Best Petshop to buy Tropical Fish in Dublin

leef23

what in you opinion is the best place to buy Tropical Fish & accessories.

as in price, healthy fish, best range of fish & and staff that are helpful/friendly and with a good knowledge of fish.

or does anyone buy stuff online

Arcadian

I wouldn't buy fish on line i like to see what i'm getting, call me fussy:D

Petstop in Blanch isn't bad for value or selection, there's only one guy there who i'd be inclined to ask advice though.

Dublin Petstore? Think that's the name of the one on Capel St, grand for community fish.

Shop on Parnell St and the one at Newlands Cross are 2 that tend to have sickly fish.

Hagar

leef23 wrote:

or does anyone buy stuff online

The delivery firm would want to be on the ball for that one.

wasted_winter

I was actually logging in to ask the same question!

I haven't kept fish in many years, but I'd like to start again. Previously I wasn't in a position to have tropical fish - but I'd like to start. I've been browsing the web looking at tanks and getting info, etc.

I'd really love if anyone could give me the name of a good pet shop - one that specialises in fish would be appreciated!

I'm in the north wicklow / south dublin area & I can't really get to any inner-city pet shops (ie: getting the tank, etc home to start with... and afterwards the fish...).

Most importantly I want to be able to speak to someone in the shop who actually know what they are talking about! As a beginner I will have to rely on the shop for advice in equipment and fish.

Also can anyone offer advice on the type of tank to buy - I want to get a decent sized tank, as in I want to be able to start with small amount of fish and to gradually build up the amount - but at the same time I don't want a huge tank that I can't take care of... or one that the primary fish will disappear in!!! I've looked at some websites and the range of tanks is unbelievable... and I can't tell the difference in any of them!

Also if anyone knows of any good websites for reading up on it would be appreciated! I'm keen to get started but I don't want to spend a lot of money on unnecessary/worthless/unsuitable equipment.

Cheers!

(PS - For all the pro's out there can anyone 'put together' a nice beginners collection of fish? A sort of newbies amazon wish-list!!! )

Shelli

I have heard great things about Fish-FX in Dun Laoghaire. Don't go near the shop on parnell st.

johnnyrotten

Shop on Wellington Quay, Dublin near the Clarence Hotel. Good advice there

Fuzzie Bear

My dad has 35 year fish experience so he could probably help if you want to drop him a line info@fishkeepingsupplies.com

dark_jedi_ire

Well i have been to most of them At this stage I thing

And the best seem to be

Aquatic Village , Bristas Road www.aquatic-village.com
Knowledgable. willing to help , good stock, And One of the cheapest Around,

Wackers Parnell Street ( best in town I think)
Again knowledgable OK stock, helpfull, price= average,

Fish Fx Seem To be really good also, But havnt managed to make it out there So far, But are they just Marine? or Do they do freshwater also?

Sites to Read.


http://badmanstropicalfish.com/ (really good.)
http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/ (really Good)

In the past I have posted other Sites so have a Look through my old posts And you should find more,

Rob

leef23

i've bought food/accessories/equipment on ebay it's a hell of alot cheaper then the shops

Shelli

Stay away from Whackers is my opinion, I've had and heard of too many bad experiences coming from that shop.

dark_jedi_ire

Hmmm thats your opinion . me have never had any problems with them, and a friend has never had Any problems with them also,

Then again I personally havnt actually bought fish from them but friends have ,any Advice was spot on and plants were grand and normal Supplies were if a little over priced were grand,


Everyone`s allowed there own two cent

Rob

fred funk }{

OK here's my opinion............

Stay away from pet-shops that dont specialise in fish. The fish are normally in very poor health and the staff know how is pretty poor.

There are a number of tropical fish shops (TFS) around and the best in my opinion is Aquatic-village, they will advise you correctly on everything you need to know and you get the feeling when talking to them that they aren't looking for the quick buck. They also have a superb range of fish and not to dear either. Although the owner can be a bit of a Dick head sometimes its still my favourite TFS where i buy all my weekly needs.


