Aquariums West, located in Vancouver’s Yaletown, specializes in quality freshwater fish, aquatic plants, saltwater reef aquariums, captive raised reptiles and small animals. A great deal of care, time, and effort goes in to the selection of our livestock and our product lines. We attempt to supply the best that is available to us and are continually searching and testing new suppliers for unique and healthy livestock and product lines. Our goal at Aquariums West is to share our passion and knowledge of the animals we carry and encourage the keeping of aquatics and exotics in environments that closely replicate their natural environment.
Store use products. What do you use in house? Prime, Equilibrium, Discus Buffer, Cichlid Buffer, Aqua Vitro full line, Plant Fertilizers, Brackish Salt, Cichlid Salt, Cichlid Buffers and South American Buffer plus more!

Products you can't live without. Why? Discus Buffer.  Since we began using this for all our Discus tanks our fish are always healthy. We have not had one sick discus!  We do water changes on the Discus tanks every 3 days and we use Prime and Discus buffer.  The fish are in full colour, eating everything including flake food, (Yes! Flake food!)  and are extremely happy.  After adding the Discus Buffer it is almost like they “Buff” up a little bit.  They stand taller and look brighter!  The difference since before we began using this is quite remarkable.  We recommend this to all of our Discus customers.  It is such an easy sell when we use and believe in the product.  Another great product that has surprised us is the Seachem Clarity.  We had a Saltwater tank cloud up quickly with an algae bloom and tried the Clarity for the first time.  Within an hour the tank was so clear it looked like there was no water in it!

Best selling Seachem products? Aqua Vitro Fuel, Discus Buffer, Prime, Stability, Betta Basics

How many years have you been using Seachem products (Personally and/or
professionally)? We have been using a little bit of the Seachem products in the store for as long as I can remember.  However, since I sent two of my staff to Atlanta for the seminar, we use the Seachem line for our own tanks exclusively.  The Aqua Vitro line for our Saltwater section, has only recently been implemented.  Our fish are always healthy and our corals are plump and colourful.  In our heavily planted aquariums we use Flourish Comprehensive and the plants look amazing!

How does Seachem's support help you in your business? We recommend that customers with technical questions can call Seachem directly which some of them have done.  Some of my staff has also called with questions and they will get help quickly and in great detail.

How does this compare with other manufacturers?  The key to selling products is having the knowledge to sell them.  Most manufacturers don’t spend the money or time it takes to train their distributors nor their retailers.  The most success that I have had in my store with certain products lines is in direct relation to the amount of education that we all receive.  Very few companies do this.  There are so many claims made by manufacturers about their products but there doesn’t seem to be much science behind them.  You can pretty much say such and such does this and that without having to prove it.  Seachem has invested in their retailers to teach and train them in the proper use of their products and has the science to back it up. 

In your opinion, what makes Seachem products different/better than other products? You can speak generally or specifically about a product(s). 

The biggest difference is in education.  It isn’t easy teaching customers the intricacies of the biology of an aquarium.  It is especially difficult when you don’t know what you are talking about.  Having a deeper understanding of the products that we sell and having the experience of using them in the store makes it so much easier to recommend them to our customers.  There is so much to know and learn.  I am still learning new things every day. Our job as retailers is to develop those customers who start out with plastic plants and guppies (usually from the Big Box stores) into the true aquarist who keeps and maintains fish and plants and corals in a natural ecosystem.  It is so much more fun when things work!  Many people look at our aquariums and can’t believe how beautiful they are.  They think there is some magic involved.  The fact of the matter is that it is really, really simple and anyone can have an aquarium like ours with the proper knowledge and understanding of how an aquarium works and with the proper products to maintain the aquarium. 

Another difference with the Seachem product line is that they have specific products for specific kinds of fish.  It is much more advanced than other “general” kinds of products.  Keeping South American Cichlids has never been easier.  We bring in an assortment of wild Apisotogrammas from Peru which really thrive in a lower pH.  The Seachem buffers made specifically for these types of fish, helps recreate the natural environments from which they came making it easier to keep healthy in the store and makes it so easy for customers to use.  If something is too hard most people won’t do it.  Seachem makes it really easy.  The key to selling products is by using them yourself.  The Seachem Select Dealer Store Use program allows us to really learn and experience the products. 

In my store I practise what I preach and by having beautifully maintained aquariums for customers to see, they too will want that in their homes or offices.  Isn’t that the point?