Happy Valentines Day!
Hope you all enjoyed the weather these last few weeks..... as I ask myself why I moved back here from Florida
...... I will be picking up another load of live rock soon, so I at least get to drive through Florida for a day. Will be bringing a few RJ stands and canopies back that were special ordered plus more rimless Deep Blue tanks. RJ Aquatics makes some really nice furniture quality items. We have some on display and would be happy to go over all the products they manufacture when you stop in. This link is for a company that sells their product line. http://www.fishtanksdirect.com/aquar...nd-canopy.aspx Our prices would be less but at least you get an idea what they make and approximate cost.
I did get "Micro Plugs" in to go along with the rest of their line. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alternative-...-/230833782449 We have an intro price of $15.00 for the 100ct bag. I also have a few Fragging Kits in a leather case ($37)...makes a great valentines day gift ... well maybe that’s a stretch. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-co...it-deluxe.html
I brought in 2 Vertex Omega 150 Skimmers after getting a glowing review from a good customer who has been in this hobby for quite awhile (Thanks Cliff!) Sold the other one to the Fish Doctor (Andy) who runs a large system and makes his living propagating corals. Andy called me as well saying it was a great skimmer! http://reefbuilders.com/2012/11/09/vertex-omega-150/ Both reviews came from people that have used many high end skimmers and who's opinions I respect. Because of their extremely positive feedback, I will be bringing more in.
I ordered in another simple new product, a round frag tray that fits into a 5 gal bucket for when your selling/ moving your frags. ($16) Or use it when you buy up a lot of our $8 frags and need to transport them home. They are stackable.
LED lighting continues to be a hot topic. I did just get 3 new Chinese pendants in. At this point I am just trying out a new supplier. I have not even unpacked and looked at the 3 different models yet. They will be similar to these: http://coralcompulsion.com/led/led-120w-full . After Chinese New Years I am going to put in an order for the model I like the most. We are formulating a warranty plan where you will be able to return directly to us if you have an issue. I will keep you updated next month. Radions continue to be top of the line and for those who say "money is no object", we do have their Pro in stock at $899. Otherwise the Generation 2 Radions are $649. (Ask about our salt promo if you spend over $600 on lighting) Razors were still our best sellers last month and I have been getting really positive feed back on these as well. Kessil 350's are also now in stock, can't give you any reviews as of yet.
I also got in the VorTech MP 40 foam guards. Will be a regularly stocked item. Plus for a real sticker shock, I do have 1 - MP60 in my counter. All I can say is..back in the day.. I used to sell whole saltwater setups for the price of this one "powerhead". If you have to ask how much......well I just will say I won't be undersold...lol.
Coral Vue (Reef Octo people) did have a price increase this last month. It was just a matter of time before it happened with the exchange rate, freight, etc. Plus they were always well below the price of similar sized skimmers on the market. If it wasn’t a family run operation they would have been forced to raise those prices much sooner. They remain a good value and I did bring in their Media Reactors and Bio Pellet reactor. Unfortunately I just have a limited amount in stock as I am just not in the financial position to bring in larger quantities of all the new products we stock. I keep telling Judy that we will be caught up soon...but then I see some other new item that I just have to bring in. Every month is like Christmas, but then my credit card bill arrives and ....what was I thinking??? But seriously, our philosophy continues to be that we want to have the products you use in stock. Then you can actually look at them or pick them up quickly without having to wait for them to be shipped. Most prices are the same or better than online on the higher end items. I am sure that some of our cheaper items might be a buck or two more than online, but I hope you feel that you are getting something in return for that... service, information, etc. Plus we do want to be able to pay our bills and stay open. : -) Of course we price all of our items and livestock well below other stores.
We have 2 fish traps that we loan out but check ahead of time as I never know when they will be returned. Plus we typically have the diamond drill bits for 1" and 1 1/2" bulkheads that you can borrow. In consideration of others, we just ask you borrow that bit when you are actually ready to drill so that it can be returned promptly for others to use. Alternatively we do sell the diamond bits for $15. We do have a pretty good selection of pvc and plumbing parts as well and Kevin or I can help you design your system.
Started making a new size refugium. It’s a 34 gal tank 30"x18" (17" high). The skimmer compartment will hold a skimmer with a 17x9" footprint. We will customize refugiums but only with existing standard tank sizes, we do not actually build the tank. Alternatively this is an area for a DIY project as there is nothing scientific about this. Feel free to ask questions and we can walk you through what needs to be done. We do have refugiums in stock from 10 - 75 gallon tanks as well as a couple of refugiums from Eshopps and the hang on the back CPR.
