Saw an article in the DM and had to check it out asap. Called the number I found and after a brief pause, Warren, the guy who runs the joint answered. They're open 12pm-6pm Mon-Sat.
After getting side tracked, I pulled in hot at less than 10 'til 6. The store front was unassuming. It was a bit challenging to find, and despite showing up last minute, the guys in the store were cool with me poking around.
Inside I found a really, really well done shop. It's simple, but top notch. Clean, organized, well maintained. This has all the indicia of a well-run, well-managed, professional enterprise (unlike some other fly-by-night aquatic warehouse stores that may or may not be in business in Memphis in some seedy part of town at the moment). The tanks inside almost seem to be too well-maintained: it's like they first take care of the fish and then if somebody wants to buy them, that's cool too. This is in contrast to big box and other (limited) LFSs in the area that just want to turn over product, ich and all.
That said above, it is a bit on the small side (though, honestly, probably the same size gallon for gallon as the freshwater portion of Memfish). But, the selection is remarkably good for the space they have. Some niche stuff: the best discus I've seen in town, ever; double red Agassizi apisto pairs, figure 8 puffers, black GBRs, huge Kribs in a display, and what an actual nano setup should look like. More interestingly, they have displays that give you in depth info on the fish in the tank. Why's no one think of that before?
All the fish looked healthy, well acclimated, and well cared for (i.e., no dead's floating about).
Aside from the fish, their hard goods look to be too-notch. I'm a fish nerd, and I buy Fluval for infrastructure and Seachem for water treatment and condition religiously. That's what they sell, so I take it as Warren is a learned hobbyist who knows what he's doing. A friendly conversation confirmed my suspicion. The guy knows what he's doing.
It's the right mix of a hobbyist running a massive fish room and selling out of it. This is exactly what I've been looking for since Something Fishy and whatever Kermit's Reef became known as (the one off Macon and Dexter, 10 years ago, at least) went away. I'll update as things progress, but I'm looking forward to buying frequently from FFA.
I waffled on 5-stars. But to my knowledge, there isn't another reputable, consistent LFS in Memphis. So 5 stars it is. read more