Michigan Cichlid Association

Classifieds => LFS Reviews => Topic started by: four_by_ken on January 03, 2013, 10:36:13 AM

Title: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: four_by_ken on January 03, 2013, 10:36:13 AM
This place has been around for a long time from what I am told.  They have a good selection of Africans and get new stock in regularly.  The same lady has been in there each time I go in... she really knows her stuff.  Very friendly also.

The downside... they REALLY need to clean the place up and do some maintenance on their tanks.  Its looking very old.  I sure hop someone there steps up and get out the broom and dust pan.

Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Stan M. on January 06, 2013, 11:07:18 AM
they really do need to clean up the store.lol
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: djlamonica on January 06, 2013, 03:46:38 PM
 They have a lot of nice fish and keep most of the tanks clean but then occasionally you'll see a tank that looks as if it has never been cleaned before.  Also sometimes they don't have the lights on which is strange.  My wife wont even go in there.  Still a great store with a ton of good healthy fish.  If I choose the fish stores that were good by how clean they were I'd be buying all my fish from a chain.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: runawaypencil on January 06, 2013, 10:52:09 PM
I would say one of the highest prices in town though and dirty  is bad in my thoughts it doesnt take much to clean a place up some.... 
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: danielratti on January 06, 2013, 11:32:04 PM
I would say one of the highest prices in town though and dirty  is bad in my thoughts it doesnt take much to clean a place up some....

I was going to say when I was in here they were asking like 50 to 60 for a fully colored male peacock that up here sells for 10 to 19 dollars and it was super dirty and dark in the store.

I also received no customer service the guy working was engrossed in a conversation on how he keeps setting up all these tanks for doctors offices and they want to pack the tank with 100's of fish right away so he just runs emperor 400's on them and takes filter pads from off the big tank under the counter.

I feel that clean tanks make the fish more attractive to the customer.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Jaws22 on January 07, 2013, 06:05:46 AM
I hate to say it, but the posts I've seen so fair are true and fair. Back in the early 1980s this place was the place to go for almost any cichlid you could think of. I still go in there from time to time. To bad things gotta change.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Regalblue on January 07, 2013, 06:35:20 AM
I go to Cichlid World at least once every two months. Yes The place is dark&dirty,  but I don't go there to buy food or anything & I really don't care what The place Looks like. I'm there to look at their fish & as long as they are healthy who cares if I'm walking on 6"of dust. The owners are good people & I always recommend other hobbyists to check them out.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Super Turtleman on January 09, 2013, 11:05:20 AM
...who cares if I'm walking on 6"of dust.

ROFLMAO

I have to say, that must cost them some business. While I would still look at the fish I imagine the average joe might see that as soon as they walk in and not be willing to trust anything they purchase from there. Image is a big part of business.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Regalblue on January 09, 2013, 12:54:09 PM
Obviously I'm exaggerating.  The place isn't that bad.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: four_by_ken on January 09, 2013, 03:14:14 PM
If you see the lady in there... she knows her stuff.  She has been there all but one time of the say dozen times I have been there.  The other time was a guy with long hair.


Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Super Turtleman on January 09, 2013, 05:48:42 PM
Obviously I'm exaggerating.  The place isn't that bad.

You!? Exaggerating!?!? Will wonders never cease?   :P

But really, lots of comments saying it's a dirty place seems to indicate it's not the cleanest place around. Bad for business...even if it's only perception.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: four_by_ken on January 15, 2013, 08:11:51 AM
Obviously I'm exaggerating.  The place isn't that bad.

You!? Exaggerating!?!? Will wonders never cease?   :P

But really, lots of comments saying it's a dirty place seems to indicate it's not the cleanest place around. Bad for business...even if it's only perception.


Even with that being said... I still go back there from time to time.

Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: JeffroM on January 15, 2013, 11:17:27 AM
I've heard A NUMBER OF TIMES that this place has a large selection of nice used books.  I've never verified that myself but I've heard that over and over and over from Regalblue.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Regalblue on January 15, 2013, 01:02:16 PM
I've heard A NUMBER OF TIMES that this place has a large selection of nice used books.  I've never verified that myself but I've heard that over and over and over from Regalblue.
Yep,  the whole bottom shelf.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: JeffroM on January 15, 2013, 03:30:59 PM
I've heard A NUMBER OF TIMES that this place has a large selection of nice used books.  I've never verified that myself but I've heard that over and over and over from Regalblue.
Yep,  the whole bottom shelf.
LOL.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Maize-N-Blue-D on January 30, 2013, 11:08:26 PM
Yeah you need to blow the dust off...
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: four_by_ken on October 14, 2013, 10:33:20 AM
Stopped in... still the same.  Not that I was expecting much to have changed.

Worst part... not even many fish this time.

What a bummer.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: agirard2003 on August 01, 2015, 11:33:56 PM
o today I was finally able to make my way over to this place. Located on Ford Rd near Middlebelt it's a tough find if you're not paying attention.
The building itself makes you think twice about going in and once you step in the first thought that might pop into your mind is "what am I doing here".
Stepping in the door the place smells musty an it's dark, there are no lights except for near the front counter and most of the tanks are very poorly lit. It's a dungeon feel to the whole place.
Speaking of cichlids the place had variety but not great selections. (Over priced for my liking) ranging from South American to malawi's .
Would I go back, nope not a chance. This place was a huge let down for me!!!
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Riftwater on September 07, 2015, 04:28:29 PM
In my 20s I loved this place, wall to wall cichlids, the only place in town I knew of to get the fish I wanted. Now in my 40s I was mortified at what I saw this weekend. I would very seriously wear a respirator even going in, unfreakingbelievable.

Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: joe niemiec on February 16, 2016, 02:12:10 AM
let see who remembers b&b on ford rd garden city
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Mattfish on February 16, 2016, 09:51:55 PM
I bought my first tank/setup at B & B when I was in the 6th grade. I grew up about 2 blocks from there, on the north side of Ford road. The place was ok nothing to special. What I remember most is, about a month into my 7th grade school year went up there to buy some food and on the way home got hit by a car on Ford road. I made 4 1/2 lanes out of 5 before I ran in front of a 78 Oldsmobile. I spent the next 18 months in casts of various sizes. 1st from my armpits to my toes, 2nd waist down, 3rd entire right leg and lastly knee down right leg. I missed school until the 2nd semester 8th grade. I had tutors of course but I definitely missed out on a good portion of my Jr. high career. Just goes to show how painful this hobby can be. Fish loss, cracked tanks, fish disease and shattered bones, its amazing the price a person will pay and keep coming back.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Apisto Luka on October 28, 2016, 10:04:00 PM
Didnt know from outside of building if they was shut down or not. Alley parking in inkster... yah. The bottom shelf books, spines are in very bad shape. The layers of filth on them make it worse than the books being in a cigar smokers book shelf... also the humidity in the store will make any book that might be of interest a piece of trash... now onto the fish... i just visited 10-26-16... The gold face alto comp he had for think 50 bucks... was sluggish and thin... many of the tanks were overstocked and very dirty... 6 to 8 inch discus bout 5 to 8 in total in maybe a 75... with a corner sponge filter equal to a rating of a 30 gal tank at most... if these discus were actually there long... dont know how they survive the poison water they livin in... unless these people are the best water changers in the world... (which i doubt with their cleaning abilities) these fish will die soon after being added to favorable conditions... now... onto the positives... the long hair dude... is named Eric. He is courteous. He didnt hound me while lookin and answered my questions kindly...  . his driftwood is fair priced the foods and hardgoods are also... I used to go to this place ages ago... used to floor me on varieties, now, not so much... and support my lfs... spent 20 on thermometers .. and wanted to spend some bucks on livestock.
Title: Re: Cichlid World - Garden City
Post by: Brianyfishguy on April 30, 2018, 03:28:46 PM
I've gotten a few things from eric at cichlid world.  Maybe a little dark and somewhat dirty.  I have never purchased bad stock every fish I have gotten from him has been a stunner and most have bred as he is excellent at identifying males and females .  I find alo t of harder to find stuff there.  I wandered in and ended up buying a pair of simochromis diagramma which have successfully spawned and are now added to a large group of simochromis.  So I like cichlid world great stock and advice but not a 5 star hotel in regards to lighting and aesthetics