AquaAddicts Salem, NH

[NateHanson]

Another favorite for me. Joe and Mike are helpful and knowledgable and I think they've done a great job of growing the store in the past 3 years. Excellent live rock prices, nice clams, and one of the better selections of reef-relevant fish. They've always treated me well, even when I've had a problem with a fish.

Nate

[stevenp]

I agree! I love going in there mid-morning on a weekday when they guys aren't busy so I can talk reef for a while.

Steve

[SMS76]

I had a good experience with AA.

[Kevin McG]

Great store, great help and great prices.

[Syris]

Been there on a number of occasions and have always left happy with service and prices.

[gurumasta]

great guys, great prices, great store.

[merk1_99]

My favorite reef store....And its not a bad thing when you have to wait because they are busy...because that means they are selling and moving inventory, a good thing. Just wish they were closer...

[jimmyj7090]

thumbs up also...

[JayG]

I also have been treated well there and always impressed with the prices.

[RichConley]

I've only been up there 2 or 3 times, and its all been good. They had a ton of smaller frags (I'm cheap) and their fish seemed to be pretty healthy. Everything was clearly labled, with pictures and prices. They have cheap Refractometers too.

Giant tub of LR too.

[theLIQUIDzoo]

the majority of their dry goods are priced how they should be.
livestock is good too.
$30 fire shrimp!
$1.00 for 5 gallons of RODI!
and their refractometers are clearly readable (not like that ebay one i have used).
they are very friendly and quite helpful.
even told me over the phone not to drive up to check out their new zoos 'not worth the trip'! that's just crazy, but i appreciate it.

sure they don't have a BRS discount, but their prices couldn't take discounting, they need to make SOMETHING.
and they have had some decent storewide weekend sales.

always worth a visit!

[joefitz]

I've had great experiences at AA. I've purchased a bunch of dry-goods (bulkheads, fish feeder, supplements, books...) and always felt the prices were good. Mike and Joe are both down to earth guys, easy to relate to and very willing to share their opinions/experiences.

[rtc_reefer]

I thought they had a 10% discount for BRS! No?

[~Flighty~]

No discount at AA. It is not a requirement for being a sponsor.

[rtc_reefer]

Thanks for the clarification.

[rtc_reefer]

Ohyeh.. Great place.. great service.. good prices too! Always happy with my purchases.

[Pat H.]

Been there several times, always a good experience. It's really cool to find a shop that is a salt water specialty. Very knowledgable and helpful.

[nhbloke]

Ditto on all the above :)

[ChrisL - Seaworld]

great store with great advice and honest answers.

[steevareno]

I would highly recommend this store to anyone especially a newbie. Joe is extremely patient and answers all questions without getting irritated. These guys are great to help setup a reef not only because they are honest and knowledgable but their prices on drygood are the best! They compare pretty well to online prices except you'll save on shipping and even better, tax! this is my favorite store hands down. I go there at least once or twice a month for nice SPS colonies/fish/drygoods........

[billm]

I like this store ilike the guys......But i think there kinda letting things slide in the maintainence area.The tanks are covered in algae and water marks aiptasia.Somebody who does not know them or their rep would be turned off,that being said i've bought a lot of fish and inverts and never lost a thing the store just looks gross lately and i hate to say that:(

[Firefish]

Mike and Joe are the best :)

[bigmikeisaddictedtofish]

mike can be a wise ass sometimes but other than that im cool

[bigmikeisaddictedtofish]

not me the owner or aa...lol

[Leroy]

AqauAddicts.......Awesome. I've bought many fish from them with no loss. Very healthy and still active. They are very knowledgable in the business and have never stirred me wrong. Joe knows my tank and knows what's compatable and would not sell me a fish just for the sake of a sale. He'll suggest what I'm looking for and if they don't have it, he'll order it and I'll hold my word and pick it up. I get the email list of "Just In". Get on the email list, it's worth it and worth the trip. Check them out. Oh BTW go over to the bar at the end of the building to the right, great subs, nice atmosphere and friendly people. I always go in, order a beer or 2, grab a sub, think about what I'm going to buy at AA. Decision made.....buy fish....more fish......leave happy. ahhh gotta love the hobby

