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[FAQ] Aquaria: Societies, Books and Mailorder


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                                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.
   
Copyright

   The FAQs owe their existence to the contributors of the net, and as
   such it belongs to the readers of rec.aquaria and alt.aquaria.
   Articles with attributions are copyrighted by their original authors.
   Copies of the FAQs can be made freely, as long as it is distributed at
   no charge, and the disclaimers and the copyright notice are included.
   

                           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'' -- First published in 1935, 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. 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 (626) 355-1476
          1yr/12 iss.    $23.00
          2yr/24 iss.    $45.00

          Outside US     $30.00/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  <edbauman@pipeline.com>

 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. 3NET
                       P.O. Box 6040
                       Mission Viejo, CA 92690
                       USA

 Canadian subscribers please add $10.50 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>, FAAS, and a
bunch of other people

   If you would like to have your society listed here (or an outdated
   listing corrected), please contact us; we don't generally have time to
   research this ourselves, so we rely on the societies to contact us
   with corrections. Thank you!
   
   Note that club web pages are accessible as links off the WWW version
   of this FAQ, but do not appear in the posted version. If you have a
   browser, scoot it on over to http://faq.thekrib.com/organizations.html
   or one of the mirrors.
   
National/International Aquarium Societies

   American Cichlid Association
   P.O. Box 5351, Naperville, IL 60567-5351
   
   Aquatic Gardeners Asssociation
   83 Cathcart St., London, Ontario, Canada N6L 3L9
   
   Canadian Killifish Association
   
   International 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 North America
   Gary Lange
   2590 Cheshire, Florissant, MO 63033
   
   American Livebearer Association
   Timothy J. Brady, Membership Chairman
   5 Zerbe Street, Cressona, PA 17929-1513
   tjbrady@fast.net
   
   Federation of American Aquarium Societies (FAAS)
   Hedy Padgett (Membership Chair) 4816 E. 64th. Street Indianapolis, IN
   46220-4728
   
   Assocation of Aquarist, Mr Chris Ralph (Chairman)
   610 Abbey Rd, Popley 4, Basingstoke, Hants RG24 9ET, UK
   
   British Rainbowfish and Gobies Society, Len Eldridge (Editor)
   64 Molesham Way, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 1NX, UK Email:
   100707.245@compuservw.com
   
   TVCATS (Thames Valley Catfish Society), Tim Allen (Editor)
   12 Sun Crescent, Oakley, Aylesbury, Bucks HP18 9RF, UK
   
   Club Snail
   2030 NE 42nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97213
   
Local Aquarium Societies - United States

   Aqualand Aquatic Society
   P.O. Box 1345 Bristol, CT 06010-1345
   
   Atlanta Area Aquarium Association
   Mark Barnett, 130 Springbrook Lane, Stockbridge, GA 30281
   
   Air Capital A.S.
   P.O. Box 3235, Wichita, KS 67201-3235
   
   Alamo A.S., Inc.
   319 Byrnes, San Antonio, TX 78209
   
   Allegheny River Valley A.S.
   P.O. Box 415, Olean, NY, 14760-0415
   
   Aquarium Club of Lancaster County
   218 E. Clay St., Lancaster, PA 17602
   
   Aquarium Hobbyists of Amarillo
   1009 S. Kentucky, Amarillo, TX 79012
   
   Aqua Land Aquatic Society
   Karl Chadbourne, 231 Bayberry Dr., Bristol, CT 06010
   
   Aquarium Society of Durham
   P.O. Box 25218, Durham, NC, 27702-2518
   
   Ashtabula County Aquarium Club
   ashco@usa.net
   
   Baltimore/Washington Area Aquaria Society
   3915 Blackburn Ln, #42, Burtonsville, MD 20866
   email: bwaas@hotmail.com
   
   Black River Aquarium Society, Inc.
   Jack Adinolfi, P.O. BOX 92, Ludlow, VT 05149-0092
   
