Something Fishy Inc.

Reviews 4

FR

Frank T

Just created a Google+ profile for the express purpose of giving this review and I dont often bother with such things, however, I felt the need to show some Respect and Appreciation for a LFS that is, bar none, the best experience I have ever had in the aquatic hobby. Just getting back into the hobby after an over 10 year hiatus, at one time with several tanks (125, 75 and 30) of SA, CA and largely Malawi, Victorian, and Tanganyikan African Cichlids... Dont know how I missed this store back in my "prime time" but a Cichlid lover and hobbyist could literally go berserk in Daves shop. This establishment blows away the chain and big box stores, as well as the old (now closed) Aquarium Authority/Adventure, and knocks R.M.S. out of the ballpark... I speak my mind, and dont want to say anything negative about any of these other places, they have their place and time, when in a pinch, or if you happen to run across something healthy and nice... BUT if youre looking for ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS, WELL KEPT, WELL MAINTAINED, HEALTHY, COLORFUL, RARER, ACTIVE CICHLIDS THIS PLACE NEEDS TO BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED... All sorts of show quality (in my opinion, judge for yourself) Peacocks, Compressiceps, Fancy and Rare Plecos, Malawi and Tanganyikans, Frontosas, on and on, ad infinitum, ad nauseum... Spent over an hour just roaming the rows of tanks, Ooohing and Aaahing, no bull$hit... Every single tank sparkling clean and with divided stock into each based upon aggressiveness and size and species... Only time I have been this impressed was either looking at pictures in an encyclopedia of Cichlids or at a convention near the Cleveland Airport... Dave also seems to have dozens of various sized tanks at reasonable prices, many of them with discounts, and ALL the other gear necessary to set them up... Gorgeous hunks of Mopani driftwood full of character also reasonably priced, additives, filters, etc, etc... Anyone reading this may be saying, "how much did he pay you to write this?"... I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth, I dont even know Dave, and have only recently contacted him and had a little "back and forth" through some emails (which he replied to within an hour on his day off btw), and have visited the store once... I just LOVE to see a LFS of this caliber and there isnt many of them around anymore, especially here in Ohio, and things have to be getting more and more difficult for them with the internet and such... Also, I see in these reviews that Dave stuck up for himself and his business and I Respect that as well, nice to see in this day and age, there is someone out there passionate about their craft and willing to stand up for it... To the moron that gave a bad review over parking??? Are you kidding me? You didnt even go in a check out the store and missed out on possibly the best Cichlid experience in the state of Ohio, because its a "mom and pop" type atmosphere, in CLEVELAND OHIO, in a RESIDENTIAL AREA, because of sparse parking????? I assume you dont shop much at stores in Cleveland or Lakewood or any other number of cities that have the same issues... Simply pull down the side street right next to the shop, turn around in a driveway, and PARK ALONG THE SIDE OF THE STREET, BEING CAREFUL TO FOLLOW THE CITY PARKING SIGNAGE!!!! You have failed my friend, and its your loss... Nuff said.

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BE

Benjamin Young

I have been searching for Red Cherry Shrimp everywhere. This is the closest place to Canton I could find that had them. I was torn between here and RMS, but after reading the reviews and considering the distance, I chose here. I do wish I kind of went to RMS instead, just see if they have more of selection. The first thing to point out is the parking. If youre from the country like I am, and/or not familiar with city parking, you might be overwhelmed on what to do. That doesnt necessarily reflect the business, but location is a factor. I was kind of disappointed upon entering, as I made the assumption from the reviews that they would have a giant selection of different fish. Thats what happens when you overhype something, I guess. It is quite large, but not compared to my local Petsmart. They seem to specialize in more medium to large size fish, which is not my area of stocking. I also wasnt entirely sure what rooms I could go in or not. They also were not as clean I interpreted from the reviews, but I may just be spoiled with having an awesome marine LFS and a really awesome local Petsmart fish staff. I got 12 Red Cherry Shrimp there. Some good things, the guy actually gave me 14, just in case he didnt give me enough. This turned in to 16 by the time I got home, as one of the females was berried. One of them also molted, which is also a good sign of their health. I wasnt paying attention, but I think he may also put in API Stress coat, which is a good indicator of an LFS care. I also got a little bit of java moss, which is good for the shrimps trip. As for the somewhat bad. Only two were sakura grade (medium grade), the rest were lower with four cherry grade and the rest beyond that were totally white. I also noticed a small snail shell in the bag, which worried me but it looked dead. The shrimp also ate a huge amount of algae on my rocks, if not almost all of it, which may indicate that they were extremely hungry? The parrot there was also giving me shady looks. The staff seemed friendly enough. They were a little pricey. I didnt really ask any questions to see if they were knowledgable, but he did ask what I was stocking with them to make sure they wouldnt be eaten easily. All and all, the shrimp were delicious.

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MA

Mary Koch

Would love to give it five stars, but I cant. I have never had a problem with a fish from here and the variety is fantastic. The owner Dave obviously knows his trade and has been a great help in the past. Unfortunately, hes not the one I usually have to deal with. I havent bought any fish in over a year because I dont want to deal with the other man that works here. Every time Ive gone and it was just him in the store, Ive left. He insists on calling me sweetie and putting his hands on my shoulders. He has tried several times to tell me the fish he was getting me were "definitely male. I can tell," without venting the fish and before they were colored up (and, yes, he was wrong). The last straw was when he was actually in the process of getting my fish out of the tank and bagging them up, when a young, attractive woman walked in. He walked away from me without a word, helped the young woman for nearly five minutes, and eventually finished bagging my fish. I understand acknowledging a customer who walks in, but this was completely unprofessional. Dave, Im hoping youll read this and post the days that you will likely be in the store.

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WA

Wanda Jones

This is hands down the best place in Ohio to get African Cichlids. RMS is more spacious but its African Cichlid inventory just doesnt compare. I cant walk out of Something Fishy without seeing a rare cichlid or getting something new, and I have NEVER seen a dead fish there. The tanks are by far the cleanest, the filtration system is top notch, and there are so many tanks downstairs. If you are patient and wait on the staff or owner to finish giving personal attention to the person in front of you, you will get the same undivided attention. Dave responds personally to my emails regarding what he has in stock and even identifying pictures of fish I picked up in an LFS from a mixed tank. I always ask to see my favorite show cichlid (a pundamilia neyerei kept in the basement) and regardless of whos there, they oblige. Based on my experience with this merchant, I am not surprised to see that he responds to all the reviews, both negative and positive, in an effort to improve customer experiences, but reviews from angry cat ladies who clearly arent customers are unfair to the merchant and should be immediately deleted by Google.

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