Sea of Marvels a Great little Store in North Liberty

J

jamesk

New member
I live in Southern California and I was in Iowa on business and came across the nicest LFS I have ever seen. I don't know if you all are aware of a store named The Sea of Marvel in North Liberty (Between Iowa City and the Cedar Rapids airport). I was just killing some time before I had to fly home and decided to stop by to take a look. The owner was VERY nice and eager to help. Even when I told him I was from out of town and just looking. I spent the better part of an hour just talking and learning. His tanks were amazing the best I have ever seen. Do your self a huge favor and hit 411 and ask for Sea of Marvel in North Liberty. No matter how far of a drive it is worth your time. The owner is a cut up he is a very funny guy but is way smart when it comes to fish. In fact I have called a couple of times since being home to just ask for advice. I think his name is Hug or Hong, not sure because he does have an accent and is a little hard to understand but he is an amazing resource and a wealth of knowledge. Did I mention his tanks are amazing and his livestock for sale was way healthy. His prices were very good, to the point I might have him ship someback to California and pay the shipping. Hope this helps
 
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James,

You willfind a whole lot of agreement here about SoM and Hung. He is a great guy and a wealth of info. Glad you had a good reefing experience in our little corner of the world.

Ryan
 
I am so glad that you are aware of Sea of Marvel. I left his store really rooting for his success and to hear that others feel the same way is great. He said he does tank set ups and maintenance and will actually come to your home to help with issues you are having amazes me. You will not find service like this here. I seriously left in absolute amazement at his passion for his customers and his reef animals. I don't check this thread very often but please keep it going. I am certain the more people that know of this place the better the business will become. Has he been around for a while??? A professional local fish store like this is hard to find and is a true asset to our hobby... Tell your friends
 
Also can someone post a phone number and address. I don't have it handy... I am Sea of Marvels biggest fan or farthest fan either way I hope this helps
 
Sea of Marvels
500 N. Madison Ave
North Liberty IA 52317
(319) 665-2277

if u are every back in iowa, there is anything store in davenport called
Aquatic Environments
730 E Kimberly Rd
Davenport IA 52807
(563) 445-3687

that is jsut as good if not better then SOM
 
I think Hung's main source of income is the tanks he maintains. He claims to have four people working for him who maintain 200 tanks total in a 90 mile radius.

I am pretty sure that is why all the livestock in there can all be bartered for.
 
if the livestock at sea of marvels amazes you....you should see the livestock that come out of the club
 
Something is a little backwards if we have better corals here in the midwest than the LAX area. Hung does have a leg up on he competition though as he drives to wholesalers in Chicago to hand pick his livestock. His fish are hand picked, but the real reason they are so healthy is because he really cares about what he is doing.

I also have to agree that you need to take a trip to Aquatic Environments. They have the most professional (clean) looking store I have ever been in.
 
You would be surprised at the low quality of stores here in southern California. It is hard to find a good place that is helpful. Most are truly just after the money. Prices seemed to be as good if not better there.
 
I went to San Diego in Jan & thought I would check out the LFS to see what cool stuff they had since they were so close to LAX. Needless to say I was very surprised & dissappointed.
 
Hmph, funny you had to come all the way to Iowa, about as far away from the ocean as one can get here in the US to find a good LFS :) I love going to SOM, and Hung is a gem. His work is also his passion and it shows. I have found him just sitting in front of one of his tanks, just watching. You should see him with his sharks, those things are like lap dogs :)
 
I am serious when I say Sea of Marvels was the nicest store I have ever seen. There is nothing like it here. The price per square foot for commercial space is so expensive people don't invest a lot of money into BIG tanks for display. Bare bones is all you will find in stock, if you want something yes they will order you anything you want but so can I if I don't care what condition it is in. What you will find in stock is simply a few mushrooms, yellow tangs a few angles and maybe some triggers. Please keep me informed as to how this little gem called Sea of Marvel is doing. And tell Hung he has a fan in California.
 
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I just want to put my two cents in about SOM. hung has been in the hobby for close to 20 years, but yet the information he gives to his customers is false. How do I know? My new found friend has been going there buying a bunch of random crap that hung has been tossing down his throat. Who says you can throw 6 tangs in a tank all at once and not expect any problems?? Hung does!!! His knowledge of ICH disgusts me to the point we got into an argument and now I'm not allowed in the store anymore. I even offered him 500$ if he could prove me wrong, he denied and then said "I know I'll win anyways" so why wouldn't he take me up on that offer? He claims leave tank fish less for three days and then you can return your stock to the tank. What a damn joke. He got very upset when I called him out and he even questioned my intelligence, needless to say we went at it, WITH customers in the store. They were shocked, but it's about damn time someone puts him in his place. He is WAY overpriced on EVERYTHING. $75 dollars for a 200 gallon box mix of Instant Ocean Reef Crystals!!!!! Gimme a break! I went 5 miles farther to Coralville Bay and got the same box for $50 bucks!!!!!!! One day you could walk in and the price on a ocellaris clown could be $35 and the very next day $50! Honestly people, DO YOUR RESEARCH before you buy ANYTHING from him. He complains that his store doesn't do enough business, I wonder why? When you give people the wrong information and a false sense of security, bad crap happens. Stay clear of SOM and go to Anemone Clowns and Corals in Washburn, IA. Well worth the drive I promise, and Andrew, Craig, and Jeremy won't feed you full of a bunch of BS. It's time someone stands up to his crap and nonsense and spreads the word. He's lucky I didn't body slam his butt on the concrete
 
You made your thread already, no need to crap in old threads about SOM. Please move on. You are just "spamming" the forums.

- Posted via Tapatalk
 
Hung took the time to drive to Cedar Rapids to help me with a tank that I took over that was beyond gone. He stopped twice...aimed me in the right direction and saved and otherwise lost tank. We were given tons and tons of bad information to just sell us products that didn't work. Yes I bought stuff from Hung...but not everything. He was very nice and very helpful. Without his help in moving our tank in the right direction I wouldn't be to enthusiast I am today. Thanks Hung...appreciate it.
 
I am going to have to pay this store a visit, I have been to ACC in washburn a few times, Craig was pretty decent, made a contact for our local club, SOM sounds interesting.
 
I went there on a saturday, 2:45 and the doors were still locked, no lights on. I will give it another run, but not impressed with a store that isnt open when posted.
 
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