Best Petshop to buy Tropical Fish in Dublin

Maddogg

i am new to fish keeping and have spent the last 4 months going around as many petshops and talking to them about fish and getting advise

the pet mania in santry has a cheap fish but they dont know what there talking about and every time i have gone in i have seen sick fish.

the best shop i have been in and was in at the weekend is the Kinsealy pet shop just off the malahide road. they have a big slection of fish and the spanish chap that is in charge of the aquaruim section really knows what he is talking about and i every time i have been in there i has helped me with every question i have had. he really knows his stuff and is very friendly

i would rate kinsealy petshop really high

hill16dub

i found the most helpful are Fishantics in dublin for Marine only. Agree with the sentiment that their pricing for equipment is high but the quality is good.

Joe's shop is excellent for tropical, agree with the view that he cares only downside is his selection is limited.

Found the shop on the malahide road completely erratic. Never reverted back and their selection is thin as they try to sell too much of verything and not enough of each. I personally got the impression they didn't give a toss.

Whackers are just a rip off

Petsuperstore have a limited selction of both tropical and marine but do go out of their way to help especially the one in santry

found the two shops in northern ireland excellent and cheaper than down here.

Rory123

Folks I haven't bought any fish stuff up north as I keep all of my business with the one shop (works best for me) but an example of the savings is as follows....
I recently bought a top of the range parrot cage just over the border in Newry. That cage was about €450 in Wackers longmile and the other shops. I paid £122, thats about €130.
Enough said!

mrsFitz

You should really try aquatic village in Brittas, great choice and the staff is very knowledgeable, not the cheapest but I have never got a bad fish out of there and they have a big selction of fish, even some oddballs.
Well worth the drive
IMO

hill16dub

Kinsealy: good selection not as expensive as whackers but still not as cheap as petmania. They sell 3 - 4 inch haps for 20 euro +. I like the fish and reptile guy dave though, nice guy who seems to know his stuff. They are selling a 950 Litre Beta aquarium and stand with 5 chamber sump filter for 1500! Thats amazing value, Pity about the fish, there tanks are always nearly empty and overpriced and they get there fish from Czech rep, which has a bad rep for fish disease. 6 out of 10

the bad news jimkel is they are 915 euros at exchange rate of .89 up north. Now thats amazing value!!!!

Lets get real here i'm all for supporting the shops around dublin but their prices are so out of synch with the rest of europe. like everything this hobby has been hit with the same celtic tiger greed whether the fault of the shop or not.

there are only a few dedicated fish shops around dublin and if they don't cop onto themselves we will be left with even fewer.

please drop your prices so those that love this hobby dont feel like they have been stepped on with the greed factor

Arcadian

Jimkel wrote: »

Pet mania Santry:

ONly a new shop, It's quite huge and the fish prices are ridiculasly low.
4 - 5 Inch Haps, Moori,[FONT=arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Labidochromis caeruleus[/SIZE][/FONT] and high colour Peakocks are 12 euro, The 5 - 6 inch Alhi's, Psudeo's, Calico Peacocks are 22 euro.

For the Community keepers the Neons, Glowlights, Black neons etc are 1.20 and the Zebra Danios are 1 euro, guppies are 1.60!

Best of all the Large 6 inch Oscars are only 16 euro. Seriously Check this place out for value> Place is very busy sometimes thats the only draw back, you may have to wait a few minutes to be seen as there are only a few staff members and many customers, but they are all very nice knowledgable and helpful. 9 out of 10 This may go up to ten when they get the Marine section open.

Price isn't everything, I wouldn't take fish from petmania if I got them for nothing. Yes some of the fish are really nice but they are riddled with whitespot and i've seen that on 3 seperate visits to the shop, which suggests that they're not even attempting to control it, infact on my last visit they were happily netting fish out of infected tanks and bagging them for customers.......

Toots

mrsFitz wrote: »

You should really try aquatic village in Brittas, great choice and the staff is very knowledgeable, not the cheapest but I have never got a bad fish out of there and they have a big selction of fish, even some oddballs.
Well worth the drive
IMO

+1, aquatic village are the only place we'd go for fish and aquarium supplies. Not the cheapest, but definitely not the most expensive place either. The quality of advice you get there is worth the extra few euro.

TheWolf-IsLoose

Dave Gonzalez, the Reptile/Fish/Arachnid specialist at the Kinsealy Pet Store is probably the friendliest and most informative salesman and pet expert i've ever worked with..He's a good friend of mine and an active researcher for the natural history museum of london, so no doubt, he is highly regarded elsewhere..If you are looking for information on fish-exotic mammals whatever he's your man..As regards reptiles, he is second only to the great Ben of Reptile Haven

As regards petshops, don't waste your time on the superstores, they hire anybody, so your ultimately dealing with naive teenagers who've kept rabbits and hamsters for the better part of their lives..Rarely will you find a pro in a superstore.