Limpits Reef Buffet also announced a small price increase. He also is experiencing rising costs. It still remains the best food in our freezer as well as the best buy. This is similar to Rod's Food that is sold here in your market.
Apex....wow.... my order has been in for over 3 weeks and I have people waiting for what I have coming in. They are just that far behind. It speaks of the great product they have and this time of year is their busiest. People spending some of their money that the Government was holding for them this last year and finally paying back. I really hope to have most in stock this coming week. Will see.
We did add the Reeflo Pump line for a great external return pumps. They are also priced less than what you can get them for online. Aqueons continue to be our biggest seller though. Lifetime warranty with a small footprint and I have yet to have a return in the last 2 years.
Overall we will continue to keep our prices down. In general, corals are actually dropping in price, fish are the same and just minor increases in hard goods. Although some of our costs have risen, we are still experiencing growth and have not found the need to increase prices. So we handle more money but end up with about the same left over at the end of the month. I have less and less time to accomplish the many things that I would like to get done. We do not want to sacrifice service as we grow so I do need to prioritize. If you experience prolonged busy signals when you try to call..its off the hook. We always put the customer here in the store and care of our livestock in front of phone calls. Remember I still do answer my emails daily so that continues to be the best way to get quotes, requests or help with your system. Of course we will always answer your questions when you call but often we may need to rush through the calls and take care of the people in front of you here in the store. Thanks for your understanding. Tyler is pretty much taking care of the coral section exclusively now and quite frankly he can answer any of your questions better than I can when you stop. As far as filtration, plumbing, lighting or Saltwater fish, either Kevin or I handle that. Judy and Laura take care of the Freshwater.
Although I do not give across the board discounts to members, on your first visit here, please introduce yourself I will take off 10% on any livestock purchase. As you will see, our prices are much less than anywhere else. When we re-opened we decided to give everybody the same great discounted pricing. I do from time to time post discounts here that are not offered elsewhere.
Hope some of you can make it in and for the rest of this month I will also offer CR Members 200 gallon Boxes of Reef Crystals for $39. This is less than our flyer price. If you would like to receive our monthly flyers, just email me at best-fish@earthlink.net.
Here is a link to our online stock list..a google spread sheet you can just bookmark: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...CPr0p60I#gid=0
Thanks all !
Brian and Judy
"Best Fish" - Milwaukee
Hope you all enjoyed the weather these last few weeks..... as I ask myself why I moved back here from Florida
...... I will be picking up another load of live rock soon, so I at least get to drive through Florida for a day. Will be bringing a few RJ stands and canopies back that were special ordered plus more rimless Deep Blue tanks. RJ Aquatics makes some really nice furniture quality items. We have some on display and would be happy to go over all the products they manufacture when you stop in. This link is for a company that sells their product line. http://www.fishtanksdirect.com/aquar...nd-canopy.aspx Our prices would be less but at least you get an idea what they make and approximate cost.I did get "Micro Plugs" in to go along with the rest of their line. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alternative-...-/230833782449 We have an intro price of $15.00 for the 100ct bag. I also have a few Fragging Kits in a leather case ($37)...makes a great valentines day gift ... well maybe that’s a stretch. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-co...it-deluxe.html
I brought in 2 Vertex Omega 150 Skimmers after getting a glowing review from a good customer who has been in this hobby for quite awhile (Thanks Cliff!) Sold the other one to the Fish Doctor (Andy) who runs a large system and makes his living propagating corals. Andy called me as well saying it was a great skimmer! http://reefbuilders.com/2012/11/09/vertex-omega-150/ Both reviews came from people that have used many high end skimmers and who's opinions I respect. Because of their extremely positive feedback, I will be bringing more in.
I ordered in another simple new product, a round frag tray that fits into a 5 gal bucket for when your selling/ moving your frags. ($16) Or use it when you buy up a lot of our $8 frags and need to transport them home. They are stackable.
LED lighting continues to be a hot topic. I did just get 3 new Chinese pendants in. At this point I am just trying out a new supplier. I have not even unpacked and looked at the 3 different models yet. They will be similar to these: http://coralcompulsion.com/led/led-120w-full . After Chinese New Years I am going to put in an order for the model I like the most. We are formulating a warranty plan where you will be able to return directly to us if you have an issue. I will keep you updated next month. Radions continue to be top of the line and for those who say "money is no object", we do have their Pro in stock at $899. Otherwise the Generation 2 Radions are $649. (Ask about our salt promo if you spend over $600 on lighting) Razors were still our best sellers last month and I have been getting really positive feed back on these as well. Kessil 350's are also now in stock, can't give you any reviews as of yet.