[jdeb101]

I bought a six line wrasse from AA yesterday. It was my first experience with them and I must say he(not sure his name) was very helpful and easy to talk to. Ive had some bad experiences with stores like Sea World, and Exotic Marine previously so it was a relief to find AA thanks to you guys at BostonReefers! The only thing I may complain about, is he said the six line would be a fine first fish for my tank, and when I asked if its aggressive he said all fish are. But after reading some peoples posts on another thread of mine saying theyre usually introduced in your tank later, Im worried. I would have gotton the tomato clown first if I new this ahead of time. Dont get me wrong, I dont think that I think AA was trying to stear me in the wrong direction or just take a sale. It is partly my fault to for buying without doing much research on the fish first.

Oh well, Ill still be going there for more fish! :)

[Aqua Addict]

Hey man, I am sorry if you misunderstood what I was saying... You asked me what I thought would be better as a first fish between the 6-line wrasse and a Maroon Clown. I did say between the 2 fishs that they are both fairly equally agressive. I then said as far as which one I would go with I would take either one and then you picked the 6-line. I still believe that the 6-line is a fine first fish. I am glad you found us and look forward to seeing you in there again.

Mike

[jimmyj7090]

IMO AA is always an awsome store with great people, one of the best in new england.

Also, I get how 6 line advice can get confusing.

They are very often model reef tank citizens, but sometimes they get aggressive when they get big - hence the things you have read about them being a problem. IME, I have had two over about 4 yrs (lost one during an ICK treatment brought on by another fish), neither ever showed any aggression toward any other fish at all.

It gets confusing in the details on this particular fish - mike would not steer you wrong.

Don't worry about the 6 line at all, and if it does start to develop an attitude problem in a year or 3, send me a PM and I can loan you a fish trap to catch it.

Overall IMO AA is an A+++ store, don't get dismayed by conflicting opinions on 6 lines.

[jdeb101]

Ok, Thanks guys. Feeling better now. haha

[reefinghabit]

Edited. LFS employees from another store cannot post in another store's thread in the VE forum - even if positive. Please consult this forum's rules, and check out the User Agreement about commercial posts. Thanks.

[biggyclops]

my first experience was so so.. i walked in and was looking at live rock when i asked him (the older guy) a question.. (at the time he was reading a magazine) he looked up and answered it but halfway through the answer he looked back down in his magazine.. i was a little put off from it .. anyway .. i went back last week and i tell you what.. they have what you can't find!! this time he was more helpful.. maybe i got him in an off day.. ahh well

[Bobbofin]

Joe and Mike are awesome! I past few times I've been there only Joe (the older guy) was there. He's always very help, not take anything away from Mike. Their prices are great, service is top notch. Always a pleasurable experience.

[rocko stjean]

I have to say I love AA. Great store and joe and mike are great guys! My coral beauty I bought A year ago is still in great shape, also my favorite! By the way, stop picking on joe, calling him the old guy! LOL

[pantinor]

yah I used to go there when it was a closer to my house. Good prices and good selection. I turned some fish into them once when I was moving the tank and got yelled at for puttin a rock in the bucket with the fish. haha.

[Beckles403]

A few days ago I visited AA and was very disappointed. It wasn't the service I was disappointed with, he (not sure of his name) answered all my questions, but instead of steering me in the right direction and giving me advice he decided to be EXTREMELY discouraging and negative. Specifically when asking about lighting, filters, etc we were told everything we had was "garbage". I was told the way we had decided to cycle the tank was completely wrong and that it was never going to work out that way. Basically told me if I didn't open my wallet and dump it out, I would be better off getting out of the hobby. I was so discouraged when I left there that I considered coming home and posting my almost brand new tank and set up on the BRS marketplace. It was terrible. I'm hoping that it was just because of an off day and late hours, but it really turned me away from wanting to go back. Just my humble opinion.

