed materials helpful?
1 - excellent, 2 - good, 3 - fair, 4 - why are you calling and
bothering them?
Order processing
How fast is your order processed? (When does it leave the
warehouse? Not when do you actually receive it, as this varies
with your location!)
1 - same day, 2 - 1-3 days, 3- longer than three days.
Order completeness
Do they have what you ordered in stock?
1 - rarely a stock out, 2 - occasional, 3 - often items are out
of stock.
Order correctness
Did they send what you ordered?
1 - never a problem, 2 - minor problems, 3 - common problem.
Order damage
Do you ever receive broken items?
1 - never a problem, 2 - minor problems, 3 - common problem.
The Big Fish
_That Fish Place_
237 Centerville Rd.
Lancaster, PA 17603
800-733-3829
Clearly, a favored source for mail order. Best catalogue (very useful
for ordering from other places). I received no "horror" stories, only
one minor complaint.
Good Source for: Plants
Shipping: Actual Cost
_Mail Order Pet Shop_
250 W Executive Drive
Edgewood, NY 11717
800-366-7387 (ordering and product info)
800-326-6677 (customer service)
1338 North Market Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95834
Probably the total lowest cost place for supplies. However, it seems
that people either love or hate them. I received several complaints
about service and bulk products being shorted etc. People like their
flat fee for shipping.
Shipping: $3.99 orders <= $45, $5.99 orders > $45 but < $100, $7.99
orders > $100.
The Small Fry
_Pet Warehouse_
Dept. FA-122
P.O. Box 20250
Dayton, OH 45420
800-443-1160
800-443-1176 (after 5PM EST and weekends)
Not used extensively. However, I received many positive comments.
People like their quick service.
Shipping:
$30 or < $3.95
$30-45 4.75
$45-60 5.75
$60-75 6.75
$75-150 8.50
$150 or > 10.50
_Daleco_
3340 Land Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46809-1531
800-987-1120
Has many unusual items. Shipping is included in prices for orders over
$30 but prices are higher than bigger places.
Good Source for: Live Food Cultures, Dupla Products, LaMotte Test Kits
Shipping: Free, orders under $30.00 require a $3.00 handling fee.
_Wet Thumb Aquatic_
52700 Base St.
New Baltimore, MI 48047
810-725-0960
Smaller outfit. Their selection is not great but prices are very good.
They are more breeder oriented. They ship same day. Free shipping for
orders over $75.
Good Source for: Regenerative Blowers and Reverse Osmosis units.
Shipping:
$25 or < 2.50
$25-45 3.50
$45-60 4.50
$60-75 5.50
$75 or > Free
Others mentioned but not ranked
_Spectacular Sea System_: Specializing in marine lighting and
accessories ranked 3,3,1,1,1,1,1 305-941-3792
_________________________________________________________________
Pond Mail-Order
Contributed by Diane DeMers
These are from ads in Sunset, Horticulture, and Fine Gardening
magazines. I've tried my best to get all the info correct; I don't
have any first-hand knowledge (yet) with any except the catalogs from
Lilypons. Note: these were all "regular" ads; I didn't look through
the classified sections of these magazines.
_Dolphin Outdoors_
1808 W. Campbell Ave
Campbell, CA 95008
(408) 379-7600
Fiberglass Ponds for gardens and fish. Send SASE for brochure and
prices
_Hermitage Garden Pools_
PO Box 361, Dept. A
Canastoga, NY 13032
(315) 697-9093
Fiberglass garden pools, rock waterfalls, self-contained redwood
waterwheels; bubbling fantasias. Send $1.00 for color catalog.
_Lilypons Water Gardens_ 3 locations:
Dept. 1626
PO Box 10
Buckeystown, MD 21717-0010
(800) 723-7667
Dept. 1626
PO Box 188
Brookshire, TX 77423-0188
(800)766-5648
Dept. 1626
PO Box 1130
Thermal, CA 92274-1130
(800) 685-7667 or (800)365-5459 (different ads had different Ph #
here).
pond liners, accessories, plants (lilies, lotus, etc), fish, etc.
100-page Catalog subscription $5.00 [Personal note: I've never bought
anything from them yet, but I do like their catalog.]
_Paradise Water Gardens_
56 May St. FN06
Whitman, MA 02382
(617) 447-4711
(617) 447-4591 FAX
Great books on water gardening (too numerous to list here); water
lilies, fountains, pumps, Koi, goldfish, aquatic plants, tub gardens.
Send $3.00 for a 60-page full-color catalog.
_Pets Unlimited_
1888 Drew
Clearwater, FL 34625
(813) 442-2197
Featuring TetraPond products. Send $3.00 for color brochure, price
list, plus "Digest for a Successful Pond".
_Resource Conservation Technology, Inc._ 2633 N. Calvert St.
Baltimore, MD 21218
(301) 366-1146
Butyl Pond liners. 20-year warranty. Won't harm fish or plants, won't
stiffen in cold weather, resists sunlight better than plastics. Call
or write for literature and samples of the liner and Liner Protection
Fabric.
_Slocum Water Gardens_
Dept. FI592
1101 Cypress Gardens Rd.
Winter Haven, FL 33880
Water Lily Catalog: water lilies, lotus, fancy Goldfish Complete info
on tubs, concrete pools, and ponds Send $3.00.
_Tetra Sales USA_
Department P-9208
201 Tabor Road
Morris Plains, NJ 07950
32-mil, flexible PVC liners, 10-year guarantee; accessory products,
fish and plant foods, water treatments, etc. Write for free "how-to"
brochure.
_Van Ness Water Gardens_
Water lilies, bog plants, info, pumps, filters, maintenance 2460 N.
Euclid , Dept. 877
Upland, CA 91786-1199
(714) 982-2425
For 56-page color catalog, send $4.00
_Waterford Gardens_
74 East Allendale Road, Dept F
Saddle River, NJ 07458
(201) 327-0721
Water Lilies, bog plants, lotus, pools and accessories, ornamental
fish $5.00 for 1992 catalog.
_Waterland USA_
27071 Cabot Rd., Suite 116
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
(800) 321-6178
Fountains for your home, patio, or garden. Call for free brochure.
_William Tricker, Inc._
7125 Tanglewood Drive
Independence, OH 44131
(216) 524-3491
Rare and unusual varieties of water lilies, aquatic plants, fish, etc.
Send $3.00 for full-color catalog.
End of Resource FAQ.
