Michigan Cichlid Association

Classifieds => LFS Reviews => Topic started by: four_by_ken on January 03, 2013, 10:42:50 AM

Title: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: four_by_ken on January 03, 2013, 10:42:50 AM
On Woodward.  I believe it is an old house turned into a pet store.  Descent, small selection of Africans in the back room.  People very friendly.

I think it is the same owners as a store in... Waterford... or Highland or something.

Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: JeffroM on January 03, 2013, 03:53:46 PM
On Woodward.  I believe it is an old house turned into a pet store.  Descent, small selection of Africans in the back room.  People very friendly.

I think it is the same owners as a store in... Waterford... or Highland or something.
You had both sides of White Lake covered with Waterford and Highland listed.   :P  Highland Tropical on Highland Rd (M59) in White Lake is owned by someone related to the owners of Royal Tropical in Royal Oak but has different ownership.
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Steve on January 04, 2013, 10:21:44 PM
I go to Royal (Woodward ave) all the time, great shop. Actually use to go there back in the 80's and just started going back in the past year now that I'm back into fish. It's been owned by the same family the entire time. Really nice people and the cichlid room in the back actually has a really good stock of fish compared to most other area shops. Clean tanks as well. I'm usually in there about every week or so now it seems lol.
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: four_by_ken on January 09, 2013, 03:17:54 PM
I need to get back here.  Its been a while.
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Maize-N-Blue-D on January 30, 2013, 11:11:45 PM
I've been in there 3 times in the last month.  Always seem to buy something.  There cichlid section in the back is very impressive. Very healthy fish.  Another top LFS in SE Michigan..
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: eastsidejim on February 16, 2013, 05:48:27 PM
yes nice place stop in there today , yes would go back
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: African cichlid Keeper on February 17, 2013, 12:03:17 AM
yes nice place stop in there today , yes would go back

I agree
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: theoryguru on March 19, 2013, 09:55:36 PM
I dropped in today for the first time...

First impression was the place was small. , but looks can be deceiving.
Low ceiling and wood paneling makes it feel like I'm in someone's basement, a labyrinth of tanks.

After looking through their tropical selections, and getting startled by a barking dog at a baby gate, I headed to the back where the cichlid tanks were.  They had a variety, a lot of mixed African tanks, large single oscars, jaguars, dempseys all in the bottom rows.  The tanks were clean, but some of the fish looked strangely 'tired'. 
They have a decent selection, but the prices were far out.
Eg. male 7"+ venustus was $69.99!  [ya that's what I thought too :o]

One of the staff (who mentioned his dad opened the place ages ago) was very nice.  I didn't venture to the other side of the store where the bird and other pet cages were.  Parking can be challenging, there is a large parking lot across the street I didn't go in as I think it belongs to another building/business.
I didn't walk out with anything this time, but I'm glad I finally popped in. 
I like to support 'mom & pop' shops like this and I'll definitely go back, I just hope their prices come back down to earth.
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: chuckster688 on September 30, 2013, 12:10:58 AM
Great store with great service.  They have the generic filters for my Tetra EX-70
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Maize-N-Blue-D on September 30, 2013, 10:09:50 AM
Great store with great service.  They have the generic filters for my Tetra EX-70

FWIW - You could save extra $$ by cutting a AC 100 sponge and fitting it inside your filter with Seachem Matrix instead of using the filter cartridges...

All you have to do is rinse out the AC 100 sponge when cleaning out the filter....very quick and simple... 8)
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Steve on November 19, 2013, 03:37:13 AM
Just traded some fish today with Matt/Sue.

Always a good place to deal with.
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: bernokarl on December 03, 2013, 11:04:29 AM
Fine If you like African Cichlids Thats all I have to say .
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Steve on December 03, 2013, 02:52:50 PM
Fine If you like African Cichlids Thats all I have to say .

Not sure why you would say that, because they have a very large selection of community fish as well and a nice pond fish selection as well as birds to boot. That's where I go probably 90% of the time.
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Ogre44 on December 03, 2013, 02:56:06 PM
It's my closest store as well.
They do have more Old-Worlds than New-Worlds when it comes to cichlids, but they have a lot of other stuff as well.
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: bernokarl on December 03, 2013, 05:54:50 PM
It's my closest store as well.
They do have more Old-Worlds than New-Worlds when it comes to cichlids, but they have a lot of other stuff as well.
Very True and I did not mean bad by this at all . Its a Nice store over all and I believe they will get u what you what threw a list from there distributes
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Super Turtleman on December 04, 2013, 11:20:36 PM
Fine If you like African Cichlids Thats all I have to say .

I think most of us here like African Cichlids. Lol.   :P
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Patrick on January 20, 2014, 08:11:01 PM
Stopped by today.  Parking was a challenge with the snow banks.  I thought the prices were high, and the dog scared the crap out of me, but they are willing to buy fish which is a big plus.  Did not make a purchase today but I will go back.  They did have a large selection of Africans and community fish but right now they are light on the new worlds.
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Steve on January 16, 2015, 06:31:39 PM
Bringing this one back up, because I just wondered if any of you other guys that go here have been in the shop lately? I've been a few times in the past few months (just went today too) and I dunno who's doing the pricing now (Matt, Sue, Mike???) but they really need to get their prices back into reality.  Prices have always been a tad high, but I've always been willing to support a local family owned shop. But lately the prices are just insane :o $70 for an OB peacock, $120 for a 7" clown loach, $60 for a blue ahli without any white on his head. Seems like the fish prices have doubled in the past year there IMO.
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: four_by_ken on January 17, 2015, 10:09:15 AM
I was in there about a month ago... ridiculous prices.

Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Maize-N-Blue-D on January 18, 2015, 12:32:45 PM
I've been in there at least a dozen times in the past year and have NEVER bought a fish due to the high prices... Walk in, do a quick tour and walk out.  The other "shop" in Royal Oak has much better prices and selection...
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: joe niemiec on February 16, 2016, 01:34:59 AM
was in there a 2 months ago seen that clown loach all most got it but  did not , spent 100.00 in there on live plants an other thing nice but high price, long drive for me  use to go there in the 70 was way cool then sunday drive every weekend  to all the fish stores back then there were 3 times the amount one on every corner
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Steve on March 23, 2016, 02:35:16 PM
Stopped back in today for the first time in awhile. I never like to talk bad about a shop, but I honestly think today was the last time I ever go back to Royal. Their prices have always been high, which I usually try to just over look because I know there's always cost to run a business, but the prices I saw there today were not just high. They were absolutely absurd! :o

Really a shame that a shop that has been around so long is pricing themselves right out of business.  When you're pricing sub 2" calvs for $50, 4"-5" Dragon blood $50, Blue Ahli for $100, 5" Jags for $60 (Those are just a few examples) then you might as well start charging a cover charge to even walk in the door because no one that knows the first thing about fish will be willing to even consider buying at those prices.

What a shame.
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: greg y on March 23, 2016, 03:53:37 PM
They have nice looking German blue rams
Title: Re: Royal Tropical Fish - Royal Oak
Post by: Gorackk on March 23, 2016, 04:50:26 PM
I agree with you Steve i live around the corner from them and there's no need to walk back in.