Hooked Aquariums
- Thread starter SMACKERS4
- Start date
Jep21
Well-known member
Not open sundays.. Monday-saturday only
Jep21
Well-known member
Not sure.. I thnk its a ornate
Tethered_Limbs
Active member
wth, this place looks awesome!
Jep21
Well-known member
Jep21
Well-known member
Tethered_Limbs
Active member
Hows the inverts section? 
KeishaKornbread
Banned
That sounds dirty. You know I'm down!!!
I will be getting some new stuff later this week. If anybody has anything particular you would like me to get for you, please let me know and I will add it to my order.
I am currently working on my coral tanks and invert section. I am procrastinating a bit because I haven't decided exactly how I'd like to set it up. I have some plans but I haven't sold myself completely on those ideas.
I am currently working on my coral tanks and invert section. I am procrastinating a bit because I haven't decided exactly how I'd like to set it up. I have some plans but I haven't sold myself completely on those ideas.
he had some Midas blennys, leopard wrasse, harlequin tusk juvi, harlequin shrimp pair, Firefish, yellow striped cling fishes, gobys, and many more.. Deff worth a visit Nate is was nice meeting you also. Thanks for the compliment on the store. If I don't get the frag tanks running this week. It will definitely be up next week as I am taking the whole week off of work.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hooked/199103146901391
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hooked/199103146901391
steveo9043
New member
Wish you were open during the day! I frequent Waukegan for work but am never out that way past 5pm. I guess I will just have to make a trip up there on a weekend.
Adam it was nice talking to you again. The shop looks good and has a lot of potential. It will be interesting to see what you do with it in the next few months.
The only complaints I have so far would be:
1) You dont have any morning hours during the week or on weekends. Its a little inconvenient but its not a big deal. Maybe in the future when the shop is your ONLY full time job you can open a little earlier.
2) I'm not a fan of all the security cameras, its a little to "1984". But I guess its not any different then shopping at Target or Wal-mart. The Wal-mart in Gurnee has over 20 cameras just in the parking lot.
Have you thought about moving 2 of those cameras into your East and West windows? That way you could keep an eye on your front door and whats going on in the parking lot.
You should also get yourself a good flashlight so your not walking out to your car in the dark at night. Maglite (5 or 6 cell D) www.maglite.com/dcell.asp
Good Luck
The only complaints I have so far would be:
1) You dont have any morning hours during the week or on weekends. Its a little inconvenient but its not a big deal. Maybe in the future when the shop is your ONLY full time job you can open a little earlier.
2) I'm not a fan of all the security cameras, its a little to "1984". But I guess its not any different then shopping at Target or Wal-mart. The Wal-mart in Gurnee has over 20 cameras just in the parking lot.
Have you thought about moving 2 of those cameras into your East and West windows? That way you could keep an eye on your front door and whats going on in the parking lot.
You should also get yourself a good flashlight so your not walking out to your car in the dark at night. Maglite (5 or 6 cell D) www.maglite.com/dcell.asp
Good Luck
Triggerdood
Active member
Made the journey out today. Adam is a cool dude, and customer service was a notch above the rest. Livestock looked healthy, and prices were fair. The shop is nice, and it sounds like it's only going to get better. I def recommend checking out Hooked. I will def be going back. 
KeishaKornbread
Banned
I was able to stop by on Friday with several other Chicago Reefers. It’s maybe 40-50 minutes from me in the downtown area but they are open to 9 PM on weekdays, which works really well for me. Most other LFS shut down around 7:30-800 PM and as a handsome, busy professional who works in the loop I can rarely commute home, hop in the hooptie, fight traffic and get to a shop before closing time. I really appreciate the later hours because I don’t have to rush there. I can even wait until rush hour is over and still get to Hooked Aquarium with enough time to shop, chat and sip on a Fresca.
I came to take a look at a fish that I asked to be ordered. I had some concerns regarding the size so I wanted to see it with my own eyes so I could decide if it would be a good candidate for my smaller tank. I ended up leaving without that fish, but I did find one that caught my fancy and I took her home. I also took home a red-footed snail and I need another now. They have great appetite for eating algae and gorgeous red lined foot and nice round shell that shouldn’t knock corals and frags over. I first learned about these guys from Mark at Reef City and since then I have been intrigued. Now I have one.
I also left with some New Elos Marine Fish Food. I have been wanting to try this out for a while, but the price has been a bit prohibitive. Hooked had them in stock and let me exam the pellet size and the nutritional values. He showed us his selection of Frozen food, and I have to say I was very impressed with the selection he had; not that it was extensive, but the quality of what was available was easily seen.