Call me biased but Kinsealy Pet Store and Reptile Haven are the two best pet shops in dublin. Kinsealy is the best all rounder, they have everything you could want for a pet at fair prices and recently went into specialising in Marine and Exotic mammals..Chipmunks, Prarie dogs, japanese squirrells, dwarf hedgehogs, even had monkeys and an owl at one stage!

Kinsealy Pet Store and Reptile Haven ftw..cut the bull**** and head to the pros

hill16dub

if they are so great why when i asked for a quote for a marine set up and aquarium did they not bother to come back to me.
When I was in the shop the place was empty and the two of them continued to have a nice chat at the till.

Their marine supplies were limited. Thats what happens when you try to sell everything.

AVOID

TheWolf-IsLoose

I'l meet you there man and say that was entirely possible, but that can happen in any shop regardless of it's trade. But shame on Kinsealy shame you guys, **** like that shouldn't happen in these money dry times, especially if you were looking for marine.Not much reason to avoid the shop though..

cbond

Newlands Garden Center in Clondalkin have a great aquatic section with loads of tropical fish which are very cheap and so are the accessories.For the biggest range of tropical fish it has to be Aquatic village in Brittas.

Senor Willy

Newlands in Clondalkin is the worse petshop I have ever been in.
They know fewk all about fish and there tanks were a disgrace.
I would avoid like the plague.

Petmania in Santry is also the pits. Been there 3 time in about a year and
the amount of fish that had whitespot was unbelieveable all the tanks
were over crowded and dirty.

Kinsealy have some really healthy stock in at the moment.
AV is also a good shop.
Wackers is the pitts. Parnell st used to be the Mecca for Cichlid keepers
every where. I cannot believe it has gone so bad.

jackojackg

Hi all, failry new to tropical fish keeping. Have 40 gal tank and stocked with 3 x bala's, 2 x tiger, 2 x small angle fish, 1 x pl*co, 1 x gourami, 1 x siemese fighter and 6 zebra danios. All doing well and water conditions good. Am I ok with this selection or have I overstocked.

mrsFitz

You are not going to like what i have to say, if the tigers you are referring to are barbs, your siamese fighter fish (betta)will be in trouble as the tiger barbs are fin nippers, they are a schooling fish and will look great in a group of 6 or more, also the bala sharks can reach a size of 14-16" and will most likely outgrow your tank.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
hope this helps.

might want to check out www.irishfishkeepers.com

jackojackg

mrsfitz, cheers and many thanks for that. I have been reading up on keeping aquariums and have checked out that site also, but you can't beat first hand knowledge. Would you think it might be best to let the barbs go or perhaps put in another couple to keep them calm. Have read if you school them they tend to leave the other fish alone, or am I been over ambitious.

mrsFitz

If I was in your shoes, I would get more tigerbarbs, take out the siamese fighter and stick him in a tank of his own, and seriously consider rehoming the bala sharks, but that is my personal opinion

here is a link to my favourite forum as well www.aquaticcommunity.com
this is a worldwide forum, very friendly people on there too

Is your tank 40 UK or US gallon? (just curious)

jackojackg

Calculated it to be 40ish gals UK (could be a little bigger) Bought it established with one bala and the 2 tiger bards some weeks ago. Just got present of the other fish. Thanks for advice will take this on board. Also thanks for sites. Will certinely have a good look. What kind of tank you got yourself.

mrsFitz

I have a Rio 180 my stock is 2 kribensis and their fry, 6 odessa barbs, 9 cory's and a rescued bleu gourami, and I have a small tank with 7 neons that is waiting for the arrival of shrimps and I am getting a tank with 3 jewel cichlids and to finish it of I am on the lookout for a small tank to use as a quarantine tank. as you can tell I have a serious case of MTS (multiple tank syndrome:D)

jackojackg

ya see what you mean, I'm already looking around a potential space for another tank. it's so easy to get the bug, how long you been doing this.

mrsFitz

not that long, I had a tank 6 years ago but gave up after a little nephew kept throwing whole pots of food in the water and thereby poisoning the fish, and restarted there 6 months ago in august

andybdub

Looking to buy first tank to keep tropical fish, done the research visited petshops for months, internet, books talked to people blah blah blah, but you can never have too much info.

Thinking of getting a Juwel Vision180 but i would like to keep Bala's, Red tailed black shark, Pleco, Danio's and barbs. Just wondering am i going to need a bigger tank maybe a 230litre tank or would it be possible to set up a similar community minus maybe barbs or Danios in a 180litre tank.

Also i know Bala's need open space to move, what sort of Decor best suited to such a tank, lava rocks/Ship/wood. Also what sort of Plants are easy to manage and god for tank"

Was in aquatic solutions in Ashbourne at weekend, nearly laughed in guys face when he quoted me price for a tank, were is most reasonable?

