Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news!uhog.mit.edu!news.mathworks.com!udel!gatech!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.msfc.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!lll-winken.llnl.gov!fnnews.fnal.gov!nntp-server.caltech.edu!aquaria From: aquaria@cco.caltech.edu (Aquaria Robot) Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria,sci.aquaria,rec.answers,alt.answers,sci.answers,news.answers Subject: AQUARIA FAQ: Societies, Books and Mailorder Followup-To: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria,sci.aquaria Date: 13 Mar 1996 08:09:07 GMT Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena Lines: 1157 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Distribution: world Expires: Mon, 15 Apr 96 08:09:03 GMT Message-ID: <4i5vr3$3ou@gap.cco.caltech.edu> Reply-To: olson@phys.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-Host: accord.cco.caltech.edu Cc: Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.aquaria:122119 sci.aquaria:19758 rec.answers:19225 alt.answers:16390 sci.answers:4091 news.answers:67123 Archive-name: aquaria/general-faq/resource Rec-aquaria-archive-name: general-faq/resource Alt-aquaria-archive-name: general-faq/resource Sci-aquaria-archive-name: general-faq/resource Posting-Frequency: monthly 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 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 <73552.1402@compuserve.com>, 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 cm886@freenet.carleton.ca 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.