   Boston A.S.
   255 Central St., Holliston, MA 01746-2011
   
   Brooklyn A.S.
   P.O. Box 290610, Brooklyn, NY 11229-0011
   
   Bucks County A.S., Ltd.
   Gary Jones, 237 Apple St., Levittown, PA 19057-1211
   
   California Organization of Aquatic Show Trop.
   13581 Arizona St., #2, Westminster, CA 92683-2361
   
   Central Florida A.S.
   1017 Alpug Ave., Oviedo, FL 32765
   
   Central Illinois Aquarist
   PO Box 225, Pekin, IL 61555-0225
   
   Central New York A.S., Inc.
   P.O. Box 566, Syracuse, NY 13206
   
   Central Valley A.S.
   1990 Rohrer Dr., Turlock, CA 95382-1945
   
   Central Wisconsin A.S.
   5339 Hwy 54 E 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
   P.O. Box 55165, Indianapolis, In 46205-0165
   
   Cleveland A.S.
   26011 Hendon Road, Beachwood, OH 44122
   
   Cleveland Saltwater Enthusiasts Assn.
   3896 Boston Road, Brunswick OH 44212-1262
   
   Colorado A.S.
   P.O. Box 1253, Arvada, CO 80005
   
   Columbus Area Fish Enthusiast
   3522 Rivercrest Dr., Columbus, OH 43223
   
   Danbury Area A.S.
   PO Box 8017, New Fairfield, CT 06812
   
   Delaware County A.S.
   P.O. Box 521, Ridley Park, PA 19078
   
   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
   
   Elm City Aquarium Society
   86 Middle Road, Guilford, CT 06437
   
   Erie Aquarium Society
   4829 Leacock Rd., Edinboro, PA 16412
   
   The Exotic Fish Society of Hartford, Inc
   25 Charter Road, Ellington, CT 06029
   
   Federation Of Texas A.S.
   3502 Carter Creek Pkwy, Bryan, TX 77802
   
   Fort Wayne Cichlid 502 Park Ave. - Box 260, Antwerp, OH 45813
   
   Great Lakes Cichlid Society
   1113 Sunset Road, Mayfield Hts, OH 44124
   
   Greater Akron A.S.
   P.O. Box 494, Akron, OH 44309-0494
   
   Greater Chicago Cichlid Assn
   241 Oxford Ct., Bloomingdale, IL 60108
   
   Greater Cincinnati A.S.
   P.O. Box 11495, Cincinnati, OH 45211
   
   Greater City A.S.
   Berek Haus, 197-05 90th Ave., Hollis, NY 11423
   
   Greater Dayton A.S.
   288 Virginia Ave., Centerville, OH 45458
   
   Greater Detroit A.S.
   P.O. Box C, Royal Oak, MI 48068
   
   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, Pittsburgh, PA 15122-0452
   
   Greater Portland A.S.
   P.O. Box 6752, Portland, OR 97228-6752
   voice mail drop (503) 699-8086
   
   Greater Seattle A.S.
   306 NW 82nd Street, Seattle WA 98117
   E-mail eriko@wrq.com
   
   Green Water A.S.
   P.O. Box 611, Bedford Park, IL 60499-0611
   
   Heart of America A.S.
   P.O. Box 412867, Kansas City, Missouri 64141-2867
   
   Honolulu Aquarium Society
   P.O. Box 235791, Honolulu, HI 96823-3513
   
   Houston Aq. Soc.
   Michelle Sykes, 15926 Pfeiffer Dr. Houston, TX 77081
   unicoon@wt.net
   
   Indianapolis A.S., Inc.
   Al Anderson, 6246 North Rural., Indianapolis IN 46220
   killiman@indy.net 430 2nd Ave. N.E., Carmel, IN 46032
   