If ya have a spare day to answer all my questions thanks in advance:D

TheWolf-IsLoose

A 180 is grand, balas get big enough and swim in groups though and in time they may come to dominate the tank Bogwood is cool if you're going for the au natural river look, and any plants that can are potted with broad leaves usually look cool.. Kinsealy sell them for €5.00-€5.50..make sure to aks for the nutrafin/king british pland suplement too..dont go putting plants in straight away..ah the fishman will be telling you all this anyway if he's half decent..bogwood is cheap too - just remember to put it in boiling water first and leave it seep for about a day or two before putting it in you're tank..or else it'll look more like a sewer than a river ..Oh and if you're mixing fish that will eventually outgrow the likes of tetras, make sure you get some fast tetras e.g danios and steer clear of live bearers and fish with vivid fins e.g guppies, platys, mollies..get some bottom feeders too, hardy ones, but they too must be introduced after your tank has matured e.g clown loach, otocinculus, gibbiceps..start with one or two danios after your tank has been settled for the week - two weeks..they're hardy, and after a week, if they're all well with no casualties you can start introducing other fish, later some plants, then bottom feeders..if you lose some fish in your first few days, bring a sample of your water out to the shop and they'll test it for you and tell you what to do..usually it's never required you use chemicals, you might just have to adjust your temperature or light usage..

so yeah Good luck with it man

ps buy the tank in a superstore eg petmania - cheaper there - buy the fish in a reputed fish store eg kinsealy pet store

ValerieR

@ Andydub
180 litres is fine for most fish quoted in your post except for the sharks (bala/red tail) as they will eventually run out of space in your tank.
As far as the volume is concerned, it is best to go for the largest you can afford and accomodate. You might be better off looking out for a 2nd hand tank.
Personally, I wouldn't go for a Vision type of aquarium. They look nice at a distance but everything is distorted when you get near the tank. Taking pictures of its inhabitants is quite a challenge too.
There are a few reputable shops around Dublin - For eg.: Aquatic Village in Brittas, Wackers on the Long Mile rd. and in Parnell Str, Kinsealy on Malahide rd., Fintastic Aquatics in Dun Laoghaire.
For additional advice, you are more than welcome to log on www.irishfishkeepers.com. It's an Irish-based discussion forum with plenty of knowledgeable fishkeepers ready to help out. :-)

ValerieR
connaught.fishkeeping.society[at]gmail.com

Wolfsberg

andybdub wrote: »

Was in aquatic solutions in Ashbourne at weekend, nearly laughed in guys face when he quoted me price for a tank, were is most reasonable?

Bit rude. I just feel the need to say that I have been a customer or Aquarium Solutions since shortly after it opened. And I am speaking purely as a customer of that shop. Andy Tynan is an out and out gent, he would bend over backwards for a customer that shows even a hint of loyalty. He's a young bloke who works very hard for his business. The price of the tanks there represent the RRP here in the republic, he is definately not out to screw newcomers to the hobby like yourself. Sure there are cheaper places to buy a tank but you would be rewarded ten times over by the service you get in a shop like A.S. Dave who works part-time in the shop is a top bloke too. Hope this helps to paint a clearer picture!
Best of luck with the tank and welcome to the hobby!

BTW you did choose quite an expensive tank to get a quote for! If you got a quote for a Juwel tank of the same size but without the curved front you would be saving yourself a wad of cash!

andybdub

Wolfsberg wrote: »

Bit rude. Andy Tynan is an out and out gent, he would bend over backwards for a customer that shows even a hint of loyalty. He's a young bloke who works very hard for his business.

Ah yeah no harm intended when i said that, i actually know Andy so wasnt having a go. Would definately go back out and get fish of him. From above posts i might steer clear of vision and go for something else, seen fish in a bow front tank today, seemed warped.

Cheers for advice. Any ideas how much Zebra Plecos went for before breeder moved out of Ireland? Just curious. Also a friend looking for a Leopard Pleco if anyone knows were to find. One last Question, Virtual Aquariums on Rafters Road Crumlin any use before i get the push bike out

Wolfsberg

andybdub wrote: »

Ah yeah no harm intended when i said that, i actually know Andy so wasnt having a go. Would definately go back out and get fish of him. From above posts i might steer clear of vision and go for something else, seen fish in a bow front tank today, seemed warped.

Cheers for advice. Any ideas how much Zebra Plecos went for before breeder moved out of Ireland? Just curious. Also a friend looking for a Leopard Pleco if anyone knows were to find. One last Question, Virtual Aquariums on Rafters Road Crumlin any use before i get the push bike out

No bother! Never heard of Virtual Aquariums... must look it up.

Bartpan

hi everyone, i want to get some nice tropical fish, i wish to get Neolamprologus brichardi, do you know any good shop near Kilkenny? if not could be Dublin or....

nag

Haven't a clue about Kilkenny but if you're willing to go as far as Dublin, the Aquatic Village would be your best bet.

Fishyfreak

Bartpan wrote: »

hi everyone, i want to get some nice tropical fish, i wish to get Neolamprologus brichardi, do you know any good shop near Kilkenny? if not could be Dublin or....

On www.Irishfishforum.com there is someone selling Tanganyikan Cichlids. As far as I know he has breeding pairs of Brichardi for sale.

Senor Willy

Go to the trading section on www.irishfishforum.com
I seen these fish. They are the Dafodil variety. Stunning specomens.