The store is nicely laid out and as someone above said, has a lot of potential. Hooked Aquariums has plenty of livestock tank space and from what I understand, each group of tanks has it’s own filtration system. He does not QT now but I was told that he would be QTing and running copper-based meds soon. He even has a nice little lounge area so us reefers can talk chit after browsing while sipping on a cold or coffee based beverage. Seriously. That’s hot.
The sticker prices on the fish are a little high but do yourself a favor and tell him what you think a fair price for that fish would be. I am very pleased with the prices I paid while there and I walked out of there feeling like a winner. A closed mouth does not get fed and we Chicago Reefers have a lot of power as seasoned informed consumers….so use it.
The shop has been open a month, I believe. So livestock is a bit on the low side but he has enough to make it worth the trip for those of us in the city center. I am EXTREMELY pleased and surprised at the turnaround time for items you want from Hooked. I asked for 2 fish and they were in the shop in one day. I asked for equipment, and I could have had it same day, but my travel time prevented that. Everyone has been fighting over those White Tail Bristletooth Tang; and we’ve been told there’s a waiting list for them…..well they have one. He had a nice selection wrasses that we had no idea they had in stock because they were all in the sand. Someone else has been looking for a certain fish but no one could get them in….but Hooked did. For a spoiled brat like me, getting what I want, when I want it is very important and I can see myself always contacting Adam at Hooked Aquarium first for fish I am interested in. If I can have my fish the same week I asked for it, I’m a happy reefer.
He’s still new so there is room for improvement.
I’d suggest he take out the sandbed in those tanks and use bowls with sand in them for fish like wrasses who demand sandbeds. He had to search through the sand to catch the fish and by the time he caught it, the tank was too cloudy to see into. Get the building owner to install lights outside and always keep Fresca and San Pellegrino Aranciata in the fridge. There’s other things but I’ll speak with him personally.
We left the shop around 11:00 PM and had a great time there. Adam seems like a good guy and I certainly appreciated his candidness and his go-the-extra-mile attitude. I will definitely be back.
I came to take a look at a fish that I asked to be ordered. I had some concerns regarding the size so I wanted to see it with my own eyes so I could decide if it would be a good candidate for my smaller tank. I ended up leaving without that fish, but I did find one that caught my fancy and I took her home. I also took home a red-footed snail and I need another now. They have great appetite for eating algae and gorgeous red lined foot and nice round shell that shouldn’t knock corals and frags over. I first learned about these guys from Mark at Reef City and since then I have been intrigued. Now I have one.
I also left with some New Elos Marine Fish Food. I have been wanting to try this out for a while, but the price has been a bit prohibitive. Hooked had them in stock and let me exam the pellet size and the nutritional values. He showed us his selection of Frozen food, and I have to say I was very impressed with the selection he had; not that it was extensive, but the quality of what was available was easily seen.
The store is nicely laid out and as someone above said, has a lot of potential. Hooked Aquariums has plenty of livestock tank space and from what I understand, each group of tanks has it’s own filtration system. He does not QT now but I was told that he would be QTing and running copper-based meds soon. He even has a nice little lounge area so us reefers can talk chit after browsing while sipping on a cold or coffee based beverage. Seriously. That’s hot.
The sticker prices on the fish are a little high but do yourself a favor and tell him what you think a fair price for that fish would be. I am very pleased with the prices I paid while there and I walked out of there feeling like a winner. A closed mouth does not get fed and we Chicago Reefers have a lot of power as seasoned informed consumers….so use it.
The shop has been open a month, I believe. So livestock is a bit on the low side but he has enough to make it worth the trip for those of us in the city center. I am EXTREMELY pleased and surprised at the turnaround time for items you want from Hooked. I asked for 2 fish and they were in the shop in one day. I asked for equipment, and I could have had it same day, but my travel time prevented that. Everyone has been fighting over those White Tail Bristletooth Tang; and we’ve been told there’s a waiting list for them…..well they have one. He had a nice selection wrasses that we had no idea they had in stock because they were all in the sand. Someone else has been looking for a certain fish but no one could get them in….but Hooked did. For a spoiled brat like me, getting what I want, when I want it is very important and I can see myself always contacting Adam at Hooked Aquarium first for fish I am interested in. If I can have my fish the same week I asked for it, I’m a happy reefer.
He’s still new so there is room for improvement.
I’d suggest he take out the sandbed in those tanks and use bowls with sand in them for fish like wrasses who demand sandbeds. He had to search through the sand to catch the fish and by the time he caught it, the tank was too cloudy to see into. Get the building owner to install lights outside and always keep Fresca and San Pellegrino Aranciata in the fridge. There’s other things but I’ll speak with him personally.
We left the shop around 11:00 PM and had a great time there. Adam seems like a good guy and I certainly appreciated his candidness and his go-the-extra-mile attitude. I will definitely be back.
