Ultimate Fish

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Ultimate Fish

i went there this past weekend and though it was a bit better than your typical lfs, they were pretty busy so that could be a reason.

the fish there are a lot nicer than some others i have been to, more variety, slightly pricier than others(but then again they have some fish others dont) but all it all i spent a good amount of money there.

got some really beautiful leleupi's, calvus and compressicep along with a nice looking pleco. the comp is absolutely stunning and well worth the cost!!!!!


i have told some friends and there might be another visit this weekend there was also some fish there that i couldnt decide on and think i have made up my mind.  

[sherand]

Re: Ultimate Fish

I have been there several times and bought several fish from them.. just yesterday I bought a petrochromis trewavasae.  Yes, I have seen some pretty green help in there and have known more than the staff on occassion.  But overall, my experiences have been very good.  I love my local fish stores!

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Ultimate Fish

Hey, I was there yesturday and got one also.  I got that huge Female that was in the tank on the left when looking at the two tanks full of Petro's

In fact, I think I was there when you got yours.  Alex helped me right after you.

Good Looking Fishes!!

We namend ours "Belle."  The big head and lips kinda gives her a bell shape, and she is now the queen of the 180 gallon tank.

Its cool, let me know how the fish is working out.  She is doing really well in my tank.

Welcome to the forum!

If you get a chance, take a look at our Tropheus and Petro Club section.  We just started it, and there's about 10 of us.  Something you might consider in the future...

Take care,

Geoff

[a_Vertigo_Guy]

Re: Ultimate Fish

I see where you are coming from, but i called and they were interested. That was the point. not your defense (and aquaria central considers them semi rare), i am sorry to say but my venting is I believe right in they way they treated me, not the way you would treat me. And seeing the way you write in response it would be bad.

Sorry man, chromides are not in demand by most anyone. So whoever says they are semi rare, needs to learn more about what is really rare or semi rare. Chromides are HARDLY remotely semi rare. I can buy those by the bag (which contains about 100-200 pieces) all day long out of Califironia.

Yes i wanted to buy what was on display, who cares they had two or three geos, so what if they sold one, they would have gotten more in an order. Same with the other fish. It is my passion to raise fish like that just as much for you to sell them. They have a better and cheaper way of buying those fish than i do. so why not make the extra buck i was offering, it's not your call. It was theirs and they called it. And let me get mad about it.

This shows me how little you know how a fish store is run. Those geos are wild collected. Its not like a run down the park to buy them from a broker in California. Someone has to go catch those fish, bring them back to holding facilities in country of origin and from there they are shipped to a wholesaler somewhere in the states. Also there are things called order minimums. Some wholesaler minimums are quite numerable and even with wholesale prices, that comes out to a lot of money after an order is made. See my above statement with your chromides (which btw cost about .80 or .90 ea.). Even though they are inexpensive, I would have to order many of them on top of what other fish I would want and all those vary in minimum numbers.

I could comment further and put you in your place, but it'd be considered a personal attack so I will not.

[MikeWhoTruong]

Re: Ultimate Fish

yea... i am one who has a big problem with my display tanks. and people giving me crap about selling the fish... it is not near easy to just order a fish that was in a display tank... if you have the ability to get an unlimited supply of fish, like i do. i would not put just ANY fish in my display tank. a nice collection of fish takes months even years to collect... if i sold one fish to someone and soforth. my display would be nothing more than a tank with fish for sale. i think that more people need to realize, that displays are there for people to see possibilitys of what they can do... my malawi display has fish that ive had for over 5 years...which is why they are so large and beautiful... and people seem to think that i am readily gonna sell fish out of that tank.. everyfish i have in my displays ive had at my store at one point in time, but theres no way i can carry all of them at once... i would think its safe to say, that many people would agree that building a nice display tank with all the fishes you want in it takes alot of time...unless you are extremly weatlthy...cause shipping the larger show fishes does cost some money.. in which case it would take less time...but still time...if you can get all the fishes in a display in one swoop, is it really a display?   just my 2- cents

[sherand]

Re: Ultimate Fish

We named our little guy Al because he just kinda looks like Al Roker on good morning america.  He has lip locked with every rock in there already.  I am in love!  our duboisi picked on him at first, but one look at that mouth and he changed his mind.  have new tank we're setting up that will be his home.  my better half has already decided that we need more.  I smell a colony coming! 8O

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Ultimate Fish

I am thinking of getting 2 more females and (1) Male.  So...I smell a colony coming too!!