FishFX in Dunlaoghaire are robbers plan and simple. Everything they sell is way more expensive than everywhere else. I bought all my equipment there at first but after a while and visiting other TFS i came to relise just how bad they are. The quality of their fish isn't bad its actually good, its their greedyness that lets them down.

I buy filters and stuff like that on the net http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/default.asp
Are ok for stuff and not badly priced.


http://www.kilkennyaquatics.ie/

This place in Killkenny have a superb range of fish and are one of the cheapest places in the country and well worth the journey the odd time.

dark_jedi_ire

Agree completely with Silver Knight

I have found aquatic-village fantastic for advice, prices, Fish stock,tanks. and everything else including the dick head smart arse owner,

Havnt been to Fish Fx but heard the samething there over priced

Newlands isnt the best either same kinda thing, but there is on guy there who I think is trying to break the mold, he always orders a width and diverse selection of fish , but can be a little bit pricey on supplies,.

Rob

Fuzzie Bear

Has anyone any opinions on the new fish department in Pet Stop in Blanchardstown ??

First visit there, most of the fish were in awful condition - they seem to be better now, but theres not really many interesting fish....

u2gooner

In my experience, whackers were more interested in the contents of my wallet than the contents of the tanks.
Try Dublin Aquarium centre in Ballybough. Its behind Henry's fishing tackle shop beside Annesley motors on Ballybough Road, Dublin 3.
The guys name is Joe, very knowledgable, will give you advice all day if you have thetime to hang around the shop. Nice fish and quite cheap. Im sure he'll try get certain fish for you if they're not in stock. He doesn't do marine fish but has nice coldwater and tropical fish and breeds his own Discus.

cynos

Petstop in blanchardstown are very good and have a huge selection of marine and tropical
Coolock and swords petstore are good for tropical stuff too
Kinsealy are extremely overpriced, and sell fish in poor condition - Stay away
Whackers in donameade are a little overpriced and havent got a great selection
Just my 2pence

J2DaC

If anyone is getting a tank, I HIGHLY recommend going up the north to belfast! They are so much cheaper up there! We got a huge tank for £100. Down here they were about €400!!!!!!

J2DaC

If anyone is getting a tank, I HIGHLY recommend going up the north to belfast! They are so much cheaper up there! We got a huge tank for £100. Down here they were about €400!!!!!!

karlin

Petstp can be OK if you are selective on the tank and the stock. They don't really care for the fish, at least the freshwater tropicals; there are often dead fish floating around. Whackers has some knowledgeable guys, OK on fish but tend to focus on pricier cichlids etc and have less of a community tank selection; and plants are a bit high but they clearly know their stuff. I really like Aquatic Village; shame they are so far away from where I live!

Where in Belfast were they selling €400 tanks for £100?! Just the tank or setups? That sounds very low going by prices on UK websites for tanks and supplies... Dark Jedi thanks for suggestions of websites as well; those have been helpful as I've set up a tank for the first time in many years!

cynos

Petstop in blanch have a fella working there, cant remember his name but he knows a sh1tload about marine fish.
Are you refering to wackers in town or donameade?
cause personally donameade, the guy hasnt a clue for someone who's worked there for years

karlin

Whackers in Parnell St. I have found them to be fine, a little pricy on some things but not on others.

I think Petstop in Blanch is probably a lot better on marines than tropicals! The tropical tanks get really ugly, lots of dead fish. The last thing anyone should be doing is buying fish from a tank that has dead ones floating around, of course. :eek: Decent for plants though as turnover is high so there's lots of fresh stock.

