What's your opinion of Keller Farms since the ownership change?

[ayla]

I remember going to that store with my mom as a little girl, and I'm pretty sure the same family owned it the whole time until recently. They always had the best prices and I loved the no-nonsense owner lady.

I haven't been out there since it was sold, how is it? Still the same old place or...?

Fill me in please!

[donkey]

the new people seem nice but the prices have gotten way to high and the selection is still good for a lfs but not what it used to be.My wife thinks the place is cleaner than it used to be but I did not notice all I could see is how all the prices doubled.Its not worth the trip from Garland anymore for me.

[Incaico]

I've only been to KF within the past so I can't compare it to the time frame you are referring too, but I agree with donkey that the prices seem high.

[ayla]

I had heard the prices were higher, but prices for fish everywhere seem so much higher than I remember from 9-10 years ago when I last actively kept aquariums.

Luckily it's not TOO far away from me so maybe I'll head out there this weekend and check it out.

[BenChod]

i noticed the price increase almost instantly by the new owner. But again he has a new mortage he needs to cover as well.

[China8USA]

prices are way higher. I don't spend much there anymore. I make it a point to only buy what I think is a good deal....

[ElijahTurtle]

It's a great place to go for pond fish. Nice selection of driftwood. Prices on fish are a little pricey, but I don't really buy fish from the LFS anymore. I'm kind of in a holding pattern with that till I figure out what direction to go next.

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[Rift2Reef]

I worked at Keller Farms right after the new owners bought the place and the old ones left. I consider both the old and new owners friends of mine. It was a year before I opened my shop and I helped the new owners get a feel for the aquarium business since they had ZERO experience.

It's definitely a place worth visiting. I know the prices didn't increase for the first 6 months or so because I worked there and most of the original prices in paint remained on the tanks. Anything after that is probably more to do with the market and fuel prices than the new owners just wanting to jack up prices.

You can actually walk in the back area where the ponds and koi are without getting muddy after a rain. The city made them redo all of the electrical and other things to pass code.

Maq works very hard keeping the place clean and the aquariums clean. I stop by and see them every chance I get when I am in the area. Still a great store!

I still send everyone looking for larger central americans or outdoor pond fish to them because they have a great selection of that stuff.

[ayla]

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I will keep that in mind. Can anyone recommend one close to Arlington and with a good selection of staple community fish and oddballs?

[alta678]

Depending on where you are in Arlington, you might try The Fish Gallery in Dallas. It is one of my favorite stores!

[donkey]

I used to think the Fish Gallery was one of the most exspensive stores but there prices have stayed about the same or maybe a little cheaper than what they used to be.While others like boutique and Keller Farm have just gone way up.KF still has a few things at ok prices but nothing that makes me want to drive that far anymore.

[Haiven]

If you haven't been to Aquatic Wonderland on West Division, it's well worth a trip!

[ayla]

If you haven't been to Aquatic Wonderland on West Division, it's well worth a trip!

I had visited once before but headed out there again today hoping for better selection.

The fish they have all look nice and healthy, there's just not much to choose from. 3/4 of the tank space is taken up by flowerhorns.

I had no idea those were popular enough to warrant taking up the majority of a store's display space. I thought it was a fluke the first time I visited as it was the day after they had some sort of flowerhorn competition.

My 33 gallon is getting set up this week with a filter from a larger established tank, so I'm thinking of heading out to DNA and Fish Gallery over the weekend and stocking up. I've heard excellent things about both stores.

[Nicholsons_Discus]

I am close friend with the folks that use to run it. I have not been back since it was sold. It just can't be the same. It was a one of a kind place back in the day. They were very active in the TCA so they often got fish from local fish nuts and the quality was extremely good. Hard to get that from most wholesalers.

-john