Austin Aquariums
(DISCLAIMER)this report is the experience that i had visiting a brand new lfs soon to open and does not promote the opinions or experiences of anyone but myself. as we all know each lfs here in the great city of austin each has their own unique set up and pros that the others do not, this report in no way is to take away or enhance the business of any specific store. i am simply a newbie to the hobby and rarely does there come a chance to have a private showing of a store not even open. please, while reading this review i urge you all to keep this in mind that this is simply my excitement and sheer amazement at what i saw and thanks in advance for reading!!!
hey gang,
just wanted to post my experience i had going to an up and coming lfs soon to open that i went to soon after the meeting on saturday(by the way: thanks jim, not only was the meeting incredible but everyone was so friendly i felt very welcome as a newbie to the hobby and the clam is looking great!!!) i met a gentleman named charlie at the meeting and we got to talking about his new shop opening on april 4(charlie was the gentleman who made the announcement about his store right after jim was through introducing his gorgeous tank). henry(another really cool guy i met at the meeting) and i went there on saturday night to check it out... :o <- this is all i can say! truly incredible!
we pull into the driveway located across the street from northcross mall(not even a mile away from aquatek) and walked towards the huge bowfront store with all of its windows papered up. we walk in and meet charlie and ben(a very knowledgable man in the hobby, he had an answer for every question i had not only about aquariums in general but corals and clams as well) the store was still under construction but the general idea of the layout sent chills through me. the store looked as though it had a 20 foot high ceiling(something i have never seen in a privately owned store that completely blew me away seeing as how my glasses didn't immediately fog up due to humidity good idea #1) as charlie gave henry and me the tour he showed us the huge show room where the tanks would be sold(very beautiful and interesting tanks all spread apart so one could measure the entire tank rather than having to reach in between tanks that are usually placed one right next to the other(good idea #2).
we headed behind the in wall show tanks and took a look at the eight foot tall filtration system dwarfing charlie as he joyfully explained the ins and outs of the massive tubing and sumps. we head down a small hall off to the left and past the very large and open checkout counter(good idea #3) im talkin real big and real open too. we walk into a small room to the left of the hall where charlie plans on having one of the most ingenious plans ive seen in my short days as a reefer(he intends to hold numerous classes showing the proper way for plumbing, setting up a sump, diy, lighting, you name he will teach it GREAT idea #4) he plans to have numerous school type chairs that he will find just anywhere(condition doesnt really matter in this situation if you ask me) and he and henry spoke of the possibility of a small collection of books to look at in the room for more in depth information pertaining to a certain reef related subject.
after we leave the room he walks us back into the hall and we turn right into the awe inspiring sale room. once again :o is the only expression i can think of to explain what i saw. there were easily 50 tanks in the cavernous room that will soon hold a plethora of species ranging from the beatiful african cichlids to the tiniest hermit crab.(salt and fresh, reef and planted are all to be showcased and sold in this room) another aspect i have only seen in the franchise stores was all the tanks were individually lit making the inhabitants in each of their respective tanks light up with their own vibrant colors(good idea #5).
after having to wait a moment whilst i caught my breath, we headed to the vat room. the huge room off the right of the sale room housed two tanks(must have been at least 1000 gal each) one contained well over a ton of live rock the other would be used as an acclimation tank(good idea #6) this tank he explained would house fish and corals that were just recieved in order to reduce show tank death and promote the healthiest fish possible. we look towards the back of the room(easily the size of my apartment) and check out his giant salt vats from which he plans to sell pre made salt water for people ready to get their tanks up and running as soon as possible(good idea #7) he also showed us his incredibly unique way of filtration, rather than using ro water which can sometimes be too clean as we all know, he uses a number of bio media and a huge uv tube through which the water passes to be cleansed of harmful bacteria. the set up creates a small amount of water per minute but considering the two 1000 gallon drums he can put the water in straight from its producing, i dont think leaving it on through the night will be a problem. this room(for those counting) had two 1000 gal vats and two 1000 gal drums(thats a load of water).
after showing us the store charlie and ben take a minute to let it sink into our heads(there was so much to look at and take in it was almost overwhelming). all in all the visit was fantastic and i will definitely be returning for the opening on april 4 and i encourage the rest of us to at least take a look at this incredible store!!!
thanks for reading all, steve
ps Charley Teel is the manager of Austin Aquariums located at
7756 North Cross Dr. #111
Austin, Tx 78757
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