   Jacksonville A.S.
   P.O. Box 156, Jacksonville, FL 32207
   
   Kitsap A.S., Inc.
   P.O. Box 1145, Silverdale, WA 98383
   
   Lehigh Valley A.S.
   Karen Haas 5145 Spruce Rd. Emmaus, PA 18049.
   lvas@fast.net
   
   Long Island A.S.
   214 Holly Lane, Smithtown, NY 11787
   
   Lorain County A.S.
   P.O. Box 185, Elyria, OH 44036-0185
   
   Louisville Trop. Fish Fanciers, Inc.
   P.O. Box 6774, Louisville, KY 40207-6774
   
   Maine State Aquarium Society
   P.O. Box 487, N. Berwick, ME 03906
   
   Medina County A.S., Inc.
   P.O. Box 1485, Medina, OH 44258
   
   Mid-Atlantic Cichlid Keepers (MACK)
   PO BOX 303, Drexel Hill, PA 19026
   
   Mid-South A.S., Inc.
   P.O. Box 11744, Memphis, TN 38111
   
   Missouri A.S., Inc.
   John Van Asch, 505 S. 20th St., Belleville, IL 62223
   
   Minnesota Aquarium Society
   P.O. Box 130483, Roseville, MN 55113
   phone contact- Brad & Nancy Swanson 612-522-4399
   
   Missouri A.S., Inc.
   36 Wagon Wheel, Fenton, MO 63026
   
   Mobile A.S.
   11450 Boe Rd. Ext., Grand Bay, AL 36541
   
   Motor City A.S., Inc.
   P.O. Box 60, Roseville, MI 48066
   
   Nassau County Aquarium Society
   P.O. Box 33, Oakdale, NY 11769
   
   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.
   P.O. Box 591 Nutley, NJ 07110
   e-mail: ajaprea@pica.army.mil, phone (908) 541-1392
   
   Norwalk A.S. of Fairfield County
   P.O. Box 84, South Norwalk CT 06852
   
   Ohio Cichlid Assn, Inc.
   C/O Dan Woodland, 7330 Ames Road, Parma, Ohio 44129
   
   Pacific Coast Cichlid Association
   P.O. Box 28145, San Jose, CA 95128
   
   Penn. Fish Culturists Assn.
   6804 No. 10th St., Philadelphia, PA 19126
   
   Potomac Valley A.S., Inc.
   P.O. Box 664, Merrifield, VA 22116
   
   Rocky Mountain Cichlid Assn.
   9242 E. Eastman Place, Denver, CO 80231
   
   Sacramento A.S.
   P.O. Box 160545, Sacramento, CA 95816-0545
   
   San Diego Tropical Fish Soc., Inc.
   P.O. Box 4156, N. Park Sta., San Diego, CA 92164
   
   San Fransisco A.S.
   (415) 387-6626
   
   San Fransisco Bay Area Aquatic Plant Society
   7 Gateview Court, San Fransisco 94116-1941
   
   Sheboygan A.S.
   P.O. Box 954, Sheboygan, WI 53082
   
   Singing Sands A.S.
   P.O. Box 134, Michigan City, IN 46360
   
   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, Kalamazoo, MI 49003-3175
   
   Stark County Aqua Life Enthusiasts, Inc.
   P.O. Box 8384, Canton, OH 44711
   
   Story City A.S.
   920 Fairview St., #8, Story City, IA 50248
   
   Tampa Bay Aquarium Society
   Al Knowles, 1101 West Kirby Lane, Tampa FL 33604
   (813) 932-5447
   
   The Suburban A.S.
   P.O. Box 101, Prospect Hts, IL 60070
   
   Texas Area Killifish Organization
   Michelle Sykes, 15926 Pfeiffer Dr. Houston, TX 77081
   unicoon@wt.net
   