I also got in the VorTech MP 40 foam guards. Will be a regularly stocked item. Plus for a real sticker shock, I do have 1 - MP60 in my counter. All I can say is..back in the day.. I used to sell whole saltwater setups for the price of this one "powerhead". If you have to ask how much......well I just will say I won't be undersold...lol.
Coral Vue (Reef Octo people) did have a price increase this last month. It was just a matter of time before it happened with the exchange rate, freight, etc. Plus they were always well below the price of similar sized skimmers on the market. If it wasn’t a family run operation they would have been forced to raise those prices much sooner. They remain a good value and I did bring in their Media Reactors and Bio Pellet reactor. Unfortunately I just have a limited amount in stock as I am just not in the financial position to bring in larger quantities of all the new products we stock. I keep telling Judy that we will be caught up soon...but then I see some other new item that I just have to bring in. Every month is like Christmas, but then my credit card bill arrives and ....what was I thinking??? But seriously, our philosophy continues to be that we want to have the products you use in stock. Then you can actually look at them or pick them up quickly without having to wait for them to be shipped. Most prices are the same or better than online on the higher end items. I am sure that some of our cheaper items might be a buck or two more than online, but I hope you feel that you are getting something in return for that... service, information, etc. Plus we do want to be able to pay our bills and stay open. : -) Of course we price all of our items and livestock well below other stores.
We have 2 fish traps that we loan out but check ahead of time as I never know when they will be returned. Plus we typically have the diamond drill bits for 1" and 1 1/2" bulkheads that you can borrow. In consideration of others, we just ask you borrow that bit when you are actually ready to drill so that it can be returned promptly for others to use. Alternatively we do sell the diamond bits for $15. We do have a pretty good selection of pvc and plumbing parts as well and Kevin or I can help you design your system.
Started making a new size refugium. It’s a 34 gal tank 30"x18" (17" high). The skimmer compartment will hold a skimmer with a 17x9" footprint. We will customize refugiums but only with existing standard tank sizes, we do not actually build the tank. Alternatively this is an area for a DIY project as there is nothing scientific about this. Feel free to ask questions and we can walk you through what needs to be done. We do have refugiums in stock from 10 - 75 gallon tanks as well as a couple of refugiums from Eshopps and the hang on the back CPR.
Limpits Reef Buffet also announced a small price increase. He also is experiencing rising costs. It still remains the best food in our freezer as well as the best buy. This is similar to Rod's Food that is sold here in your market.
Apex....wow.... my order has been in for over 3 weeks and I have people waiting for what I have coming in. They are just that far behind. It speaks of the great product they have and this time of year is their busiest. People spending some of their money that the Government was holding for them this last year and finally paying back. I really hope to have most in stock this coming week. Will see.
We did add the Reeflo Pump line for a great external return pumps. They are also priced less than what you can get them for online. Aqueons continue to be our biggest seller though. Lifetime warranty with a small footprint and I have yet to have a return in the last 2 years.
Overall we will continue to keep our prices down. In general, corals are actually dropping in price, fish are the same and just minor increases in hard goods. Although some of our costs have risen, we are still experiencing growth and have not found the need to increase prices. So we handle more money but end up with about the same left over at the end of the month. I have less and less time to accomplish the many things that I would like to get done. We do not want to sacrifice service as we grow so I do need to prioritize. If you experience prolonged busy signals when you try to call..its off the hook. We always put the customer here in the store and care of our livestock in front of phone calls. Remember I still do answer my emails daily so that continues to be the best way to get quotes, requests or help with your system. Of course we will always answer your questions when you call but often we may need to rush through the calls and take care of the people in front of you here in the store. Thanks for your understanding. Tyler is pretty much taking care of the coral section exclusively now and quite frankly he can answer any of your questions better than I can when you stop. As far as filtration, plumbing, lighting or Saltwater fish, either Kevin or I handle that. Judy and Laura take care of the Freshwater.
Although I do not give across the board discounts to members, on your first visit here, please introduce yourself I will take off 10% on any livestock purchase. As you will see, our prices are much less than anywhere else. When we re-opened we decided to give everybody the same great discounted pricing. I do from time to time post discounts here that are not offered elsewhere.
Hope some of you can make it in and for the rest of this month I will also offer CR Members 200 gallon Boxes of Reef Crystals for $39. This is less than our flyer price. If you would like to receive our monthly flyers, just email me at best-fish@earthlink.net.
Here is a link to our online stock list..a google spread sheet you can just bookmark: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...CPr0p60I#gid=0
Thanks all !
Brian and Judy
"Best Fish" - Milwaukee
