MANLIUS — Central New York fish and aquarium enthusiasts will soon have a new store in town. Fish FINatics, LLC — a provider of freshwater and marine fish, aquariums, supplies, maintenance services, and more — is set to open at 7037 Manlius Center Road in the town of Manlius on Friday, Nov. 1. The business, […]
MANLIUS — Central New York fish and aquarium enthusiasts will soon have a new store in town. Fish FINatics, LLC — a provider of freshwater and marine fish, aquariums, supplies, maintenance services, and more — is set to open at 7037 Manlius Center Road in the town of Manlius on Friday, Nov. 1.
The business, co-owned by Christopher Fowler and Thomas O’Connor, will offer fish and invertebrate supplies for aquarium hobbyists, Fowler says. The owners are leasing the store’s 1,700 square feet of space from Fremont First Associates. JS Hagan Architect PC designed and helped renovate the facility, according to Fowler.
The store will sell shrimp, crabs, snails, and corals in addition to its array of fish. Supplies will include filters, tanks, tank stands, lighting, and fish food, Fowler says.
“Most stores in town specialize in one specimen such as saltwater fish, but we will have variety,” he says.
Fowler says that he expects about 70 percent of the store’s customers to be men between the ages of 20 and 50 who are most into the aquarium hobby and the technical work it requires. Fish FINatics is also seeking to attract women aquarium hobbyists by offering varieties of colorful saltwater fish, live corals, and living rocks that are usually their favorites, he says.
Fish FINatics will also offer special home and office services including set-up and maintenance support, scheduled feeding, consultation, and in-store free water sample testing for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium, salinity, and phosphates, Fowler says.
Invertebrate and saltwater fish varieties range from $1 to $300 each, fresh water fish go for anywhere between $1 and $100 a piece. The store’s services rate is $40 per hour and $15 per feeding.
Fish FINatics’ store hours will be Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Fowler previously worked at the Cicero location of the Petland pet-store chain for six years and O’Connor has bred fish for two years, Fowler says. For now, they will work as Fish FINatics’ only employees, he says.
Fish FINatics will compete with other local aquarium-hobby stores such as Syracuse Aquarium & Pond Supply, as well as the two locations of ABC Reefs.
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