   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, Huntington, VT 05462
   
   Tropical Fish Club of Erie County
   5725 Herman Hill Rd., Hamburg, NY 14075
   
   Tropical Fish Society Rhode Island
   44 Homecrest Ave. Slatersville, RI 02876
   
   Western New York A.S.
   P.O. Box 472, Hiler Branch, Buffalo, NY 14223
   
   Worcester A.S.
   P.O. Box 972, Worcester, MA 01613-0972
   
   Youngstown Area Tropical Fish
   P.O. Box 5190, Youngstown, OH 44514
   
Local Aquarium Societies - Canada

   Aquarium Society of Winnipeg
   P.O. Box 301, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3C 2H6
   
   Brampton Aquarium Club
   5372 Drenkelly Ct., Mississauga, Ontario, CANADA L5M-2H4
   
   Calgary Aquarium Society
   P.O. Box 63180, 2604 Kensington Rd. NW, Calagary, AB T2W 4C9
   Contact: Birgit McKinnon, (403) 249-8733, email : 21290576@3web.net
   
   Huronia and District A.S.
   RR 3, 9th Con. W., Orillia, Ontario, Canada L3V 6H3
   
   Kitchener-Waterloo Aquarium Society
   P.O. Box 38037, 256 King Str. N., Waterloo, ON, Canada. N2J 4T9
   
   Montreal A.S.
   P.O. Box 653, Station B, Montreal, Que., Canada H3B 3K3
   
   Ottawa Valley Aquarium Society
   Box 31033, Nepean, Ontario, Canada K2B 8S8
   
   Regina A.S.
   P.O. Box 3654, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada S4P 3N8
   
   Sarnia Aquarium Society
   P.O. Box 542, Sarnia Ontario Canada N7T 2M7
   tspiece@sar-net.com
   
   Saskatoon A.S.
   Box 371, Saskatoon Saskathewan, Canada S7K 3L3
   
   Societie D'aquariophilie De Montreal
   2450 Workman, Montreal, QUE, Canada H3J 1L8
   
Local Aquarium Societies - Other

   Asoc. Nacional Acuarofila Mexicana, AC
   APDO Postal 73-112, Santa Cruz Atoyac, Mexico, DF 03310
   
   Asoci. Acuaristas Aguadilla
   P.O. Box 102, Aguadilla, PR 00605
   
   Bermuda Fry-Angle Club
   P.O. Box WK272, Warwick, WKBX, Bermuda
   
   Grupo Mexicano De Ciclidofilos
   Cordillera Karakorum 223b, Lomas 3a. Seccion, San Luis Potosi, S.L.P.,
   78216 Mexico
   Tel/fax 052-48-253168
   cm886@freenet.carleton.ca
   
   South London Aquarist Society
   How Pang (Chairman), 11 Ramsdale Rd, Tooting, London Sw17 9BP, UK
   Howpang@demon.uk.com
   

                            FAQ: Mail-Order Houses
                                       
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. For $5 extra, they will 2-Day ship orders under 20
   pounds.
   
   Pet Warehouse
   Dept. C45F
   P.O. Box 310
   Xenia, OH 45385
   800-443-1160
   FAX 800-513-1913
   
   People like their quick service.
   
   Shipping:
           $35 or <   $5.95
           $35-50     6.95
           $60-75     7.95
           $75-100    9.95
           $100-150   10.95
           $150 or >  11.95
           2-day UPS delivery for $3.50 extra for items < 23 pounds

  The Small Fry
  
   Daleco
   3556 N 400 E
   Warsaw, IN 46580
   800-987-1120
   FAX 219-268-6302
   
   Has many unusual items. Shipping is included in prices for orders over
   $50 but prices are sometimes higher than bigger places.
   
   Good Source for: Live Food Cultures, Dupla Products, LaMotte Test Kits
   
   Shipping: Free, orders under $50.00 require a $5.00 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. Also, they happen
   to carry a great deal of merchandise, a lot that other companies do
   not even think about. Also, they are very willing to answer your
   questions.
   
   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
   
   End of Resource FAQ.
   

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