One thing I find frustrating is that everyone only wants to sell big package aquariums and few sell tanks on their own and hoods alone etc. Only Baumann's in Dublin seems to sell ClearSeal tanks rather than just Juwel packages, for example. I rang them to get the price on a hood and they only special order the ClearSeal hoods. I used Aquatics Online in the UK, as recommended above by Silver Knight, http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/default.asp, and the same hood even with postage AND the currency exchange was a fourth less! Plus I had the choice of a less expensive model that suited me fine and for the price I would have paid just for the special order hood, I got a hood, light fixture, siphon, and some other bits and pieces. Shipped on MOnday and I just got the package an hour ago: three days from the UK!! Very well packed. Highly recommended. BTW they had the same extern filter I bought at Aquatic Village for over a third less.

whiteshadow

supposed to be a good place in kilkenny also
killkenny aquatics.. never made it down but
they are cheap for eheim products...

Nala

The fish in Petstop in Blanch are always sickly, always loads of dead fish in the tank too. And the staff never have any idea what they're talking about.

Rippleman

u2gooner mentioned 'Aquarium Centre' in Ballybough which I have been using for about 20 years (YIKES!!!!). Joe use to have the front room of his house set up as a shop & later moved to Ballybough.
Being a true fish enthusiast, experienced and very knowledgeable he can be trusted 100% with advice. I have never got a sick fish from him (which I can't say of any other shop I have bought from). He buys fish from local breeders when they are available so you know they will be happy in Dublin tapwater.
Prices reasonable, sometimes cheap, (Bought a school of locally bred Cory adolfoi recently for €7.50 each) but being a very small shop stock is limited. Best time to call in is Sat morning (by evening very little stock left!).
Gets my thumbs-up for anyone that can travel to Ballybough.

emma6606

Hi every1!
i go to the aquatic village in blessington! its great, their really nice & helpful there... thursday night from 6-8 they have 2 for the price of 3 offers on all fish!!
Is anyone else here a member of www.irishfishkeepers.com ??
Check it out!!
Emma

Rippleman

Hi emma6606,

I guess you mean aquatic village do a 3 for the price of 2 deal! Is that every Thursday? Quite a trip from where I live but worth the effort for a deal like that.

Thanks for the ITFS link.

Carl

karlin

I was at Aquatic Village about 2 weeks ago, and they told me they will be opening a shop in Rathfarnham at the end of March.

Rippleman

Called out to Aquatic Village over the weekend and was really impressed with the shop and variety of 'stuff' on offer. A little worried to see whitespot in some of the tanks though... no quarentine sign on them or anything. Most of the tanks seemed overstocked.

Needless to say I left having spent more money than I care to think about... did not buy any fish though!

cynos

Rippleman wrote:

u2gooner mentioned 'Aquarium Centre' in Ballybough which I have been using for about 20 years (YIKES!!!!). Joe use to have the front room of his house set up as a shop & later moved to Ballybough.
Being a true fish enthusiast, experienced and very knowledgeable he can be trusted 100% with advice. I have never got a sick fish from him (which I can't say of any other shop I have bought from). He buys fish from local breeders when they are available so you know they will be happy in Dublin tapwater.
Prices reasonable, sometimes cheap, (Bought a school of locally bred Cory adolfoi recently for €7.50 each) but being a very small shop stock is limited. Best time to call in is Sat morning (by evening very little stock left!).
Gets my thumbs-up for anyone that can travel to Ballybough.

I'll have to check the place out at the weekend

Rippleman

Hi Cynos,

Saw your post looking for a tank builder... while your in Ballybough ask Joe about custom built tanks. I don't know if he does them but I did see a huge glass tank there one week which was obviously custom made. He does a good deal on Juwel aquariums including cabinet if they are of interest to you.

Carl

the Guru

Aquatic Village , Brittas Road on the way to Blessington ask for drew (Northern Irish guy) www.aquatic-village.com

I would not buy my fish anywhere else.

