LFS trip - Amwell Aquatics, Essex

Subject: LFS trip - Amwell Aquatics, Essex Wed Aug 06, 2008 11:13 pm

Hi All

Not sure if this will catch on but I thought I should write a little report on my recent trips to a not so local LFS. I was working in London and I knew that a shipment of carribean gorgonians were due in at Amwell Aquatics.

I went into the store and I noticed that they had a decent selection of corals and I also saw plenty of frags on offer mainly pulsing xenia, mushrooms, toadstools and other soft corals.

Near the liverock system there was the start of a dedicated critter system which was installed at my Local fish Shop - Tropical Paradise in Eastleigh.

I purchased a weird looking photosynthetic gorgonian for £14.95 and I picked up a crab (mithrax). There were some interesting gorgonians such as swifta, psuedopterogorgia and others but after my new fungia spending I decided to keep my spend today to a minimum.

The next shipment of gorgonians will need a further trip to purchase some more photosynthetic gorgonians. These gorgonians will be settled in and grown into nice colonies ready for fragging and these will be offered on this site.

I was tempted by the yellow sea whip but I feel my RSM wouldnt be up to the feeding regime for these animals.

I am looking for Menella species of gorg aswell as this is a azoo gorg which is doing well in tanks recently.

Other corals available at Amwell
Duncans
Sun corals
Favia
Blastos,
Ricordea mushies - greens, high coloured, orange etc
Montipora
Zoanthus
Red sea pulse (frags)
Trachyphyllia
Turbanaria

Many more.......

Perhaps people would like to meet up at the store in the future let me know

J

Joined : 31 Jul 2007 Posts : 155 Location : Norwich

Great write up and sounds a fantastic shop.

Subject: Re: LFS trip - Amwell Aquatics, Essex Thu Aug 07, 2008 11:25 am

Jon, what were the welfare standards like for the livestock and general appearance of the tanks? Amwell have a generally appalling reputation, and my experiences of their other branch (Soham) have been very mixed.

Subject: Re: LFS trip - Amwell Aquatics, Essex Thu Aug 07, 2008 11:55 am

I have to say I was really suprised when i first went to Amwell in Epping considering the reports from their other shop. I visited their shop by accident while working around Epping Forest - I later saw the posting

I found them through MAC - as they are listed as an LFS accredited to MAC. I spoke with the manager Laura and she was very knowledgable and she is a graduate from the same marine biology department/course as myself though I graduated in 1999 at Portsmouth.

I popped into the store and I was impressed with the conditions the animals were being kept in and that is why I have revisited the place since then.

The corals, to my untrained eye, looked really healthy and I was impressed so much that I purchased some acan frags and some zoas frags - I was limiting my spend as I always get it in the ear from my missus when I walk through the door.

Laura has managed to obtain MAC livestock lists which i am very interested in - for my new tank I am planning to have a few more fish and I would like to have MAC livestock really and she managed to source a green wrasse.

There are several different captive bred species of fish which are also available and so gioven that she gave her time up to chat and explain things I feel that I able to support the shop.

The prices of the corals seem to be a little high but you can tease out the bargains - which for my tank it is perfect - as the frags and smaller pieces are just right for my red sea max.

So try to go and judge for yourself

J

Joined : 28 Jul 2008 Posts : 27 Location : southampton

hi cranners, see you graduated in marine biology, do you work in that field, i graduated in marine and microbiology in 2001 from plymouth uni. i only worked for 1 year afterwards doing some research and since then have had totally unrelated jobs.

unrelated to the post but i am curious Very Happy

Subject: Re: LFS trip - Amwell Aquatics, Essex Thu Aug 07, 2008 12:52 pm

I am a herpetologist and I have been working in this professional field for over 8 years now - not marine related but I am getting back into marine survey and recording so maybe I will be moving into marine biology and consultancy related to that perhaps

J

Joined : 28 Jul 2008 Posts : 27 Location : southampton

nice 1

Subject: Re: LFS trip - Amwell Aquatics, Essex Thu Aug 07, 2008 9:00 pm

All sounds good, i like the sound of this gorgonian, have you got any pictures you could post at all??

Subject: Re: LFS trip - Amwell Aquatics, Essex Thu Aug 07, 2008 9:29 pm

C heck the Id thread I put up - thats the gorgonian I bought from Amwell - Its a Plexaurella nutans giant slit pore sea rod

J