Old Dave

Yep, Andrew was good value but there are still a lot of good aquariums around. Bought some great Corydoras at Crystal Palace recently. Another trip down memory lane. JMS in Carlingford was good and I got to visit them at Rydalmere before covid changed everything. I'll get back there soon. Need to set up a couple of tour itineraries. Maybe Canberra as well 🤪

Happy New Year to everyone 😎 Dropped back in when I saw Ace Forum mentioned on a FB site. Haven't been on here for a while. So many great memories. Can't believe my original post is 10 years old. 🙃 I suppose Facebook, GumTree and eBay have taken a toll on the sales pages. There are so many tanks being sold it must be having an effect on the hobby, and electricity. So, what changes have you seen over the last 10 years?? Best aquarium stores? Changes in technology? Please comment, Thanks, Old Dave

Chris, oooh what you said...um.. er.. wrote The old man takes me over to Toy Fisheries at Homebush 1960 something. I came to Sydney in the early seventies, Probably didn't get involved with fish until mid seventies but I remember the Toy Fisheries name. The bloke at Smithfield that had the first serious Africans we saw Frontosas and Haps and Mbuna etc etc etc selling out of his garage. Likewise. Another guy that backyarded was in Hawthorne Pde Haberfield and he had Snakeheads in ponds under the tanks and the some of best looking Nicaraguense I have ever seen .......... Bought several of those parrots but didn't really get to keep them for too long. Something to do with not having a good enough nitrogen cycle, Never was much good at chemistry. I can still picture my mates face when he was pointing at the pond and the guy got out a piece of dowel so we could see the Snakehead bit it in two "keep your fingers out of there" I got told off for calling them Snakeshead Gouramies, On the other hand he later offered to sell me the house & fishfoom when he was closing down. Riverside when it was on the river at Marrickville I remember custom tanks with a swim bridge between them at a shantytown type aquarium down by the Cook's river. The original Riverside right? And the tardis at St George. How many times did it expand? And, of course, there was that very pretty little blonde. Ooops. Sorry Carol . Very knowledgeable petite salesperson. Crystal Palace at Five Dock Frequent visitor, but mostly tyre kicking. I remember buying some very large silver sharks hoping they might breed . Auburn Aquarium. One of my favourites still. I have a vague memory of downstairs in Joycies. Definitly upstairs. Anyone remember a large aquarium store on the western side of the Princes Highway just north of the Tempe bridge? I have never seen such magnificent radicans and swords since. (but I haven't been up to see Andrew yet, either.) Was it Paul who owned Bestic St Aquarium at Brighton? I remember he always had a few killifish. Moved to Qld if I remember correctly. And LAM's was on Canterbury Rd. So many favourites. Like most of you I am guilty of many an "Aquarium Crawl". My wife is often happy to share my indulgences, as long as we stop in at a few places more in line with her shopping preferences. Old habits die hard . Keep the recollections coming, Dave

Hi all, with Riverside taking a new direction, St George calling it a day and so many others finding things just too tough I thought we might like to ponder some of the local LFS history. Some of my personal memories include Bestic St Brighton le Sands, and one on Botany Rd in Redfern. I'd be interested to see if the history of Riverside aligns with my memories of 30 odd years ago. So, recollections anyone?