Aquatica ( Montreal no more) :o
Wow that sucks. They always had good selection of equipments and livestock were in clean healthy tanks.
I better find time to go then, because I won a 50 $ gift card at the SAM club auction back in november!
I heard so much good about that place, it's sad that it's going out.
Is anyone planning on going? I might be looking for a ride or someone to come along.
My husband is quite busy and I don't feel like going alone.
I stopped in for the first time when I was in Montreal just before Christmas and they had a good selection of equipment but I wasn't impressed with the fish stock, they say they have 400 tanks with fish in the store but I bet there were 30 to 35% of them empty so I think the story was being told. Too bad.
That's a bummer. Liked that place.
Sad indeed - I enjoyed stopping there when going to Montreal. Had some great fishy shopping there with people here at OVAS. Good memories. It will be missed.
Thanks for posting Errol.
Wow... surprising and bad news. I've worked with Brent and some of his staff for some time in the past and they were a great bunch. Nice store too, I'll miss the stops on the way in to Montreal.
This is from one of the LaSam members.
Hi guys,
For your information: we just lost a long time S.A.M. contributor and the largest fish store in Mtl... We have a second one who announced his shop for sale since few months, and a third who has sold all his Mtl's shops already. The hobby is slowy dying...
I suppose when people do not have much money they cut first into hobby. With Aquatica it is another 5 or 10 people who will be unemployed and will have to cut on money expense. Vicious circle of economic regression.......
francois
That really sucks.
Most definitely not something hobbyists want to hear - another retail closure. Sad stuff for sure.
But the decline in hobby interest coupled with on-line sales competition to the bricks and mortar guys must be tough. You can't support a business selling $2-5 fish when all the consumables are being sold cheaper on line.
Just some random thoughts.................................
You can imagine how tough it is selling at full retail when you think about how difficult it is to even sell good used equipment, including on the OVAS classifieds. Myself and several others I am sure have witnessed putting stuff up for sale on the classifieds, getting 150+ !! hits with not even an offer of interest on anything that is priced very competitively. Small market, just not much demand.
Try selling fish for anything over $5, especially in the Ottawa market. The market wants fry for $1-2 dollars/fish and they want to choose the exact ones they want in a tank of 100 fry - I want that one !! I have and still purchase fish from Toronto,Montreal and the US on-line. I will drive to Toronto or Syracuse, no questions asked, for a group of fish I want. I know many others like me that have that interest/desire for the newest find/import, rare fish, interesting behavior fish you just have to have/breed. But what was once common/exciting/challenging in the hobby is less so today. You have a neat fish for sale or to giveaway and you're located in Kanata - someone in centretown or Orleans finds that too far and not worth the effort and the drive.
I know I am generalizing but we are dealing with a small market (fish hobby) with an even smaller pool/market of advanced hobbyists or just dedicated/enthused hobbyists (I don't want to imply elitism to those of us that are older/advanced/more dedicated) that are prepared to spend good dollars on top equipment and wild caught or top quality F1 fish. I am in no way implying that new hobbyists are not building demand for higher end products and unique livestock but the hobby has changed very much. We're in a world of let's go to Pet Smart and buy a tank at the $1/gallon tank sale and the "why buy eheim, fluval, etc - I can buy an Aquatop or SunSun or some other knock-off for $69 on Amazon !! It says it filters 350 gph !!
Sad to hear this. I've shopped there a few times both when I lived in Montreal in 2002-3 and again this past summer.
Not sure what causes a city of over 4 million to be loosing it's aquarium shops, but hopefully we don't see it happen here :(
Good luck to all the staff & to the remaining LFS' in Montreal (here in Ottawa, too!)
People living in Montreal are more into Saltwater and cichlids so that be one of the reasons...
Peoplel are more into Freshwater than Salt water in Montreal. Location wasn`t great, it was hidden ,no buses when there and the low canadian dollar as well. It a shame it`s close up
This is very sad to hear, and it is a story I am hearing time and again unfortunately.
Al makes some very valid points.
Remember, the more you support your local stores, the more they can offer you. Yes, shopping local will often be more expensive than shopping online, but every time you send your money out of town, there is less to invest in your local hobby.
I understand that you may be able to find a filter online for $30, while it is $40-50 locally, but when you don't spend that money locally, that means that the local store has less to bring in the exotic fish for Al, the plants for Charlie, the shrimp for Vic etc. By ordering online, it means that the local guys have less to bring in the newest equipment, extra gadgets or products. Maybe the local guys only stock 1-2 of a product instead of 5-6.
Personally, I am someone who likes exotic fish, rare stuff or just unusual stuff that you don't see often. I take a look at different stores while I travel, because you never know what you may find. Thankfully, I am in a position where I can also order unusual stuff in for myself when I want it. I always try to support the local brick and mortar stores wherever I shop.
Stores are likely the ones to bring people into the hobby. The less stores there are, the more the hobby tends to disappear.
Jody
Aquatica always gave very good price`s for the rare Apisto, cory and kribs I bred, but there some other store`s in Montreal, I wouldn`t name, offer me super low price`s. I get better price`s at a wholeseller
i do agree with what Jody said,
Aquatica was like my second home
For anyone thinking of going ;
I went yesterday and there was nothing alive left.
A few stands and about 3-4 tanks, I recommend calling to see if they have the size your looking for.
There was some neon left of various size, but not a lot.
No filter, food, products...except for a few here and there but nothing major.
A whole lot of cleaning sponges, sponges and smal plastic plants!
Some plastic decorations, a few different rocks and some plushies!
But honestly not much left