[swinters66]

Re: Ultimate Fish

I've always had a good experience at Ultimate fish. We've been going to see Alex since he had his store on Kuykendahl near Louetta. Yeah some of the fish are pricey, but we've gotten some beautiful fish from him. Usually if I go in there, I make sure Alex is there personally. That way I dont get misinformed about anything I am interested in. We've gotten a lot of gorgeous tropheus from Alex over the years...my cherry spot was amazing!!

[Fishcrazy1]

Re: Ultimate Fish

I purchased my WC kapampa colony from Alex over a year ago.  I really enjoyed his store and his help picking out my fish.  He was a great guy to do business with, and I have recommended him to many people in the past.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Ultimate Fish

Got a bunch of different calvus, compressiceps and my neothauma shells from alex.

Prices are high but good selection of cichlids there.

[RonR.]

Re: Ultimate Fish

I will never do business with Alex, nor will I ever visit his store.  This pretty much sums up how I feel about the guy.  Way back when, before Alli (he used to go by that name) even owned a fish store he screwed up a fish deal for me.

I had a beautiful jardini aro....a big one with the great coloring, perfect barbels.  I listed him in the local newspaper for $250 best I can remember and received several calls and had guys come by my house to see him.

A young man wanted to buy the aro and asked for me to hold it for him.  I told him he would have to put down a deposit on the fish and told him it was non-refundable.  He gave me a $100 bill and said he would be back with the rest of the money later that day.  I told him.....be sure you want the fish because there are lots of folks that still want to see it....in otherwords, don't want it now and then back-out on me later.

A few hours pass and the young man comes back to pick up the aro.  That's what I thought.  He asks me if he can bring someone else to look at it.  In walks Alli.  He looks at the aro for a couple of minutes and says he can get him a better one for less money and walks out back to the car.

I look at the young man and ask him what that was all about.  He said Alli was trying to sell him an aro, then he asks me if there was any way I would return his $100 deposit.  I was pretty disappointed, especially since I was very clear upfront.

I gave him his money back and asked that he never return.  I told him to tell Alli out in the car the same.

I have done lots of fish deals over the years since then.  I have met some super nice people.  I have not experienced anything close to the experience I had with the young man and Alli.

I fault the young man for sure, but I also fault Alli--he used poor judgement that day or it's a character flaw within him.

I guess a good analogy would be me walking into Ultimate Fish and telling a customer that I could sell him/her a nicer frontosa for alot less money.  I just wouldn't do that.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Ultimate Fish

that was friggin wrong of him!

how does someone keep face after doing that? both of the guys, the buyer and the buyers friend. :(

[leelee]

Re: Ultimate Fish

poor judgment?? character flaw within him?? RonR look at from their point of view, Alli would be getting the business and selling it for less. You should have kept the $100. Capitalism at its finest.

[leelee]

Re: Ultimate Fish

Alex is a great guy, and easy to talk to. He has the best cichlid store in Houston. he just gave me a great deal on one of his breeder tanks.

[PAPERGUY]

Re: Ultimate Fish

Hello, I am new here and have only been doing this for acouple of years here in Houston, but I have been to Ultimate fish several times. I manage a small store and understand that the people you hire cannot all be experts. You train them and hope they stay, It's tough. Alex has always made time for when I have been there and answered all my Questions. They do have some unusual fish at times and it has been seeing some fish in display tanks that has made me try to learn about them and seek out one of my own. So I understand the they need to keep rarer on unusual specimans for display. From my experiences I don't think any LFS is going to be everything you'd like but there is something I like about most of them and you go to those for the thing that are their strengths. Its all good!