Also wackers, I have never met a more ignorant bastard in all my life , stay clear there tanks are full of dead fish

cynos

Rippleman wrote:

Hi Cynos,

Saw your post looking for a tank builder... while your in Ballybough ask Joe about custom built tanks. I don't know if he does them but I did see a huge glass tank there one week which was obviously custom made. He does a good deal on Juwel aquariums including cabinet if they are of interest to you.

Carl

Thanks
I'll ask him on sat.
I'd like to cut out the middle man and got direct to whoevers making it so as I can make sure I'll be 100% happy with what will cost me a fortune
Juwel does not really interest me as the cabinets go a little shabby after a while and I'll be using it for a marine setup and will just be ripping out the built in filter and possibly loosing the hood too

cynos

the Guru wrote:

Aquatic Village , Brittas Road on the way to Blessington ask for drew (Northern Irish guy) www.aquatic-village.com

I would not buy my fish anywhere else.

Also wackers, I have never met a more ignorant bastard in all my life , stay clear there tanks are full of dead fish

Couldnt agree more with you about w***ers
They havent a clue in the donaghmeade one either.

ChrisM

Wackers
Good selection of cichlids,extremely overpriced when you consider their fish are tankbred and not special in anyway.I have seen some really bad specimens on display,especially Tropheus which were retailing at €45 and had barely any fins left.

Pet Stop Blanchardstown
Poor selection of cichlids,focuses too much on Haps which retail from €25+ which is too much.Quality conditions and fish usually seem in good shape,though I dont think they are fed specific dietary requirements.

Kinsealy
Generally poor selection,sometimes can get a few lovely fish in,though I think more by accident.They can sell a fish for €10 that would sell for €30 somewhere else,then sell a fish for €30 worth €10 elswhere.

fishbreath

hi guys i live in lucan and go to a pet shop on the clebridge road just outside celbridge called the orchard it's a garden centre but they have a huge petshop with about 30 tanks and loads of aquariums and ponds for sale that have reasonable prices and the guys that work there are helpfull and know quite a bit as they keep fish themselves!
and they can order in pretty much anything and plants are 3 for a 10er!
i got african butterfly fish and ghost knife fish, red claw crabs and loads of other stuff there cheaper than whackers.
just ask for steven or billy.
this is there site www.orchardonline.ie i've never been on it but i'm sure their details are there?

animalhelper

hiya everyone,
aquatic village is very good but if you live near clondalkin,
newlands garden centre do a great selection and are really helpful and know alot about the fish, the aquariums are fairly priced and the fish are well looked after, even if they die for no reason,they will check out why and replace the fish i think....
hope that helps, it is a lovely place to look around for any pet items.:D

animan

joe's in ballybough behind henry's tackle is brilliant and if he doesn't have something he will try and get it in

Jimkel

Whackers in Parnell St. has a wide variaty of tropical and exotic fish downstairs, the advice there ive found to be poor however as each member of staff seems to contradict the other on how certian animals should be kept, Sounds like some of them are just telling you what you what to hear in order to make a sale., Altough in saying that there is one paticular individual who is like a walking textbook on animals. The coldwater section upstairs is poor and overall a little pricey.

My fav petshop overall is Kinsealy pet Shop on the Malahide road, altough not perfect they have excellent staff each specialising in a different area. a large tropical fish section with great and expert advice, Its nice to see Koi and goldfish kept well in the indoor pond altough the coldwater fish in the tanks seem a little sickly. They will also try and get anything your looking for, Enclosures, equipment and animals even if they dont normally stock it.

I like this place for many reasons, most recently I went in looking for a book on bearded dragons and walked out with the book I wanted (half the price of Whackers) and a huge illustrated book on reptiles which the kind member of staff lent me for as long as I want, I was suprised at this kindness and impressed at the proffesionalism and overall helpfullness of the staff.

flavus

Hi!

This may be of little use to you, but there's a new petshop that opened in Co. Galway ... Apparently they have the biggest stock in the country with regards to tropical fish species, and people are going there from all over the country, even N. Ireland to buy or pick up special orders...