Rebecca

[CaptainAndy]

A merchant should always do their best to never have a customer leave their establishment unhappy. I've been there a couple of times and I've had positive experiences so perhaps you should give them another chance. However, they are essentially correct - empty and dump the contents of your wallet. :D. This is an unfortunate reality of the hobby.

[Scott G]

A very similar thing happened to me. Starting out I only had a bio-wheel for filtration, some PC lights (not so bad), no sump, no skimmer, and minimal flow. They helped me out a lot with upgrades and now I couldn't be happier. :)

[RichConley]

Beckles, I've dealt with Mike a decent amount, and hes a great guy, but IME, hes not going to tell you what you want to hear if he doesnt believe it. If he thinks your equipment isnt going to get the job done, hes going to tell you that.

The problem is, so many people get bad advice at the start, and waste a lot of money, and someone has to come along and say "all your stuff is crap"

[reefsmurf]

Post removed. The helping of others is encouraged within the BRS, but this forum is strictly for the discussion of first hand vendor experiences.

[BIG SEY 93]

Post removed. The helping of others is encouraged within the BRS, but this forum is strictly for the discussion of first hand vendor experiences.

[Beckles403]

I must amend my former post as since then, I have visited again twice. Service wasn't nearly as bad as it was the first time. Tonight joe was extremely friendly and helpful and was more than happy to sit and talk to me about all kinds of things. I think I just visited on an off day and late at night. Everyone has bad days.. lord knows i do! :D

[Brewmaster]

Yeah, Joe and Mike are great guys. I've been in there several times and they are great 99.9% of the time:D

As others have said everyone has an off day. Were only human and dealing with the public can be very trying.

Going out there this morning for water. I really need to get an RO/DI unit.

Cheers,
Jim

[DawnOctopus]

I am very new to this-- I was lucky enough to pick AA out of my google search (before I knew this forum existed!) and got all of my live rock there... I haven't seen any better prices at any of the other stores in the area I have visited

[origreefer]

I work a busy schedule and can only get down to AA on Sundays. I think it's Joe who works then. Nice guy. I've been visiting their shop since it first opened. They've always had the best price on drygoods. I can never get there before their new shipments are picked clean. Still, I usually find some animal I can't live without.

[jackthestrat]

someone please work with Joe for free so that hes not acclimating 4000 fish by himself while trying to find the perfect sized hermit crab to satisfy my girlfriend (which he does - now that's dedication)

thanks for that, you get my vote as the best in the area.

*btw can you get some clams in*

[tonka]

Thanks for the Hi fin Joe I've been trying to snap a pic but he keeps changing hiding spots. He's looking good eating good, Good service great price.

[bfree]

Well either the book that sells in all the LFS stores about how to get into this hobby slowly and methodically is totally wrong and should be pulled from every shelf, or I cant read at all or follow directions. I went in to AA today to check it out and left the store feeling like I wanted to sell everything I have bought over the last 2 months. I do understand that everyone has there own way of doing things but I do think if you would want to keep a customer, I will never go back there, you should try and help them, not tell them what they have wont work, well then why does every LFS sell the Paletta book. Oh well needless to say we went down the road and got amazing service, if the goal today was to weed out the noobs , well you almost did! I have read through the posts and find I am not the only noob to feel this way, oh well glad some people like it there but if a store doesnt realize there is more then one right way to do things than, oh well.:(

[Leroy]

Edited. Post was discussion, not a vendor experience. Discussion is for Reef Talk or The Lounge.

[Glewis121]

I made the hour long drive up to salem today.
Although the store didnt have a huge selection, what was there was really nice. the store is very clean and doesnt smell like all of the other fish stores that i have been to. I purchsed 35 more pounds of LR to do some aquascaping with. the price was unbeatable! the guy was very nice and helpful. compaired to the stores that i regularly go to, not going to mention them, it was clean and very nice. welll worth the drive

[vinny]

I second that the store has a lot of potential.

[yukyuklee]

Great place!! one of my favorites..