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Some good information provided by Tuan at Aquarium Central

You can see the light meter in the attached photo below :)

In the short time I have known Tuan, owner of Aquarium Central in Edmonton, I have been really impressed by his knowledge, integrity, and passion for the hobby. He is also a really nice person who goes out of his way to try and help people. I have witnessed this first hand as we have done some...

This was the most "urban" aquarium store I saw in Calgary; it is located in the heart of the downtown. The owner was not in that day, but the young salesperson on hand was very friendly and knowledgeable. The focus was on nano fish and plants. It's a cute store and if I lived in downtown Calgary...

Unfortunately not much to see here, as they were closed for most of August. From what I saw through the windows, they are mostly a salt water aquarium store.

This shop is in a small strip mall. They had a lot of larger sized fish on hand. If you are looking to get some big fish (African cichlids, South American cichlids, etc.) for a big tank, this would be a good place to visit. At least that was the case during my visit in early August 2025. A...

I have visited these guys a few times over the past 20 years, and have on occasion sold them aquarium fish as well (including Asian arowana). Dennis (the older one) and Dave (the younger one) are something of an institution in the Calgary aquarium scene. Everyone has dealt with them at least...

A small family run store, tucked away in a Calgary strip mall and tricky to find, Source Aquatics is worth a visit. The owner has a long history with the hobby in Alberta. We exchanged a few stories about people we have known in the Alberta Aquarium scene, some still around, others passed on...

I had a nice chat with Pat about the aquarium industry in Canada and about his many decades in the aquarium trade. Pat knows his stuff.

If you are looking for aquarium fish and supplies in southern Saskatchewan, Pat's Place is the place to be! :) I found the owner (Pat) to be really friendly and knowledgeable. The store is well stocked, and from what I can see, has everything an aquarist could need. As a big fish keeper, I...

A few more photos, and a couple videos: LOTS of Malawi cichlids, all locally bred: Some beautiful locally bred angelfish:

The owner has a fondness for African cichlids. He was very enthusiastic as he told me about how he and his staff are into breeding them and sourcing good genetics. This conversation extended to angelfish (Pterophyllum) too; I was shown some beautiful fire red angelfish that the owner had bred...

This was a tricky shop to find, but well worth the effort. They are tucked away in a mall a little to the north of Calgary that reminded me of Suncteck city in Singapore. The store is right next to another store called "Critter bites" that focusses on reptile and insect foods I think? I don't...

I've rounded out the photos of this shop with a few additional photos taken of the surrounding neighbourhood. Strange Exotics is located in a historic part of Medicine Hat. They are actually across the street from the old CP Rail station, which is neat. There are some wonderful coffees shops and...

The fish room was in the final stages of renovation. I was impressed by the fact that most tanks had independent filtration and water systems. This is really important to prevent the spread of any kind of contagion. I was also happy to see the extensive use of terrestrial plants like pathos and...

I noted the diversity of supplies. Every category of product you can think of, they have it here in quantity, quality and variation. The shop struck me as a work in progress that was really building momentum. The enthusiasm of the staff was palpable.

I was also told by Neil and Zac to check out Strange Exotics in Medicine Hat. This shop was "already on my radar" as I had made arrangements some months ago to get them a nice Blue Base Crossback from the MerLion Dreamfish farm. I missed out on meeting Rob, the person in charge of the fish room...

I noticed they had a lot of DIY pond supplies here. My guess is that this is a good place to go if you have an outdoor koi or goldfish pond.

While the stingray was pretty cool, I think the scarlet McCaw is more special. I'm biased as I lived in Costa Rica for a few years and really enjoy being around them :)

I was told by Neil and Zac to check out this store in Medicine Hat, and so I did. The owners of the store were away the day I came by. I was told the husband owner is a veterinarian, which must be useful for a diversified pet store like this one. I was impressed by the range of products on hand...