The name is AquaPaws and they seem to be in the middle of constructing a website... The fish lists for some of the Cichlids have just been added in the last couple of days... Am keeping an eye on it, but it seems like they have pretty long fish lists ... Address is http://www.aquapaws.ie ...

dbrock

there is a new fish shop opened in dunlaoighre where fish fx was,, check it ot excelent selection and friendly very experienced staff,, they also have some reptiles there to, the new shop is called fintastic aquatics i highly recomend a visit to any one keeping fish or reptiles although the reptile section wouldn be anything like you would find in reptile haven,, its basic enough but the guys can get you almost anything

Glassmaker

Ive had a pond for about 5 years and was told to go to Joe in Ballybough by a few people,,,,I wanted the pond as a garden feature,,not because I particularly liked fish r knew anything about them.
When I started to buy fish Joe was very good at giving advice,,,wouldnt let me put in too many at the one time,,,gave me advice on filter pump clearing algae etc etc,,,,was very good when it came to analysing problems I had and how to clear them..and often replaced fish that died soon after purchase...
I intend to get a tank for tropical fish from him,,,and while I will admit his stock is not huge,,,anything Ive seen in there seems to be of a high quality...

Ive looked around a bit recently...and from Newlands to Petstore in Blanch Wackers etc,,,,all seem to sell "iffy quality",,,Think its a bad sign to see dead fish floatin on top of a tank.....and ive seen that in nearly every shop ive visited,,,,

As a beginner ,,any advice on what types i should start with,,, I would really prefer a tank full of smaller fish,,,,rather than a limited number of the larger varieties.............

flavus

Glassmaker wrote:

As a beginner ,,any advice on what types i should start with,,, I would really prefer a tank full of smaller fish,,,,rather than a limited number of the larger varieties.............

Neon Tetras are always nice to start with... They're cheap, hardy and can look really well when stocked in large numbers and proper lighting. When happy, they really look like they're glowing...

Different variations of Danios are also nice.

Other fish that are very easy to start with are Swordtails, Guppies, etc.

Once you get a little algae growth, some Flying Foxes (or Siamese Algae Eaters, which are better because they eat more algae and are not aggressive towards eachother) or a Pleco are a nice addition.

Glassmaker

I was in Ashbourne today ,,,in that new shop Aquarium Solutions,,young lad called Andy is running it,,

I was totally blown away by the place,,,its amazin,,,he has a huge selection of both Marine and Tropical fish,and his prices wud match anyone else around.
He gave me a great deal on a tank / pump /filters rocks gravel etc,,,,(and Ive phoned around to compare !!! )

He spent nearly an hour talkin to me about different tanks, fish, the problems that arise with keeping both tropical and marine, how to solve them,,,what to buy and what can and cannot be mixed...
Im deffo a beginner,,,but this guy certainly taught me a lot,,,confirned what Ive read on here,,,
He seems to kno his stuff,,,and more important ,,I have a feelin hes not gonna push shoddy gear r fish onto his customers,,,
For anyone that has the time,,,give this place a visit,,,its in the little shopping centre across the road from Dunnes ...

Erm,,sorry Joe but his goldfish are also miles nicer, bigger , and cheaper !!

nag

long story short: Aquarium Centre, Clonliffe Avenue, Dublin 3. Ask for Joe



short story long:

Before I ever got my tank, I spent a couple of weeks gathering info online and talking to different people about the hobby. I took a couple of trips out to the Aqautic Village in Brittas where I used be mesmerized by all the different tropical and marine fish they had (and reptiles ). After a couple of trips, I felt I was ready and bought my tank (only 70L), gravel, stand and a whole heap of other stuff to get me started from them. After making the trip to Brittas a few times, I decided that I'd do a little looking around to see if I could find a reputable shop closer to home and found this thread where I read about Joe in the Aquarium Centre on Clonliffe ave. So I made the trip and thanks to the good directions of a previous poster, I found his place and haven't looked back.

Joe has been in the fish business for 30 years and would talk the leg off ya if you'd let him. He's a fountain of knowledge. Yes, his shop is small but he can pretty much get you anything you want but he wont deal with any endangered or dyed fish (the proper way to do business if you ask me). He also wont sell you anything that wont suit your tank and if any fish you buy off him die shortly after you buy them, he'll replace them. He's a bang up guy if you ask me and a rare find and he doesn't try to flog you stuff that you don't need like most other shops out there.

As for the Aquatic Village, while I love their shop and some of their employees give good advice, you can't avoid the sense that they're in this hobby to make scads of money (it is a business after all) and in a hobby where lots of personal care and attention is needed, that's not the best combination to have. I've also heard numerous times that the owner is a complete jerk. Joe on the other hand is not out to make money, you can tell by just looking at his shop. He's in the hobby because he loves it and gets a kick out of customers coming back to him telling him how well their tanks are doing.

cherrycool

The one in Dun Laoghaire can be overpriced for equipment, but you can get that elsewhere, the quality of their fish is very good, I reccomend them.

Don't go near the one in Cabinteely, almost every time I go in that place there's a dead fish in one of the tanks.

Same goes for the one in Blackrock.

dbrock

cherrycool have you been to the shop in dunlaoighaire,, recently its under new managment and the dry goods,,, ie equipment have come down alot just wondering when you were there last as there jewl reckord 120 is 180 euro and thats cheap as far as ive seen in other shops

Demonique

Arcadian wrote:

Shop on Parnell St and the one at Newlands Cross are 2 that tend to have sickly fish.

Wait, which one on Parnell Street? Whackers (one time I went in the parrots seemed a bit tatty, but they had a gorgeous healthy one last time I was in) or Paddy's Pet Store? (baby iguana with scabby feet in too small a tank)




Ummm, Boardwalk Pets (on the quays near temple bar) seems to have a good selection of fish, I got a beautiful healthy baby gecko almost two weeks ago so I'll assume their fish are also in good nick.

Demonique

Shelli wrote:

Stay away from Whackers is my opinion, I've had and heard of too many bad experiences coming from that shop.

Some of the guys in the reptile section don't seem to knowledgeable. My boa was off her food and the guy there said boas tend to go off their food during the winter, the following week I went in again and another guy said boas don't go off their food during the winter.
Also, they were selling baby caiman at one point

irishmarine

feel free to read my thread on fishkeeping, i think titled marine aquarium. If you want any advice re:marin fishkeeping give me a shout. Dont be too put off by the price of things, there are ways around that, and...after i moved from tropical fish when i look back now i just think man thats so boring! you'd be the same, consider marines is all im sayin!
I was in whackers new store...and yes I found it a joke and has to be the most expensive pet store ive been in .....for marines anyways, i cant speak for any of the other pets

nag

i was just in whackers new place on the long mile road this weekend and i got quite a fright when i saw their prices... they're astronomical! they're charging €50 for a f/w test kit that the aquatic village sell for €35! i couldnt believe it. and, from what i could tell, while their fish werent quite in the same league as the test kit, they were definitely a euro or two more than i found in other stores

without a doubt though, it's a very "nice" pet shop but when you go in there, leave your wallet at home or consult your bank manager before you venture in

Nala

I've been in there too and it is very expensive.

Wackers on Parnell St is good, great selection and I think they breed some of their own fish.

Paddy's on Parnell St- stay away. They were featured on "Naked Camera" (hidden camera show). The prank was, the guy would go in and say he thought his dog was gay and would not be a good guard dog. The guy in the pet shop tried to sell him a snake, saying they are good guard dogs.

Newland's is great, fantastic range and very healthy fish. Good prices too, and when they have sick fish they will mark the tank as "Not for sale".

Petstop in Blanch is a joke as always, lot of the fish crawling with white spot amongst other diseases.